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WISPS Mean Cable and DSL Aren't the Only Choices

Posted by timothy on from the ephemeral-connection dept.

Brett Glass writes "Feel like you're stuck with a no-win choice between expensive cable modem service and slow DSL for Internet? Currently using satellite, with long latencies that make it impossible to do VoIP or interactive gaming? One of America's best kept secrets, so it seems, is the wide coverage of WISPs — terrestrial (not satellite or cellular) wireless broadband Internet providers. The linked article gives an overview of WISPs and provides a handy map showing their nationwide coverage (more than 750,000 square miles of the continental US — and only about one third of the WISPs in the US are on the map so far). Most WISPs are small, independent, consumer-friendly, and tech savvy, making them a better choice than big, corporate ISPs who can't even tell a penny from a dollar."

36 of 256 comments (clear)

  1. They work well too by Codex_of_Wisdom · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I'm on a WISP and it's great. I'm in a rural area, so it was either that or satellite, and, as previously stated, satellite is not good for online gaming. With WISP though, I still have latencies in the 100 range. It's nice. /babbling

    1. Re:They work well too by commodore64_love · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Dialup costs me just $7.
      DSL costs me just $15.
      How much is the Wireless Service Provider?

      --
      "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
    2. Re:They work well too by the_crowbar · · Score: 2, Interesting

      It must be nice to have such cheap internet. I happen to live in the only state shown with no WISP coverage. High speed internet links here are ridiculous.

      I have two options:

      1) AT&T (formerly BellSouth). If you have a land line you can get 768k/128k for $19.99/month, but you must have a land line which adds another $15+/month. Naked DSL is available, but the cheapest price is $34.95/month for 1.5M/256k.

      2) Charter cable offers internet by itself. Their minimum advertised speed is 5M. The price is almost $60/month or $54.99 if you also have cable.

      I don't need 10M+ speeds, but it is nice to have if I watch streaming video or other things requiring greater bandwidths. I do not download music and movies illegally, but I do grab iso images of Linux discs regularly. 1.5M would be slow, but meet my needs. Problem is it is $35+/month. I would love to have a WISP available. I live less than 2 miles from a mountain that could service a large city if there was a WISP. I would switch if I had the choice.

      Cheers,
      the_crowbar

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    3. Re:They work well too by commodore64_love · · Score: 3, Insightful

      >>>It must be nice to have such cheap internet.

      If I can get Netscape dialup for 7 dollars a month, you should be able to get it too. As for DSL, I think part of Obama's stimulus bill should include a requirement for ALL phone lines to be upgraded to DSL, if the customer requests it. So you'd simply call-up your Baby Bell, and they'd be forced to upgrade the line for DSL capability. The costs of the upgrade could be funded by the Universal Access Fee.

      Upgrading existing phone lines is the quickest-and-easiest way to provide broadband to virtually everybody.

      >>>AT&T (formerly BellSouth). If you have a land line you can get 768k/128k for $19.99/month, but you must have a land line which adds another $15+/month.

      What's wrong with that? The prices are different ($15 and $5 respectively), but it sounds similar to my setup with Verizon. Oh and yes you can stream video over a 750k line. I just finished watching Live CNN this morning, while downloading Saw 5 in the background. Plenty of speed.

      For comparison the Wireless ISP in my town costs $300 a month. Ouch.

      --
      "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
    4. Re:They work well too by Igarden2 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      My wireless is $29.95 and much faster than dialup. In my location (rural) I'm told DSL is not going to happen. Cable isn't even nearby.

      --
      Normally I ascribe all life to intelligent design, but in your case I'll make an exception.
    5. Re:They work well too by mweather · · Score: 2, Insightful

      You're right. Let's just run one wire, but let any Cable company that want to use it, use it.

    6. Re:They work well too by LandDolphin · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I know a guy that lives in the woods that would faint at the thought of $20 a month.

      Amazing how different people have different standards of living.

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  2. The WISP's in my area.... by gandhi_2 · · Score: 2, Informative

    ..are pretty good alternatives except the "burst speed" thing. Its like they never heard of CISR or simply oversell bandwidth like every other ISP.

    --
    THL phish sticks
    1. Re:The WISP's in my area.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      My building has a deal with a WISP. Free internet in the lobby and a pair of APs on each floor above for subscribers. Off peak hours are OK and it's cheap, but generally too congested to stream video or game on. Also, If you download more than 2GB they drop your speed to 128K for the rest of the month.

