| From our site to yours: A brief explanation
of our wireless Internet service |
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Amigo.Net utilizes point to multi-point
radio systems from Trango Broadband to deliver high-speed wireless
Internet service to subscribers through out Colorado, Nevada, and
New Mexico.
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| Two Radios at Work |
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For the customer, there
are two radios involved with your Internet service. The access point
radio (AP) at our location which broadcasts a signal to the subscriber
unit (SU) at your location. The service is dependent upon the subscriber
unit's ability to acquire a suitable signal from the access point
to achieve Internet access.
In order to achieve a suitable signal three
immediate concerns must be addressed:
1. line-of-sight
The Trango Broadband system currently uses 5.3 and 5.8 GHz radio
frequencies to transmit. These radio frequencies do require the
radios to have line-of-sight in order to communicate. line-of-sight is easily achieved from high points on homes or businesses.
If trees, buildings, or other structures impeded line-of-sight,
it may be unlikely service is available with the current equipment.
Scheduled for deployment in 2004, the 900 MHz radio will negate
the need for line-of-sight! This system will be powerful enough
to pass through current obstacles.
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Figure F1 |
2. Arc of Coverage
The AP radio has a 60 degree arc of coverage* (Figure F1). In
order to receive the signal from the AP, the subscriber must first
be able to see the radio and second be in the coverage area of
that radio. Not to worry; however, most of Amigo.Net service
areas are covered by multiple access point sites to accommodate
as many future subscribers as possible.
3. Distance from Subscriber
to Access Point
Range to the AP from the SU is very important in determining the
equipment used in the service. You may note from the illustration
above (Figure F1) two different types of radios. The flat panel
device is referred to as an integrated unit. The current integrated
models in deployment have a range of 4 miles*. The satellite like
dish antennas that you see have a range of 10 miles*. We have
found that under certain conditions the radios may achieve a greater
range than stated by the manufacturer; however, these unique conditions
should not be expected for all situations.
*stated by the manufacturer
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| More on the Radio |
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You may have heard of the security concerns
associated with wireless Internet access. These security issues
are primarily connected to wireless home or business networks that
use 802.11 open standard equipment to broadcast a signal inside
a location. Do not confuse this type of network with the service
Amigo.Net provides. |
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| Radio Security Features: |
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- Authentication:
Only authenticated subscriber unit radios can communicate with
the access point radio. Radios not authenticated by the access
point radio will not gain access to the network.
- Proprietary Data Scrambling:
Proprietary patterns of sequencing employed by the radio along
with the combination of each data byte with one of 256 scrambling
bytes ensures only authenticated radios can de-scramble communication.
- SMARTPolling:
Trango's Dynamic Polling Protocol is a polling sequence that allocates
dynamic time slots to given subscriber units. The sequence is
random and therefore protected from outside invasion. The protocol
also allows for the efficient division of bandwidth between subscriber
units.
- Spread Spectrum 5.8 GHz:
Spread Spectrum provides a small layer of protection due to the
fact that no demodulator is currently available to interpret the
pseudo noise code created by the modulation.
The above security features of the radio are by no
means fault tolerant. They do provide measures of security that
you will not see in wireless LAN 802.11 hardware. Secure networks
are better maintained through VPN and other packet encryption methods.
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| The Installation |
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Normal installations can take up to 2 hours.
Installers will confer with customers to confirm placement of radio
and location of cabling destination. Additional cabling requested
by customer can be run at an additional cost of time and equipment
used. Keep in mind that the location you may want the equipment mounted
may not be the most suitable for achieving maximized service. As our
installation numbers grow, so to does our experience with identifying
possible obstacles in achieving the best service for our valued customers. |
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A normal installation involves the following:
- line-of-sight and maximized signal strength achieved (radio
installed)
- Ethernet cable installation from exterior of location to the
interior network or computer connection
- Additional cable runs if requested by the customer (additional
charges would apply)
Customers will be provided additional network equipment upon request
or configuration settings accordingly to complete the connectivity
of their computer or LAN. We will not leave you without Internet
connectivity! If for any reason adequate service is not achievable,
you will receive 100% of your money back and held to no contract.
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