Fixed Wireless Access FAQ’s
What is Fixed Wireless Access (FWA)?
FWA is broadband delivered wirelessly from one fixed location to another; more specifically from a Westnet access point to an outdoor antenna on your house. The infrastructure behind our FWA offering is owned and operated directly by Westnet. FWA is typically used in more rural settings where high speed internet access is not yet available.
How does Westnet fit in?
As Westnet own and operate the infrastructure behind our FWA offering we will take your order, help you through the installation process, provide you with a high speed wireless router, invoice you and provide any support that is needed for as long as you are our customer.
What speed can I expect with FWA?
Our FWA service is capable of delivering up to 6Mb/s download and 3 Mb/s upload provided there is good signal strength at your premises from one of our access points. Note that the wireless signal does not travel through trees and signal strength will also be impacted where it has to travel over water.
What are the data caps on FWA?
Many internet access providers claim to provide unlimited downloads but when you read the small print you discover that they apply a limit after all. Westnet guarantee that we offer truly limitless data downloads as a core component of our FWA package.
How much is the FWA installation fee?
We charge you an installation fee of €100 inclusive of VAT for FWA.
Can Westnet provide a phone service with FWA?
No – Westnet do not offer a phone service with FWA – you will need a VDSL or Fibre to the Home (FTTH) service to avail of our phone service.
How long is the term of the contract?
When signing up for FWA with Westnet you sign a 12 month contract. If you are moving house during this period you will have to pay us for the unused part of the contract. Note that if you live in rented accommodation you need to get permission from your landlord prior to placing an order for FWA.
Once your initial 12 months are honoured your contract runs until you give us 30 days prior written notice of termination.
What is the “cooling off period”?
The cooling off period is a period within which you are allowed to change your mind and cancel your order without reason or any penalties. The cooling off period starts on the day the contract is concluded i.e. the day you receive your contract from us and runs for 14 days. You must inform us of your decision to cancel by post, email or by using the form on our website. Note however that if the FWA has been installed and switched on with your prior explicit approval during the cooling off period you waive your right to cancellation without cause during the remainder of the cooling off period.
Will Westnet increase the price of FWA?
Unlike many other operators who offer preferential pricing to entice new customers only to increase them after six or twelve months, we believe in charging a fair price to all our customers equally. As such, there is no price increase built-in to the contract. We can’t promise that we will never increase the price, but to date we’ve never had to do so.
What is the ordering process?
Once you have decided on Westnet as your new FWA provider you simply contact us and place your order. You can contact us on 094-906-7444 or send us an email at sales@westnet.ie. A member of our experienced sales team will then get back to you and walk you through the process from order to installation.
On ordering you have two options available to you:
- Signal test only – our technicians will call to your house and perform an outdoor signal test in order to determine whether your premises can see one of our access points. You do not need to be present for this visit and we will perform this test free of charge. Where there is a good signal you can contact us at your convenience to book an installation visit; or
- Signal test with possible installation – our technicians will call to your house and perform the outdoor signal test. They will then tell you the result, and where there is a good signal they will proceed with the installation. We will charge you our standard installation fee where the service is installed at your premises by our technicians. You do need to be present for this appointment as our technicians need access to your premises in order to install the service, where applicable.
Once we have taken your order we will tell you when our technician will be in your area next and agree on an appointment date with you. Note that our appointments are all day appointments. Our technicians will call you in advance with their estimated time of arrival so it is important that you are contactable all day on your appointment day.
Who installs FWA at my home?
Westnet technicians will install the FWA service at your premises – we don’t outsource this service to a 3rd party.
What is the installation process?
The installation process for FWA follows these steps:
- Step 1: Confirmation of line of sight
- Step 2: Installation of an outdoor antenna in a fixed location – most likely on one of the gables of your house.
- Step 3: To run a cable from the antenna into your house – note that this will require us to drill a hole in your wall to feed the cable through.
- Step 4: To connect the cable to a wireless router inside your house at a location agreed with you.
What is the lead (waiting) time for FWA installation?
The lead time for installation varies depending on our current activity levels. Generally speaking you can expect an appointment within one working week of placing your order with us. This estimate does not apply around Christmas where the lead time is longer due to high demand.
How long does it take to get connected?
Once technicians have arrived at your premises and established/ confirmed good line of sight, the actual installation process will take up to a couple of hours depending on where the cable will be fed into the house.
