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Customer Support FAQ
What is fixed wireless broadband connectivity?
Our network uses mostly microwave radio technology to
transmit data. The basic technology has been around
since the mid 1900’s. Over the last several years this
technology has been re-engineered and fine tuned for
high-bandwidth data connectivity applications. "Fixed"
means an outdoor mounted antenna is required. "Wireless"
means NO wires, just AIR between the subscriber and
provider's network. "Broadband" means transferring data
at speeds no less than 200kbps in both directions.
Where is our network?
Our network is wholly owned and operated by High Country
Online that interconnects with and runs parallel to the
Internet in the skies above. The advantages are as
limitless as the skies themselves. Our service is an
alternative way to get connected -- offering lower
latency, blazing speeds and coverage to many areas where
wired services are unavailable.
Does bad weather degrade your wireless services?
No. High Country Online currently uses various
frequencies between 900 Mhz and 5.8 Ghz. All these
frequencies are immune to the effects of adverse weather
conditions. It is only frequencies above 10 Ghz that are
affected by weather conditions, and in many cases can
become inoperable. Examples of services that use
frequencies above 10 Ghz are Satellite services, Direct
TV and WinStar.
Are your wireless services the same as
satellite-based Internet services?
No. Fixed wireless is much faster and more reliable due
to its design. Our terrestrial (land-based) fixed
wireless network is made up of access points located on
building roof tops and towers across the county. Our
subscribers must be within a 20 mile radius from one of
these access points and line of site is preferred
although not necessary. Fixed wireless is a low latency
service not impacted by weather
conditions, unlike satellite services which deliver high
latency and poor web browsing performance.
Can service be affected by high winds?
Antenna equipment must be properly installed to maintain
alignment. Our professional installations are engineered
to handle wind loads exceeding or equivalent to their
supporting structures. To date, an incident has never
been reported where our service has been adversely
affected by wind or weather. Snow has been known to
improve the performance of our equipment, We have
already experienced these propagation qualities here in
Mountain City.
How can I be assured wireless technology works?
Hundreds of Wireless ISPs have deployed
their networks successfully throughout the United
States, first targeting areas where other options were
not available. The High Country Online team is one of
the first wireless ISPs to bring this revolutionary
service to the Mountain City area. The best way to
become a believer is to experience it for yourself.
A friend told me his wireless wasn't reliable, how
come?
Wireless has evolved to a mature technology and when
engineered correctly is the most reliable service
available on the market today. High Country Online Fixed
Wireless Broadband has been engineered for maximum
reliability and proves it daily. Unfortunately all
wireless networks have not been created equally and
their design is left up to the providers. In your
friend's case the most likely problem was with
the provider and not the technology. Their is a science
to radio technology and not everyone has adequate
experience or training to properly engineer reliable
systems. Other times, they just plain don't have the
budget to do it right. Often the goal may have been to
deliver free service, not necessarily reliability.
Limits may have been pushed trying to install in an
environment that just wasn't suited
for wireless technology or the equipment chosen.
Equipment that was available even just two years ago did
not have near the capacity or speed that current
technology has today.
Is wireless more susceptible to network intrusion?
No. We believe our wireless network is more secure than
any wired alternative offered today. Because our
wireless equipment uses a proprietary algorithm,
connectivity requires using one of our supplied radios
that has a hardware imbedded key to unlock access to our
network. To protect data further, VLAN & VPN Tunneling
protocols are often used. Our network was built from the
ground up during a time
when Internet attacks happen constantly, every hour of
every day. Every reasonable step has been taken to
protect our network and our customers.
How redundant is High Country Online’s network?
Redundancy has been designed into our deployment plan
from the beginning. We've created our network allowing
automatic route-redirection, load balancing and fail
over specifically to deliver redundancy. Our central
access points operate in a star topology and
Interconnect with neighboring access points to offer
shortest path redundant routing. Our T1 carrier utilizes
a ring topology as well. If the fiber gets cut on one
end, the traffic will automatically route the other
direction to its destination.
What if my circuit fails due to interference?
Our access point towers utilize two base station
antennas per sector (direction), each set to a separate
unique frequency. If subscriber equipment should lose
connectivity to its primary base station, the system
automatically switches over to the second base station
on a secondary frequency. Our equipment was selected for
its unique capabilities to quickly steer around radio
interference.
Are radio waves unsafe?
No. Our subscriber equipment broadcasts at very low
power and is not harmful in any way. It utilizes a power
level typically less than 500mw, equivalent to that of a
single cell phone.
What equipment do I need to get started?
Occasionally, an antenna can be installed next to a
window in an office. More frequently a small flat panel
or dish antenna is required on the roof of the building.
High Country Online provides the wireless delivery
system that can be shared by multiple tenants, and the
subscriber only pays a small equipment deposit to begin
using our services. Secure connections can be created to
tenants within these office buildings needing only a
free port on their existing LAN Ethernet switch. We
typically sell a VPN / firewall router for the
subscriber’s office to further protect its internal
network and facilitate in remote connectivity.
What makes High Country Online's radio equipment
better?
