FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions asked by Residential and Business clients.

Coverage
Areas
Do you plan to add additional service areas?

Yes. We are adding areas each year so we advise checking back for updates. If your location is not currently serviceable, please send us an email to sales@ethericnetworks.com and we can let you know when Etheric Networks is available in your area.

You can contact Sales via:

  • Email: sales@ethericnetworks.com
  • Phone: 650.399.4200 Ext 2
I Live in an Apartment or Condo, Do I Need to Get Permission?
As a matter of law, the answer is no. As a matter of good neighbor policy, it is often best to keep those impacted informed. During the installation process, we will install a high-grade radio. In some cases, it may be necessary to get on the roof of your property using a ladder to determine if a direct line-of-sight is possible from your location.

In order to gain access to the roof, Etheric will need permission from your landlord, homeowner association (HOA) or property manager of the building prior to installation.

What is a Site Survey?
Site Survey is the process of planning and designing a wireless network, to provide a wireless solution that will deliver the required wireless coverage, data rates, network capacity, roaming capability and Quality of Service (QoS).

The survey usually involves a site visit to test for RF interference and to identify excellent installation locations for access points. This requires analysis of building floor plans, inspection of the facility, and use of site survey tools.

As part of the wireless site survey, the current range boundary is set, which defines the area over which signal levels needed support the intended application. This involves determining the minimum signal to noise ratio (SNR) required to support performance requirements.

A wireless site survey can also mean the walk-testing, auditing, analysis or diagnosis of an existing wireless network, particularly one which is not providing the level of service required. [source: wikipedia]

A Site Survey also looks for any problem with your potential installation including:

  • Trees
  • Tall Buildings
  • Hills
  • Mountains
  • Electrical Problems

A Site Survey is free of charge and at no obligation to you.

Do you have a Coverage Map to show the areas covered?
Our areas of service include San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland, Fremont, San Bruno, Brisbane, Daly City, Hayward, Berkeley, Emeryville, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Woodside, Los Altos, San Mateo and more. For a complete list of the cities, we cover, click here.
Do You Provide Service in Rural Areas?
Yes. Access to the nation’s premier networks can be a challenge when you are trying to connect in rural areas. With Etheric Networks, we are bringing the power of High-Speed Internet access directly to the countryside.  We strive to offer innovative network solutions to bring the Internet where other providers won’t.

Rural areas we cover:

  • Hollister
  • Gilroy
  • Morgan Hill
  • Portola Valley
  • Watsonville
  • La Honda
  • Skyline
  • Los Altos Hills
  • Woodside
  • Sunol
  • San Martin
  • Boulder Creek
  • many more
What limits service in my area?
In most cases, this is not a problem as our base stations are deployed on the roofs of high-rise buildings, which have a commanding view of the adjacent terrain. In some cases, trees and other buildings may cause obstructions, which we can overcome using a mast extension at the user’s location or with a repeater.

What limits service in my area? Types of obstructions:

  • Trees
  • Tall Buildings
  • Hills
  • Mountains

In some cases, we can work around that.

Do I need to be home for a site survey?
No. We can perform a site survey with roof access approval at your home. For Residential clients, we need to know about any special gates codes or any dogs on the property.

For businesses, you have to be present and we would need access to the roof, office, and closet.

Installation
Do I Need Any Special Equipment?
No, but Line-of-Sight reception within our coverage area is necessary for Etheric’s service. To establish this, we conduct a site survey (free of charge) of the property to receive service.

No special equipment is required, but most customers opt for a router for these reasons:

  • Support of multiple computers
  • Security
  • Local area Wifi

We do not provide or service routers. Clients are encouraged to have a router on site at the time of installation.

Do you require a service contract?
Yes. We have a minimum 2-year contract for all customers. If you sign up for a three-year contract, you qualify for a discount off the service plan. Please contact sales to learn more.

A free site survey is performed to ensure that there are no obstructions to your location. Our goal is to deliver a smooth, accurate and timely installation.

Is there an Installation Charge?
Yes, Residential customers are charged:

  • Radio $159
  • Antenna $179 (for clients less than 14 miles from our tower)
  • Antenna $399 (for clients more than 15 miles from our tower)
  • Labor $99 covers the first 2 hours
  • Additional Labor billed at $75 an hour

Custom Installs: Tree Installs, Repeater Installs or any other type of install not typically performed will require longer installation time and the client will be responsible for all additional material and equipment to complete their install. If two technicians are required to install service, the client is responsible for all labor charges for both techs.

