Fixed Wireless Service Frequently Asked Questions

Q. I have DMC (Data Moving Company) Premium package. Does this mean that I will always be getting 10Mbps uploads and downloads?
A. No. This is a common misperception. Since wireless connectivity is shared among many customers it is theoretically impossible to provide maximum speed guarantees as opposed to a dedicated circuit such as T-1 or T-3. DMC wireless service only provides Minimum speed guarantee of 256kbps. Maximum speed will depend on a number of factors such as:

  • Overall user activity on the tower
  • Type of equipment utilized for service (in cases when line of sight is obstructed DMC uses equipment with maximum speeds up to 1.5Mbps).
  • Signal Strength.

This means that:

  1. Customers with equipment capable of 10Mbps service may opt to choose lower speed packages which are rate limited by DMC.
  2. Customers with equipment capable of lower speeds (usually due to obstructed line-of-sight) may opt to choose high speed packages to ensure that their upstream speeds are not artificially limited by DMC even if their maximum possible downstream speed cannot reach its full potential due physical limitations of technology.

Q. I have 10Mbps wireless equipment. My download speeds are well within acceptable range but my ping times range from 5ms to 600ms. What is wrong?
A. There is nothing wrong. The wireless equipment uses polling method where a central radio, called an "Access Point" polls subscriber radios at a regular, varying interval. During this interval subscriber radio/modem (SU) must transmit data. This dynamic adaptive polling algorithm is called "SMART Polling". When SU becomes idle for a period of time the Access Point at the tower will automatically reduce the rate at which this radio is polled. Unless SU starts transmitting substantial amount of data it will continue to be polled at that reduced rate.

Unfortunately, the Windows ping utility does not transmit enough data frequently for the access point to place the subscriber radio in an active state and resume more frequent polling. The ping utility on Linux, BSD and other Unix-like systems is more flexible and can be set to send packets more frequently which would place a subscriber radio in an active state.

Another way to verify that jumping ping times are not true latency is to start a file download (for example a test 50Mb file from www.speedtest.net and try to use Windows ping while the download is in progress. You should notice more accurate and consistent ping times.

Q. Can a homeowners association prevent the installation of fixed wireless equipment?
A. The answer is NO! The FCC telecommunications Act of 1996 protects residents from any limitations that an association tries to impose on you. Please click on the following link to read the actual FCC fact sheet: http://www.fcc.gov/mb/facts/otard.html

Q. Can weather affect the signal/connection?
A. Unlike satellite services, weather does not have any effect on fixed wireless connections.

Q. What is done during an install?
A. Our installation crew is responsible for mounting the antenna on your roof, running the cables into your house or business, and configuring one computer or router to access the Internet via the wireless connection.

Q. How many computers can I use on the wireless connection?
A. DMC can provide a router allowing you to hook up multiple computers. You may provide your own router; however, DMC Support technicians cannot assist you with equipment not purchased from us.

Q. Will this interfere with my in-home wireless network?
A. DMC installs a directional antenna on the customer's premise. The signal from our antenna is directed to one of our towers and not to the house so it will not interfere with an in-home wireless network.

Q. How secure is the wireless connection?
A. DMC's fixed wireless solution is very secure. We utilize 128-bit encryption with our frequency hopping equipment.