Things to Consider Before Choosing a Microwave Broadband Connection

The very first thing you need to consider before choosing a microwave broadband connection is why you need to have one. The cabled connection you currently use does the job perfectly well, so why change?

Well first of all, does your cabled connection really do the job perfectly well? Have you ever considered how good the service you currently receive is, or have you simply accepted that what you have is the best that is available?  Consider the upload and download speeds you are getting; are they symmetrical? Can you upload as fast as you download? If your connection is cabled, you almost certainly cannot, and for a business that can be a problem. When was the last time you had several people in your office engaged in video conference calls without anyone freezing or pixelating?

If you are still reliant on copper wire for your internet provision you are most definitely due for an upgrade, and a microwave broadband connection might very well be the way to go. Faster and easier to install, microwave technology is changing the face of business communication online.

It is the ease of installation that makes a microwave broadband connection such an attractive option in places where an internet bearing infrastructure does not currently exist. As more old buildings are converted from warehousing, churches, department stores or other uses into office space you may well be involved in setting your business up in new office space that has not yet had cables installed.

In such circumstances you should consider whether you should bother with the old cable technology. Does it make more sense to embrace the new from the beginning? A microwave broadband connection needs no cables, indeed it relies on no real infrastructure at all really. You just need your microwave antenna, line of sight to a mast and somewhere to plug it in. As a result installation is simple even if you are working from a structure that has never been connected to anything before.

This makes a microwave broadband connection fast and simple to install. Luminet can get your business from no internet access whatsoever to up to one gigabit broadband in London in less than ten working days – without the potential mess and inconvenience of installing new cables. We are not ones to boast, but cables are likely to take at least three weeks to install and such installation is rarely mess free. Microwave technology can save you both installation time and a lot of sweeping up.

Of course, that is far from being the only – or even the most important – advantage that a microwave broadband connection can give you. Latency is an issue that can have a profound effect on the way your business works online and should be given very serious consideration. This is the measurement of the time it takes to send data over the internet and then receive a response. If you think of your broadband speed as being like the top speed of a car, then its latency is equivalent to the length of time it takes to get the car moving from the moment you turn the ignition key and push the accelerator. And just as not all cars are created equal – a 1957 Morris Minor is never going to accelerate at the same rate as a 2121 Aston Martin – not all broadband systems are created equal either.

Traditional copper cable presents a very high level of latency which can severely restrict the speeds you can attain online. By contrast a microwave broadband connection operates at a very high frequency, which in turn means that it has an information carrying capacity that rivals that of fibre optic broadband and leaves traditional copper wire – still by far the most common way that broadband is delivered – literally just standing in the dust. Low latency is essential for voice over internet protocol systems, financial trading, video conferencing or any other form of business where high volumes of data are to be transferred. Essentially the lower the latency the higher your productivity is likely to be.

Another point to consider when choosing which broadband platform is right for your business is how secure the platform is. Being able to deliver gigabit broadband in London is all very well, but if your connection is not secure you may find that you have difficulties. A microwave broadband connection is uncontended, which is to say that the connection is used exclusively for your business internet and is not shared with other users. The traditional copper wire network carries the internet traffic of every user on that exchange, as well as literally thousands of landline phone calls. The “uncontended” status of a microwave broadband connection means that your connectivity is never slowed down by high levels of traffic, because there will never be any other traffic in your way. To return to a motoring analogy, if the copper network is the M 25 at rush hour, then microwave broadband is a ‘plane flying above it all – nothing, but nothing gets in the way.

The final thing that we think you should consider in relation to a microwave broadband connection is resiliency. Being able to give you Gigabit broadband in London means nothing if your connection is down, even for a few minutes. If your business loses its connection, your business will no longer be able to reach your colleagues or your clients. More importantly, your colleagues, clients and suppliers will no longer be able to reach you. A downed connection also means that your business will be unable to conduct financial transactions or transfer data. Basically, a downed internet connection is a total and complete business disaster.

So, in the end you should consider whether your carrier offers a one hundred percent service uptime guarantee. Because if your carrier is not us, we are pretty certain that they do not. Which means that you should consider what you stand to lose if you lose your broadband. Can you afford that? If you are with Luminet you will never have to give the matter a second thought. Our Network Operations Centre is monitored twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week fifty two weeks of the year by our London based technical team. In the unlikely event of there being a problem we like to think we will have spotted it and fixed it before you even notice it.

Here at Luminet we see time and time again that businesses who adopt a microwave broadband connection and take advantage of the uncontended – and therefore fast – low latency internet it provides go on to experience a marked rise in productivity. This allows costs to be minimised and efficiency to be increased and so can be a significant step towards achieving business goals.

So come and talk to us now about a microwave broadband connection. Discover the difference that gigabit broadband in London, or any other city, town or village can make. Wherever you are, a microwave broadband connection can give you lightning fast gigabit speeds without the need for cumbersome and complex infrastructure. We are Luminet, and we are here to light your way to the future of online connectivity.