Benefits of a Wireless ISP Network

The opposite of a Wi-Fi Hotspot is a Wireless ISP (WISP) that uses a point-to-multipoint wireless network to send a wireless signal from a base station (access point) antenna to a “fixed wireless antenna” mounted on the outside of every customer's location.

Most point-to-multipoint systems also require direct line-of-sight between both the sending and receiving antennas to establish a good wireless connection.

There are some systems that marketed as non-line-of-sight or near-line-of-sight, but beware, most microwave transmissions cannot penetrate anything containing moisture (trees), metal (including chicken wire in Stucco homes) or materials meant to reflect ultraviolet radiation from the sun (window coatings of tall building windows).

A WISP and a Wi-Fi Hotspot both use equipment based on 802.11 standards. The main difference between systems designed for WISPs and systems designed for Wi-Fi Hotspots is the distance the wireless signal can carry a usable payload. Most 802.11 wireless radios produce the same signals. The secret to how far the signal can be transmitted is really dependent on what type of antennas is used and the amount of signal gain they can deliver.

In addition to higher gain antennas, WISPs may also decide to include up to a 1-watt amplifier to boost the wireless. Many WISPs caution against using an amplifier unless you have to. Always try to start with the clearest signal possible. Then, if need be, you can amplify the signal with an amplifier. However, adding an amplifier to a noisy signal will only amplify the distortion and create a signal that is unusable.

On the customer premises side of the WISP system are “fixed wireless antennas.” Fixed customer premises equipment (CPE) antennas are fastened to the outside of a structure and pointed toward the base station or access point. Since they are fixed, customers with this type of service cannot roam.

Like the transmit antennas at the base station, CPE antennas are designed to have much higher gain so that they can talk to the base station. Using higher gain equipment makes the cost of the fixed wireless antennas much more expensive than low power antennas used to receive a signal at a Wi-Fi Hotspot.

Another draw back of most WISP systems is that the manufacturer builds proprietary systems. This means that only equipment made by that manufacturer will be able to work on a given. So, unlike Wi-Fi Hotspots, where anyone can roam in to any network, WISP systems do not allow roaming and prevent WISP from collecting any roaming customer revenue. It also means that if a WISP decides to switch manufacturers two years after they launched their network, all their old equipment will become obsolete and will need to be replaced. This is a very big deal if you have more than 500 customers and you need to upgrade the entire network.

Most CPE equipment can be fairly expensive ($250-$1000 each) compared to Wi-Fi CPE equipment, which are usually around $50 each. The cost of CPE equipment is very important to WISPs. If the cost of each CPE package is $250, then it will cost $250,000 to deploy 1,000 customers.

Another cost that is important to the WISP financial equation is the cost of the truck roll. Since equipment has to be installed at every customer’s location, a WISP needs to invest in a truck, the equipment needed to do installations and trained installers.

Find as many ways possible to reduce the number of truck rolls you conduct because they will eat into your profit very quickly. If possible, develop a plan that allows customers to install their own equipment.