  • Example: Additional hours require 3 hours. Total hours for (2) techs are 6 hours billed at $75 an hour.
  • Contract term: 3 years.

Business Customers

  • Business Plan installation fees vary. Please email or call 650.399.4200 Ext 2 and speak with a Business Account Manager.
How long does an Installation take?
Depending on the type of service and the nature of your installation, a technician may take up to 2-3 hours to install your service.

In some situations, the cabling of your home may be more complicated which takes a little more effort and time. Some houses are bigger than others, so please account for long cable runs or if additional work is needed to complete an installation. Site surveys are approximate and unforeseen areas that cause additional time will be charged additional hours.

Do I need to be onsite for an installation?
Yes. When a technician installs your equipment, he or she is required to enter your home or business in order to establish a connection with your computer or router. The technician will enter your home to test the Internet connection and ensure it is fully functioning. For Business, we need access to any telco room and roof access.
Do you offer Temporary Internet Service for Events?
Yes for business and construction clients only. Fixed Wireless is the perfect solution for reliable, high-speed Internet connectivity for building site offices which are not only temporary but prone to move around a construction site.

Etheric Networks offers Temporary Internet service for events, conference centers, construction sites, and much more. Whatever your time frame or business bandwidth needs, Etheric Networks can install a temporary Internet connection fast!

Will I Need A Site Survey?

Yes. Prior to installation of services, an Etheric technician will perform a site survey to confirm line-of-sight to our tower. You will receive communication from an Etheric Business representative with the date and time of a survey.

What Equipment Do I Need To Provide?

You will need to provide your own router. We will work with any router that is not labeled Comcast, Verizon or AT&T. The technician will bring all Etheric equipment, parts, and materials. Here is an example of some routers you can purchase.

Will I Receive an IP Address?

Yes. We will provision our equipment prior to installation and send over all IP Address information via email for your records. This will have important contact information for Support, Billing and Sales for additional questions.

Will My Internet be Activated?

Yes. The Etheric technician will not leave your home or business until service is up and running. You are responsible for integrating and troubleshooting your own computer or network. Etheric will only support the Etheric owned devices.

Technical Questions
Does router location affect my Internet speed?
Yes, if you are using internal Wifi provided by your router then. If you’re using a wireless router then the distance from the device (laptop, smart phone, tablet) to the router is directly related to its signal strength. The lower the signal strength, the slower the effective speed for that device.

Our external radio and antenna placement are determined by where you will receive the best signal to your location. We can run an ethernet cable from that position to an area where your wireless router is.

What do I do if I lose connection?
Check to see if POE (small black box with one or two colored lights – LAN/POE) has power. If not, check electrical connections, this is a common failure point for both residences and businesses.

Check to see if you can reach your router internally. This is the second most common problem. Internal network problems are caused when the router “hangs” and is unable to either allocate additional network addresses or respond even to internal requests. (Occasionally, a router will lose or corrupt a configuration; this is another reason to keep the PDF sent when you first signed up for our service.)

What does POE mean? Power over Ethernet or PoE refers to systems which pass electrical power along with data on Ethernet cabling. This allows a single cable to provide both data and power to devices.

Rebooting the router is the typical resolution for this problem. Seriously, you would not believe the number of times this is all that needs to be done. If both of the above do not solve your connectivity issue, our support department will be happy to assist you.

 Standard POE for G6 Radio.

Am I getting my full speeds to my router?

Though it is rare, sometimes a router will auto-negotiate to a speed lower than the radio equipment installed at your location is capable of delivering. This situation will need to be resolved in conjunction with a support representative.

You can test the speed of your link using our internal speed test site: http://www.speedtest.net/

What are Cookies?
cookie, also known as an HTTP cookieweb cookie, or browser cookie, is a small piece of data sent from a website and stored in a user’s web browser while the user is browsing that website. Every time the user loads the website, the browser sends the cookie back to the server to notify the website of the user’s previous activity. Cookies were designed to be a reliable mechanism for websites to remember stateful information (such as items in a shopping cart) or to record the user’s browsing activity (including clicking particular buttons, logging in, or recording which pages were visited by the user as far back as months or years ago).

Although cookies cannot carry viruses, and cannot install malware on the host computer, tracking cookies and especially third-party tracking cookies are commonly used as ways to compile long-term records of individuals’ browsing histories—a potential privacy concern that prompted European and US law makers to take action in 2011.

