[BeerHunter]

My wireless ISP has tried in vain to adjust my signal to stabilize it (wild pings and down load speed fluctuations that can range from 140 KB/s down to zero). It's particularly bad in the evenings , presumably because of the traffic. Have to say I'm impressed with their customer service though. They are always quick to respond to my queries.

They say the problem primarily is that I'm on a 900 Mhz signal because of the vegetation . We're virtually surrounded by trees.

I'm told an 80-100' tower (at a cost of about $4,000 or so) that would extend above the tree tops and would give me access to their 3 Ghz tower which is only about 3 miles from us I think

I'd like a faster , more stable connection for such things as NetFlix , UTube, documentaries etc. that can be found on the net as well as gaming but am reluctant to plop down that kind of $$'s on the off chance things would improve let alone risk a long term relationship with the missus over some gawd awful hunk of metal stuck out in the yard , even though I told her we could paint it pink and hang flower pots on it.

What's your opinion? Think it would make that much of a difference?

Txs

 

[jvincent]

Absolutely a tower above the trees would help.

Radio signals will penetrate different materials according to their wavelength. Air is one of the easier materials/mediums for radio waves to go through so an unobstructed view will definitely help.

 

[ScaryBob]

They are correct. Trees will block a 3GHz signal and a tower that provides line of sight will provide a decent signal. That's a lot of money for an internet installation though. Are there other options, like locating the antenna on the other side of the trees? A high gain 900MHz antenna might help as well.

 

[BGY11]

Given you are about 3 miles from their 3GHz tower, having line of sight to the tower should give you a much more stable connection. I've seen big improvements in similar situations several times.

 

[Jake]

I'm told an 80-100' tower (at a cost of about $4,000 or so

That seems pretty cheap. I would ask for the final price. Also, 100' is huge. What kind of trees do you have?

 

[BeerHunter]

That seems pretty cheap. I would ask for the final price. Also, 100' is huge. What kind of trees do you have?

Price wise I think that was a ball park figure.Don't know if it includes the concrete pad or not. Would certainly want to know the final cost if I decide to go with it.

Trees around us are mostly older Aspen poplar (quit tall) and spruce.

 

[Wiremonkey]

WOW, a 10 storey tower in your yard?

Better check your zoning allowances. You're going to need a fair sized piece of property so the guy wires are not outside your lot. Make sure its well grounded too with a means to arrest possible lightning strikes on the feed line, a tower of that height is a fabulous lightning lure.

 

[Pinza]

I agree, that is huge. I have a 40' tower alongside my property and that looks tall.

Who is your ISP, BeerHunter.?

 

[BeerHunter]

to see if there was any permanent solution to your connection troubles. Unfortunately due to your location and geography he was unable to come up with any solution other than erecting a 68ft tower. With a 68ft tower we would be able to connect you to our 5ghz access point

My bad. Not an 80-100' tower. Don't know where I came up with those numbers.

I live on an acreage in a rural farming area. Our acreage is right in the middle of an uncleared Provincial Wild Life corridor so we're surrounded by high , dense trees.

The ISP is GPNet but I am very pleased with the technical support I get from them. They go out of their way to try and resolve my issues,knowing full well what the ideal solution is (the tower).

I was just wondering if it would actually make that much difference overall.

 

[gzink]

Hire someone to climb the highest tree!

 

[ogorek]

Instead of investing endlessly in wireless why don't you check out satellite internet. The price might be comparable and the service more stable.

 

[ScaryBob]

A 60' tower should be enough to clear most trees but that depends on the type trees. On the plus side and assuming stations are available, you could also install an antenna for OTA.

Satellite is an option but it has drawbacks. Bandwidth or speed can be limited and some people don't like the 2 second latency. It will be cheaper to setup.

 

[BCScott]

Might be worth it to hire a crane for an afternoon and do a test.

 

[BeerHunter]

Would rather not go satellite.
Much more expensive (about $30/mo more) , capped (mine isn't) , set up is about 1/4 the cost of the tower ($999 installed) , speeds are comparable to what I'm getting now (did speed tests on friends Xplorenet).

Couple of friends have XPlorenet and customer service is at best , mediocre while GPNet goes out of its way to accommodate,probably because it's a small local company interested in customer satisfaction and referrals.

Weird thing is it runs just fine early mornings but bogs down in the evenings. Thinking too many users on the 900 Mhz channel.

They've already done a site test , swapping out my 900 Mhz receiver for the 3 Ghz to see if there was a signal,that's where they came up with the tower height.(btw - they didn't charge me for this service).

Found out that 3Ghz can carry a lot more subscribers per channel offering more bandwidth and higher speeds , but is more sensitive to interference form foliage etc.

My quandary is to suffer the intermittent service and keep the $4,000 or take the plunge.

Guess that's a decision I'll have to make myself.

But thanks for all the feed back. Now I've got some info tor refer back to.

 

[gzink]

My guess is you would be wasting your money based on the bogging down in the evening. I have found our local "wireless" company won't own up to saturated infrastructure. 900Mhz definitely has limitations.

 

[ScaryBob]

A site survey would provide a better determination of tree height. Just triangulate and do the math using distance to trees and the angle. A simpler method is to walk up to close to a tree with a simple site finder (a 45 degree triangle square with leveling bubble will do.) When the angle to the tree top is 45 degrees, the distance to the tree will equal the height. If the ISP tower is a decent height, that should be plenty of height. Slightly less may be adequate if they have a tall tower.

If you have the space, there are be cheaper methods than a tower. I've seen 60' masts anchored with guy wires used for mounting antennas. Telescopic masts can be purchased for a few hundred dollars and don't need heavy anchoring. A 60' tower is going to cost about $2000. Then you must pay for installation. If going much over 60', you may be looking at installing aircraft warning lights, which will inflate costs considerably.

 

[a1canuck]

set up is about 1/4 the cost of the tower ($999 installed)

Why would it cost you that much? are you hundreds of miles from the installers area? Xplornet is currently offering

Free install .... No Equipment to buy
Monthly Service Fee
(3-yr, 2-yr, 1-yr and no contract)1 $64.99
One-time Activation Fee
(3-yr contract) $99
One-time Activation Fee
(2-yr contract) $199
One-time Activation Fee
(1-yr contract) $299
One-time Activation Fee
(No contract) $549

so on a 3 yr term your initial cost would be $99

 

[jackmiller]

I build wireless towers for a living there is no way that signal would reach you. THe amount of power it would take at 100' would require special equipment and comsume lots of power and emit a lot of radiation. Those wifi sataions are good for like 100-200' not 3 miles.

Not to mention you would need to get it approved to make sure you are not interfering with anyone else signal which would make you liable.

 

[Nimiq USA]

combine a satellite dish?

you should try combining a satellite dish with your wifi network. more info here...
http://spectregroup.wordpress.com/2009/10/02/sat-hacks/

 

[ScaryBob]

I've heard of coffee can antenna Wi-Fi links working reliable at 5 miles using standard power levels. The record is many times that. Those results assume a fairly interference free environment but most rural areas are sparse enough to get good results.