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imekul
join:2008-11-21
Belleville, IL

imekul

Member

[Fixed] Not quite high enough to get LOS service from WISP

There's a wireless service provider in my area that has fast LOS packages -- up to 20 Mbps down/3 up. They have a tower that is 2.5 miles from me.

My problem is, I don't quite have LOS. I'm trying to figure out two things -- how high I need to go for LOS, and then how to actually get that high.

Based on our address and the tower location, the rep from the WISP estimated that we would need a tower of about 50-55 feet to be able to have LOS.

Is there some sort of tool or map I could use to figure out exactly what the required height is, or is the only way to know for sure is to try to install the equipment?

Also, the chimney of my house is about 40 feet off the ground. If I just need 50 feet total, so I'm wondering if adding some sort of pole/conduit to extend 10 feet above the house would work.

I bet I'm not the only person to face this type of issue, so I'm wondering what you all might recommend!
wirelessdog
join:2008-07-15
Queen Anne, MD

wirelessdog

Member

20 down 3 up. Curious, what WISP is this? Pretty beefy equipment for service that even closely resembles that.

Its surprising if your chimney is at 40' (I'm assuming you have at least a three story house) they didn't already test from that point.

It would be helpful for some pictures to start.

Getting 10' above the chimney is not really difficult.

You could rent a 50' lift and take it that high to see if you have line of site.

50' at least in this area typically does not do the job. We typically need 85' or better in which case you are looking at a tower - figure $10k to be safe.
imekul
join:2008-11-21
Belleville, IL

imekul

Member

It is right around 40 feet tall -- three stories.

I thought about renting a cherry-picker or something and finding out whether or not I could actually see the tower. It being 2.5 miles away, I'm wondering if I would be able to, especially as it's a relatively small tower -- it's kind of like a large CB antenna in a person's yard that the WISP company uses.

Anyway, about the height... is there any way to find out for sure by looking at maps or anything like that, or comparing the altitudes of both spots?

I guess I'm wondering how people know how tall their tower has to be. Is that just as a result of somebody coming out with a bucket truck or something?

Also, is there any kind non-LOS equipment that could work with their LOS equipment? I'm kind of guessing not, but just wanted to check.
LLigetfa
join:2006-05-15
Fort Frances, ON

LLigetfa to imekul

Member

to imekul
My guess is that they didn't do a site survey, simply did a path analysis using software. Unfortunately the software cannot depict accurately, the height of the trees.

As WD said, get yourself up to the top of the chimney with a GenieĀ® Lift™ and look for the tower with binoculars.
imekul
join:2008-11-21
Belleville, IL

imekul

Member

Thanks for the good info!
imekul

imekul

Member

By the way... this has me thinking. What would it take to have a non-LOS link of two or three miles? Is that something that's easy/cheap to do, or are we talking thousands of dollars?
wirelessdog
join:2008-07-15
Queen Anne, MD

wirelessdog to imekul

Member

to imekul
Many variables. Non-line-of-site through what? How thick? Are they willing to mount the equipment on the remote end.

These are really discussions best had with the WISP. NLOS spectrum is at a premium.

Semaphore
Premium Member
join:2003-11-18
101010

Semaphore to imekul

Premium Member

to imekul
You won't see that kind of throughput on NLOS. And LOS is more than just seeing the tower when you're dealing with that type of speed. You need 100% clear Fresnel1 and probably >60% of F2 if you actually want to get to 20Mbps. Ironcially NLOS needs more ground clearance than LOS does to be stable because Fresnel Edge Refraction can be much more severe at the lower frequencies that NLOS needs.
imekul
join:2008-11-21
Belleville, IL

imekul

Member

Sounds like the estimate on the required tower height may have been off, as you guys suspected.

If the necessary height is indeed 90 or 100 feet, what is all involved in something like that? I'm sure it's no simple deal for that height, but I'm just wondering what the steps are, what kind of tower/pole would be recommended, and approximate costs for that.

It may well be too complicated/expensive, but it would be nice to have an idea of what's all entailed.
wirelessdog
join:2008-07-15
Queen Anne, MD

wirelessdog to imekul

Member

to imekul
Figure 10k. If you are willing to spend that kind of money we can talk details. If not, its a waste of time to discuss.
imekul
join:2008-11-21
Belleville, IL

imekul

Member

All righty, that's good to know. Probably a bit out of reach right now, but it's nice to have a rough idea of what it would cost should we ever want to do that.

Thanks!