"ImageSteam offers me the fastest response and highest knowledgebase of any vendor we work with. ImageStream is world-class."

Dan Heath, President
T6 Broadband

SITUATION
T6 Broadband is a Wireless Internet Service Provider (WISP) offering internet, VoIP and television service to 3,000 customers within a 3,000 square mile area of North Central Illinois and Southern Wisconsin. At the core of the company's growing success is its point to multi-point wireless network that supports growing customer demands for fast, reliable Internet service.

The company's existing network infrastructure included two Cisco core routers on a network with 63 wireless towers. To maintain quality of service (QoS) and deliver network connectivity up to six times faster than standard broadband services, T6 needed a new network design that would provide world-class performance and reliability.

With the continued problem of denial of service attacks, storm outages and viruses hitting the T6 infrastructure, it was critical for T6 to minimize the impact of these events on network availability. The existing network design was ineffective because all customer traffic was statically bridged from one tower to the next, and an outage would interrupt connectivity for all customers located behind the point of failure. When an outage occurred, T6 would receive calls from customers at all hours of the day and night, and in some cases, customers would call before the automated paging system could alert them about the situation.

CHALLENGE
To improve on the existing network design, T6 sought a low-cost router that it could install at each tower location to prioritize network traffic and route around any network outages using the OSPF (Open Shortest Path First) dynamic routing protocol. With OSPF, any of the company's 27 backbone towers could lose connectivity, and the on-site router could select an alternate path to route around the problem. T6 believed that OSPF would provide the redundant network connectivity required to reduce downtime.

SOLUTION
The T6 strategy made OSPF and QoS two of the most important features for the new routers installed at the 27 tower locations. To assist in the selection process, T6 got help from an independent network consultant. During the selection process, T6 considered many different factors including reliability, redundancy, affordability and product support.

T6 was familiar with Cisco products, and knew that purchasing 30 Cisco routers would be expensive. So the company decided to find a lower-cost solution that would provide the required features and performance. T6 was familiar with Linux

router manufacturer ImageStream from industry trade shows, and the T6 consultant recommended ImageStream's Rebel router as an ideal fit for the application.

With a base price of $1,999, the Rebel is ImageStream's entry-level router for high-speed multi-homed networks, DS3/E3 installations, and broadband aggregation.

Based on pre-sales information, the Rebel appeared to offer T6 the best price and performance for the application. This would be a big investment, so the company decided to bring in four of the Rebel routers to test prior to making the final decision. During the implementation process, ImageStream technical support helped T6 configure the routers for the specific application requirements. Following its rigorous product testing, T6 decided to deploy the 27 Rebel routers.

For less than 10 percent of the cost of a Cisco router, the Rebel router delivered higher throughput and better scalability, which also allowed T6 to run the ImageStream Rebel router at the core of its network. The T6 staff felt that ImageStream's robust router platform with advanced QoS and OSPF support made the Rebel ideal for use in its wireless backbone.

T6 worked with authorized Midwest distributor Solutions4ebiz to purchase the Rebel routers for its 27 towers. Solutions4ebiz offers online sales of ImageStream routers at www.imagestreamsolutions.com.

Some of the reasons T6 chose the ImageStream Rebel router included the reasonable price, superior performance and versatility. T6 was also impressed with the manufacturer's excellent customer support team, responsiveness and expertise in the product and applications. ImageStream includes 24/7 technical support for the first year with most products, and T6 noted that ImageStream has one of the best response times that it has ever experienced from any equipment manufacturer.

RESULTS
T6 deployed the ImageStream Rebel router at each tower location to help deliver the fastest possible Internet access, VoIP and television services to its customers. T6 used OSPF and redundant tower paths to route around outages, and reduce the number of customers that depend on each tower for connectivity. With OSPF, the company now has failover protection that provides minimal service interruptions and maintains a 99.82% uptime rate.