What can delay a FWA installation?
In some cases the installation of FWA at your premises is halted when an issue is identified.
A variety of issues such as no duct on premises, duct is blocked, additional poles are required for an overhead drop, trees are obstructing access to the pole etc. If an installation is aborted due to an issue open eir will inform Westnet and we will contact you to discuss how to move forward from here.
Note that an installation will also be aborted on the day if you, or a representative of yours, are not contactable and available at your premises to provide access to the technicians. If you have agreed to the date of visit in advance and are not contactable/available on the day after all, we reserve the right to pass the associated missed delivery fee on to you. You can always reschedule an appointment by giving us no less than 48 hours notice.
How do I connect to FWA in my home?
As the last step in the installation process the Westnet technician will install a router in your house. The technicians will configure it and test the connection for you. They will not leave your premises until you have a working internet connection unless they need to get some specialised equipment etc.
Will the FWA service provide WiFi coverage throughout my home?
We can not guarantee that the FWA package will provide coverage to every area of your home. The range of the router will depend on the size and type of construction of your property. WiFi coverage will be negatively impacted by factors beyond our control such as thick concrete walls and foil insulation. To help address this issue we offer a WiFi Mesh product to extend your WiFI around your home to eliminate any WiFi ‘not’ spots. FRITZ! Clip – Extend your WiFi with Mesh Please contact us for further information.
How do I pay for FWA?
Westnet is offering multiple payment options to make it easy for you to pay. We strongly encourage you to sign a Direct Debit mandate to allow us to collect the amount owed from you every month. This way you never miss a payment as long as you have sufficient funds in your account to cover your outstanding balance.
When is my invoice due?
We issue invoices on the 1st of each month and it becomes payable by the 15th of the same month. If you pay via direct debit the money will be collected on the 15th or the first business day thereafter if the 15th falls on a weekend or public holiday.
Who do I contact if the FWA service isn’t working?
We have a friendly support team based in Castlebar that will be happy to help you with issues related to your FWA service. You can either send a text on 087-644-7897, call us on 094-906-7444 or drop us an email @ support@westnet.ie
How quickly does Westnet respond to my queries?
When you get in touch we will endeavour to get back to you within one working day. If you call us we will attempt to return your call and we may respond via email/ SMS to your written queries where it makes sense to do so.
How quickly will a faulty FWA connection get fixed?
Usually a FWA fault is fixed within 24-48 hours from you reporting the fault to Westnet. Our experienced support team will run tests on our end and may send you a short troubleshooting guide for you to complete and return to us to speed up the resolution time. Where we can’t diagnose and fix the problem remotely we will either send you new equipment in the post or dispatch some of our experienced technicians to your premises.
Why do I not get the max speed when running a speed test?
The only way to get an accurate speed test reading is by plugging a laptop directly into the router.
Running the speed test over WiFi is also likely to result in lower test results. When a WiFi router detects other devices broadcasting a WiFi signal it will back off its data rate performance to ensure internet packets are delivered and not dropped. When you perform a speed test it is common for the router to drop back on its data rates and you will see a lower result. This is not always a fault with your connection, it is a mechanism to ensure your internet packets are delivered reliably. This is especially the case when using the 2.4 Ghz radio channel as most wireless devices such as microwaves, baby monitors, video senders etc. use this frequency.
Can I take FWA with me if I move house?
No – as cables are brought into your house on installation they can not be moved to a different location. Remember that if you move house during your initial 12 month contract term you need to settle the outstanding amount related to the unused portion of the term.
My new house appears to have a Westnet FWA connection – can I take it over?
Yes – if the previous tenant/ owner of your new home had a Westnet FWA connection you may be able to simply take it over. If the connection is still active we will simply switch it over to you and you will not be charged an installation fee. Depending on the age and type of router left behind by the previous occupants you may be able to either use it without any change or we will send out a newer version to you with instructions on how to connect it.
In the circumstances where there is a Westnet connection but it is no longer active we may need to send a technician out to check all equipment for damage, water ingress and suitability of the equipment. We also need to check that the premises still have line of sight to our transmitter. Trees growing can block what was a clear line of sight.
Do you have any specials or deals on at the moment?
At Westnet we do not believe in differentiating between our customers. As a result we do not run special campaigns or offer discounts. All our customers, old or new, will avail of the best service at the most competitive price we can offer.