Wireless options for remote offices
Just how difficult this task is depends in large measure on how remote the locations are. If your office is in the tundra of northwest Alaska, for example, you're probably out of luck. But if you're in the contiguous 48 states, where there's a will, there's a way, on two fronts: Wireless Internet service providers (WISPs), making use of fixed wireless technology, who are finding their way into communities across the country; and satellite broadband.
The WISP solution usually consists of relatively small companies that provide a small antenna to receive a wireless signal. Customers can be as far as 25 miles from the nearest access point, though 15 miles is more typical, and terrain and foliage are considerations. If you're interested in finding if this service is available to your location, check out Broadband Wireless Exchange Magazine, which has a listing of WISPs in every state. Some of the big players, such as Sprint, provide wireless service in some, but not all, of their markets.
Wireless services use a variety of frequencies and technologies to deliver the goods, with the result that data rates range from 128Kbps to 2Mbps, both upstream and down. Many of these vendors have service plans that vary in price depending on the speed of the connection. Prices vary widely, from a low of about $40 per month for some of the slower connections, all the way up to $800 per month for 2Mbps business customers. Even higher-speed connections (up to 10Mbps) are available from some vendors in some markets, at higher prices that can be negotiated. Sometimes there are one-time fees for the router that hooks into your IP LAN and its installation, which can range from $250 to $1,000. Your flexibility in negotiating a good rate or service extras will depend in large measure on the level of competition available in your area.
Satellite broadband providers, on the other hand, such as Earthlink Satellite--which makes use of Direcway's network--blanket the 48 contiguous states with their signal. The only catch is that you have to have a clear line of sight to the satellite, located in a southerly direction. Earthlink and Direcway--which is a division of Hughes Network Systems--both claim downstream speeds of 400Kbps, with upload speeds rated at 60Kbps. This asymmetry in upload versus download speeds makes satellite broadband unsuitable for some uses, but it's still faster than a dial-up connection. Both companies have one-time hardware costs of a little less than $600, and require a 12-month commitment for service. Earthlink's service costs $70 per month, compared to $60 per month for Direcway, but Earthlink's service has the advantage of including 20 hours per month of dial-up service so you can have Internet access when you're traveling.
A competitor to these two providers is the more consumer-oriented StarBand, which operates over the Dish Network, and which offers speeds as high as 1Mbps. The company offers 150Kbps as its "targeted minimum download" speed. StarBand's business service is typically marketed for small offices, and is priced at $130 per month for three seats with an 18-month commitment, or $170 per month for five seats, also with an 18-month commitment. There's a one-time charge for hardware, currently available in a special promotion for $500 for businesses, versus the regular $800.
When satellite broadband service was first getting started, you were required to have a phone line connection for upstream communications. This is no longer the case. Keep in mind also that there's a slight latency built into satellite broadband for the time it takes to bounce the signal off a geostationary satellite 22,000 miles above the earth. Though clearly satellite service is the least desirable of the broadband solutions, it's a big improvement over dial-up connections, and for many remote locations, it's the only choice.
Both fixed wireless and satellite broadband offer more security than the easy-to-intercept 802.11b standard. Still, as with any Internet-based networking, you'll want to protect your data with encryption and user authentication. The easiest way to implement these features, of course, is by using a VPN.
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