Canadian Carrier Bell Partners With Plume

[Julio Urquidi]

For $5 per month, Bell customers can rent the Canadian provider’s Whole Home Wi-Fi package that includes four Plume access points - also called pods, giving subscribed homes a rented wireless mesh network.

The Plume pods basically offer Bell customers an app controlled AC1200 dual-band wireless network generally offering better coverage than conventional router/access point combinations.

This is Plume's second carrier deal. A customized version of its pods is offered by Comcast as an option for its XFINITY xFi service. Comcast also has taken at least a $63M stake in Plume and a seat on its board.

Currently the Bell Whole Home Wi-Fi package only works with Bell’s Home Hub 3000 modem (costing an additional $7 per month in some cases), which shares some of the tech found in the Plume pods, with other Bell modems slated for compatibility on an undisclosed date. Additional pods are also available for $2 per month, and up 14 pods are supported.

Aside from an onboard Ethernet jack, other features found with the wall-jack mounted access points include parental controls that block devices from accessing the internet, guest access controls, automated band selection that determines if 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz is used depending on proximity, traffic prioritization, and signal strength indicators that display signal level from each access point.

Already available in Ontario and Manitoba, the Bell’s Whole Home Wi-Fi offering using Plume will reach Manitoba and the Atlantic area later this year.

 

[Blinkyz]

offer Bell customers

OMG BELL CANADA ! .......... never , never.

Give me the choice to choose between Bell and an ISP that has just 56k internet access, and im going with the 56k modem.

 

[Makaveli]

OMG BELL CANADA ! .......... never , never.

Give me the choice to choose between Bell and an ISP that has just 56k internet access, and im going with the 56k modem.

Sadly Bell is the only provider in ontario that offers real fiber connections and not docsis hybrid.

Well except beanfield but there footprint is even smaller.