HERE ARE SOME OF THE MOST COMMON QUESTIONS WE ARE ASKED ABOUT THE SERVICES PROVIDED BY NOIZE COMMUNICATIONS.  IF YOU DO NOT FIND THE ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION OR HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS PLEASE FREE TO CONTACT US AT ANY TIME!

Q – Who are we?
A – Noize Communications LLC is central Illinois’ premier wireless internet service provider! We are proud to be a locally owned company, born and bred right here in central Illinois. We are local people and local owners, working hard to connect our friends and neighbors with Illinois’ best wireless high speed internet service! When contacting us with questions, comments, or internet issues that need attention, you can be assured that you won’t be talking to somebody at some way off call center in who-knows-whereville, you’ll be talking to our local staff and support team who are ready to meet your needs and solve your problems! Connecting rural Illinois with fast high speed internet service is what we do, it’s what we love, and it’s what we’re doing one person, and relationship, at a time.

Q – Does Noize Communications require a long term contract for service?
A – No. No long term service contracts are required for our service.  We firmly believe the quality of our internet service will keep you as a loyal customer.  We also recognize that technology changes quickly as does individual needs and personal financial capacity.  At no time will you be stuck in a long term contract that you cannot get out of, or will you ever be asked for any type of early termination fee.  We do have you sign a service agreement for installation, service selection, and equipment before installation begins, but you are free to cancel your internet service at any time.

Q – Does Noize Communications cap or limit the amount of data I can download in a month?
A – No, in today’s age data limits are used by companies who are trying to over sell their resource and add additional fees.  We believe not having data limits to worry about will make for a better customer experience with our service.

Q – How does fixed broadband internet service work?
A – We are able to provide customers a high speed internet connection by using extremely fast back haul technology to create a wireless network from our source sites to rural areas all over central Illinois.  In the rural area we have installed local access points which are located high up on towers and other structures such as grain bins, grain legs, silos, or even tall buildings.  A small antenna is installed at the customer location and is pointed at our local access point, which brings the internet directly to their property.  To make sure a customer has the best and most reliable service possible, it is very important that there be a “line of sight” path from the customer antenna to our local access point. In other words, no trees, buildings, or large obstructions should be in the way. The antenna will have CAT5 cable which will enter into the customer home or business and be connected directly to their computer or wireless router.  A single AC power outlet is needed to power the radio in the antenna and should be located inside the home or business, usually near the router or computer.  The entire connection from our internet source to your home or business is a secured connection with encryption.

Q – Do I need to have a wifi router at my home for NoizeNet internet to work?
A – If you will only have one computer hooked up to our service, then No. If you would like to have more than one computer, a wireless laptop, or other wireless devices such as an iPad or wifi enabled cell phone connected to the internet service, then Yes. Please feel free to purchase your own router from the retailer of your choice. Any modern router should do such as Linksys, D-Link, Netgear, or other brands. We also offer a wireless router to those who would just rather purchase one from us. It includes setup and installation. If you are interested in having us install a router for you, you can let us know when you set up your installation date and time with us.

Q – How important is it to purchase a quality router? Can I just buy a $20 router and make it work?
A – We would say, no. Purchasing an inexpensive, cheap router sounds like a good idea in the beginning, but it will only bring you frustration and problems down the road. Now, we are not saying that you need to purchase a $200 – $300 router for your home, you certainly can if you like, but we just recommend staying away from the very low end routers for your internet service. Remember, the router is the gateway between all your computers and wireless devices, and the internet. If it fails or works poorly, everything in your home or business suffers. We also highly recommend staying away from wireless routers that have the antenna built on the inside of the router. Meaning, if you do not see a little antenna, or two, on the outside of the router, the antenna is probably on the inside of the router. With these types of routers, antennas on the inside, the wireless coverage is greatly reduced in your home or business. Routers that have the antennas on the outside of the router greatly increase the wireless coverage to your home or business. Generally, if you find a router that is in the price range of $50 – $150, your probably on the right track to finding a quality router that will serve you and your devices with trouble free connectivity.  Remember, if you are constantly having to power cycle your router to keep it working, it’s probably time to replace your router with a new one. If you have any questions about choosing a router for your home or business, you can always give us a call or send us an email and we would be more than happy to help.

