Can a tree effect satelite internet?

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My internet is through a small local company and is all I can get where I live. Lately its been unusable. I have good wifi in the house so it must be between there tower and my dish.

Had the repair guy out 3x in the last week and the last time he said I should trim up a juniper bush and see if that helps.

My dad was a radio engineer and would have laughed at this suggestion.

But this isnt radio. So I am asking before I figure out how to trim a tree I cant climb.
 
I think you are talking about WISP (Wireless Internet Service Provider). They install a small dish at the customer's premises that is aimed horizontally toward one of the company's ground-based "towers" instead of upward at a satellite. At the tower, your data enters a wired or fiber optic network that ultimately leads to the Internet. Satellites are not involved.

These systems use microwave radio signals usually in the 5 GHz band. Trees and other obstructions will cause significant signal loss.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: mk378
I think you are talking about WISP (Wireless Internet Service Provider). They install a small dish at the customer's premises that is aimed horizontally toward one of the company's ground-based "towers" instead of upward at a satellite.

These systems use microwave radio signals usually in the 5 GHz band. Trees and other obstructions will cause significant signal loss.
yes its called wisprenn internet here. Tower is about 30 miles away according to them.

Ok I will cut the tree up.
 
Originally Posted By: old1
Could you just move the dish??


Don't you don't have the correct equipment to get it pointed exactly where it needs to be for the best calibration of the modulation constellation.
 
Trees block signal.

Maybe have someone at the dish who can point you to exactly which branches are causing an obstruction.
 
I'm sure they do. Even my XM radio will cut out if I'm driving in the older part of town where there are a lot of trees that stretch out over the road.
 
Originally Posted By: mk378
I think you are talking about WISP (Wireless Internet Service Provider). They install a small dish at the customer's premises that is aimed horizontally toward one of the company's ground-based "towers" instead of upward at a satellite. At the tower, your data enters a wired or fiber optic network that ultimately leads to the Internet. Satellites are not involved. The links had a feedback loop to accomplish this.

These systems use microwave radio signals usually in the 5 GHz band. Trees and other obstructions will cause significant signal loss.
Even temperature changes can affect the path. The early AT&T microwave links, it was found, had to change frequency with temperature changes, even clouds passing by caused the systems to shift to keep the beam on the receiver dish and not above or below it.
 
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Originally Posted By: wwillson
Originally Posted By: old1
Could you just move the dish??


Don't you don't have the correct equipment to get it pointed exactly where it needs to be for the best calibration of the modulation constellation.


It might not need any addt'l equipment to get it close enough if the equipment has an admin http console that shows signal strength.
 
Originally Posted By: Chris142


Had the repair guy out 3x in the last week and the last time he said I should trim up a juniper bush and see if that helps.

How high is your outdoor antenna?
How high is your "juniper bush"?
How far is the juniper from your antenna?
Do you notice more packet loss when it's windy?
 
Originally Posted By: Carbon
Originally Posted By: Chris142


Had the repair guy out 3x in the last week and the last time he said I should trim up a juniper bush and see if that helps.

How high is your outdoor antenna?
How high is your "juniper bush"?
How far is the juniper from your antenna?
Do you notice more packet loss when it's windy?
Its on the roof. I guess 10ft. Bush is probably 15ft tall. 60 ft away. wind makes no difference.
 
Check the grounding on the dish and check your house ground. Get that tech back out there and have him replace the transmitter or signal amplifier. If the dish is aimed correctly and you have clear line-of-sight then it is time to look at signal transmit and receive.

Check all connections for corrosion. Look for damaged or pinched wiring. If there are splices in the signal cable make the tech fabricate a cable that is long enough without a splice.

Odds are its damage to coax or a bad transmit/receive module.

Do you have a way to monitor signal strength?
 
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