Cookies can also store passwords and form content a user has previously entered, such as a credit card number or an address. When a user accesses a website with a cookie function for the first time, a cookie is sent from server to the browser and stored with the browser in the local computer. Later when that user goes back to the same website, the website will recognize the user because of the stored cookie with the user’s information.

Other kinds of cookies perform essential functions in the modern web. Perhaps most importantly, authentication cookies are the most common method used by web servers to know whether the user is logged in or not, and which account they are logged in with. Without such a mechanism, the site would not know whether to send a page containing sensitive information, or require the user to authenticate themselves by logging in.

The security of an authentication cookie generally depends on the security of the issuing website and the user’s web browser, and on whether the cookie data is encrypted. Security vulnerabilities may allow a cookie’s data to be read by a hacker, used to gain access to user data, or used to gain access (with the user’s credentials) to the website to which the cookie belongs (see cross-site scripting and cross-site request forgery for examples). [source:Wikipedia]

How do you delete temporary Internet files on Windows?
This information applies to Windows Internet Explorer 7 and Windows Internet Explorer 8.

Follow these steps to delete the files and information that Internet Explorer stores on your computer. This information includes the list of websites you have visited, cookies, the information you’ve entered into web forms (for example, your name and address), website passwords, and other temporarily saved information. Your links and favorites will not be deleted.

Delete temporary files in Internet Explorer 7

  1. Open Internet Options by clicking the Start button, clicking Control Panel, clicking Network and Internet, and then clicking Internet Options.
  2. Click the General tab, and then, under Browsing history, click Delete.
  3. Click Delete all, click Yes to confirm that you want to remove this information, and then click OK.

Delete temporary files in Internet Explorer 8

  1. Open Internet Options by clicking the Start button, clicking Control Panel, clicking Network and Internet, and then clicking Internet Options.
  2. Click the Safety button, and then click Delete Browsing History.
  3. Select the checkbox next to each category of information you want to delete.
  4. Select the Preserve Favorites website data check box if you do not want to remove the cookies and files associated with websites in your Favorites list.
  5. Click Delete. This could take awhile if you have a lot of data and history.

Note

  • Deleting everything can free hard disk space, solve problems with your web browser, and provide some additional privacy, but it might inconvenience you by removing information you might need on the Internet. For example, you will have to retype passwords stored on your computer.
What is a DNS?
The Domain Name System (DNS) is a hierarchical distributed naming system for computers, services, or any resource connected to the Internet or a private network. It associates various information with domain names assigned to each of the participating entities. Most prominently, it translates easily memorized domain names to the numerical IP addresses needed for the purpose of locating computer services and devices worldwide. The Domain Name System is an essential component of the functionality of the Internet.

The Domain Name System distributes the responsibility of assigning domain names and mapping those names to IP addresses by designating authoritative name servers for each domain. Authoritative name servers are assigned to be responsible for their supported domains and may delegate authority over subdomains to other name servers. This mechanism provides distributed and fault tolerant service and was designed to avoid the need for a single central database.

The Domain Name System also specifies the technical functionality of this database service. It defines the DNS protocol, a detailed specification of the data structures and data communication exchanges used in DNS, as part of the Internet Protocol Suite. [source: Wikipedia].

DNS Server Hierarchy

The DNS is a distributed system, meaning that only the 13 root servers contain the complete database of domain names and IP addresses. All other DNS servers are installed at lower levels of the hierarchy and maintain only certain pieces of the overall database.

Most lower level DNS servers are owned by businesses or Internet Service Providers (ISPs). For example, Google maintains various DNS servers around the world that manage the google.com, google.co.uk, and other domains. Your ISP also maintains DNS servers as part of your Internet connection setup. [source: About.com]

DNS Servers and Home Networking

Computers on your home network locate a DNS server through the Internet connection setup properties. Providers give their customers the public IP address(es) of primary and backup DNS servers. You can find the current IP addresses of your DNS server configuration via several methods:

  • on the configuration screens of a home network router
  • on the TCP/IP connection properties screens in Windows Control Panel (if configured via that method)
  • from ipconfig or similar command line utility
Where can I locate my IP address online?
You can locate your IP address here: http://www.tracemyip.org/ or many other websites similar via Google.com.
What is a Traceroute?
A traceroute is a network command that can be run on your computer if you experience routing problems. It traces the “hops” between your computer and a web server. For each hop, the traceroute will diagnose where the problem is and show us the path traffic to reach your destination.

