1. What is broadband?
2. What are the benefits of broadband?
3. What is the significance of “upstream” and “downstream” bandwidth?
4. How does broadband internet compare with internet delivered over dial-up, cable, ADSL
and satellite?
5. How much will broadband internet services cost?
6. How do I pay for the services?
7. What is Voice over IP?
8. Can I use VOIP with my Wildrose services?
9. What equipment will I need to purchase in order to take advantage of video conferencing over my broadband internet connection? What service should I choose?
10. Why does a wireless network need to be used to deliver broadband services to a rural community?
11. How does bad weather (rain, snow storms, etc.) affect wireless services?
12. How does the wireless technology work?
13. How secure are wireless services?
14. Can I use the wireless radio with my laptop computer for “mobile services”?
15. What equipment is included in the wireless radio package?
16. Can I have more than one computer hooked up to my wireless radio?
17. How can I be certain that the broadband internet services will work if I purchase a radio?
18. What happens if my radio breaks down?
29. What if I need to move in a year and no longer need the services or the wireless radio?
20. Will I need to purchase a new radio in a few years as technology continues to advance?
21. As Wild Rose Internet Services adds more customers to the network, will the quality and speed of my services be affected?
22. What are the minimum requirements for my computer to ensure that I can receive the service?
23. What does a typical installation look like?
24. What kind of customer support will I get with my internet service?
25. Will I be able to access my e-mail account remotely?
26. Do the services include unlimited hours each month or is there a maximum amount of hours and an hourly fee if I go over the maximum?
27. Will I need a second telephone line?
28. What will my e-mail address look like?
29. Do you have terms of use policy?
30. What is the difference between throughput and data transfer?
31. What if I want to change over to a different service package at some point in the future?
32. Who is Wild Rose Networks and Wild Rose Internet Services?
33. Where (in Alberta) does Wild Rose Internet currently offer services?
34. How can we get Wild Rose to start offering broadband wireless internet services in our community?
35. If I have a question that’s not included in the FAQ section how do I get it answered?

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. What is broadband?

The term applies to networks having bandwidths significantly greater than that found in telephony networks and is used to describe a high-capacity, two-way link between an end user and access network suppliers capable of supporting full-motion, interactive video applications.

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2. What are the benefits of broadband?

Always on - your computer can be connected to the internet at all times and you do not need to dial up a connection every time you need to use the internet.

Dedicated connection - with dial-up you can only use your telephone or Internet, and cannot use both at the same time. Broadband has no affect on your telephone. With wireless you don't need telephone filters as you would with ADSL.

Faster speed - many services are available with broadband which would otherwise be impossible on dial-up such as video conferencing, VoIP, downloading music or video footage, listening to your favorite radio station or uploading and downloading large files.

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3. What is the significance of “upstream” and “downstream” bandwidth?

“Downstream” refers to any information sent from the Internet to your computer while “upstream” refers to any information sent from your computer to the Internet. In a dial-up connection, typical upstream / downstream speeds range up to 56 Kbps. With traditional high-speed services (i.e. ADSL, cable-modem, satellite) the upstream and downstream speeds are reasonably fast (500 Kbps to 1.5 Mbps or more) while the upstream speeds are not quite as fast (i.e. 128 Kbps up to 750 Kbps) but still faster than a dial-up connection. The majority of Wild Rose Service Areas are connected through a fiber backbone through the Alberta Supernet giving us the ability to provide fast upstream and downstream to the communities we service.

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4. How does broadband Internet compare with Internet delivered over dial-up, cable-modem, ADSL and satellite?

Dial-up (the service available to most rural Albertans) is the lowest cost service and also the slowest service with speeds rarely exceeding 56 Kbps. Traditional high-speed services include cable-modem, ADSL and / or satellite with average downstream speeds of 1 Mbps and average upstream speeds of 256 Kbps. While ADSL and cable-modem services are typically available in most urban centers they have a limited range (only a few 3 km's from the telephone office) which explains why these services are typically not available in certain areas within a town and / or outside of cities & towns.

