Why does pricing vary with distance?
If you are more than five miles from the AP (but less than ten miles), you will need a special amplifying antenna dish. This dish is $150 extra for installation. We can't get a signal to your location if you're more than five miles away from the AP unless you use this dish antenna. The radio that connects to the amplifying dish antenna is a little different, but your extra cost will only be $150 if you're beyond five miles.

Why is there a contract?
We purchase radio equipment from the manufacturer at a higher cost than we offer our customers. Since the price of the radio equipment and installation is subsidized, we require customers to sign a one-year or greater contract cover the cost of the installation.

What if I don't want a contract?
If you prefer not to be bound by a contract of any type, we ask that you pay full price for the radio equipment, which is $600. If you choose this radio price, you can cancel your service at any time without incurring a penalty fee.

Is sales tax charged on my purchase?
Yes, Colorado sales tax is charged for equipment you purchase.

Colorado:

Alamosa
Buena Vista
Castle Rock
Center
Craig
Del Norte
Leadville
Meeker
Monte Vista
Pueblo
Salida
South Fork
Trinidad
Walsenburg

Nevada:

Sparks/ Spanish Springs

New Mexico:

Moriarty
Edgewood

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 dial up 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 AP's. 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 upgrade your bandwidth at any time. Unfortunately, we cannot downgrade your bandwidth. Call us or send e-mail to specify the bandwidth you'd like.

What's a LAN? Does Amigo.Net install LANs?
A LAN is a local area network. It is the interconnection of all your computers inside your building. Amigo.Net 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 Amigo.Net 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 Amigo.Net 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 Amigo.Net network. A static, public IP address would allow the advanced user the ability to conduct server hosting, virtual private networking outside of the Amigo.Net 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.

What is an ethernet surge suppressor?
An ethernet surge suppressor protects 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. Our 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 Amigo.Net 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. Aforementioned advanced applications are not supported technically by Amigo.Net For advanced applications use refer to the equipment manufacturer for details.

What if I've got a router already? Will Amigo.Net re-program my router?
If you do not purchase a router from Amigo.Net 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.

What if the router I purchased from Amigo.Net does not function properly?
If you purchase a router from Amigo.Net and it fails to operate initially then please call technical support to confirm proper programming and functioning of the equipment. If your router ceases to function after it has been operational initially, you may purchase a new router and return the non-functioning router to Amigo.Net If Amigo.Net has the ability to replace the router through the manufacturer, we will credit your account minus shipping and handling for said equipment.

What is the best means for protecting the equipment from anomalous power conditions that could adversely affect my Internet service?
At certain locations customers have suffered reoccurring service outages due to anomalous power conditions. These conditions include but are not limited to power outages, voltage spikes (commonly referred to as power surges), or brownouts. Such conditions are not prevalent at all locations, and some customers may never experience equipment failure due to the above conditions. In fact, the customers who do suffer from voltage spikes or brownouts may have never realized their location suffers from these negative situations until they began using more sensitive electronic equipment like routers, switches, hubs, or the radio equipment utilized for Internet connectivity. These devices are more sensitive to power fluctuations by the very nature of their electronics. Amigo.Net recommends that all electronic equipment be plugged into surge protections strips (not just power strips). Surge protection for electronic equipment is the customer responsibility. Customers may need to investigate further power protection equipment should electronic equipment continue to fail after surge protection has been employed. Common surge protection strips may only protect against the basic infrequent power surge or voltage spike. Continuing power spikes or brownouts may be better protected from by use of uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) or power conditioners. These devices are more robust than common surge protectors and should be investigated should power problems persist at the customer location. Again Amigo.Net is not responsible for anomalous power conditions at customer locations and can only recommend customers investigate more robust power options should continuing electronic equipment failure persist.