For example: when you connect to a website the traffic has to go through several midways before it reaches the website. The traffic goes through your local router, your local ISP’s router on to a large network and so on.

If you are experiencing problems reaching a particular website and that website is working, it could be possible there is a problem somewhere on the path between your computer and that website’s servers. A traceroute will show you where that problem is.

What is Packet Loss?
Packet loss occurs when one or more packets of data travelling across a computer network fail to reach their destination. Packet loss is distinguished as one of the three main error types met in digital communications; the other two being bit error and spurious packets caused due to noise.

What causes Packet Loss?

Packet loss can be caused by a number of factors including signal degradation over the network medium due to multi-path fading, packet drop because of channel congestion, corrupted packets rejected in-transit, faulty networking hardware, faulty network drivers, or normal routing routines (such as DSR in ad hoc networks). Packet loss can also happen intentionally through network dissuasion technique for operational management purposes.

What are the effects of Packet Loss?

When caused by network problems, lost or dropped packets can result in highly noticeable performance issues or jitter with streaming technologiesvoice over IPonline gaming and video conferencing, and will affect all other network applications to a degree. However, it is important to note that packet loss does not always indicate a problem. If the latency and the packet loss at the destination hop are acceptable then the hops prior to that one don’t matter. [source: wikipedia]

What is Latency?
Low latency allows human-unnoticeable delays between an input being processed and the corresponding output providing real time characteristics. This can be especially important for internet connections utilizing services such as online gaming and VOIP.

Data is packaged and transported in bit size pieces of data. The flow in which these pieces of data directly affect a user’s high-speed internet experience. When data packets arrive in a timely manner, the user sees a continuous flow of data, but if packets of data arrive in large and variable delays between packets the user’s experience is-degraded.

Latency and throughput is dominated by a few factors, the length of the route between the sender and receiver and the interaction between TCP reliability and congestion control protocols.

VOIP is tolerant to some degree of latency since a minor delay between input from conversation participants is generally attributable to non-technical issues, but substantial delays may impair communication. On the other hand, online games are more sensitive to latency since fast response times to new events occurring during a game session are rewarded while slow response times may carry penalties (for instance in a first person shooter a slow response time may leave a player in the line of fire for longer periods of time).

A player with a high latency internet connection may show slow responses in spite of superior tactics or the appropriate reaction time due to a delay in transmission of game events between said player and other participants in the game session. This gives players with low latency connections a technical advantage and biases game outcomes, so game servers favor players with lower latency connections, sometimes referred to as low “ping” times (typically measured in ms). [source: wikipedia][source: wikipedia]

What does “Ping” mean?
Ping operates by sending Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) echo request packets to the target host and waiting for an ICMP response. In the process it measures the time from transmission to reception (round-trip time) and records any packet loss.

The results of the test are printed in the form of a statistical summary of the response packets received, including the minimum, maximum, and the mean round-trip times, and sometimes the standard deviation of the mean. Ping does not evaluate or compute the time to establish the connection; it only gives the mean round-trip times of an established connection with an open session.

Depending on the implementation, the ping command can be run with various command line switches to enable special operational modes. Example options include: specifying the packet size used as the probe, automatically repeated operation for sending a specified count of probes, and time stamping. [source: wikipedia]

What is an IP Address?
An Internet Protocol address (IP address) is a numerical label assigned to each device (e.g., computer, printer) participating in a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication. An IP address serves two principal functions: host or network interface identification and location addressing.

Its role has been characterized as follows: “A name indicates what we seek. An address indicates where it is. An IP address is a 32-bit numeric address written as four decimal numbers separated by periods.  Such devices include routers, servers, and computers.

IP addresses are binary numbers, but they are usually stored in text files and displayed in human-readable notations, such as 172.16.254.1. [source: wikipedia]

Billing
What forms of Payment do you accept?
We accept Check and Credit Card (MasterCard, Visa, and American Express).  Residential clients are required to set up automatic billing with a credit card. We do not accept checks to set up service.

If you have more questions, please contact billing at:

Phone: 650.399.4200 Ext 3
Email: billing@etheric.net
Fax: (650) 472-9225

How is Billing Set up?

Any costs for installation, parts, and materials are due when installation is complete. The technician will not collect payment at the time of installation, but the Service Level Agreement and payment must be set up prior to installation.

Invoices are bill monthly in advance and payment is due before the beginning of your service period. Your first invoice may include pro-rated charges for the partial month from the date your service is active. Billing is invoiced after installation on the 15th of every month and due on the 1st of the following month.