Our equipment has been designed from the ground up for
outdoor wide area network deployment. There are many
advantages, but here are just a few. We can handle up to
500 clients per AP radio. We use smart polling
technology to guarantee every subscriber gets its
allocated amount of bandwidth, and to avoid collisions
and retransmissions. We have up to 22 channels to choose
from to work around interference. We are allowed higher
power levels than basic WiFi gear for stronger signals.
We automatically adjust our power to weed out
interference. Our technology allows us to push over
45Mbps through our back-haul radio equipment
(approximately 30 T1 lines). We primarily use radio
frequencies in the 5.8Ghz, 5.7Ghz, and 5.3Ghz ranges
where there is minimal interference.
What strategic advantage does High Country Online
have over new start up wireless ISPs?
Experience and location, location, location. High
Country Online started in the right place at the right
time, and had first choice to select and acquire the
absolute best access point spots to guarantee optimal
coverage, minimal interference and ideal peering. That
is an opportunity that new competitors will not be able
to enjoy.
What protocols does High Country Online use?
Our network utilizes the Ethernet standard end to end,
and only passes TCP/IP traffic.
How do I know if I qualify for service?
High Country Online will perform a site survey to verify
the services offerings available at your site. Typically
we can get to any location in the city within view of
one of our towers.
How is my Quality of Service (QOS) and connection
speed controlled?
We offer our clients a committed information rate (CIR),
the minimum guaranteed speed, and a maximum information
rate (MIR), the max speed usable when available, also
known as "Burstable". Further we implement IP Port
Prioritization so that critical time-sensitive traffic
receives priority.
Does High Country Online offer telephone service?
Yes. One of the key elements to our business success has
been the "One Network, One Contact, One Bill"
philosophy. We offer both VoIP and Hosted PBX voice
services. Due to the high bandwidth and quality of
service of our system, digital voice services perform
exceptionally well and are fully supported on our
network.
Will I be allowed to install an antenna on the roof?
In May 2001, the FCC made a ruling that now allows any
subscriber to install a dish antenna for Internet
Service on leased, rented or owned property regardless
of any existing rules by management associations or
local law. Common areas such as tenant building roof
space are not included. Therefore building management
approval is needed for roof access. In most cases, it
will be approved for tenants. In many cases agreements
are made to service the entire building.
How does High Country Online compare to Ricochet and
3G cell phone networks?
High Country Online provides much faster and more secure
access. In a best case scenario, Ricochet can only
transfer at peak rates up to 175K. 3G cell phone
Internet providers typically can reach peak transfer
rates up to 128k, but usually much less than a modem,
closer to 8K.
Can I connect to High Country Online's network while
roaming about using a mobile computer?
Mobile roaming networks have different design
characteristics. However, mobile components are
available in portions of the City (contact a
representative for specific questions). To compliment
our current services, High Country Online currently
offers add-on WiFi components to build roaming wireless
Local Area Networks (LANs), HotSpots, home networks, and
small community networks.
What is WiFi?
"WiFi" is a label given to wireless products that
conform to the industry standard 802.11b LAN
specification. This technology was originally designed
for indoor Local networks, and has many design flaws
making it inadequate for large scale outdoor
deployments. Many ISPs have used this technology
successfully in rural areas, and have engineered links
to reach distances as far as 50 miles away. 802.11b
equipment is specified as 11 mbps, but actually only
delivers true speeds of 4 mbps in ideal situations. The
low cost of WiFi gear, and its wide spread acceptance
makes it the first choice for most free network and
HotSpot operators. Our equipment is not WiFi compliant
due to its high-performance and security
characteristics.
What is a Hot spot?
A Hot spot is a public area that people can go to and
connect to the Internet wirelessly. Hot spots can be
found in airports, hotels, parks, cafes, libraries and
many other places. Hot spot groups are starting to
organize where a single pre-paid subscription will give
you access from any of the member Hot spots. Some Hot
spots are free while others will automatically redirect
your web browser to a signup page
where a credit card can be entered.
What radio technology is the best?
There isn't a single best product. There are hundreds of
different products by many different vendors each
designed for a specific need. For example, 900 Mhz
equipment is slower, but is ideal for non-line of site
deployments through buildings and thick foliage. 2.4Ghz
equipment is known for its low price, and extended
range. The 5.8 Ghz equipment is known for its robust
carrier class features and higher
capacities. Antennas are designed for specific needs as
well, durability, wind load, directional to minimize
interference, wide beam width to increase coverage and
size to increase distance. High Country Online uses a
wide variety of radios, frequencies and antennas based
on the appropriate need.
What would prevent me from getting wireless service?
Wireless service is not available everywhere, if it were
everyone would get it. With some exceptions,
line-of-site is required from your location to one of
our access points. The most common barrier is dense
foliage (tall pine trees). Whether we can overcome
blocked line of site depends on distance, technology and
budget. If you are interested in wireless and have
doubts regarding coverage, always inquire with
us first, you'd be surprised what clever engineering can
accomplish.
What can I do if service is not available in my area?
Asked to be put on our waiting list. If we are not aware
of interest in an area we won't know to focus on
bringing services into the area. If you are not in our
immediate range we will often plan to bring service to
your community with as little as a few interested
parties.
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Copyright © 2006
High Country Online LLC. All Rights Reserved |
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