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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is wireless broadband?
Wireless broadband is a service that uses radio signals to deliver high-speed Internet access through the air. An antenna outside your home or office converts those signals to an Ethernet connection that plugs into your computer or router, providing you with reliable, high-speed Internet access that’s always on. No telephone or cable service is needed to have wireless broadband.
Is service available everywhere?
No. Our wireless broadband signals can travel up to 15 miles from a tower, so the service is often available where cable and DSL is not. However, sometimes hills and foliage limit the range of the signals. If you are within 15 miles of a tower, we will make sure the signal is good prior to installing the service. Call us, or use the pre-qualification tool on our web site, to find out if you are in range of a tower.
Who installs the connection?
Mercury Network employees do. Mercury does not use independent contractors to install or repair its wireless broadband service.
What equipment do I need?
Generally speaking, you just need a computer with an Ethernet card. Specific system requirements are listed in the System Requirements section. All other equipment is included on a rental basis in the prices shown.
Can you install a wireless router for me?
Yes. We install both wired and wireless networks. Ask your Mercury Network representative or visit the IT Services section of our web site for details.
How long does it take to get?
From order to installation, it typically takes one to two weeks.
Do I need telephone or cable service in order to have wireless broadband from Mercury?
No. Wireless broadband does not use telephone or cable lines whatsoever. Instead, we use radios and antennas to deliver high-speed Internet service through the air. We often hear from callers who have kept their home phone line only so they could have DSL, but they would rather cancel it and use their cell phone exclusively. Others have told us they would like to switch to DirecTV or Dish Network for the superior picture quality and channel selection, but keep cable to get a lower rate on cable Internet. Wireless broadband from Mercury Network frees you from phone and cable company combination "deals" that lock you in to services you don’t want. With Mercury Network, you can get the service you want from the company you want.
I have Mercury for dial-up. Can I upgrade to wireless broadband?
Yes. You can upgrade from dial-up to wireless broadband at any time. Upgrades are processed as two separate actions: a new order for wireless broadband and a cancellation order for dial-up. To upgrade your dial-up service to wireless broadband, place a normal order for wireless broadband. After the service is installed, call us and cancel your dial-up account. We will refund the amount paid on the unused portion of dial-up service back to you.
Are your prices "introductory" and will they change?
The monthly and annual pre-pay prices published are our standard rates. While price changes can occur, we work hard to establish fair plans and prices that will remain stable over a long period of time. For example, the $17.95 a month rate that we charge for dial-up service today is the same price we charged in 1996. The part of the price that may be promotional is the installation fee. From time to time, we run promotions in the form of rebates, instant credits, and/or payment installments that help offset the installation cost to customers. These promotions can change with every calendar quarter.
What does the antenna look like?
We use different styles of antennas depending on the condition of the signal at your location. The most common is an off-white panel antenna that is no larger than a DirecTV satellite dish. Another style is a yagi antenna. It looks like a broomstick lying flat on its side and can be up to 6 feet in length. The last type of antenna that we use is a grid dish that is roughly 3’ x 2’ in size. Because of their larger size, we allow customers to cancel their order without penalty when a grid dish or yagi over 3 feet must be used.
I live in an area that has a community association that prohibits or limits the installation of antennas. What can I do?
Our antennas are covered by Federal Over-The-Air Reception Devices (OTARD) rules. OTARD rules supercede state and local laws and association rules and covenants, and permit our antennas to be installed on any privately owned property as necessary to receive our wireless broadband signals. Your local government or community association cannot deny installation of our antenna. They may require a permit, but they cannot charge a fee for the permit, and requests for a permit must be instantly granted; they cannot be delayed or denied. Details on OTARD rules can be found at http://www.fcc.gov/mb/facts/otard.html.
Are you FCC Licensed?
The equipment and frequencies we use are governed by and comply with FCC rules and regulations.
What is Standard Professional Installation?
