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Customer Service
We do our best to respond to all calls and/or emails in a timely manner. You may reach us via email at mike@mountainmesh.net or by calling 445-5302
Please visit the following links for additional important information about our service.
What Affects My Service?
I would like to take this opportunity to explain some of the conditions that could affect your experience on the MountainMesh network...some of which are common to all of us and others that would be specific to your home setup.
We hope this information will answer all of your questions but I'd be happy to write you back if that is not the case. If you need one of our techs to come to your home to work on your computer to insure it is optimized please email me for their contact info.
General Issues That Could Affect Our Service:
Weather:
Normally, wind, rain, fog or snow does not have any measurable affect on the throughput unless the snow load is so heavy or an antenna gets iced up. This would indeed cause a slowdown or even shutdown of the antennas ability to talk to one another. Fortunately this has only occurred once since we deployed the system in '06. Lightening is the greatest risk to our network. A direct hit will take out any electronic equipment and require replacement which could be delayed until the storm passes.
Congestion:
MountainMesh is a shared network, as are cable provider like Cox and satellite providers like HughesNet, and a slowdown due to high, simultaneous traffic could occur and cause a slowdown of the network. Fortunately, this has not occurred as the highest peak usage to date has been under 2 mbps which is WELL under the amount of bandwidth we have feeding the network. Congestion is not an issue at this time but at some point, should we begin to push the limits of our current bandwidth, we will purchase more bandwidth to prevent this from becoming an issue.
RF interference:
Radio waves are a proven technology but can be susceptible to certain forms of interference. Sun spots, military transmissions or other high output devices that emit large amounts of RF in the 5.8 GHz or 2.4 GHz frequency could affect the system. We have a diagnostic tool within each of our main radios (node) which tests the RF space around each node and we have not seen ANY instance where there has been RF interference that would affect the network.
Issues Affecting You Specifically From Your Home Setup:
Your Selected Bandwidth:
If you have multiple computers using your connection, each computer shares the same bandwidth. If the connection speed you've selected is our lowest speed (256 kbps/56) and 2 or 3 computers are accessing the internet at the same time then each computer will be competing for the bandwidth. If you feel this could be an issue we will gladly increase your bandwidth for a few days as a test. Should you wish to keep it at the higher rate we'll make the change and charge your card accordingly. Please call or email if you would like to do this.
Obstructions:
Obstructions that are between your antenna and the main node can greatly affect your speed and connectivity. For example, if a neighbor has erected a structure recently or trees that are in the signal path are now bearing leaves can block the signal. We have tried to keep as many antennas indoors since we have such high winds but we have noticed that the outdoor installations seem to be performing better. If you would like to call us to test your signal strength we could then evaluate the possibility of installing an outdoor antenna. The cost would be $50 for installation and $50 for the waterproof antennas and mounting hardware but we would take back any antenna purchased from us and credit that amount towards the price of the new antenna. Please call if you are interested.
Virusus/Spyware:
It is very important to maintain your anti-virus security as well any anti-spyware. If you get a 'bug' you will most likely see a slowdown of your computers performance which can appear to be a slowdown of our service.
Windows Registry and Start Up Programs:
The registry in your computer operating system stores settings and selected options for running your Windows OS. Many times we have found that a registry cleaner will greatly improve the performance of your PC which in turn makes the pages load quicker when going out to the internet.
The number of programs that start up automatically when you turn on your computer can have a serious effect on how fast your computer performs. The more programs running and/or low RAM memory can give the appearance of a slow internet connection. Windows has a way to turn unwanted programs off on Startup but you may need assistance in performing this task.
Defrag and Delete Cookies:
Windows has a defrag tool that reorganizes the storage of your files and folders which helps your computer run more efficiently. A defrag should be run regularly to optimize your PC. Deleting your cookies and temporary internet files will also improve performance.
RF interference:
If you have your laptop or the PepWave close to your microwave oven or next to your 2.4 GHz or 5.8 GHz portable phone then this could affect your service. We are very careful about not installing the Pepwave in your kitchen unless we have no other choice for this very reason.
Moving the PepWave:
If we have placed your PepWave in a specific location which our tests show is the best location and you decide to move it this may affect your speed. We do not suggest that you move your PepWave unless you tell us beforehand so we can test the signal strength when it's in its current location and then test it afterwards to where you wish to move it and see it if degrades the signal or improves it.
Laptops:
As you move around your home with your laptop you may experience signal loss which will appear as if our network has slowed.