If you live up a hill road in Marin or on a ridge above Petaluma, you have probably heard some version of "we don't serve that address" from a wired provider. The cable or the fiber stops somewhere down the road. Fixed wireless is a different way of reaching a house, and it often works best exactly where the wires stop.
How fixed wireless works
There is no wire down the road. Instead, a signal travels through the air from one of our tower sites to a small outdoor antenna mounted on your roof, a wall, or a pole at your property. From the antenna, one cable runs indoors to a PoE injector, a small adapter that powers the antenna, and from there an Ethernet cable hands the connection to your router. There is no modem.
The antenna is aimed at a specific tower site, so the one thing it needs is a clear line of sight to that site. Not a ZIP code, and not shading on a map. Whether we can serve an address comes down to a clear line of sight to one of our tower sites and the signal quality at your property.
Why the hills can work in your favor
Line of sight is geometry, and hills change the geometry.
A house on a valley floor, surrounded by other houses and mature trees, is often looking at its neighbors' rooflines in every direction. A house on a hillside is often looking across a valley at the opposite ridge, with nothing in the way. If one of our tower sites sits on that ridge, the hillside house can have a better line of sight than the house below it, despite being harder to reach with a wire.
That is why our service runs from Sausalito and Novato to Petaluma and Sonoma Mountain, and includes the hillside and rural properties other providers pass over. It is also why two houses on the same street can get different answers. Terrain, trees, rooflines, and mounting height all change the line of sight from one property to the next.
The things that most often get in the way are the things that grow. Oaks, redwoods, and eucalyptus fill in over a few seasons, and dense trees between the antenna and the tower site can weaken or block the signal. Sometimes a higher mount clears them: a higher roofline, a pole, or another approved mounting point may clear a nearby obstruction, as long as it is safe, practical, and structurally sound.
The honest part: it depends on the exact address
A city or county listing describes a general area where we may be able to provide service. Availability depends on the exact address and line of sight to one of our tower sites. A neighbor with a WebPerception antenna is a good sign, and it is still not a yes. Each address needs its own review.
When you send us an address, we look at:
- Which of our tower sites may reach your area.
- Terrain and elevation, and the direction the property faces.
- Trees, vegetation, nearby buildings, and rooflines between you and the tower site.
- Distance from the tower site, and roof, wall, or pole mounting options.
- Available capacity at the tower site serving you.
- Safe placement, cable routes, power, and access for installation.
Most addresses can be reviewed using mapping tools, terrain data, and network information. Some need a closer look, which is the site survey: we confirm line of sight to one of our tower sites and the signal quality at your property before anyone commits to anything. If we cannot serve the address today, we say so, and we may keep it on file for future network review. We do not promise future expansion.
What you get when it fits
Our own technicians mount and aim the outdoor antenna, run the cable, and hand off to your router or managed network. We test the connection before we leave and explain what was installed and where. One router is supplied as part of the installation cost.
The service itself is straightforward. There are no data caps, no throttling, and no usage-based overage charges. Residential internet is month-to-month. We guarantee 99.9% uptime, measured at the rooftop antenna, under the terms of your agreement, and planned maintenance is announced with 24-hour notice. Phone support and network monitoring are available 24/7/365. Office and sales hours are Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM Pacific.
The people who install it are the people who support it. Remote diagnosis comes first when possible, on-site when needed, and we stay with the issue until it is resolved.
The short version
- Fixed wireless sends a signal from a tower site to a small antenna at your property. No wire down the road, no modem.
- It needs a clear line of sight, which hillside homes often have and valley-floor homes often do not.
- Availability depends on the exact address. Your neighbor's antenna is a good sign, not a guarantee.
- Send us the address, we survey the property, and you decide after you know.
Olivier M. of Sonoma wrote in a Yelp review: "WebPerception was incredible to make fast speed internet available for all of us on the Sonoma mountain, when no other options were available (including bad 5G signal from most mobile company provider). Super responsive, easy install, and guaranteed steady speed all the time, allowing me to work fully remotely taking my zoom meetings, and stream any shows." That is the kind of address we like being asked about.
If you have been told no before, try us with the address anyway. Check availability and we will review your property and follow up during business hours, or read the how it works and coverage pages first. Questions? Contact us, or call or text (415) 892-7711.
