The type of Internet service we
provide is known as "fixed-point wireless Internet." An
Internet antenna (installed at your location) communicates
wirelessly with one of our Internet transmitters (located on a tower
up on a mountain or at a neighborhood relay site). This wireless
communication is secure (encrypted).
Your Internet antenna connects to a router
(inside your location) via a CAT5e ethernet cable. Thus, NO phone
line is required. Your router then connects to all of your
computers, network printers, gaming consoles, VoIP adapters, etc.
either via a CAT5e cable or via a wireless connection (wifi).
So when you access a webpage or your email from
your computer, the signal travels from your computer to your router
to the Internet antenna to our Internet transmitter, out over the
Internet and then back.
To see what this all looks like, please see our network diagram.
Our network is built on Motorola's Canopy point-to-multi-point product line. The network includes service on both the 5.7GHz and 900MHz frequencies. Our legacy network operates on the 2.4GHz frequency and is built on the Cisco and Tranzeo product lines.
Motorola Canopy 5.7GHz Network
Service on the 5.7GHz frequency requires that you have an unobstructed line-of-sight (LoS) from your location to our transmitter. Buildings, structures, trees, hills, etc. will block our ability to transmit a signal to you. The advantage of the 5.7GHz service is that we can transmit a signal up to 25 miles away.
Actual size of 5.7GHz Internet antenna and reflector dish
Motorola Canopy 900MHz Network
The advantage of the 900MHz network is that it "can" penetrate trees and structures. Thus, if your location is within 3 miles of a 900MHz relay and is surrounded by trees or other obstructions, this may be the perfect solution for your location.
Inside 900MHz modem and outside 900MHz antenna
Installation/Survey Schedule
On the day of install, we will mount
the Internet antenna on: (a) the face board of the roof; (b) the
chimney; (c) an outside wall; (d) a fence or railing; (e) a cemented
pole in the ground; or (f) any other acceptable mounting surface with
a good line-of-sight to our transmitter.
We will then run up to 100-feet of outdoor and
indoor rated CAT5e cable, staple it along the
outside of the house, drill through the wall, and run the cable into the house to
your computer and router.
CAT5e cable (twisted 4-pair)
Outdoor-rated is UV-protected, direct burial, and poly-gel filled.
Indoor cable is PVC jacketed.
Sorry, we cannot do attic or sub-floor cable crawls or "wall-fishing".
If you prefer to run the cable through your attic or sub-floor yourself, we can provide you with the necessary cable on the day of install. If you wish to have a wall jack installed, we will punch-down the cable on the jack but you will need to wall-fish the cable and provide the wall jack.
You may have special circumstances that require additional installation options.
Installing A Pole
In the event that you require a pole cemented into the ground, you can view this link for useful information if you wish to do this yourself. If you would like us to install the pole, there is an additional charge of $125 to cover parts and labor.
Installing Point-to-Point Equipment
If you do not have a direct line-of-sight to a transmitter or relay tower, one option may be to use point-to-point (PTP) networking. Please see this link for more information. This option typically costs an additional $850 for parts ($600) and labor ($250).
Using A Non-Penetrating Roof Mount
A non-penetrating roof mount is a skid to which the Internet antenna is mounted to. The skid is weighed-down with cinder blocks. This is commonly used at flat top warehouses and multi-unit business locations where mounting the Internet antenna to the commercial building is unavailable.
Non-penetrating roof mount. Used on flat-top commercial buildings.
Typical modular building install
Typical pole install
Typical construction trailer install
In order to use our Internet service, you will need to have a router (or hardware firewall) which we will provide for you at install, or will credit you $50 if you already have your own.
What Is A Router?
A router is a networking appliance which: (a) connects your local (e.g. home) network to our Internet network (via static IP settings); (b) provides you a measure of Internet security; (c) allows you to connect multiple computers to the Internet simultaneously; and (d) provides a wifi (wireless) signal 50-70 feet in radius from the wireless router.
What Router Do You Normally Install
We typically use Linksys wireless G routers with DD-WRT firmware installed. DD-WRT firmware is linux-based firmware which significantly increases the functionality and security of the router. In short, it turns a $50 router into a $500 firewall.
How Far Does A Router Broadcast a Wifi Signal?
A wireless G router typically broadcasts a wifi (wireless) signal 50-70 feet in radius from the wireless router.
