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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 Florida High Speed Internet 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. Florida High Speed Internet 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, but we have yet to experience these
propogation qualities here in Brevard.
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. Our 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 Florida High Speed Internet'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 fiber backbone 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. We can even create
fallback redundant links to any other provider’s technology including DSL or cable.
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.
We provide the wireless delivery system that can be shared by multiple
tenants, and the subscriber only pays a small equipment deposit to begin usign 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 provide a VPN / firewall router for the subscriber’s office
to further protect its internal network and facilitate in remote connectivity.
What makes Florida High Speed Internet'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 100Mbps through our back-haul radio equipment.
What strategic advantage does Florida High Speed Internet have over new start up wireless ISPs?
Experience and location, location, location. We 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 do you 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?
We will perform a site survey to verify the services offerings available
at your site. Typically we can get to any location within our coverage areas.
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 Florida High Speed Internet 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 your wireless service compare to satellite-based and 3G cell phone networks?
Our service provides much faster and more secure access. In a best case
scenario, many satellite and cellular providers can only transfer at peak rates up to 1MB. Their upload speeds are really slow.
Our download and upload speeds are right up there with the fastest available in the state many times exceeding 20MB up/down.
Can I connect to your network while roaming about using a mobile computer?
Mobile roaming networks have different design characteristics. However, mobile components
are available in portions of the state (contact a representative for specific questions).
To compliment our current services, we currently offer 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. We use a wide variety of radios, frequencies and
antennas based on the appropriate need.
Does Florida High Speed Internet have a partnership program?
Yes. We are a leader in wholesale wireless services and welcome partnerships on many levels. Our wireless services are
an ideal backhaul for community networks, hotspots, tenant buildings and small ISPs.
Revenue sharing agreements are available as well. Contact a representative for more
details.
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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