With satellite services (typically offered to rural residents who can afford them), a typical system can cost as much as $1,600 ($1,200 for the system plus a one-time installation charge of $400). Then, the basic services cost $100 per month or more (unless you're prepared to sign up for a long term contract in order to realize some savings). The challenge with satellite services is that uplink facilities are very expensive to build, so the upstream traffic must flow through the telephone lines back to a large city or town in order to reach the uplink facilities. This means that satellite services are reasonably fast in the downstream direction, but as slow as (or not much faster than) dial up in the upstream direction. Anyone intending to try things like sending photos or large attachments, video conferencing, voice-over-IP (telephone calling), etc. over a satellite connection should be aware that slower upstream speeds will cause delays and / or latency which make many applications impossible to run properly.

With a broadband wireless network, users can be reached in remote areas through line of sight and none line of sight technology. Any user living within a 29 km radius of the transmitting tower may be able to connect depending on environment. Contact Wild Rose Internet today to have a software generated path run from your residence or business to our nearest tower at 1-888-NEED-WRI.

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5. How much will broadband internet services cost?

The cost of the Wild Rose Internet Services depends on the package chosen and the environment between the building connecting to the wireless service and our nearest broadcasting tower.

Contact Wild Rose Internet at 1-888-NEED-WRI (or send an email to inquiries@wildroseinternet.ca) for more details and please provide your legal land description, your GPS coordinates, or your street address.

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6. How do I pay for the services?

Either with monthly cheques, or by recurring credit card charges.

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7. What is Voice over IP?

Voice over IP (VoIP), is the transmission of telephone calls over a data network. Many companies use VoIP (ie. long distance over the internet) to connect branches in different areas, to avoid the cost of long distance charges over a regular telephone line.

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8. Can I use VOIP with my Wildrose services?

We do not offer VOIP services, nor can we guarantee that VOIP services will work on our network.

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9. What equipment will I need to purchase in order to take advantage of video conferencing over my broadband internet connection? What service should I choose?

Video conferencing doesn’t require any special equipment other than a webcam, speakers, and a microphone. For business related video conferencing, better quality digital video cameras are essential, but for the home user, almost any webcam will do. Basic video conferencing will work with any of our plans. More advanced, high quality video conferencing may require a plan with sufficient speeds to support the higher bandwidth requirement of high quality video.

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11. Why does a wireless network need to be used to deliver broadband services to a rural community?

Typically, the costs of trenching kilometers of copper wire and/or fiber-optic cable to reach fewer residents and businesses over a larger are is prohibitive whereas whereas the costs of wirelesss technology have decreased significantly over the past three years making it the preferred technology.

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12. How does bad weather (rain, snow storms, etc.) affect wireless services?

The wireless radios we use are made to withstand the varying degrees of temperature, moisture and wind that Alberta produces. Our radios are set up in a way that there is a large “fade margin” in the signal, that allows for weather interference. This means that your service should work through most conditions.

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13. How does the wireless technology work?

The technology we use works on several Radio Frequencies (RF). The signal is sent between the tower and the radio we provide you. We use a combination of 900 MHz, 2.4 GHz, and 5.8 GHz to reach as many residents and business as possible from our broadcast location.

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14. How secure are wireless services?

Our radios include many security features. The four main features are
a. Proprietary data scrambling of Radio frequency data packets
b. Authentication of Subscribers
c. Adaptive Polling Protocol
d. Spread Spectrum Modulation
These features offer a level of security higher than any standard wireless system

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15. Can I use the wireless radio with my laptop computer for “mobile services”?

The radio itself must be affixed at the install location and can only have one network device physcially connected to it such as a computer or a router. Since this physical connection is a standard Ethernet connection you can plug in a wireless router to it and a wireless network card for your laptop, and have mobiles service to the extent of the wireless equipment you purchase.

16. What equipment is included in the wireless radio package?

All radios include a power over Ethernet adapter and a power supply. Most radios include a mounting bracket but is dependent on the environment in which the radio is to be mounted. Outdoor ethernet cable and other mounting devices are sold directly by our installers.

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17. Can I have more than one computer hooked up to my wireless radio?

Yes. You can have as many as you like, however further equipment needs to be purchase to make this happen. For further information on how this can be done please contact a Wild Rose Internet Services agent at 1-888-NEED-WRI.