If a tower does experience a service outage, the outage is limited to customers that use that particular tower, and most problems are still resolved automatically in seconds, instead of the 15 minutes or more required to troubleshoot and repair the old infrastructure. The T6 staff no longer needs to re-route traffic manually, and its customers have stopped calling to report outages.

On average, an individual tower will drop service once every eight months due to bad weather or some other localized problem. Now, rather than causing an outage across the entire network, the other towers in the grid - and their Rebel routers - provide more than enough redundant capacity to carry the rerouted traffic and significantly reduce downtime for T6 customers. The new T6 network provides the redundancy and reliability that sets T6 apart from its competitors. The company plans to incorporate even more ImageStream routers into their growing network as customer demand dictates. T6 also recommends that wireless ISPs install routers at each tower location, and they recommend ImageStream routers as the low-cost, high-performance alternative to more expensive options. T6 emphasizes that ImageStream is different from other router manufacturers because of its products, its people, and its service.

About Solutions4ebiz:
Solutions4ebiz develops customized software for unique, industry-specific customer needs. The company has deep experience in Internet-based technology solutions, and has designed software applications for a wide variety of industries, including tourism, manufacturing, distribution, retail, membership organizations and professional services. Founded in 2000 (formerly The eBiz Shop), Solutions4ebiz specializes in Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software that enables companies to manage sales efforts and communicate with customers more effectively. CRM4ebiz, the company's affordable, Web-based CRM software, offers unique contact management, customer profiling and online marketing tools. The company has also developed CRM4Tourism and D2000, Web-based CRM software and marketing applications for the tourism industry. Headquartered in the Indianapolis, Indiana metro area, Solutions4ebiz supports its custom software applications with website design, custom programming, hosting, support, hardware and professional IT staffing services. Solutions4ebiz is also the exclusive Midwest distributor of Linux routers and related products from ImageStream Internet Solutions at www.imagestreamsolutions.com. To learn more about Solutions4ebiz, call 317-915-1625, email sales@solutions4ebiz.com or visit www.solutions4ebiz.com.

About T6 Broadband:
T6 Broadband provides internet, VoIP and television service over a 3,000 square mile area covering North Central Illinois and Southern Wisconsin. The T6 RF network employs cell tower antennas to relay signals to thousands of customers. Boasting access speeds 10-times faster than T-1, T6 offers both quality service as well as 24/7, six-day-a-week customer support. To learn more about T6 Broadband, visit www.t6broadband.com. About Solutions4ebiz: Solutions4ebiz develops Internet-based technology solutions for a wide variety of industries. Solutions4ebiz helps companies manage sales efforts and communicate with customers more effectively with affordable, Web-based software applications for customer relationship management and Internet marketing. Headquartered in the Indianapolis, Indiana metro area, Solutions4ebiz supports its custom software applications with website design, custom programming, hosting, support, hardware and professional IT staffing services. Solutions4ebiz is also the exclusive Midwest distributor of Linux routers and related products from ImageStream Internet Solutions. To learn more about Solutions4ebiz, visit www.solutions4ebiz.com.

About ImageStream:
ImageStream Internet Solutions, Inc. is a leading supplier of Linux-based LAN and WAN solutions for small offices, corporate LANs and WANs, and Internet backbone providers. ImageStream products include high-performance routers and switches, network cards, monitoring taps, and network management software, with installations in more than 75 countries. Headquartered in Plymouth, Indiana, ImageStream has developed a reputation for providing superior technical support and a high level of customer satisfaction, with its success driven by a focus on real-world customer requirements, and a value proposition that delivers more routers for the money. To order ImageStream routers, visit www.imagestreamsolutions.com, call 877-666-3249 or email sales@solutions4ebiz.com.

WHY IMAGESTREAM ROUTERS?

• Competitive price
• Wire-speed performance
• Performance guarantee
• Runs on Linux
• Free support for 12 months (no contract required)
• Software included
• Driver component technology
• Source code for developers
• Transferable end user licensing
• Free Internet-based software upgrades for life, including newlyreleased product features
• One-year warranty on parts and labor