Fixed wireless internet is here to stay. A reliable method of connectivity requiring minimal infrastructure appeals to individuals and businesses across the globe. However, the progress of this technology is being hampered by several myths:
1. Useful for rural deployments but not urban
Fixed wireless works well in both urban and rural environments. In rural areas, fixed wireless offers businesses the opportunity to experience high speed communications without the need to lay down fibre.
In built-up areas, wireless technology is simple to install whereas the setting up of a wired connection, such as fibre, involves disruption at street level. The latter is also a costly process helping to explain why fixed wireless is a viable alternative in both rural and urban locations.
2. Fixed wireless is less reliable than other methods of connectivity
False. Fixed wireless internet is more reliable than satellite and on a par with fibre connections.
One of the biggest differences between fixed wireless internet and satellite is the amount of latency – satellite involves the signal traveling from the dish on your roof to the satellite in space, then back down to the provider’s server and on to the Internet.
In contrast, fixed wireless involves a signal traveling from an antenna located at a nearby transmission site facilitating a much faster connection.
Wired broadband services can boast marginally greater reliability than fixed wireless but when considering other positive factors such as lower costs, greater flexibility and rapid installation, it is evident that fixed wireless is also a reliable method of connectivity.
3. Fixed wireless broadband is slower than wired connections
False. Fixed wireless internet is just as fast as a fibre connection. At only a fraction of the cost of most fibre connections, fixed wireless can reach similarly high speeds. It can be deployed with far less effort and once installed, customers can enjoy the same bandwidth as fibre internet.
4. Fixed wireless antennas buckle in bad weather
Fixed wireless antennas and supporting infrastructure can withstand the elements. Although it is impossible to guarantee that any connection, wired or otherwise, is safe from the worst of the weather, customers can rely on a fixed wireless connection to keep working through wind, rain, hail and more.
5. Fixed wireless is the same as satellite
While both satellite and fixed wireless require a dish or antenna to be installed on your roof, and both provide a high-speed internet connection without using phone lines or cables, there are obvious differences between the two.
Fixed wireless utilises a terrestrial connection i.e. the signal never goes up through the atmosphere, whereas satellite utilises an extra-terrestrial connection. This means that weather can interfere with the satellite signal, but fixed wireless will be unaffected. Related to this, latency or lag time is significantly shorter when using fixed wireless than with satellite internet due to the difference in distance that the signal must travel.
Fixed wireless is an excellent method of connectivity in both rural and urban areas. The “unwired” technology can be easily set up and comfortably scaled to meet the needs of your business. As service providers, such as Summit Internet, continue to expand their network, the reliability and quality of service will only continue to improve.