You probably have lots of questions?
How does WiFiCoNext work?
Using a fiber optic connection by the Dammeron Valley Community Center, WiFiCoNext converts the Internet signal to a wireless signal and distributes it around the valley and to Veyo. The antennas are small and attractive, about 10″ in diameter and 7″ thick. It is the same type of wireless signal you use in your home for wifi connections. It is actually on the 5G spectrum.
What kind of bandwidth (internet speeds) can I expect?
We target 100 Mis download but most customers will have between 100Mbs to 200Mbs download speeds to their home, with 25 Mbs to 50 Mbs upload speeds. (the location of some homes may prevent these high speeds). The distribution (ethernet or Wi-Fi) in your home may impact your actual speeds. We will provide you with some ideas to make sure you get the best speeds in your home. In some cases we may recommend that you upgrade your Wi-Fi router (the device that sends the internet into your home). You can buy your own or we will provide one for a small monthly fee. Please remember that the internet and internet speeds are subject to many factors so variations in speeds may be seen. But we encourage you to check your speed often and report to us if you see consistently slow speeds.
Will I have slow Internet in the evenings?
Our fiber connection is dedicated to WiFiCoNext and not shared with anyone else. Our user base will be in the hundreds, not thousands, so we can monitor usage. We do not expect our customers to see a significant dip in service during the evening. In our test network we saw no reduction in service during the evenings.
What about bad weather?
Again, in our test network, we have measured speed during some very bad weather (thunderstorms and heavy snow) and saw no decrease in service. We even had a test link to the far north end of the valley. That being said, there is not a 100% guarantee that heavy weather won’t have some impact.
If this is a small company what confidence can I have this will work?
We have now been providing service in the valley for almost five years and have over 150 customers. We have gained lots of experience, seen some real messes, i.e. the 2018 summer flood, and survived! We are drowning nicely and have added another person to our team, Joey Freebairn, who lives in Dammeron Valley.
We have been to training in Northern California and Salt Lake City. We have very experienced consultants and installers helping assure great internet service for you.
We will of course have the usual issues with a very complex system that delivers internet, not all of which we control. But we live here ready to respond ASAP and so far the system is working great. Living in the valley we usually will respond to problems in minutes not days. We keep back ups of all our equipment for emergencies. All of our radio have 2-3 day back up batteries in case of power outages.
How does the installation work?
The installation consists of an antenna on the outside of the house that points to a sending antenna (there are sending antennas at the north and south end of the valley and southwest of Veyo). A simple cable sends power and data to and from the antenna. This cable connects to a router in your home. There is no modem. The router converts the signal into home Wi-Fi, and if you want, you can also connect devices (computers and TV’s) directly to the router by Ethernet cable. This is usually referred to as a CAT 5 or CAT 6 cable. On the outside of the home we only use heavy-duty, all weather, shielded CAT 6 cable.
Once connected, your router is programed to connect to the internet by way of the antennas. As mentioned above, we have found that many homes have cheap low-quality Wi-Fi routers. We may recommend a new router to get the internet speed we deliver to your home available throughout your home.
What about security?
WiFiCoNext will never share your personal information with others. We will use it only for system maintenance and billing. We have very sophisticated routers that have strong security and firewalls. Your in home routers have the same protections. It will, however, be the responsibility of each home to protect your computers and devices from virus and malware, and the bad stuff on the internet.
Who does the installation and what does it cost?
The installation can be a do-it-yourself project if you are technically inclined. We will help. But generally we will do the installation with you there. to do the installation. The installation cost usually runs about $100.00. There is no charge for the antenna. There may be an extra charge for custom installations. This is rarely the case.
What about contracts?
WiFiCoNext does not require a long term contract. It is a month-to-month agreement and you can cancel at anytime and just return the antenna. Under normal use there will be no data caps on your internet usage. We have found that sometimes a few people can use the network inappropriately and consume all the data bandwidth. In these circumstances we will work with these individuals to curtail their usage or disconnect their service. There is a customer agreement (a set of Terms and Conditions) on our website.
What is allowed and not allowed?
Again, you can see a set of terms and conditions, but basically they say that the network cannot be used for anything illegal, the signal can’t be resold or rerouted, the network can’t be used for hacking and spamming, and WifiCoNext has the right to determine its customers and to terminate service for bad behavior, including not paying the monthly bill.
We also want everyone to know that the internet is a generally uncontrolled and unmonitored. We can deliver it to your home but each customer is responsible for controlling what gets into their home and how it is used. Our system routers will provide some basic firewall protection and your router will do the same.
How much will it cost?
WiFiCoNext is a premium internet service. The cost is $95.00 per month. This is about 30% to 40% more than other services with a 5 to 10 times increase in speed and significant improvement in reliability. We recognize that this cost is more than other services and encourage each person to choose the provider that best meets their needs and budget.
You will be bill monthly through you email. You are able to pay on line. One recent customer saved over $100 per month by canceling their existing internet service and their TV service (they are now streaming TV) which together was over $200 per month. A net saving of $105 per month with increased reliability.
When can I get this service?
Again, we have been in service several years. Please contact us to let us know if your are interested. We will make a short visit to make sure you home can see our antennas and then schedule a time for the installation. Usually within a few days. The installation will take from 2-4 hours.
Will WiFiCoNext be available to every home in the valley?
Our network plans include every home in the valley. However, there maybe some home that to which we just can’t connect, usually it is a problem with trees around the house; but we are planning for everyone. We are also providing service in Veyo and in Central
What about special internet requirement I have in my home?
We realize that there may be several special services that our customers might require such as a static IP address. Knowing these in advance will allow us to program our routers and their’s to meet these needs.
What about customer service?
We as much as anyone understand the frustrations of slow and/or unstable internet. That is why we started WiFiCoNext. We are the first customers, the company was built around the customer. But all internet is subject to inconsistencies. If your service is not working correctly we encourage you to call, text or email us immediately and we will work with you on solving the problem. We live right in the Valley and can be to your home in a short time. Our systems will show if the problem is on our end or if it is something in your house. Even though we will help determine problems that exist in your house our responsibility ends when we plug the Ethernet cable into your router. In our test network we found very high reliability. The network was very stable, but it is the internet, and some problems will arise. Also please go to the Troubleshooting page on our web site.
So, who is WiFiCoNext and how do we contact you?
WiFiCoNext is a company created by John Wallace and Dennis Brimhall. We created it out of the frustration of not getting good internet service in the valley. We have invested our own funds to create the network and are personally invested in it success. all of our customers are our neighbors and friends. We can be contacted at [email protected] or you can go to our website at wificonext.com. We live in the valley and want WiFiCoNext to benefit the valley.