General Wireless FAQ

Q: Do you have services in my area?

A: Currently, wireless services are in Croswell, Worth Twp, Freemont Twp, Lexington, Brown City, Yale, and within 3 miles of down-town Sandusky, MI.

Q: How do I know if I can get the service?

A: We offer a service called a "Site Survey". There is a charge for this service. However, if we can get a signal and you would like to go ahead with installation then we will waive the site survey charge and you will instead pay for the install.

Q: Do I have to be able to see your tower?

A: In Croswell, Yale, Worth twp, Freemont Twp, and Brown City we offer both Line of Sight and Non Line of Sight Services. Line of sight means that yes you must be able to see the tower or access point location with no obstructions. The non line of sight does not require this however has a much shorter range. Lexington at this time only has Line of sight service. Sandusky only utilizes the Non Line of Sight system. Non Line of Sight systems which, while they are more expensive, they have the ability to shoot through a large number of obstacles. The more stuff they have to shoot through, the less likely they will work. We could go into the physics of how this all works, but all you need to know is that if it's not metal, not liquid, and not a heavy element, the signal can probably penetrate it. Penetrating a wall will usually cut the signal in half. If you go through more than two walls, you will probably not get a signal.

Q: Do you plan on offering roaming wireless?

A: We currently offer roaming wireless in all our tower locations with the exception of Sandusky. If you are a business and are interested in setting up a Great Lakes Internet hotspot at your location, please contact us at support2@greatlakes.net.

Q: How many computers can I connect to the Internet if I get your wireless services?

A: (Short Version) You can connect as many as you like. However, In order to utilize more then one computer on our service, it will require the purchase of a router.

Q: Just how fast is it?

A: It depends on the connection speed you select. The lowest connection speed we offer (128 Kbps) will perform at anywhere from 3-5x faster than dialup. The middle plan (512) will perform at anywhere from 10-20x faster. Finally the last plan (1024) will perform at anywhere from 20-40x faster.

Q: Will rain/snow/fog/sleet/etc affect my wireless connection?

A: It is not very likely. Our fade margin allows for weather conditions. Likely the only weather which COULD affect your service would be freezing rain/Icestorm.

Q: Do I have to sign a contract?

A: Yes, we have a standard 2-year contract.

Q: What if I want out of the contract?

A: There is a $150 early termination fee that gets added to any amount currently due. Any equipment that has not been fully paid for must be returned to us in working order and within 30 day of canceling your service, or the full price of the equipment will be added to the currently due balance.

Q: Can I run Kazaa, Morpheus, Overnet, eDonkey200, etc. on my computer with the wireless services?

A: We do not block outgoing traffic (except for certain known virus ports under port 1024). However, due to a large volume of complaints from the RIAA and MPAA lawyers, it is now against our Acceptable Use Policy to use your connection for these programs. Anyone found illegally sharing copyrighted materials may have their account terminated without warning. Refer to our Terms of Service for information on how this termination is handled. We do investigate all instances of illegal use that are brought to our attention.

Q: I have heard that wireless is not secure. Is there any truth to this?

A: The Internet in general is not secure. Any traffic you transmit via ANY method of connecting to the Internet (dial-up, Wireless, cable, Satellite, DSL, T1, T3, Oc-3, OC-12, etc) can be viewed by any party who has access to the network between you and the place you are transmitting the information. The only way to prevent these parties from viewing that data is to use some form of encryption (a VPN or SSL encryption) between you and the place you are connecting to. This is why banks are now required by law to use 128-bit strong encryption on all web pages that deal with confidential financial information. We, therefore, recommend that you do not send any confidential information across the Internet via any connection method unless you have taken steps to make sure it is encrypted and can only be decrypted or viewed by the party you intend it to reach. Any web sites that come up with https:// at the beginning of them are encrypted with SSL. Most browsers have an icon in the lower right corner that looks like a padlock that can tell you what type of encryption is used. Make sure it is 128-bit encryption.