 Questions about Wireless Internet access
What is "Wireless Internet Access"?
What equipment is needed?
How fast is Wireless Internet?
How secure is the signal?
Will I have to learn anything new to use this system?
What are some benefits to having fast Internet access?
What does the equipment look like?
Do I need a phone line?
Is this like Cable modems, ISDN, or ADSL?
Is Internet access unlimited?
Is this the same as "satellite" Internet?
Can I run servers on this connection?
Will I still need my modem?
How long will it take to install?
Can I get Busy Signals?
Is it available in my area?
What are the bad points about wireless Internet?
How does this access method compare to Cable and/or DSL?
How much does it cost?
What does the Wireless Equipment Look Like?
What does a typical install of the Wireless Equipment Look Like?
What is "Wireless Internet Access"?
Wireless Internet access is exactly what it says "wireless" . Bella Mia is providing high speed cost effective solutions for Internet access via wireless, NO PHONE LINES NEEDED! There is no need to worry about slow down loads, busy signals, or disconnections anymore, with Wireless Internet your computer is always on the Internet. Using a brand new technology, Bella Mia is the first company to bring cost effective, high speed Internet access to Wisconsin.
What equipment is needed?
A typical setup for a wireless Internet connection is:
Computer (Pentium or higher, 32 MB or higher, Windows 95 or higher)
ISA Network card (Wireless modem that will go into your computer)
Small Cable (This is the cable used to connect from the ISA card to the large LMR cable)
Large LMR Cable (A large, low loss, cable used for carrying a signal up to your dish)
Grid Dish (A directional dish that points at one of our Internet access points)
Mounting brackets (Used for securing your grid dish to a roof, or existing TV tower)
A additional Access Point will be needed for businesses that would like to share Internet access with multiple computers on there network.
How fast is Wireless Internet?
A wireless internet connection's speed depends on the plan you purchase. At an absolute maximum, depending on weather conditions and radio interference in your area, your connection can receive information at about 1.544mb per second, equal to the speed of a T1 connection.
Download comparison chart for a 10 megabyte file at full download speed:
How secure is the signal?
We think it's secure enough for most uses. The gear we use is also used for military applications. The nature of wireless makes it very difficult to intercept. The hopping sequence could be observed but only in the case of one unit transmitting as an access point without other units in proximity. As soon as more than one unit is in use, it becomes exponentially more difficult to isolate one signal. A community string is used to allow only approved radios clients to associate with an Access Point. In addition to this we use encryption to further secure the signal at the radio level. And finally the system does something called "Frequency Hoping". By hoping from frequency to frequency at periodic intervals your transmissions are impossible to intercept. The frequency hoping is completely transparent to the end user however.
Will I have to learn anything new to use this system?
If you already know how to use a Web browser you will find our system totally transparent. You are always online. You click on your browser icon, and you are online with no delay- no waiting for a free line or a connection.
What are some benefits to having fast Internet access?
Many times you might find yourself sitting on your computer waiting up to 5 minutes just for one home page to load. Most of the time is because it is "Content Rich" Meaning it has many pictures and active moving things, sometimes even sound. Making very hard for a slow modem connection to process so much information. As the Internet evolves so will "Content". People are finding new ways to express them selves through "Content rich pages" Leaving modem users frustrated because they have to wait for the pages to load. With fast Wireless Internet access there is no need to wait you can play real time videos, make Internet phone calls, with out breaking up, play your favorite MP3 in real time, watch live video streams,send and receive files at blazing speeds, and best of all general browsing is enjoyable.
What does the equipment look like?
The antennas range in size from a 14" long round pole, to a 24" x 36" grilled directional unit. A link to antenna pictures and other data is here. They are all very lightweight and are no more difficult to install that a DishTV or DirectTV dish. The cables used for exterior mounting come in set lengths, but can be ordered longer, and sometime shorter depending on the application. The cables are 1/2" and 3/4" in diameter, with the connectors being slightly larger. The cable is fairly stiff and should not be bent too sharply. LMR-500 and LMR-400 are the two most common cable types.
