Q. How does NebuTel’s wireless broadband compare to DSL and Cable Modem services?
A. Unlike DSL or Cable Modem NebuTel’s wireless broadband does not depend on the availability of legacy telephone or cable TV infrastructure. This enables our service to reach even those neighborhoods where DSL and Cable Modem are unable or unwilling to go.

NebuTel’s service plans offer performance comparable to DSL and Cable Modem, but with some important differences.

• NebuTel’s wireless broadband offers better upload speeds than comparably priced DSL or Cable Modem.
• NebuTel’s wireless broadband offers static IP addresses even on residential service and there are no restrictions against using servers or VPNs.
• NebuTel offers superior customer service because we are a local company and during normal business hours a human being answers the phone, not a computerized call routing system. In most cases we can be at your location within hours if necessary.

Q. How does NebuTel’s wireless broadband compare to Satellite?
A. NebuTel’s wireless broadband is sometimes confused with Satellite because they are both forms of wireless communication. The difference is that NebuTel’s is a terrestrial system that uses short-range wireless links that are no more than 10 miles long. The latency on these short-range links is comparable to wired links like DSL and Cable Modem so the performance remains high. Also, NebuTel’s wireless broadband is not affected by weather, whereas satellite based services are.

Satellite links have a large propagation delay due the roughly 23,000-mile distance to geosynchronous satellites. This latency imposes a huge performance penalty on two-way interactive applications, regardless of bandwidth speed. For this reason Satellite should only be considered as a last resort for Internet service.

Q. How secure is NebuTel’s wireless broadband service?
A. There has been much press recently about the security issues of Wireless LAN technology know as 802.11b or Wi-fi. It is true that if the user uses the default settings with most Wi-Fi products it is very easy for an outsider to get onto your network. However, just changing a couple settings can make the network very secure.

The wireless system that NebuTel uses is completely different than 802.11 or Wi-fi technology. NebuTel uses a proprietary system developed by Motorola. This Motorola system has 3 features that make it very secure.

1. Proprietary. The Motorola system uses completely proprietary technology for the Radio Frequency signals as well as the data protocols. So a potential hacker would first have to reverse engineer the Motorola radio equipment.
2. Authentication. No Motorola radio can communicate with our system without first having its MAC address (or Electronic Serial Number) authenticated against our list of valid radios.
3. Encryption. The Motorola Canopy encrypts the user data over the air using 128 bit DES encryption.
   These characteristics make our service at least as secure as DSL or Cable modem systems. As an example, it would probably be easier to tap into your phone line outside your home than hack through the encryption.

Q. How does the weather affect NebuTel’s wireless broadband service?
A. It doesn’t. The effects of weather on Microwave radio signals vary based on the frequency used and the distance the signal travels. With the frequencies and distances in our network, signal degradation due to heavy rain or fog is not noticeable. You will be able to surf the web at high speed during the heaviest of downpours and your signal will remain intact.

Q. How large is the antenna used to provide your service?
A. There are two types of antenna configurations, one with a dish and one without a dish. The antenna without a dish is 11.75" H x 3.4" W x 3.4" D (29.9 cm H x 8.6 cm W x 8.6 cm D) and weighs 1 pound. The antenna with a dish is very similar in appearance to a DirecTV satellite TV dish and the dish measures 18” H x 24” W and weighs 6.5 pounds. If you are located within approximately 2.5 miles of one of our towers then it is likely you will not need the dish. The range of a tower is extended to approximately 10 miles with the use of a dish.

Q. Will I need a permit or Home Owners Association (HOA) approval to place it on my building or home?
A. Section 207 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 prohibits restrictions on the use of “Over-the-Air Reception Devices” from government (cities or counties) or non-government (landlords or homeowner associations) entities. The ruling pertains to antennas less than 1 meter in diameter and less than 12 feet above roofline. You may still want to contact your homeowners association or landlord for any guidelines they may have on placement of the antenna. For more information, you can get a fact sheet from the FCC at www.fcc.gov/mb/facts/otard.html or contact us with any questions.

