At Blue Pulse Networks we try to make internet as easy as possible so you can get back to enjoying life. Whether you are streaming or searching for a new recipe, we have you covered!
We use a combination of fixed wireless and LTE cellular technology to deliver broadband internet service to your house. Our network connects directly to a Tier 1 Fiber-optic provider and the internet backbone and distributes internet traffic to a series of towers in our service area via microwave links. At the towers, the signals are then transmitted out via fixed wireless or LTE transmitter to our clients. A small antenna with an attached radio receiver/transmitter is installed on a pole or a building at the customer location. This antenna is pointed at one of our towers or relay stations (think “small towers”). When you send and receive information over the Internet, it goes over our network at the speed of light and into our internet backbone.
No! This is the first question that I am usually asked (in a negative way). Satellite service requires that the signal from your house travel thousands of miles up into space and then back. This induces a delay in the transmission called “latency” or “lag”. Satellite signals typically have a “ping” time of over 300 milli-seconds, which means video conferencing and real-time gaming are out of the question. Our services send the signal much less distance and typically add less than 20 milliseconds of “ping” time over what you would see on a comparable DSL or Cable connection.
Wireless high speed Internet is exactly what it sounds like. Reliable, fast and stable Internet connectivity is delivered wirelessly with the use the use of antennas and microwave technology instead of expensive wires or cables.
Fixed wireless (or Fixed Wireless Internet) is the use of wireless antennas or systems to connect two or more fixed locations (buildings, radio towers etc) with a radio (microwave) or other wireless link. Fixed wireless can include point-to-point connections for backhaul or dedicated internet access, or point to multi-point in which the signal is broadcast to any number of customers.
Please see the wireless Internet coverage area page for full coverage information and our coverage map. This map is based on a customer unit being placed at a height of 20 feet above ground and having a clear line-of-sight to the tower. As such, it is not meant to be definitive, but a general guide. For full service verification, a “Site Survey” must be done (see next question).
A site survey helps us determine if the signal distributed from our towers can be received at your desired location at a good signal strength level. Scheduling a site survey with us does not obligate you to purchase our services and there is no charge. It helps us determine if you have the necessary “line of sight” to get the fastest service possible. Although our LTE-based service will deal with NLOS (Non Line of Sight) conditions, there is a limit to how much it will deal with. The site survey helps us make a definitive ruling as to which technology will work and what remediations will be required to make a connection work.
At this time we do not. The reason for this is two-fold. First, streaming and television service are very bandwidth intensive. We currently support streaming of video on our network over the internet and use of streaming services (Amazon, Netflix, Hulu, Vudy, etc.). However, carrying live television would require a connection that we are not big enough to afford at this time. It is being looked at and will probably happen in the future. In regards to telephone service, we do not offer native VOIP service at this time due to lack of customer demand. The second reason we don’t offer these services yet is taxes. Currently, under Federal law, data is not taxable; however phone service and television service is. This keeps administration simple for now.
The quality of service of any internet service provider depends on the number of users on the network and the way the network is maintained. Any connection will slow down as the number of users on the network increases if sufficient bandwidth is not available at any point in the network. In the case of a wireless connection like ours, the connection speed depends on the number of active users on the Access Point and the bandwidth available along the entire network. We are a small business with a personal relationship with our customers. Because of this, we keep a careful eye on our overall network and constantly strive to predict growth. We begin planning either a bandwidth upgrade or a supplemental Access Point when either of these reaches approximately 80% of capacity during peak hours. Once 80% capacity is reached on a sustained basis, we either add more bandwidth or another Access Point. In our case, they are much easier, cheaper, and faster than running a new fiber or cable line down the road! In terms of what you will notice? You won’t notice much difference in responsiveness. Our network has been weather tested and has withstood flooding, snow, ice, and wind. Lightning is a problem, but it is a constant improvement process and the reason we are always working on the electrical grounding at our towers. On an occasional basis you may notice pauses in the service lasting from a few seconds to minutes as hardware is upgraded or rebooted during software upgrades. Most of this takes place in the early morning hours before people are awake, but in rare situations might be done in off-peak hours as part of troubleshooting.
This can get real complicated, so I will stick with the bare basics. In open areas we deliver our service using fixed wireless. However, fixed wireless only works well if the tower is plainly visible. LTE uses totally different technology that allows it to deal with obstacles such as trees and buildings better. It also will negotiate a higher speed link with a lower quality signal. However, this advantage literally comes at a cost. LTE equipment is more expensive for both the ISP and the consumer and supports fewer connections on the access point, requiring that the provider have more radios on the tower to support the same number of customers.