Professional Installation means that we send a technician to your location to install the service. Standard means that it includes thirty minutes of cabling labor and 100 feet of cable. In the event that your installation exceeds the labor or cable allowance, additional labor will be billed at $15 every 15 minutes, and additional cable will be billed $0.50 a foot. We will estimate whether your installation will be standard or not when we perform the site survey. You may cancel your order after the site survey is performed if we determine that there will be non-standard installation charges.
Do you provide technical support for my service?
Yes. Technical Support is open seven days a week, from 8:00 AM to 11:00 PM ET Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM on Saturday, and Noon to 6:00 PM on Sunday.
Do you provide repair for my service?
Yes. Mercury Network is responsible for making sure that the connection works through the Ethernet port of the antenna. Repair and/or replacement of rented equipment that fails during "normal wear and tear" is provided at no charge. Repair and/or replacement of rented equipment that fails for any other reason, including lightning or storm damage or negligence, cable not under 30-day warranty, or trouble diagnosed as a customer equipment problem, will be billed a $35 trip fee plus labor billed at $15 every 15 minutes, cable billed at $0.50 per ft, and the price of equipment replaced. Lightning- or storm-damaged equipment may be covered under your homeowners insurance policy. Ask your insurance agent for details. All equipment provided must be returned to Mercury Network in the same condition in which it was provided, reasonable wear and tear excepted. You are responsible for paying for the replacement or repair of damaged equipment.
Will I be assigned a new IP address each time I sign on?
That depends on the plan you choose. Customers on Single-User plans, primarily designed for residential use, are assigned a firewalled IP address that can change each time they go on-line. Single-User plans come with the option of having a Static IP address. If you order Single-User service with the Static IP address add-on, you will get the same, non-firewalled IP address every time you connect. Multi-User plans can come with one firewalled, dynamic IP address or multiple non-firewalled, static IP addresses. If you are a residential customer and want a static or non-firewalled IP address, you should order Single-User service with the Static IP address add-on or Multi-User service.
How many IP addresses do I get?
Single-User plans come with one, firewalled IP address, or with the Static IP address add-on, one non-firewalled IP address. Multi-User plans come with one, firewalled IP address, or with up to eight non-firewalled IP addresses, none of which have firewall protection. Additional IP addresses are available to Multi-User plan customers for an extra charge: $12 a month for 16 IP addresses, $18 a month for 32 IP addresses, $24 a month for 64 IP addresses, $30 a month for 128 IP addresses, and $60 a month for 256 IP addresses. All IP addresses must be in accordance with the justification requirements established by the American Registry for Internet Numbers (www.arin.net).
What is a Static IP address used for?
A static, non-firewalled IP address means that your computer will have the same globally accessible IP address every time you are on-line. This can be useful for letting people connect directly to your computer, like is needed for some kinds of multi-player gaming, file-sharing, and remote computer access. Be advised that with the Static IP address add-on, your IP address is globally accessible, and comes with no firewall protection from Mercury Network. We strongly recommend that you install a firewall for your computer if you choose to the Static IP address add-on.
What is a Data Transfer Limit?
Most of our plans come in an "all you can eat" price format. When you choose a plan that does not have a data transfer limit, you can use the service as much as you want and won’t be subject to additional usage charges. We have some plans that have a data transfer limit. These plans offer customers a higher top speed at a lower monthly price by charging usage fees when customers go over the data transfer limit. These plans are particularly useful when short bursts of high speed are needed, and also work well as a backup Internet connection for large businesses.
Can I talk on the phone and use wireless broadband at the same time?
Yes, you can use your phone line for voice and utilize the Internet simultaneously when you have wireless broadband.
Can I run servers through the connection?
You can with Multi-User service. You can run your own mail, web, or any other type of server through the connection.
Can you install a Virtual Private Network (VPN) for me?
Yes. We provide VPNs to customers for $15.00 a month per location. With hosted VPN service, there is no equipment to buy, configure, or manage, because we take care of it for you as part of your monthly service fee. We also install and work on all types of customer-owned VPNs. Ask your Mercury Network representative or visit the IT Services section of our web site for details.
Can I use wireless broadband to load-balance or back-up DSL or cable?