Q – What is covered in the basic installation fee?
A – Basic installation will be performed by Noize Communications.  Included will be a mounting bracket, antenna, radio, power supply, and CAT5 cable to your device.  The installation will include the penetration of a single wall designated by the property owner to allow the cable to enter the building from the antenna.  Antenna placement will be discussed with the property owner before installation.  Where possible, the antenna may be mounted to the fascia or outside wall.  Here are a few items not included in a standard installation: penetration of more than a single wall, running CAT5 down the insides of walls, installation of network ports in walls, installation of tripod mounts on roof tops, installation of towers or antenna masts for added height above the roof line.  All of these additional items can be discussed with the property owner at the time of the site survey if needed. Noize Communications retains ownership of all installed antennas on customer premise.

Q – Will the weather affect my service?
A – For the most part no, but there are certain circumstances where extreme and unusual weather conditions could affect your service in certain ways. If at anytime you notice poor performance during or after an extreme weather event, please let us know so we can determine if there is damage to equipment or something else we can look at to get your service back to normal.

Q – Will my data speed always be maximum for the rate I am subscribed?
A – For the most part, yes! However as with all networks, each person is sharing a part of the whole resource available.  All of our speeds offered are “up to” speeds. There may be times of extremely busy network traffic when speeds are not at their maximum, but this is very rare. Our goal is to provide an excellent service and provide you with the best experience possible.  We have designed and built our network to operate at peek performance and avoid network slowdowns as much as possible.  In addition, there are several factors that can effect your home’s network performance.  We will service and validate the speed of our network coming out of our equipment, however once our network enters your personal equipment such as routers, switches, PC’s and other parts of your network, there becomes to many variables affecting your service and Noize Communications cannot be responsible for personal equipment slowing down your personal network.  We are continually monitoring our network for peek performance. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you are noticing any issues with your service.

Q – Do you offer other services such as television or phone with the internet?
A – Not at this time, however you can use other services such as Netflix, Hulu, Fubo, Roku, Pluto, Youtube TV, Vonage, Ooma, and many others with your internet connection.

Q – Will I be able to watch video streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, Pureflix, and Amazon Prime with my internet service?
A – Yes. You will be able to watch video streaming services such as these with most NoizeNet service plans. Keep in mind that Netflix and other services like this recommend a that you have a certain amount of internet bandwidth available to reliably watch their service. To find out the Netflix internet connection speed recommendations, click HERE.  To find out the Hulu internet connection speed recommendations, click HERE.

Q – Can I download copyrighted material with my NoizeNet internet connection?
A – No. While all of our internet service plans allow you to download an unlimited amount of data each month, there are laws that strictly prohibit downloading certain types of content, including copyright-infringed material. Now, movies or content, that you purchase legally to view or download over the internet are just fine. Illegal downloading of copyrighted material is not permitted. When this type of content is downloaded we can receive what is called a DMCA complaint (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) and it will be linked directly to your account. We are required by law to notify you of this complaint and we will ask you to immediately refrain from downloading this type of copyrighted material. We allow 2 “strikes” for free, and then possible fines and charges can be added to your account per infraction. If the activity blatantly continues, it could result in your account being suspended or terminated.

Q – Are there limitations to how many devices can use my internet connection?
A – No.  You many connect any type of devices you wish including laptops, desktops, tablets, gaming devices, televisions, etc.  Please note that our End User Agreement does prohibit peer to peer sharing networks and servers.  In addition, any and all types of re-selling or redistribution of your Noize Communications wireless internet connection to any additional people, properties, or businesses, outside of the installation address stated on your internet agreement, is strictly prohibited.