      Lastly, they require a periodic web based login to use the service, so even though I bridged in my LAN to their AP, computers on my LAN often failed to perform late night updates and automated functions, which was too annoying to put up with.

      The way they have it set up, it's only a little better than dialup.

  3. *rubs hands together* by drunkennewfiemidget · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I look forward to the day when I can tell the incumbent cable provider (Rogers Cable) here in Canada to go fuck themselves with a chainsaw.

    Them and their, "we're upping your price for the second time this year", and "you're on our do-not-market-to list, but we'll just send you all sorts of spam and upgrade offers along with the semi-annual price increase letter!", and their overall scummy existence.

    1. Re:*rubs hands together* by flyingfsck · · Score: 2, Funny

      Complaining about Rogers? Gee, you haven't used Telus apparently...

      --
      Excuse me, but please get off my Pennisetum Clandestinum, eh!
  4. "This Account Has Exceeded Its CPU Quota " by Rogerborg · · Score: 3, Funny

    Yes, the link provides a great advert for the robustness and professionalism of WISPS...

    --
    If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
  5. Dad has that service by wiredog · · Score: 3, Informative

    From these guys. It's purely line of sight, of course, but most of the town is line of sight to the tower. Works very well even in heavy snow, which Cedar gets quite a bit of. An average storm in Cedar would be apocalyptic in London,England.

    --

    Best Slashdot Co
    1. Re:Dad has that service by gandhi_2 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      The only problem with Infowest is their incomprehensibly, um... "diverse" pricing plans.

      --
      THL phish sticks
    2. Re:Dad has that service by Entropy98 · · Score: 2, Funny

      For an extra $2 they'll even clean the internet!
       
      --
        mafia rpg

  6. google cache here by fatray · · Score: 3, Informative

    google cache here:
    http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache:Ngzp1j7HI10J:bennett.com/blog/+bennet.com+blog+WISPs&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us&client=firefox-a

    1. Re:google cache here by Aladrin · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Are you serious? Did you check out your link at all?

      "If you would like to add your WISP to BWE's National WISP Directory, the cost is $250 per calendar year. If you want to update your listing, you'll need to make sure that you have paid the 2007 listing fee. If you have not paid for the 2007 listing, you can do so by clicking here."

      They charge for listings and probably don't promote at all, and they haven't updated in 2 years!

      I even searched the areas that I've live in recently. Of the 5 or 6 areas I looked at, only the largest had any listings at all. 1 was a dead link, the other sells equipment. It's not even a provider!

      --
      "If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you; But if you really make them think, they'll hate you." - DM
  7. Poorly done by iYk6 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    That map is pretty much useless. I looked at it, and there are tiny yellow spots in my state of Oregon, as well as every other state. Unfortunately, the cities are not marked, so I can't tell if those yellow spots cover my city or not. Fail.

  8. Price and Speed suck by Jackiesaurus · · Score: 5, Informative

    Yeah, WISPS are great aside from the high prices and slow speed. We have a few carriers around here, installation is generally around $150, plus $60/month for a 512/512 or $100 for a 3M/3M.

    My $45/month cable modem for 15M/1M starts to sound pretty good after that.

    I've looked at starting my own in another area a while ago but unfortunately the high equipment prices, insanely high bandwidth prices (which you usually need to buy from your competitors), and limitations of the equipment relative to going wired means that to stay afloat you really need to charge high prices like I mentioned for a relatively slim amount of bandwidth. I've also read stories where the plot goes something like "people want broadband, WISP sets up and prospers, cable company sees success of WISP, cable company sets up broadband for half the monthly rate, WISP dies". It's scary stuff considering how much the WISP equipment costs and how long it would take to actually payoff.

    All in all, I don't see how a WISP can really survive against the traditional competition. Personally I'm a big fan of municipal fiber, but that's a rant for another day.

    1. Re:Price and Speed suck by mspohr · · Score: 2, Interesting
      I have used a WISP for the past few years because it was the only option. Unfortunately, my experience has been the same... high prices ($60/mo.), slow speed (512/512), bandwidth caps (5 Gig/mo), frequent outages, high latency.

      Fortunately, ATT just installed a DSL substation across the street from me (I was formerly 18000 ft from central office) and now I can get their minimal package 1.5/0.5 for $15/mo.

      --
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    2. Re:Price and Speed suck by c · · Score: 5, Insightful

      > I don't see how a WISP can really survive against the traditional competition.

      Well, they can't. But, then, what kind of moron is going to target a WISP at a market where they'd go against traditional competition (if you can call the local telco and cable monopolies "competition")?

