• Home
•  Talk to a Systems Engineer
•  About Us
•  Blog
•  Contact Us
•  My Account

T1 Access: Wireless Internet Service Provider Builds Citywide Wireless Network

T1 Router from RADirect Helps Keep Subscribers Online

In Salt Lake City, Utah, there's a new Internet Service Provider (ISP) in town - and in less than one year of operations, it has already become the largest Wireless ISP in Utah and Idaho. A privately held corporation launched in February 2003, Heritage Internet Services has built one of the first citywide wireless networks in the United States, allowing Salt Lake City subscribers to enjoy wireless Internet access from virtually anywhere in the city.

Heritage's Salt Lake City wireless network is essentially a grid comprised of over one hundred wireless towers erected at approximately one-mile intervals throughout the city. In order to complete the network, the company required a reliable router at each tower to connect the antenna via T1 interfaces to Heritage's own Internet backbone.

Heritage initially planned to employ Cisco 2600 series routers for the job - a seemingly logical choice since the company already had existing Cisco equipment installed in the network. However, when an Internet search turned up an alternative solution - RAD Data Communications' Web Ranger II T1 Router from RADirect - Heritage decided to take a closer look at the two options. David Thayne, president and CEO of Heritage, stressed the importance of the decision: "With each tower providing a wireless Internet connection to approximately 200 subscribers, we simply couldn't afford to make a mistake."

Thayne found that the Cisco router met its match in the Web Ranger II. Both products offered similar features, including those most important to Heritage, such as DHCP enabling for the dynamic assignment of IP addresses and a built-in CSU interface for better visibility to their network. However, the Web Ranger II's deployment cost was only a fraction of that of the Cisco router. Another important consideration was physical size. The compact Web Ranger II fit easily in Heritage's outdoor-mounted, weather-tight boxes, whereas the Cisco router was too large. Also boasting quick and simple configuration, an integrated firewall, and full compatibility with Heritage's already-installed Cisco equipment, the Web Ranger II became the clear choice for Heritage.

Today, with more than 100 Web Ranger II units installed, Heritage is more than satisfied with their selection. Said Thayne, "The Web Ranger II is an incredibly stable T1 router, and is even easier to manage than we expected it to be. We especially appreciate its remote management capabilities." The company continues to purchase additional Web Ranger II units from RADirect as they build out their wireless networks in both Utah and Idaho.

It isn't just the Web Ranger II that keeps Heritage coming back to RADirect. According to Ross Murray, Heritage's executive vice president, they are equally happy about their business relationship with RADirect. Says Murray, "RADirect has done a great job of letting us know how important we, the customer, are to them. I have already placed several orders with RADirect, and each and every time I deal with them, my expectations are exceeded."