Etheric Networks accepts the following forms of payment:

Business Clients: Check Payment and Credit Card Payment. We accept MasterCard, Visa and American Express.

Mail to:
P.O Box 2266
Redwood City, CA 94064

Residential Clients: Credit Card Payment

We accept MasterCard, Visa, and American Express.

(650) 399-4200 Ext 3
Fax (650) 472-9225

Do you offer a Service Level Agreement (SLA)?

Yes. Etheric Networks offers an aggressive Service Level Agreement (SLA) that guarantees 99.997% uptime.

GUARANTEED UPTIME to 99.997%

  • Publish bandwidth limits & overbook ratios.
  • Zero overbook on dedicated business plans: 2.5:1 for SOHO & 7:1 for Residential.
  • Published policies offer transparency and not unilaterally changed.
  • Real people who call you if you have forgotten your bill.
What to Expect on Your First Etheric Networks Bill
You may notice that your first Etheric Networks bill is higher than your monthly rate, or see unfamiliar charges. Your first bill payment includes all charges incurred from the day your account is activated, as well as your monthly rate for the next billing period.

Your First Etheric Networks Bill Summary

  • A prorated amount from your activation date to your bill pay date
  • A charge for the next month of service
  • Any activation, installation, or one-time fees, with applicable taxes
  • Prorated charges

The prorated charge is for the use of Etheric Networks service from your activation date until the end of the current billing period. For example, if your service began on March 13 and the Etheric Networks billing period ends on March 25, you will be charged for twelve days of service instead of a full month.

Because we charge one month in advance, your first bill also includes the following month of service at your regular rate.

New charges

Your Etheric Networks bill will also include an itemized list of fees incurred between your activation date and billing date. Some of these fees, like activation or setup, are one-time charges. The only monthly recurring fee is your service plan going forward.

Can I upgrade or downgrade my service plan?
Yes.  You can downgrade or upgrade your account at any time. Please email us at billing@etheric.net.

Please include the following:

  • Your Name
  • Account number (if you know it)
  • Phone number
  • Your current plan
  • Desired service plan
  • Date you want changes to be effective

Once we have received your request, it will be updated within 24-48 hours, and you will receive an email confirmation from billing that the modification is complete.

Support
How Do I Submit a Support Ticket?

Support tickets can be opened either by sending an email to support@etheric.net or as shown below from our support page you can telephone 24/7 to 650-980-4014 ext. 1.

Once you submit your email, you will receive a “Case Number” to keep for your records.

Do You Support Key Contacts?

Yes. We support IT Departments, Accounts Payables, Support and Operations.

Do You Offer Historical Monitoring?
Yes, Historical Monitor Coordination is handled via:

  • Support
  • Historical Latency
  • Speeds
  • Data Transfer
  • Monitors radios
  • Monitor nodes
I’m moving. How do I move my service?
Email us at sales@ethernet.tempurl.host or call us at 650.399.4200 Ext 2. to make arrangements and learn how Etheric can help move your service to your next location.
Is Wireless High Speed Internet faster than DSL?
Yes. Many businesses and even residences today need fast access both upstream and downstream. DSL connections cannot support symmetrical access.  Our wireless Internet service supports symmetrical broadband with the flexibility to increase service levels in the future.
Is your service affected by the weather?
No. Your connection should remain stable even during winter months or other stormy periods. As with any service including, phone, electric or cable, if there is storm damage from a severe weather system, our technicians will respond quickly to any outage.

Wireless Internet access requires a “line-of-site” connection from your building to one of our towers. This means that large trees, buildings or other obstructions may cause a degraded level of service. Our installers do a site survey before installing to make sure that there is a good signal.  We do not perform signal tests at site surveys.

How do I retrieve my IP address with a new router?
How to Retrieve Your IP Address

Contact support to get the IP information that was provisioned for you or your organization. Upon sign up, a PDF is sent to our clients with the IP provisioning as well as vital contact information. It is valuable to retain this document.

Given our privacy policy, if you email requesting this information the address will need to match the one in our client database.

You can contact Support via:

  • Email:support@etheric.net
  • Phone: 650.399.4200 Ext 1

Support Information

Email us at Support@etheric.net or call us at 650-980-4014

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Sales Contact

Email us at Sales@ethernet.tempurl.host or call us at 650-980-4010

Billing Information

Email us at billing@etheric.net or call us at 1-650-399-4200 Ext 3

Monday To Friday : 09:00AM – 05:00PM