Yes, and because wireless broadband doesn’t rely on wires, it provides greater path diversity and better redundancy than a second T-1, cable, or DSL connection. When you rely on multiple wired connections, you run the risk that a cable cut could take all of them down simultaneously. Wireless broadband, on the other hand, stays up when cables are cut.
Do you support BGP multi-homing?
Yes, and when BGP multi-homing is performed over a data transfer-limited plan, Mercury makes for a very low cost, fully redundant Internet connection.
Is your Internet service secure?
Not if you don’t encrypt it, and the same is true for cable, dial-up, DSL, and all other Internet services. All data on the Internet can be captured and recorded, regardless of the type of connection it originates on. When secure communication is required, you need to encrypt your data. When you visit a secure web site, typically identified by a picture of a lock in your browser window, traffic to and from that site is encrypted. Traffic over a secure virtual private network (VPN) is also encrypted. When encrypted traffic is captured, it appears like gibberish. Hackers cannot see the data behind the encryption. This is always true, even when using wireless broadband.
I’ve read that wireless networks are not secure. Wouldn’t that include wireless broadband?
No. The installation and use of wireless networks in homes and businesses by people who do not understand the security implications of setting up such networks can provide outsiders with access to your network, computers, printers, and Internet connection. You should utilize a professional when you install a wireless network, especially when sensitive data will be accessible on the network. We provide security assessment and analysis, as well as hardware, software, and monitoring services, to businesses and individuals needing assistance securing their wireless networks. Those wireless networks are entirely different than obtaining wireless broadband for Internet access. Just as you are not concerned that your mobile phone is not secure, you should not worry that wireless broadband is not secure.
What is an Order Expedite and how does it work?
In today’s high-tech world, many businesses can’t afford to be disconnected from the Internet. To accommodate customers who need service immediately, an order expediting process is available. When an order is placed and order expediting is requested, we schedule your site survey and installation to be performed together right away, usually within 48 hours. This service is for emergencies, such as a business whose ISP went out of business without notice, or a convention that was depending on the hotel to provide Internet service, but found out that the hotel cannot provide service at the last minute. The order expedite fee is due when the order is placed. If we arrive to install an expedited order and cannot install wireless broadband due to signal strength issues, or we can install the service but doing so will cost more than $150 in non-standard installation charges, the order may be cancelled and we will refund half of the expediting fee back to you. Order Expedites are for emergencies only. Mercury may deny order expedites to any one for any reason.
I saw your ad for wireless broadband for $23.29 a month. How do I get that plan?
The $23.29 a month advertisement references our Bronze Single-User plan which is $279.50 when paid a year at a time. $279.50 divided by 12 months is $23.29 a month.
You publish all of your prices, even those for business services. Why?
Most of our competitors do not publish their prices so that they can "charge what the market will bear." They often run short-term promotions to lure customers in and then increase prices quickly. If you had DSL or cable and were to compare your bill with others who had the same service from the same company, chances are that you would find that some of you are paying more than others for the same service. Their goal is to charge the highest price they can without losing the customer. By keeping prices private, they can mold the price of the service to be the highest the customer is willing to pay. While not a bad business model, it’s not in line with our business philosophy. We charge a fair price for each plan we sell based on costs and reasonable profit margins.
Do you ever sell service at prices below those published?
Yes. Special pricing, quotes, and bids may be provided for large, multi-site projects. Send requests by e-mail to sales@mercury.net, by fax to 989-837-3780, or call 866-GET-WEB6, extension 151. Please allow 10 business days to process your custom service quote. Please include the complete address and phone number for each location where service is needed as well as the data capacity desired. For multi-site networks involving more than 10 locations, please send the address and phone number for each location in a comma separated values (.csv) file or spreadsheet.
To start service or to obtain more information, call our sales department at 989-837-3790, toll-free 866-GET-WEB6, open 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM CT Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM on Saturday, and Noon to 5:00 PM Sunday, or e-mail sales@mercury.net. We look forward to serving you.
Information correct as of Tuesday, July 17, 2007
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