Q – Can I change my plan at any time?
A – Yes! Just contact us and we are able to remotely adjust your service at any time. There is never a charge to change your service plan.

Q – When is my bill due each month?
A – Bills are due on the 1st of each month.

Q – Can I customize my download or upload speeds?
A – Yes! If you have a customized need outside of the packages we currently offer please contact us and we can discuss the options and payment variation.

Q – Will my internet service ever be interrupted?
A – From time to time, Yes. Keep in mind this is a wireless service, and as with all things wireless, they are not guaranteed to operate with out interruption 100% of the time. We at Noize Communications monitor our network 24/7 and work very hard to minimize any type of service interruption, should it occur. There will be, at times, planned service interruptions for necessary scheduled network maintenance by the Noize Team ourselves or by our up-line providers. This type of work is generally conducted it in the overnight hours and we will do our very best to let our customers know ahead of time of any type of service interruption in advance.  What about larger service interruptions? Good question! Although it be very rare, from time to time some of the structures like towers, water towers, grain legs, building or house roofs, that we rent or lease space on to deploy the Noize network to your home or business, may require us to temporarily remove our equipment from the structure, for a short amount of time, do to scheduled work or maintenance that may be required to be done to the structure itself. This type of work is out of our realm of control due to the fact that the structure owner requires this work be conducted. If, or when, this type of situation should occur, we will work with the structure owner to minimize, as much as possible, any type of extended network outage, as well as communicate this information to our customers so they can take any necessary steps to prepare for such a situation. This type of work and outage is very, very rare, but could last for hours, days or even into a few weeks depending on the magnitude of the work needed to be done to the structure.  An example of this could be a scenario where a water tower needs to be repainted by a company or municipality, as they do from time to time to minimize rust and ware. This may require us to remove our antenna structures from the water tower until the tower has been repainted. Once the work is completed enough for us to re-install our antenna structures on the water tower, we would do so right away. With all this being said, at no time whatsoever should you solely depend on the Noize internet service as a mission critical, 911, or life or death means of communication. If the internet service is that important to your situation, consider adding a backup internet connection along side the Noize internet service, such as a cell phone hot spot for redundancy. 

Q – Do I need to be able to see the access point tower from my house in order to receive service?
A – For the most part, Yes. Most of our access point towers require a good “line of site” to the tower in order to get a good usable signal, but some of our towers do use other radio frequencies which can penetrate a small amount of trees or obstructions. Since a good quality signal is required for reliable service, we always like to conduct a free site survey of your property before installation to see if there are any unforeseen issues or obstacles that may prevent a useable and reliable connection.

Q – Is this internet service like the cell phone internet service where I can take it on the road with me?
A – No. Your computer or router must be connected to your home network, through our antenna mounted on your home or business, in order to use the NoizeNet service.

Q – Your website says my location is within the NoizeNet coverage area but you say I cannot get service. How come?
A – Even though one of our maps may indicate that your location falls within our coverage area, you still may not be able to get internet service from NoizeNet. Why? There could be a number of reasons. Some of the most common are you do not have line of sight to one of our access point towers from your property. You may be in a valley of some kind. There may be large hills or obstacles which would prohibit a clear or strong signal from our tower to your location. Even though your home may be within our coverage area, we always like to conduct a free site survey just to make sure that you can enjoy quality internet service free from any type of interference.

Q – I already have internet service through another provider and I have an e-mail address through them as well. If I switch to NoizeNet, will I be able to keep my current email address?
A – Usually, No. Most internet providers will delete your e-mail account when you disconnect your service with them. At this time, NoizeNet does not provided an e-mail address associated with our internet service. At the time of an install, we would be more than happy to assist you in setting up a free email account with email providers such as Hotmail, Gmail, or Yahoo, if necessary.

Q – If I decide to subscribe to the NoizeNet internet service, what days and times would the installation take place?
A – Once you have decided to have internet service installed at your home or business, one of our representatives will coordinate a day and time with you that will work best for your installation of service. Our installations take place Monday – Friday, excluding holidays.