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Q:How does HighSpeedTexas
Internet Service compare to DSL or cable?
Q: Is there any
special training required for the end-user?
Q:Do I have
to purchase equipment to use your service?
Q:What is
the installation lead time for service and how long does
it take to install?
Q:Does
HST have a referral program?
Q:What charges apply if
we have a service outage or network failure?
Q: What
is a Canopy™ system?
Q: How does Canopy technology
differ from other broadband services?
Q: Is
Canopy designed for rural or urban subscribers?
Q: Competitive
technology is already available, so what makes the Canopy
solution faster and more affordable than other technologies?
Q: Other
wireless technologies such as cell phones sometimes experience
inconsistent service e.g., dropped calls. How reliable
is the Canopy technology? What kinds of tests/trials
has Motorola conducted to ensure reliability?
Q:How
does wireless compare to the new two-way satellite services?
Q:How does weather affect
wireless performance?
Q: What
are the major benefits of a Canopy system for consumers?
Q: Is
a Canopy system compatible with existing service provider
systems including cable or telephony networks?
Q: Is
it possible to link together multiple systems to form
a network?
Q: Is
there a limit to the number of systems that can be linked
together to form a network?
Q: I'm signed up for a 1 Meg connection, but when
I download files it says
Q: How does this compare to DSL or cable?
A: There are many forms of DSL and cable services. Standard DSL
connections provide between 256-768K service speeds. Newer DSL
circuits provide 1.5MB-3MB service. Cable services provide speeds
between 768k - 6MB. In most cases, DSL and cable services are from
shared circuits and speeds vary depending on the number of customers
in the area.
HST provides each of our customers a dedicated private circuit
thus ensuring service is secure and speeds are stable. This is
an important differentiation from your traditional wireline provider.
Further, HST
already provides services from 384k - 6MB matching DSL and cable
services capabilities. Importantly, our infrastructure is scalable
to speeds in excess of 10MB, even up to 300MB. Given this comparison,
HST is poised to expand our network providing our customers a
stable, reliable, advantageous alternative to wireline carriers.
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Q: Is there any special training required for the end-user?
A: No, the Canopy solution is very simple for the end-user to operate
and requires no specialized training.
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Q: Do I have to purchase equipment to use
your service?
A: No. HST provides our customers with a direct connection to the
internet that is capable of plugging directly into your computer's
network card via an ethernet cable with an RJ45 connector. For
an additional charge, we will provide you with a router if you
prefer to use a wireless connection or if you intend to share the
internet connection with multiple computers in your home or business.
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Q: What is the installation lead time for
service and how long does it take to install?
A: Normal lead time for installations is 7-10 business days from
date of order. A standard installation will take approximately
2 hours to complete. A standard installation is defined as a single
story building, does not
require special mounting hardware and does not require an interior
wall drop.
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Q: Does HST have a referral program?
A: Yes. Please follow this "link" for details.
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Q: What charges apply if we have a service outage or network failure?
A: In most cases, we are able to quickly and accurately determine
the nature of the failure. Since HST owns and operates all wireless
infrastructure to your home, there is no charge for a service all
if the failure is related to our system. If the failure is related
to a customer owned piece of equipment such as a router, switch,
computer, firewall, software, etc. we will bill for network support
services at an hourly rate.
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Q: What is a Canopy™ system?
A: A Canopy™ system is based on wireless broadband technology
that provides for high-speed Internet access. The Canopy system
was designed to provide cost-effective, “last mile” high-speed
data access for residential and business customers who previously
were underserved or lived in locations where infrastructure is
non-existent. Canopy system is comprised of three major components:
Access Point (AP), Subscriber Module (SM) and the Backhaul Unit).
A Canopy system utilizes the unlicensed UNII bands (5.25
– 5.35GHz or 5.725 – 5.825GHz).
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Q: How does Canopy technology differ from other broadband services?
A: Today, virtually every broadband service employs different technologies,
e.g., phone lines, coaxial cable, large-cell wireless, satellite.
The Canopy system is different from all of these solutions in that
it offers affordable, high-speed Internet access to the end-user
using wireless communications in the 5GHz unlicensed U-NII band.
Compared to other wireless delivery technologies (namely MMDS),
the Canopy technology uses a smaller community of cells and involves
significantly less network investment.
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Q: Is Canopy designed for rural or urban subscribers?
A: The Canopy system is designed to provide service for both metropolitan
and ruralsubscribers. Rural ISPs will find the system’s low
network cost does not require highuser-densities to create a profitable
business. Urban ISPs will find Canopy attractive froma speed of
deployment perspective at an attractive price.