While precipitation does affect wireless signals somewhat, we factor in worst possible case signal loss when we engineer your connection to insure uninterrupted service no matter what. We also engineer in a buffer in your signal that allows a certain amount of signal degradation before your connection will notice a speed of quality drop. A lot of this questions also depends on the equipment used, as aerial moisture levels affect different frequencies in different ways. Most of the time, the connections slows, but you won’t notice it because it is still above your limited speed and only affecting the “buffer zone” that we built in. The one exception to this is freezing rain/ice. Ice can build up on the towers and the customer radios. Customer radios can be sprayed with substances to prevent this or melt the ice after it builds up. However, we don’t climb towers in icy conditions. In this rare winter events, the tower radios usually thaw out in our area within a couple hours of the sun coming out.
BPN strives to offer a variety of services to suit your needs and budget. Initial install pricing varies depending on the whether you have access to the fixed wireless connection or the LTE service and your distance to the tower. In general, a basic fixed wireless install will run around $200 for the equipment, install, and first month’s service. An LTE basic install will run around $400 for the equipment, install and first month’s service. After this initial bill, your bill will be for only the monthly service.
Many people ask why we don’t offer payment plans for the install since it is a substantial expense. By handling it all in one transaction, we avoid additional expenses that we would have to pass on to the customer on a monthly basis. If we rented or carried the customer equipment on our books, we would have to pay taxes and carry insurance on them. We would also have a certain number that would be lost or not returned. Doing business the way we do allows us to not have to pass these savings on to you and allows us to sell our service with no contracts! No contracts means if we don’t make you happy, you are free to leave!
Absolutely! Depending on your needs and location, we can put together something that will deliver the speeds you need. Please contact us for details and pricing.
You can pay through multiple means. We always accept checks. Checks can be mailed to our Post Office Box and will usually be processed within 5-7 days, but we prefer to accept payment through our web portal at https://billing.bluepulsenetworks.com. It can also be accessed through the link on the www.bluepulsenetworks.com webpage or by entering the address in a browser while connected to our network. Using the billing portal, you can pay with an echeck (routing and account number), or via Visa, Mastercard, Discover, or American Express credit or debit card. When you start service, you will get an automated email walking you through how to pay and how to set up auto-pay if you are interested.
Of course! You can set up automated payments using ACH, credit, or debit cards through the web portal. Once you log in, go to the “Billing Information” link on the left side and then select your desired billing method (Bank Draft or Credit/Debit) from the drop-down list at the top of the page. Then fill in the information in the two middle boxes for Debit/Credit Cards and the bottom box for ACH. Please note: the information in the middle boxes must match what is on file with your bank for verification. Once you click “Update”, the change will be saved and your payment will be processed on the next due date.
Our network traffic is encrypted according to industry standards. Our billing portal is encrypted again to earn an “https” secure rating by Commodo Inc (this is why you see the green padlock in your address bar when you pull it up). Any information that you enter into the website (card or bank account numbers) is encrypted yet again and turned into a token. This token is what is then sent to our processing company. At no point is your account information saved in unencrypted form on our servers. In addition, our billing portal is only accessible from within our network. This means that you have to be connected through our network in order to pull it up. It is not accessible from outside our service. On top of all this, our transaction processing partner scans our network every three months and after any major equipment change to assure that we meet PCI compliance standards.
You have to be connected through our service to use the billing portal. If you are travelling, onanother internet service providers connection, or trying to connect using your cell phone on a cellular connection, it will not allow you to pull it up.
Under these circumstances, you will have to call us by phone and we can make the payment for you by credit/debit card. We will not process these requests via email or text due to security concerns. You can also mail a check to: Blue Pulse Networks LLC, PO Box 357, Gravette, AR 72736.
All billing is via email. Please make sure you whitelist sales@bluepulsenetworks.com so that bills and other communications don’t get put into your SPAM folder. Bills are mailed out ten (10) days before they are due. When they are four (4) days late, you will receive a late notice email. In another six (6) days (20 days after the bill was emailed and 10 days after the due date) you will receive a “Disconnect Notice”. If the bill is not paid within 24 hours of the sending of the “Disconnect Notice”, the account will be put in “Hold” status and the internet will be inaccessible until the bill is paid. Forty-five (45) days later, the account will be deleted and purged from our systems. Reconnection after the purge will require that you pay all outstanding charges before scheduling. You will also have to pay another installation fee as a service call will be necessary to reprogram your radio.
