The Internet has transformed the way we communicate, travel, work and play. It has even changed the way we parent. It presents new challenges, but also excellent opportunities for learning and growth.

If you have kids, regardless of their ages, they probably have access to the Internet at some point in their day. Whether it’s your middle schooler playing Minecraft, or your teenager chatting on social media, Internet use requires a degree of responsibility. You can’t shield kids from everything and while it’s not realistic to monitor every second of their day, keeping an open dialogue around parental controls and Internet safety certainly can help.

At Ting Internet, we like to think of parental controls as training wheels for learning to use the Internet respectfully and responsibly. Browse our guide of parental controls for platforms like YouTube and Netflix below. These practical steps, paired with an open conversation around Internet safety, can help you raise kids who have a mature awareness of the Internet.

Have you noticed how everything is getting smart these days? Smart parking meters, smart bike stations, even things that might not be as obvious, such as garbage bins, soil monitors, water meters, electric meters — you get the picture. These things are all a part of the Internet of Things, and one of the best ways to put the Internet in these objects is with Narrowband IoT, or Nb-IoT for short.

What is Narrowband IoT?

Nb-IoT is a network of simple devices that can run on carrier networks — including Ting! Nb-IoT was standardized in 2016 by 3GPP and is quickly becoming one of the most sought-after options of low power wide area (LPWA) technology by offering condition and performance analysis in real time.

Narrowband can support about 250 kilobytes of uplink and downlink rather easily. While that might not sound like much, Nb-IoT is perfect for those IoT devices that use a small amount of data to function over a long period a time.

Your protections under the OTARD law

2018 has been a great year for over-the-air TV and, with the new 3.0 OTA standard on the horizon, your antenna is about to get better with free 4K over-the-air. Yet, we often hear that a homeowners’ association (HOA), or a similar group, attempts to block someone from installing an antenna on their condo or house. However, the OTARD (Over-the-Air Reception Devices) law is clear on this; you have every legal right to install an antenna, even on a condo, if you own it or have an exclusive use area of your rental property.

You may be interested to learn that the FCC’s OTARD law further prohibits most restrictions that an HOA might try to enforce, such as preventing installation, maintenance or use of an antenna, or unreasonably increasing the cost to do so.

The rule also applies to rental properties where the renter has an exclusive use area, like a balcony or patio. This includes condominium owners, co-op owners and tenants, townhomes, manufactured homes and single-family homes as well. The rule does not apply to common areas such as the roof or exterior walls of multi-dwelling units.

Your cable company is inflating your bill

Cable is a crazy web of bundles, introductory offers, ride-alongs and hidden fees. Our favorite is the bizarre but important-sounding HD Technology Fee. We’ll get to that.

We’re used to paying too much for cable TV and Internet access. We’ve come to accept misleading introductory pricing and the term contracts that come along with it. We’re used to bill creep.

One of the big things that sets Ting TV apart from your cable company is our approach to pricing. We’re clear, upfront and honest about what you pay. With our Internet service, the price you see is the price you pay. That’s $89/mo for gigabit service, plus taxes where applicable.

The same will go for our TV pricing. Here are some of the fees you will never see on your Ting TV bill.

• Broadcast TV fee ($5 on average)
• Regional sports fee ($3 on average)
• HD technology fee ($10 on average)
• Miscellaneous fees (varies)

Cord cutters can stream classic TV shows and movies

Classic TV shows and movies have traditionally been somewhat hard to find. Sometimes, they would be available on DVD or VHS at your local corner store, or you could get lucky and catch a re-run or special airing on local stations.

Now, they are becoming increasingly easy to stream online. Recently, several new services have launched, which give fans of old classics access to the content they love, without breaking the bank.

Learn how PistenBully uses Ting SIM cards to provide data and save

PistenBully snow groomers are bringing a new age of tech to fleet management, snow grooming and slope maintenance across North America. Integrated into PistenBully vehicles is their unique SNOWsat technology, a professional snow and fleet management system with snow depth measurement based on satellite-guided positioning and cellular data.

Ting SIM cards integrate into the SNOWsat’s system to provide integral location data. We love to tell stories about Ting IoT customers doing more with GPS locating services than ever before and using technology to create innovative products that help their customers save money, create safer working conditions and reduce their carbon footprint.

We caught up with Josh Nelson, SNOWsat Sales Manager, to talk about the exciting ways PistenBully and their customers are using Ting.

“The vast majority (90%+) of SNOWsat ski resort customers work on Ting SIM cards. They’re using the SNOWsat system that includes the Ting SIM to really reduce their operating cost for their snow management fleets and ultimately for their skiers. It’s trickle-down savings from the start.”