      I'm on a WISP and while the speeds aren't anywhere near the DSL I used to have in town, the only other option where I live is dial-up. On rural phone lines. Maxing out at about 28kbps. If you want to talk about price and speed sucking, I can tell you all about it. I did the dial-up thing for a bit after being on DSL for years, and it's almost bearable if you have a second phone line, a dedicated dial-up server/router, a wireless LAN, and you know how to batch downloads at night.

      Well, fuck that. As soon as they stuck their gear on the nearest tower, I was signed up. For maybe $200 installation costs and $50/month (which is about $5 more than dial-up and a second phone line), I get well over 20x dial-up speeds and all I have to worry about is the occasional drop out due to weather and tower maintenance.

      If you live anywhere close to a DSL or cable operation, a WISP is a terrible choice. Anywhere else, it's a no-brainer.

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      Log in or piss off.
    3. Re:Price and Speed suck by raju1kabir · · Score: 2, Funny

      In which case satellite covers their needs pretty well. You won't get the mobility, but since these are localized areas, you don't have too much mobility in the first place.

      Have you actually used satellite? It sucks donkey balls for anything other than web surfing and email. Interactive applications, like ssh and remote screen, are painful at best. VoIP is delayed so long you might as well use smoke signals.

      --
      "Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it." -- GBS
  9. Astroturfing? by lseltzer · · Score: 5, Informative

    Perhaps the post is informative and useful, but y'all should know that Brett Glass [is] a sole proprietor doing business as LARIAT, a wireless Internet service provider in Albany County, Wyoming,

  10. Worst map ever by T-Bone-T · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Which WISPs serve my coverage area? Is it even more than one?

  11. Your Mileage May Vary by lazarus · · Score: 4, Informative

    My experience has been quite the opposite of the story summary. I've been on a line-of-sight wireless connection for two and a half years now, with two different providers and two different frequencies (900 MHz and 2.4 GHz). I have found the service to be slow and unreliable, and I live on farmland (no trees, mountains, large buildings, etc. To get in the way). The most I can say about my current provider is the service sucks less than the first one. In that case it was so bad I was able to get out of a 3yr contract.

    The speed (as mentioned in a previous post) is very slow - VPN access to the office is *just* do-able, but don't try to do anything else at the same time. You can play on-line games such as WoW and Eve without much trouble from a latency standpoint, but having your link go down is not fun.

    I have an unlimited cellular data plan I keep as a backup and I am working with my local council to get better broadband penetration in my area.

    --
    I am not interested in articles about life extension advancements.
  12. Acronyms and Assumed Knowledge by necro81 · · Score: 3, Informative

    I'm going to put in my grumpy old man dentures and rant on for a moment:

    For f$ck's sake, if you are submitting an article with an acronym in it, expand it the first time so that everyone knows what the hell you are talking about. This goes not only for slashdot, but for articles in all technical venues. In some tight technical circles, some assumed knowledge and common language can be expected, but /. is a broad audience, and not everyone knows at first glance what a WISP is. This is specially true when used in the context of an article that is probably introducing it to people for the first time.

  13. TekSavvy by mrops · · Score: 3, Informative

    TekSavvy, THE best ISP I have had in a long time. Everything is upfront, they do not throttle (though those on slashdot may have heard that Bell is throttling all ISP that go over their lines, bitches). You can get their 200GB/mn or unlimited (true unlimited). Static IP addresses for 3$/mn, MLPPP. Love their tech support, one of the few companies where using "tech" is justified.

    If you can't get DSL, tough luck. TekSavvy does provide WISP in certain areas.

  14. Cellular was the answer for me by Gramie2 · · Score: 3, Informative

    There is a WISP in my area, but their service guy said that he couldn't get a clear enough signal from my roof. If I put up a 40-foot tower, I *might* be able to get it (people down the road do). Aside from the tower, that would be about $300 installation and $60/month, with a maximum speed of about 3Mbps download.

    Turns out that I can get on the Rogers cell phone 3G network. The bandwidth is limited (1GB/month for $30, 3GB/month for $60), but I can live with that. There was no installation fee (wireless USB stick was free with 1-year contract) either.

  15. "Nationwide coverage" by Huntr · · Score: 3, Informative

    That blurb in the summary about showing their "nationwide coverage" makes this seem a lot more widely available than it really is. As the image in the linked article show, 750k sq mi isn't shit, particularly when the primary areas this purports to service, those who live out in the boonies, are barely covered at all. Good to know you can get this kind of service in such remote areas as Sacramento, Ca, Dallas, Tx, Atlanta, Ga, and Chicago, Il. Further, as stated above, the submitter and article author owns a fricking ISP that provides WiFi in Wyoming. This is the worst kind of misleading advertising masquerading as news on Slashdot.