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18. How can I be certain that the broadband internet services will work if I purchase a radio?

We perform site surveys and line of sight analysis to determine if you are eligible for our wireless service. We wouldn't sell something that does not work, however, if you are unsatisfied after 60 days we offer a money back guarantee where we will buy back the radio and refund the service fees (refunds are not issued on installation fees).

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19. What happens if my radio breaks down?

Considering the type of technology, and the quality of the radios, it is unlikely that a radio would break down. If it does, and it is within the warranty period, we will replace the radio with a new one. We also offer extended warranty packages.

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20. What if I need to move in a year and no longer need the services or the wireless radio?

If you are moving to a location where our service is not available, then we would recommend leaving the radio at your original property. The radio will likely add value to your home. A person purchasing a home will look strongly to a home that is high speed capable, as opposed to one that is not.

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21. Will I need to purchase a new radio in a few years as technology continues to advance?

No. The technology we use now is quite advanced. However, new technology does emerge all the time, but for something to replace the great technology we use now, it would have to be quite spectacular. Should we begin using new technology, we will buy your radio from you, and sell you the new the one.

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22. As Wild Rose Internet Services adds more customers to the network, will the quality and speed of my services be affected?

No. Wild Rose uses a fiber optic backbone with gigabits of capacity. As we get to a fraction of our capable capacity we upgrade our backbone speed. This ensures that you always receive the full quality and speed of the connection that was promised to you.

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23. What are the minimum requirements for my computer to ensure that I can receive the service?

The only requirement with our service is that you have a computer with a network/Ethernet card (NIC) with TCP/IP support. The faster the processor, the bigger the hard drive, the larger the memory the better the performance (IBM PC compatibles and Apple MacIntoshes included). Telephone lines are not required.

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24. What does a typical installation look like?

Our wireless radio is mounted somewhere elevated, like your roof. A cable is then run inside the house to a small unit that powers the radio. From the power unit, a network cable goes to your computer or router.

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25. What kind of customer support will I get with my internet service?

Our technical support are available 24 x 7 x 365 via phone.

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26. Will I be able to access my e-mail account remotely?

Yes. You can access your email account via webmail using the customer login button at the top of our website.

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27. Do the services include unlimited hours each month or is there a maximum amount of hours and an hourly fee if I go over the maximum?

There is no limit to the time you are on the internet. The connection is always on and connected. Thus, there are no hourly fees.

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28. Will I need a second telephone line?

No. The service is completely separate from the phone line. In fact using voice over IP, you could use our service to get phone service. You not only don’t need a second line, but you could get rid of all the phone lines in your home.

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29. What will my e-mail address look like?

Currently, your email address can look like [alias]@wildroseinternet.ca or [alias]@wildrosenet.ca , where [alias] can be any set of characters of your choosing that is not already being used.

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30. Do you have an acceptable use policy for the internet services?

Yes. Please click here to read through it.

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31. What is the difference between throughput and data transfer?

Throughput refers to the speed of an internet connection. This is generally measured in kilobits per second although Microsoft products (such as Windows) measure this in kilobytes per second. There are 8 bits in 1 byte. So if 512 kilobits per second refers to 512/8 = 64 kilobytes per second. Data transfer, on the other hand, refers to the amount of bandwidth over time and is generally measured using the gigabytes. For example you could transfer 1.3 GB over the last month. This data may include web pages, images, videos, sound files, software programs, or compressed files. Almost all internet service providers, including Wild Rose, allow a limited amount of data transfer per month. This is to ensure that the service is not abused. If we find that you are over your limit, we will recommend upgrading plans. If you choose not to upgrade, we will have to charge on a per gigabyte basis over and above your package data transfer limit.

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32. What if I want to change over to a different service package at some point in the future?

Wild Rose doesn't tie you to a contracts you are free to switch between service plans as often as you like.

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33. Who is Wild Rose Networks and Wild Rose Internet Services?

See the "ABOUT US" tab above.

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34. Where (in Alberta) does Wild Rose Internet currently offer services?

Please see the "LOCATIONS" tab above.

35. How can we get Wild Rose to start offering broadband wireless internet services in our community?