Do I need a phone line?
NO! a phone like is not needed. The Wireless Internet connection is Bi-directional. Meaning your unit will send and receive information. Making it a complete solution for Internet connectivity.
Is this like Cable modems, ISDN, or ADSL?
To start off with - Most of these services are not available in our service areas, and only some are available in the our service areas. Cable Modems, ISDN, ADSL are all dependent on physical wires, and a middle man ( i.e. phone company). With Wireless Internet access you are dealing with no wire's and directly with the ISP there is no middle man. There are also speed factors Click here to see a chart on speed comparisons.
Is Internet access unlimited ?
With Wireless Internet access your computer is always connected. There are no time limits or restrictions of how long you can use it. Your computer is connected 24 hours a day 7 days a week 365 days a year.
Is this the same as "satellite" Internet?
No! Wireless Internet is bi-directional unlike satellite solutions, where you download via the dish antenna, but you are also connected by phone line to the Internet for uploading information. This wireless solution eliminates the need for any dedicated phone lines, and therefore reduces your costs, while providing data rates much better than possible with modems or ISDN.
Can I run servers on this connection?
Yes. With our Business Accounts you are free to run your own web, mail, or ftp server, etc. The running of servers of any kind is prohibited with residential wireless access plans.
Will I still need my modem?
NO, Wireless Internet connections do not require a modem. You will need to keep your modem in your computer if you use it for fax services, or if you intend to use it again for internet services.
How long will it take to install?
Once your location has been surveyed and approved for wireless. A date will be set for installing your unit. When a service tech is on-sight it could take as little as 1 hour or several days. Each location and applications differs in the degree of difficulty.
Can I get Busy Signals ?
NO, you always have a Internet connection 24 hours a day, 7 days a week 365 days a year. A wireless connection requires no phone line making it impossible to get a busy signal.
Is it available in my area ?
A site inspection will need to be performed for almost all potential customers to evaluate the ability to use wireless where you are. If you know where our access points are, and you can see one, then you should be able to get a working signal. A site survey must be done prior to installing any wireless hardware.
What are the bad points about wireless Internet?
Wireless Internet connections require direct radio line of sight there can be exceptions for building within 100m or the access point but as a general if you can not get a direct radio line of sight from your location to an access point your out of luck. In some instances you might be able to see one of our access points in the winter but in the summer when the leaves come out you're connection will be lost. Installation costs, can vary greatly (depending on location) but can be justified by saving in recurring telephone costs, increase in speed and reliability.
How does this access method compare to Cable and/or DSL?
As with any internet connection your provider is sharing access (bandwidth) with all of it's customers, so your most limiting factor is the amount of bandwidth the ISP has, Cable and DSL charge enticingly low rates for what they call "high speed access", which might seem like a good thing, but charging so little means there is not enough money coming in to provide the bandwidth needed for your customers, so typically you will find your connection slows drastically when other people are using it heavily. You seldom actually get the speed they boast you will. You get what you pay for. You'll realize this to be true as more and more cable and DSL providers are putting speed controls on the customers.
Cable and DSL are not available in the area here, and probably won't be for at least a year.
DSL has a major limitation - Distance. DSL slows down the further away from the telco CO your connection is, and doesn't work at all if you are mote that 18,000 feet away (About 3 to 4 miles).
How much does it cost?
As mentioned above, you get what you pay for. Bandwidth costs money, and by charging a little more realistically for it you get better connection rates and a higher level of service.
Installation can start as low as $49 (not including equipment), although some locations are hard to reach, or may require additional hardware to make the connection and or mounting points.
Click here for full Residential and Business Pricing
What does the Wireless Gear Look Like?
You can view pictures of both Residential and Business installation kits at the following links:
Residential 'CPE' Customer Premise Equipment
Business 'CPE' Customer Premise Equipment
What does a typical install of the Wireless Equipment Look Like?
You can view pictures of both Residential and Business installations on roof tops and TV towers at the following link:
Typical 'CPE' Customer Premise Equipment Installed
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