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Q: Competitive technology is already available, so what makes the
Canopy solution faster and more affordable than other technologies?
A: The Canopy system was designed from the ground up, to provide
the “last mile” of high-speed data connectivity for
residential and small/medium business. It is ideally suited for
ISPs, Competitive Local Exchange Carriers, and any service provider
who desires to provide high-speed data service to underserved or
new market locations where existing infrastructure is not available.
The Canopy system has an impressive C/I (Carrier to Interference)
ratio on the order of 2-3 db, significantly better than that of
other wireless products available today. Having a low C/I ratio
equates to reduced numbers of trouble tickets, fewer calls for
support, and reduced truck rolls.
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Q: Other wireless technologies such as cell phones sometimes experience
inconsistent service e.g., dropped calls. How reliable is the Canopy
technology? What kinds of tests/trials has Motorola conducted to
ensure reliability?
A: As opposed to the wireless technologies that
support the mobility of a cell phone, the Canopy technology is
a fixed wireless system that supports ranges of approximately two
miles or less. The technology provides a similar user experience
to other fixed wireless devices (the user’s radio experience
with reception consistency of a home stereo receiver tuned to a
local community radio station or home TV tuned to a local community
TV station). The Canopy technology has been rigorously tested for
over two years and is
currently in customer service with over 40 wireless Internet service
providers (and growing) around the country.
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Q: How does wireless compare to the new two-way
satellite services?
A: Wireless connections are capable of much greater speeds at a
lower cost.
Satellite connections are usually limited to 128k or 256k speeds
up (outbound) and as low as 384k down (inbound). Wireless Internet
connections are up to 5 times faster. Also, there are problems
with latency in satellite connection which make video, teleconferencing
and gaming over the Internet a problem, the data will often stop
briefly because it has to travel thousands of miles to the satellite.
Finally, satellite service is susceptible to signal degradation
from constantly changing atmospheric conditions.
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Q: How does weather affect wireless performance?
A: When configured and installed properly, terrestrial wireless
service quality is not susceptible to wind, rain, clouds, sleet,
hail, etc. It is our policy to ensure signal quality is not marginal
upon completion of install, thus providing you the highest quality
of service we can.
It is possible that high winds may shift the antenna or that
severe weather may impair our tower equipment. In these limited
cases, we will work diligently and quickly to restore service.
It is our performance goal to
recover from system-wide outages within 4 hours and customer
outages within 24 hours.
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Q: What are the major benefits of a Canopy system for consumers?
A: While a Canopy system offers a wide range of benefits to consumers:
- The Canopy system is a more resistant and resilient than other
wireless
technologies used in similar applications.
- Low start-up costs, faster deployment and easier installation
than other
technologies for the new ISP to deploy.
- A Canopy system can provide high-speed service to any customer
within
range.
- Because of the shorter range than other wireless alternatives,
the Canopy
system employs a smaller customer unit, which is lower cost and
easier to
install.
Works in all environments. The Canopy system has been tested
in multiple
environments, including extreme heat and cold and in high winds.
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Q: Is a Canopy system compatible with existing service provider
systems including cable or telephony networks?
A: Yes, the primary interface between the Canopy system and a
Service provider’s network is through the Canopy Backhaul
Unit (BU). The BU has been designed utilizing standard interfaces
for connectivity to any IP network that the service provider
might have already.
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Q: Is it possible to link together multiple systems to form a
network?
A: Yes, multiple Canopy Access Point Clusters can be combined
to create a network.
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Q: Is there a limit to the number of systems that can be linked
together to form a network?
A: No, there is virtually no limit in adding capacity or coverage
to the Canopy network. One of the unique characteristics of a
Canopy system is the fact that it does not cause interference
with any other components in the system, which is key to supporting
this type of expansion.
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Q: I'm signed up for a 1 Meg connection,
but when I download files it says
A:Network bandwidth ("connection speed")
is measured in "bits per second", represented as "bps" (with
a small "b"),
while download speeds in most programs such as web browsers,
FTP clients, and email clients is represented in Bytes per second
or "Bps" (with a big "B").
There are 8 bits in a byte, so to convert Bps to bps you have
to multiply by 8, so if you are getting a download speed of "125
KBps" then you
getting a throughput speed of "1000 Kbps", or about
1 Meg. One other comment: many people (programmers included)
mistakenly use the upper case and lower case "B" interchangeably,
so it's not uncommon for a program to report "125 kbps" when
they mean "125 KBps",
so it's important to be aware of what's actually being measured.
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