    1. Re:"Nationwide coverage" by Brett+Glass · · Score: 3, Interesting
      Thank you for your, er, kind words. The purpose of posting the link to Slashdot isn't advertising; it's to raise awareness. Most people don't realize that they have alternatives to the cable companies and telephone companies.

      As for coverage: WISPs cover more of the area of the US than cable modem and DSL combined; we also serve more of the population. And we're growing as fast as we can to cover more. But most WISPs are self-financed and not public companies, so folks have to know about us and patronize us before we can build out.

  16. Do your research by Tinfoil · · Score: 2, Informative

    Depending on the technology, there are many things to consider before jumping into bed with a WISP. I get my service from an ISP with a wireless division, though it's not their core business. From my understanding, the technology used is a mix of 900Mhz and 2.4Ghz, depending on distance & line of site. The closer and clearer the LoS, the more likely they will put up a 2.4Ghz antenna. Otherwise, it's 900Mhz. Often it requires mounting on an antenna tower, unless it's cellular based.

    Problems I've had with it are mostly related to bandwidth saturation. Quite often these wireless PoPs will be piggybacking on one another to a central location, so unless it's properly provisioned, be prepared to be frustrated. Also, many times the WISP will put their tower on a pre-existing structure and depending on security situations, they may not be allowed to go on-site unless the owners of the property are also on-site. Think places like central grain storage co-ops and the like.

    My connection is a pretty poor value. I pay roughly CDN$70 for a connection that is, at most, 1Mbit. The upside is that it is synchro, so while my downstream is pretty low, my upstream is better than most. Ping times are all over the place, but that is more a function of an over-subscribed service than anything else.

    Cellular based technologies are available here, but the caps are dangerously low with overages being charged at a pretty obscene rate. And it doesn't work with my pre-existing router, which is a big negative for me. Rogers Wireless is I think $25 a month, but that's for only 500MB if memory serves. I can't verify this at present since the Rogers website sucks hairy arse.

    --

    tinfoilmedia
  17. Find a WISP in the U.S.? by Dekortage · · Score: 2, Informative

    This seemed useful...

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  18. Or roll your own for a few bucks by Bearhouse · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Long-range wifi with consumer stuff can work.
    I built one for giggles (USB wifi key on old sat dish) and picked up my home signal from miles away... Wife promptly banned me from surfing web during family picnic :(

    Many sites with 'how tos', for example here:
    See here, for ex: http://www.engadget.com/2005/11/15/how-to-build-a-wifi-biquad-dish-antenna/

    People have claimed for than 125 mi LOS with bigger stuff.

    All you need is a friend in line of sight with broadband. (OK, a big 'if' in hilly country, but you can always hide a passve repeater in a tree on top of a hill. Again, see instructions on web)

  19. Wisp experience in quebec by dieu1979 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Im personnally a WISP in Quebec Canada. I install in 2006 some wifi network in Cameroon. And when i return back i decide to offer the service here where is not available or where the service is really poor. I got some village that switch from dsl to me because the dsl service is terrible. I was not thinking make a lot of money on this but it's more a defy then anything. I see some wisp that share their cable modem to offer high speed. You cannot get a good result with this kind of access. Be a wisp is the hardest ISP business. You have to play with the nature of signal , temperature , obstacle and noise when you use public channel + all other problem other isp can confront. If you like trouble start WISP. But for me is perfect. I like trouble :) and is paid off by the smile of every client i connect.

  20. As someone who worked in a WISP by transporter_ii · · Score: 2, Interesting

    We only did good in areas without DSL. If you couldn't get anything else, wireless is far better than a satellite.

    However, if an area we serviced suddenly got DSL, we lost most of our customers in that area.

    And let me tell you, DSL is only going to grow.

    Also, a WISP usually gets its bandwidth from the same phone company that has DSL in an area. So the phone company wins either way.

    It is VERY hard to compete against a phone company.

    --
    Doctors destroy health, lawyers destroy justice, universities destroy knowledge, religion destroys spirituality
  21. Users switching from DSL to WISPs by Brett+Glass · · Score: 2, Interesting
    Our WISP often gets customers who are tired of DSL. As we finish installing the antenna on their roofs, they say, "Thank you! We're calling the telephone company now to cut off our land line."

    One of the things that WISPs do is enable people to "cut the cord."