EasyStreet Fixed Wireless Frequently asked questions

How is EasyStreet Fixed Wireless different from WiFi?

WiFi is designed to connect mobile/laptop computers to a single point or to a wireless router/access point within the home. It uses unlicensed radio frequencies so anyone can put up WiFi equipment anywhere. Relatively short range and the potential of interference are limitations of WiFi.

Fixed Wireless is a direct wireless connection between a base station and a customer premise. Think of it as an invisible high-speed wire between EasyStreet and your location. EasyStreet Fixed Wireless uses WiMAX standards to eliminate interference and security concerns. All equipment is carrier-grade to ensure high reliability. EasyStreet Fixed Wireless is a business-class service not available to residential customers or mobile/laptop users.

How does it work?

EasyStreet Fixed Wireless partners have built a network of base stations throughout the metro area. If the roof of your business has an uninterrupted view toward a base station, we can provide EasyStreet Fixed Wireless service. Assuming your site qualifies, one of our wireless partners installs a short mast, antenna and small weatherproof radio on the roof of your building. They run an Ethernet cable from the radio into your equipment room for connection to your routing and LAN infrastructure. Your EasyStreet Fixed Wireless connection is equivalent to any of our other Ethernet-based high-speed access services — except the "last mile" is without wires. A wireless base station transmits to an antenna on the roof of your building, and the antenna connects to your office via Fast Ethernet or Gigabit Ethernet. Paths of redundancy are engineered to prevent service interruptions from environmental variables such as fog.

What areas are covered?

EasyStreet can provide service to many locations in the greater Portland and Salem metro areas, including Vancouver, Scappoose, Forest Grove, Hillsboro, Beaverton, Tualatin, Tigard, Wilsonville, Lake Oswego, Newberg and Gresham. In most cases, we need to conduct a site survey to see if your roof can see a base station. A flat rooftop is required.

Is this service reliable?

EasyStreet Fixed Wireless reliability is similar to that of other commercial grade services, such as a T1. Your location connects wirelessly to a base station that is has multiple upstream paths to EasyStreet's data center. Some of these paths are wireless, some are wired. From there you have all of EasyStreet's normal network redundancy and connections to multiple T1 backbones. Because the "last mile" of your connection comes through the sky, it is not vulnerable to backhoes or other on-the-ground sources of failure. Contact your account manager to learn about our SLA.

Can bad weather impact my service?

Fog and heavy rain could interfere with a wireless signal, but your connection will be engineered to account for environmental variables, enabling it to perform to your SLA in even the stormiest weather. In the very unlikely case that a lightning strike hits the antenna/radio on your roof, replacements are available within one business day. All base stations are grounded to protect against lightning strikes.

Can the connection be "sniffed"?

EasyStreet Fixed Wireless base station use high-gain directional antennas so the signal is tightly focused and directed toward your building. Theoretically, someone positioned directly between the base station and your antenna could receive the signals. Just receiving the signal would not help much because all data is encrypted.

Originally created to address interference, "channel hopping" is an additional security feature. Channel hopping describes a predetermined order in which the radios change channels within the spectrum when interference is present. An attempt to intercept the signal in any given channel would create interference, causing the radios to move to a new channel. The channel hopping order is determined by an algorithm unique to each radio.

Are speeds scalable?

Speeds range from 2 to 10 Mbps, and no change in equipment is required to scale among these speeds. Speed upgrades require just a phone call to EasyStreet. We will have you at your desired speed within one business day. No new equipment required. Not all locations qualify for all speeds. Speeds of up to 100 Mbps are possible in select locations on a custom basis.

What does it cost?

Monthly costs are typically lower than traditional telco circuits. Setup charges include installation and all necessary wireless equipment (radio, antenna, mast) plus up to 100 feet of Ethernet cable. Contact your account manager at 503-646-8400 or use our online qualification form to request a quote for your location.

What is the setup process?

EasyStreet needs to make sure Fixed Wireless is available to your location. It typically takes 1–3 weeks to conduct a site survey to determine whether the roof of your building can see a base station. If you qualify and sign up for the service, it usually takes 1–2 weeks for installation. We professionally install the antenna, radio and mast on the roof of your building (with permission and a signed roof-rights agreement from your building manager). Our technicians install up to 100 feet of Ethernet cabling between the radio and a roof handoff.

Cabling between the roof handoff and your equipment room is your responsibility. However, our technicians can do the work for time and material billing if desired. If there are special circumstances involving your location, we can recommend qualified network contractors to link your office to the antenna using Ethernet.

Who is your wireless partner?

EasyStreet's Fixed Wireless partner is Freewire Broadband. Using Freewire's base stations — which have a wired connection to our Data Center — EasyStreet provides the Level 2 transport connectivity and IP. EasyStreet coordinates all aspects of the installation of this service, including a site inspection of your facility. All billing and support is through EasyStreet.

Find out more in the EasyStreet Advisor Series Fixed Wireless Primer