Here are answers to the most frequently asked questions about the Reynwood's Wireless Broadband service.  If you don't find your question here, e-mail us and we'll send you an answer right away.

Q. How does Reynwood wireless broadband compare to dial-up?
A. Dial-up operates at 56Kbps. Reynwood operates from 750Kbps to 4,500Kbps depending on the service plan subscribed to, a performance improvement of 15 to 75 times better than dial-up. Reynwood service is 'always on' so you don't need to re-establish your connection each time you want to use it.

Q. How does Reynwood wireless broadband compare to DSL and cable?
A. Unlike DSL or cable, Reynwood does not depend on the availability of legacy telephone or cable TV infrastructure. This enables Reynwood to reach those neighborhoods where DSL and cable providers are unable or unwilling to go. The Reynwood service plans offer performance comparable to DSL and Cable Modem, but with some important differences. Reynwood offers better upload speeds than comparably priced DSL or cable service. · Reynwood offers quick installation- often in a matter of days, not weeks or months.

Q. How does Reynwood wireless broadband compare to Satellite?
A. Reynwood wireless broadband is sometimes confused with Satellite because they are both forms of wireless communication. The difference is that Reynwood is a terrestrial microwave system that uses short-range wireless links that are no more than either 2 or 10 miles long, depending upon the installation. The latency on these short-range links is comparable to wired links like DSL and cable service so the performance remains high. Satellite links have a large propagation delay due the roughly 23,000-mile distance to geosynchronous satellites. This latency imposes a huge performance penalty on two-way interactive applications, regardless of bandwidth speed. For this reason Satellite should only be considered as a last resort for Internet service.

Q. How secure is Reynwood Communications' Reynwood Service?
A. The wireless system Reynwood uses is completely different than 802.11 or Wi-fi technology. Reynwood uses a proprietary system developed by Motorola. This Motorola system has 3 features that make it very secure.

1. Proprietary. The Motorola system uses completely proprietary technology for the Radio Frequency signals as well as the data protocols. So a potential hacker would first have to reverse engineer the Motorola radio equipment.

2. Authentication. No Motorola radio can communicate with our tower radios without first having its MAC address (or Electronic Serial Number) authenticated against our list of valid radios.

3. Encryption. The Motorola Canopy encrypts the user data over the air using 128 bit DES encryption. These characteristics make our service at least as secure as DSL or cable systems. As an example, it would probably be easier to tap into your phone line outside your home than hack through the encryption.

Q. Does the weather affect the Reynwood Service?
A. No. The effects of weather on Microwave radio signals vary based on the frequency used and the distance the signal travels. With the frequencies and distances in our network, signal degradation due to heavy rain, snow, or fog are negligible. The degradation due to heavy rain is less than .2 db and our system is designed with at least a 10 db signal fade margin.

Q. How large is the antenna used to provide your service? Will I need a permit or HOA approval for the antenna?
A. The antenna we use within a 2 mile range of an Access Point is approximately 11.5" tall x 3.5" wide and weighs less than 1 pound. To extend out to 10 miles a small elliptical reflector is added on. It measures approximately 18"x24".

Section 207 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 prohibits restrictions on the use of "Over-the-Air Reception Devices" from government (cities or counties) or non-government (landlords or homeowner associations) entities. The ruling pertains to antennas less than 1 meter in diameter and less than 12 feet above roofline. You may still want to contact your homeowners association or landlord for any guidelines they may have on placement of the antenna. For more information, you can get a fact sheet from the FCC at www.fcc.gov/mb/facts/otard.html.

Q. Are there any health concerns with the Reynwood wireless signal?
A. No. The technology used by Reynwood operates at very low power levels, similar to a cell phone, and much less than the amount that is emitted by your microwave oven. Also, radio frequency power drops dramatically as you move away from the power source (Access Point- not the subscriber unit). Typically, our antennas would not be placed where any person would be able to stand right in front of it for any significant period of time, such as the top of towers and high rise roof tops with controlled access.

Q. What are the requirements for my PC to use Reynwood' service?
A. Your PC must have a 10BaseT or 100BaseT Ethernet Network Interface Card (NIC). We do not provide this or load any software onto your computer. All your PC needs is TCP/IP software and a web browser. Windows 95 or newer and MAC OS 8.5 or greater include TCP/IP and a browser.

Q. Can more than one computer share the Reynwood connection?
A. Yes, there is no additional charge for multiple computers. Customers are welcome to develop any LAN they wish and connect it to the Reynwood provided router (the demarcation point). This separates the customer's network from Reynwood' and allows customers to build their home network independently. Reynwood supports the innovative use of home networking and charges based on total household bandwidth consumption rather than on the number of computers.

Q. What is involved in the installation?
A. A small antenna is installed on or near the roof of your home or business. Then a Cat5 cable is run down and into your home. See our "How it works" section for a more detailed description and pictures of representative equipment.

Q. What is the typical lead time to have Reynwood installed?
A. If your location is within range of one of our Access Points and has line of sight to that location, we can usually install within a week to ten days.

Q. Do I need to have a separate ISP with Reynwood' service?
A. No, Reynwood is a full service ISP. We provide IP addresses, email accounts, and storage space as part of our service plans. When you travel, Reynwood also offers dial-up services.

Q. Can I keep my AOL service?
A. Yes. At last check, AOL offers a 'Bring Your Own Access' service. Contact AOL directly for information on this service.

Q. Does the Reynwood provided router act as a firewall? Do I need a firewall?
A. The Reynwood provided router is an administrative demarcation point between the Reynwood network and the customer's. It is not to be considered a firewall. Reynwood wireless broadband is an "always on" service and therefore it is recommended that you install and maintain a firewall. The firewall helps prevent unwanted and often times unknown attempts to access your computer. This is a normal situation that Reynwood has no control over. Please consider installing a firewall to protect yourself. Many quality products are commercially available, easy to install and free or at reasonable prices.

If you've got questions or need specific T-1 or other pricing, call us at 800.747.1702 to speak to with one of our knowledgeable agents.