As long as you were no more than 45 days late, you can manually enter https://billing.bluepulsenetworks.com into your browser address bar, login, and pay your bill. Your account will be automatically reactivated in a few minutes without calling in.
Please note: If you call in and we are required to process this for you, there will be a $20 Reactivation fee applied. The automated system works 24/7/365.
If you have been disconnected more than 45 days, your customer record has been purged from the system except for any money owed. You will need to call in and pre-pay any outstanding balance over the phone or by check. We will then need to schedule an install visit to reprogram the equipment. If the equipment is still mounted, you will be billed for an install visit for the reprograming ($75) and the next months service plan ($59.99-79.99). If you have taken the equipment down or damaged/disposed of it, you will be charged to replace it and may incur additional charges depending on the situation.
Our install fee covers two hours of labor at a discounted rate to setup a single link, up to fifty (50 feet) of cabling terminated on both ends and a single wall penetration. This is sufficient for most installations in the vast majority of situations. Specialty mounts such as J-arms are billed separately if needed. Labor beyond the two hour window is at the rate of $49.99/hr and will be figured in 30 minute intervals beginning two hours past the time of the technicians’ arrival. Additional cabling is sold at the rate of .50 cents/ft past the basic 50 ft and is terminated. Although we don’t specialize in the setup of personal routers and other in-home devices, our technicians will help you to set up your devices to the best of their ability during any time remaining in the two-hour window. Please note: Our service ends where you plug your router in. Personal router issues and problems connecting devices will always be billed for if we cannot help you over the phone and must make a service call to your premises.
We will bill separately for any incurred material expenses not covered in the above paragraph such as pole mounts, concrete to set them, cabling and mounts to set up secondary links, bucket truck work, and any other specialized materials or labor not explicitly required to furnish a single connection into a residential or commercial structure. In the event of a more complicated installation that requires more than a single device installation, quotes are readily available and will include estimated labor of a will-not-exceed basis.
First of all, when you run a public speed test, you are “testing” across more than our network. Any slow-down could be on our network or after your traffic leaves our network. There is no way for you to know with a simple speed test site or app. We host our own speed test site on our homepage that will test your speed up to the time your traffic hits the edge of our network. It is the ONLY speed test we will consider valid.
Second, you will not always get your top speed. Our technician verified your equipments capabilities when the equipment was installed and your plan was selected. Vegetative growth in the path of the connection and self-interference from the router being on the same channel as your connection are two of the main causes of slow speeds. Under our Terms of Service, you are responsible for keeping the immediate path of the connection clear of vegetation. If the blockage is not on your property, you may need to contact us to move the equipment. If self-interference is the problem, we can tell pretty quickly if you call us. You just need to change the settings in your router. If we need to come adjust your router settings, we can, but there will be a service fee charged.Third, just because you have a 50mb plan doesn’t mean that another website will send you data at that speed. This is especially true when using questionable or illegal sites and download services which I won’t name here. If you have a question about the site or service, call us! We’ll be happy to tell you which ones are legitimate. Fourth, run your speed test properly! See the next question . . . .
1. It is not possible to run a valid speed test on a phone or other wireless device. The first thing we have to do to run a valid speed test is to eliminate ALL outside sources of interference, which means not using a wireless device. A valid speed test can only be run via a cabled device such as a desktop or laptop computer, or a tablet with a Ethernet adapter. These directions will be written for a laptop, but any non-wireless device with an Ethernet port will do.
2. Go to your router and find the port labeled “WAN”. If the ports are not labeled, it will usually be a port that is a different color from all of the other ports. It will ALWAYS be the port that has the cable going to the white or black power adapter that powers your outside transmitter dish. Unplug that cable from the back of the router and plug it into your laptop.
3. You laptop should automatically pick up a new “LAN” connection and provision itself. If not, go to the “Network Settings” and configure your Ethernet adapter for “DHCP”.
4. Once you have a valid LAN connection, open your favorite web browser and navigate to “speedtest.bluepulsenetworks.net” and run the speed test. The result will be your true transit speed across our network and only our network. It will also rule out any electrical/radio interference from your household or router.