Storm season comes to Marin, Sonoma, and Napa in its own time. Some years the first real rain is gentle. Some years it waits, then arrives all at once with wind behind it. If your internet reaches you through a small antenna on the roof, it is fair to wonder what that weather does to the connection.
The short answer is that the weather itself matters less than the things it moves: mounts, cables, branches, and power. Here is how a fixed wireless link handles winter, what to look at before the first big storm, and when to pick up the phone.
How the connection reaches you
Fixed wireless sends a signal from one of our tower sites to a small outdoor antenna at your property. A cable runs from that antenna into the building, where a PoE injector, the antenna's power adapter, powers the antenna and hands the connection to your router by Ethernet. There is no modem. Your WiFi is a separate indoor system that starts at the router. The how it works page walks through the whole chain.
The antenna and its cable live outside. The injector and router live inside, and they care about power more than rain.
What rain, fog, and wind actually do
Heavy rain, fog, and wind can affect a wireless signal at some properties, usually briefly, and a steady winter rain on its own is rarely the reason a connection drops.
Wind is the one to respect. A big wind can shift an antenna or loosen a mount, and an antenna that is no longer pointed the way it was installed will not perform the way it did. Wind also moves trees. A branch that grew to the edge of the line of sight over the summer can swing into it during a gust. Oaks, redwoods, and eucalyptus fill in over a few seasons, and hillside and rural properties see this most.
Power flickers ride in with the same storms. A dip too short to notice can still reset the injector or the router, and after a longer outage both may need a restart before service comes back.
Before the first big storm
Ten minutes on a dry afternoon is enough. Look from the ground, and stay off a wet roof.
- The antenna. It should still be mounted firmly and pointed the way it was installed. If it looks tilted or loose, tell us before the weather does.
- The cable where it enters the building. Look for kinks, crushing, or sun damage, and make sure nothing new is pinching it.
- The line of sight. Stand under the antenna and look the way it points. New growth, a new fence, or a neighbor's addition between the antenna and our tower site can clip the signal.
- The injector's outlet. The injector needs an outlet that is always on. A switched outlet, a bumped power strip, or a tired surge protector can drop the antenna for a moment.
- The router's home. Central, up off the floor, out in the open. A router in a cabinet costs you signal before the weather does. The router setup guide covers placement.
The short version, when a storm drop happens
- Sort out which system dropped. If a wired device or a laptop next to the router stays online while phones fall off, it is the WiFi. If everything drops at once, it is the connection or the equipment feeding it.
- Power-cycle in order. Unplug the PoE injector for 30 seconds and plug it back in. Then do the same with the router. Wait a few minutes before judging the result.
- Check every plug. Push both cable ends at the injector, and the WAN cable at the router, until they click.
- Note the pattern. Write down the time of each drop, the weather, which devices, and whether they were wired or on WiFi. That note is what gets you to a fix when you call.
One full power-cycle in the right order is a useful test. If you find yourself restarting every day, stop and call us. Repeated restarts hide the pattern we need to see. The connection drops guide has every step.
When to call, and what happens next
Call or text us when drops continue after one full power-cycle, when the injector or router light blinks off and on, when you see damage to the cable or the antenna, or when drops track the weather. Have the time and date of the last few drops ready, and which lights are on at the injector and the router.
Remote diagnosis comes first. We watch the link to your antenna, and we can often see the cause from our side, sometimes before you call. If the antenna needs to be re-aimed or relocated, that is our job, and we quote it before any work starts. Trimming a tree is your call. Either way, we stay with the issue until it is resolved.
That is why our 99.9% uptime guarantee is measured at the rooftop antenna. Measuring there separates the connection we deliver from anything happening inside your home or office network.
One customer, Martina Austin, put it this way in a Google review: "I've been a happy WebPerception customer for the last 25 years, if not more, and have always been treated with respect and kindness. My technical questions were answered promptly and the one or two issues I had were addressed immediately. I definitely recommend WebPerception."
Phone support and network monitoring are available 24/7/365. Office and sales hours are Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM Pacific. If you are not a customer yet and wonder how a fixed wireless connection would hold up at your address, check availability or contact us, or call or text (415) 892-7711. Availability depends on the exact address and a clear line of sight to one of our tower sites.
