Service
What
do you mean by line-of-sight?
Line-of-sight means that you can actually see with your
eyes the AP site in a direct line. If you cannot actually
see the AP site, then you do not have line-of-sight to the
AP. If you can actually see the AP site, then you have
line-of-sight.
How
fast is 256 kbps?
Our minimum residential bandwidth of 256 kbps is
approximately six times faster than a dialup modem. Most
modem connections occur between 35 kbps and 45 kbps, so 256
kbps is about six times faster.
Why
do businesses need more than 256 kbps?
We do not make lower bandwidths available to businesses
because the requirements of business are often greater than
what residences require. Since businesses typically have
multiple computers connected to the internet, each computer
will experience slower performance the more computers are
connected to the LAN. Plus, businesses often connect to a
server at headquarters or at a remote office. Increased
bandwidth ensures adequate performance for these remote
connections.
What
if I can't see the AP site?
If you cannot see the AP site, we may not be able to get
signal to your location. Any obstructions such as trees,
buildings or passing semi trucks will impede the signal
coming from our APs. There may be instances where you're
not sure if the AP site we've described is what you're
looking at. Or perhaps you're between five and ten miles
from the AP site and it's difficult to see with the naked
eye. We may be able to perform a site survey to determine
whether or not signal strength is available at your
location, but we cannot specify in advance a date for the
site survey.
What
if I'm too far away?
If you are more than twenty miles away from the AP site, we
may not be able to get signal to your location under any
circumstances. We may be able to provide signal to your
location if you are between ten and twenty miles from the
AP site with a special three-foot antenna dish. Call us for
details on long-range access.
I'm
not getting any service with my radio, what do I do?
You can try several things to attempt to restore your
service before calling our office. First, ping your
ethernet card. If you can't ping your ethernet card, you
have a computer problem that may need to be fixed by a
computer consultant. Next, unplug the power cord from the
white 2" x 2" J-box, then plug it back in. Wait 60 seconds
while your radio reboots, then check your service again.
Second, turn the power off on your router, then turn the
power back on. Check your service again. Third, if neither
of these restores your service, try rebooting your
computer. Please try these three items before calling
technical support.
Can
I change my bandwidth at any time?
Yes, you can change your bandwidth at any time. Call us or
send e-mail to specify the bandwidth you'd like.
What's
a LAN? Does HiSpeed4U install LANs?
A LAN is a local area network. It is the interconnection of
all your computers inside your building. HiSpeed4U does not
install LANs. If you purchase a router from us, you will
need to contact a third party to install the proper wiring
that will connect each of your computers to the router.
What
is the difference between a secure, private IP address and
a static public IP address?
You connect to HiSpeed4U through a secure, private IP
address. This is to ensure we provide the most protection
possible for you on our network. With a secure, private IP
address you can surf the web, send and receive email,
download files, and chat with users around the world, just
as you have been used to with your previous Internet
connection. With a secure, private IP address, computers on
the Internet are not able to initiate connections to your
computer. (Note that you still need a personal firewall to
prevent access to your PC from other HiSpeed4U customers.)
The benefit to you is another layer of protection from
ever-increasing viruses, worms, and hacker attacks. Because
your secure IP address doesn't change, you can also perform
all advanced Internet applications, such as Virtual Private
Networking (VPN), with other computers on the HiSpeed4U
network. A static, public IP address would allow the
advanced user the ability to conduct server hosting,
virtual private networking outside of the HiSpeed4U
network, Voice Over IP (VOIP), UDP-based applications,
anything that requires remote access over the Internet to
LAN devices such as computers or print servers (telnet,
ssh, etc.), anything that requires your firewall to listen
on a specific port (some options in chat programs like
netmeeting or ICQ, etc.), Anything that requires end-to-end
protocols ("Direct Client-to-Client" or DCC connections for
IRC file transfers and some DCC chatting, etc.) The static,
public IP address is visible to the Internet, and therefore
it is more in danger of attacks than the secure, private IP
address.
Equipment
What
kind of equipment do I need?
You'll need at a minimum a Subscriber Unit, often called a
radio. This radio is mounted to your house or office
building, and it points to the nearest AP site. We require
an ethernet surge suppressor. Optionally, you may choose to
obtain a router. Your computer will need to have an
ethernet port or NIC card.
Why
do I need an ethernet surge suppressor? What is it?
An ethernet surge suppressor is required to protect the
equipment connected to the radio. Since the radio is
installed outdoors on a high mounting such as your roof,
there is a possibility that static electricity and/or
lightning could cause electrical surges to travel from the
radio on the roof down along the ethernet cable to the
device connected to the radio. To prevent damage to the
device connected to the radio, we require an ethernet surge
suppressor. The ethernet surge suppressor is very different
from any other surge suppressor you may already have; it is
a rectangular in-line device that connects to the ethernet
cable and must be grounded.
What
is a router? Why is it recommended?
A router enables you to connect more than one computer to
HiSpeed4U broadband internet service. Additionally, it
provides firewall protection that prevents hackers from
gaining access to your computers. Because of the firewall
protection, a router enables you safely create and use
services such as online gaming, web hosting, file sharing
and more.
What
if I've got a router already? Will HiSpeed4U re-program my
router?
If
you do not purchase a router from HiSpeed4U because you
have a router already, we may be able to assist you in
reprogramming the router. If we cannot reprogram your
router remotely from our office, we will provide you with
the proper IP addresses that you need in order to complete
the reprogramming on your own.