Our Towers & Relays

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Anatomy of a Tower/Relay Site

Backhauls

The backhaul(s) is the main Internet traffic line to/from the site. For sites with a primary and secondary backhaul, if the primary backhaul fails the secondary (on standby) is automatically activated by the site router, and the monitoring server sends us a text alert. 

Router

Traffic flows from the backhaul to the site router. The router is responsible for managing traffic flow at the site. It authorizes customer antenna connections to the transmitters and communicates connection data to the monitoring server. The type of information we collect is provided on our Privacy Policy page. The router also analyzes network traffic and blocks unauthorized attempts to hack/access the network. The router also monitors itself and should it become unresponsive for any reason, an automatic count-down time reboots the router after 10 minutes of inactivity.

(POE) Switch

The router connects to the switch and the switch connects to the access points, backup system, power distribution unit, camera(s), and other network hardware. In addition to data flow, the switch can also provide power to individual ports to power the access points and other hardware. (POE stands for Power Over Ethernet).

Access Points

The access points are connected to the switch. Your Internet antenna connects to the access points via a secure-encrypted wireless link. At your house, your Internet antenna connects to your wireless router which then sends a wifi signal throughout your house, and manages the connection of your computers, smart phones, printers, TVs, cameras, etc.

Backdoor

In the unlikely event that both backhauls fail, or that the router or switch fails, we can access the site via an off-network backdoor link and power-cycle all of the site's hardware. If a site-wide reboot doesn't bring the site back up, then it's a truck roll.

To find out which tower/relay you connect through, call the Office at 707-446-4130 during normal business hours or submit a ticket here.

NOTE: after you submit a ticket, check your spam/junk folder if you don't receive a reply within 24 hours.

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