SmartBro Chronicles 1: The Phantom Menace

SmartBro is one of the ISP or internet service provider here in the Philippines brought by the Smart Corporation. They are providing wireless internet service either with a USB wireless dongle or with external antenna called Motorola Canopy.

If you are too lucky, they are serving UP TO 2MBPS (megabits per seconds), you will get as much as 1.80mbps if you "know" how to get it. But unluckily, if the people who installed your external antenna did not configure your canopy right, you will not get more than 2mbps. Do you know why? its because your canopy was configured to 1 mbps aggregate maximum output. Well, you have to peek first at you Canopy.  If you will notice, my Downlink Data Rate is just 800 kbps and my Uplink Data Rate is just 200 kbps. 800 kbps + 200 kbps is equals to 1000 kbps or 1 mbps.

So, do you still wonder why you will not achieve the 2 mbps data as promised?

QoS or Quality of Service in Configuration tab

To take a peek:
1. Open a browser ( your connection should be Canopy-PC only)
2. Type 169.254.1.1
3. If you dont see the same page like the picture below click here.

Now look at the very bottom and look for Maximum Throughput. If it says 2 mbps in your Canopy, well lucky man... get yourself a wife but if you don't please continue reading.

mine says 1mbps. crap!

So if you just in case, you get the same crap... get your Smart mobile phone and start dialing *1888
When you talk to the customer service over the phone. Rule #1 don't ever tell them how you were able to access their Canopy, OK? they mustn't know. You can tell them "well, I just a got a feeling and a bird told me." You're mission is --  to make them change your Maximum Throughput to 2 mbps which may take weeks or depending how persistent you are.

Now, if you reach this part of my blog, then that means you have to wait for the part 2 of my Smartbro Chronicles 2: Dark of the Canopy.

Update: See SmartBro Chronicles 2: Dark of the Canopy