Some of you may have seen a previous article about Airbox Spain and might wonder what's happened to it. I'll tell you.

Following a pleasant chat to clear the air with the guys at Airbox, I decided to remove in its' entirety the article relating to the bad service of that company and the poor performance of its' product. I wasn't asked to, forced to or otherwise induced to.

It must be stressed that my only experience of the Airbox product was through our mutual client who was totally dissatisfied with it, and that experience may, or may not be the norm. I am not in a position to say one way or the other because I just don't know. I can only form my own opinion of what I saw.

The points that really concern me about all of this are that they never once asked about, nor made mention of, our mutual customer to see if there was anything they could do to resolve that persons problems and never addressed the points mentioned but preferred to make 'sarcastic' (their word) comments about me and my business. Says it all really.

Airbox assure me that theirs is a solid and reliable product worth every cent of €279 for 12 months followed by a monthly subscription.

They also assure me that they developed the system which they are charging you for, that broadcasts the paid for premium content over the internet to your Airbox which is totally illegal without the content owners permission. Premium content owners never give their permission for this to anyone.

That opportunity has now passed and I hope this is my last diatribe on the airbox product as I feel everything has been said that can be said at this time.

What I will tell you all about though, is that if you want something that performs a similar (not same) function to airbox for a lot less, is that you mosey on over here - click here.

Here you can get all the help you need to set up your own Raspberry Pi IPTV box and get TV, sports and movie channels with no subscription. The only outlay you will have is for the Raspberry Pi and the bits to get it going which amounts to roughly €60 which is over €200 saving for your first year alone.

Links to all the free software and advice and guidance in how to put it it all together are provided by knowledgeable and helpful people who have already done it themselves and are happy to share their experiences with you. The guys over there will even source the equipment for you.

Even the non-techies are building their own IPTV boxes!!

So the bottom line is;

Currently, you can pay Airbox Spain €279 for your first year then pay them a monthly subscription.
OR
You can pay €60 with NO subscription.

You pays your money and makes your choice but just remember one really really really important point. Anyone streaming premium channels over the internet and then charging you for it is acting illegally because they do not have permission from the content provider to do that.

It is rebroadcasting and rebroadcasting without the content owners permission is always illegal and internet servers are an easy target for the broadcast companies to find, shut down and fine. Just so you know.


All registered trade marks and brand names acknowledged.
Airbox and Airbox Spain mentioned in this article refers to:
Airbox Spain, C/ Flecha 9, Urb La Siesta, Torrevieja.
Tel: 0034 691 429 558

If you ever needed a reason to move away from a Windows OS, this is it.

The Cryptolocker Virus is gaining victims by the hour and there is very little you can do about it.

When you know you have this particular virus, the damage has already been done. The way it works is by getting into your system via email, social media sites (facebook), pirate downloads or other infected website that you happen to drop on. It then starts encrypting EVERY data file on your Windows PC using industry standard technology as used by places such as The Pentagon and other high profile organisations.

There are currently only 2 ways to get your data back, pay the €300 ransom or totally format your hard drive, reinstall from your recovery discs (you know, the ones I'm always telling you to do) and restore your data from that backup you've done (what do you mean, what backup).

I think that means you have a couple of jobs to do sooner, rather than later! That's backup your data - all those photos and important documents - and create your recovery discs so your PC can be reset to the day you bought it. Generally speaking, if you have Windows XP, you should have an installation disc somewhere, if not, get one form your PC manufacturer or we can source one for you. Most Windows 7 systems have an option to create recovery media as do Windows 8. Do it!

You cannot be complacent, this threat can and will destroy your data and/or the entire contents of your hard drives if you don't pay the ransom.

I am receiving regular updates of individuals and corporations alike, all succumbing to this threat at an alarming rate and most are paying the ransom to get their data back because they didn't look after it in the first place. Don't let this happen to you.

The easiest way to backup your photos and documents is to copy your 'my documents' folder (or libraries folder - win7/8) onto a usb memory stick. If you don't have all the photos and documents on your PC in the 'my documents/libraries' folder, then put them there now and stop being sloppy. That's where they belong if they're on your PC.

Please be assured that if you get this and you don't have your data backed up, there is only one way you MIGHT get it back, and that's paying the €300 to the crooks within 3 days or it's gone. If they 'give' you your data back, it can take days before all your files are returned and you need to keep you PC turned on and connected to the internet until the job is finished or you lose what hasn't been undone.

This can be a problem for those on wireless services such as Ole, Telecable, TeleEast and the like because they always have momentary dips in service when it's not available and this can be enough to disconnect from the remote PC doing the decryption.

Did you know there is an initiative in the EC for everybody to have access to broadband speed internet by 2013, not just in the UK but across the EU as a whole. This has been achieved with the advent of reliable satellite internet.

"The Digital Agenda for Europe calls for all citizens to have access to broadband internet. Satellite broadband is available to provide 100% coverage in every member state."

The various commissions looking into internet delivery acknowledge the only way this is going to happen is by the use of satellite technology - internet by satellite - due to the level of investment needed to connect areas that currently have little or no access to the World Wide Web.

More information on The Digital Agenda is available here.

Along with the ESOA (European Satellite Operators Association) and Broadband For All, you can locate internet by satellite operators/suppliers in the country you live.

At the end of the day, it boils down to the three main suppliers, Tooway, SES and Avanti (we can supply equipment for all of them). For the time being, SES do not cover Spain but do cover the UK and France but their network is growing so we should see coverage in Spain in the not too distant future.

In my opinion, SES offer slightly better deals than Tooway but it's a very close run thing and boils down to the finer points of what you REALLY want from your internet.

So, if you're struggling with Telefonica rural internet, mobile internet dongles or you just can't get internet then you need to give us a call and we can arrange to get you connected in a matter of days AND we can even get you a phone service as well - NO PHONE LINE NEEDED!