Q. Are there any health or safety concerns with the NebuTel’s wireless signal?
A. No. The technology used by NebuTel operates at very low power levels, similar to a cell phone, and much less than the amount that is emitted by your microwave oven. Also, radio frequency power drops dramatically as you move away from the power source. Typically, our antennas would not be placed where any person would be able to stand right in front of it for any significant period of time.

Q. Will I get a surprise bill if I exceed the allocated GBytes transferred in a month?
A. No. We will NOT bill a customer for additional GBytes tranferred in a previous month. The amount of traffic we include with our services will be more than adequate for most customers. Also, we will not bill for overages if a customer is anywhere near their limits. In a few rare cases, we may contact a customer and recommend that they upgrade to a higher service level going forward.

Most large broadband ISPs that have "unlimited" usage block or disallow many of the applications (such as servers or file sharing applications) that tend to generate heavy traffic volumes. NebuTel allows customers to do whatever they want with our service, however, if their application generates extreme traffic on our network and they have misrepresented the intended use, then we must charge more for the service.

Q. What are the system requirements for my PC to use NebuTel’s wireless broadband service?
A. Your PC must have a 10BaseT or 100BaseT Ethernet Network Interface Card (NIC). We do not load any software onto your computer. All your PC needs is TCP/IP software and a web browser. Windows 95 or newer and MAC OS 8.5 or greater include TCP/IP and a browser. NebuTel also requires the use of a router to act as a firewall for your home or business network.

Q. What router can be used with the NebuTel’s service and why is it required?
A. Any broadband router that has an Ethernet port (10BaseT or 100BaseT) as its WAN or Internet port will work. This includes the wireless routers that are currently popular. If you get the router from NebuTel, it will be a D-Link model DI-604, which is a router and 4 port Ethernet switch. Other brands that we know work include Linksys, Netgear, Belkin, and SMC.

NebuTel requires the use of a router because the radio transceiver we use does not block non-Internet protocols (such as Windows' Netbeui) or Ethernet broadcast packets. For security reasons, you do not want this traffic getting onto our network. For performance and reliability reasons, we want that traffic to be blocked.

Additional benefits of the router include firewall protection as well as multiple Ethernet ports and IP Addresses to allow multiple computers to be online at the same time.

Q. Can I have more than one computer sharing NebuTel’s wireless broadband connection?
A. Yes, there is no additional charge for multiple computers. NebuTel’s service requires a router to separate the customer’s network from NebuTel’s Networks’. The router acts as a firewall to protect the customer’s home network from Internet attackers and is an administrative demarcation point that allows customers to build their home or business network independently. NebuTel, Inc. supports the innovative use of home networking and charges based on total household or business bandwidth consumption rather than on the number of computers.

Q. What is involved in the installation?
A. The first step is to perform a site survey to verify that your home or business has “line of sight” to one of our towers. If your site is visible, then we can either perform the installation while we are there for the survey or we can schedule it for a future time. We install a small antenna on or near the roof of your home or business and run a CAT5 cable into a lightening protection system that we install and from there we run inside your building. Inside the building, the CAT5 cable is connected to a power adapter and to the router.

Q. What is the typical lead time to have your service installed?
A. If your location is within range of one of our towers and has line of site to that tower, we can usually install within a week.

Q. Do I need to have a separate ISP service in addition to the NebuTel wireless broadband service?
A. No, the traditional ISP services such as IP addresses, email accounts, and news service is included as part of our service. NebuTel also provides a broad range of other services for businesses, please see our web page for a complete listing.

Q. Can I keep my AOL service?
A.Yes. AOL offers a 'Bring Your Own Access' service currently priced at $14.95 per month. You may keep your existing AOL email addresses. Contact AOL directly for information on this service.