We wanted to give some practical notes for those that are wanting service at their home or business on what they can expect from us while on site for their Alyrica install.
Who are the people Alyrica serves best?
Being that Alyrica is a Wireless Internet Service Provider (WISP), many people think that we serve rural areas, or those that are not served by cable, fiber optic or modern DSL exclusively.
We absolutely can deliver a better internet experience to rural customers than many are experiencing. We also have found that many of our customers live in areas that have several good internet options. The reason that customers come to us in these areas is simply because we strive to offer the best customer service experience in telecommunications.
Great Internet Service + Great Customer Service = Alyrica
There are several things that we do and don’t do that customers appreciate as well.
- We DON’T have introductory pricing – introductory prices are there to hook you and then a few months down the road the price will go up 100% or more.
- We DON’T have taxes and fees – They are factored into the price of the service.
- We DON’T sell you on things you DON’T need – bandwidth, services, etc. We like being straightforward
- We DO have a great phone service – residential and business phone systems. We can save businesses hundreds of dollars a month in some cases.
- We DO provide public static IP addresses – not everyone needs one, but it is complimentary for our business accounts and Gamer and above accounts.
What is involved in the Alyrica install process? What happens inside the home? How long will they be on site? Etc.
I completely understand people’s concerns with the COVID-19 situation, especially with people coming to your home, let alone inside your home! We have talked about in length about how we are ensuring everyone’s safety during this time in another post.
We have our 5 Step Process which outlines the customer’s relationship to Alyrica from start to finish, but we want to explain what the process looks like once they arrive. An average Alyrica install takes 2-3 hours.
The entire install process is written in an internal wiki page and isn’t as pretty, so here are some of the highlights:
Pre-Install Work
Outside the Home
- Installer arrives on site and checks in with the customer, letting them know they are at the house and will perform the signal check
- Installer checks for signal to our towers and locates the best possible installation location on the outside of the house
- Radio mounting location
- Cable path from outside to inside the house
Inside the Home
- Fill out paperwork for the installer to start his work
- Discuss best location for the router inside the house
- Paperwork completed
Actual Install Work
Outside the Home
- Install the radio mount and radio
Inside the Home
- Install the router, power injector
- Run the cable from router location to outside the house and up to the radio
- Crawl Space
- Attic
- Direct Entry (through the side of the house)
- Configure the connection to Alyrica’s network
- Test the connection and verify with the customer
What a customer can do to assist in the process to make the install as clean and quick as possible
As I am not a medical professional, these are just some good ideas that can help.
- Determine where you want the router to go inside your house and clean everything out of the way of where that will go so that the installer can work efficiently.
- Good Placement: Where most of your computing or entertainment use of the internet will be; i.e. an office, family room by the TV, etc.
- Bad Placement: In a closet in the basement on the far side of the house where no one goes. WiFi works best at closer range with as few walls to go through as possible.
- Turn off HVAC during the install and for 30 minutes after the installer performs his work inside. Since COVID-19 is considered ‘airborne’ (which is why the 6′ distancing rule) you want to make sure that anything in the air is not circulated throughout the house.
- After the install is completed, feel free to disinfect every new piece of equipment inside your house (a little isopropyl alcohol doesn’t hurt anything except viruses!)
- The installers all wear mask and gloves while they are in the house to make help ensure their safety and your safety.
We want to make sure that people can get connected and will stay connected throughout this ordeal and we are glad to help!
If you haven’t checked your location to see if you can get service, check out our Coverage Area or give us a call today: 541-929-3330!
Solution oriented, friendly customer service; that’s Alyrica!
7 Comments. Leave new
Hey everyone! What else would you or others in your neighborhood be looking for during a service call in your home during this time?
Before an install, it would be nice to know a few more items about the microwave module. Does it require a power source? What does the attach bracket look like? Can you email the customer a picture? The 5 step process narrative was nice but seemed incomplete. Is there flexibility to hang the module under an eave? Knowing more info would give a customer insights on where he might direct the installer to hang the equipment (assuming complies with maintaining signal).
Bring your RJ45 tool and be ready so crimp on a few connectors to my existing CAT5 cables. Also, be patient while I move junk around the garage to get access to the existing wire bundles.
Be prepared to make a clean install, not a convenient install. When installing, ask before you drill into one of my walls. Don’t leave dangling cables whether under the house or on the side. If you need to run exterior cables/wires, then take the time to secure them and don’t just assume you can tack them onto my siding. DO NOT poke a hole in my foundation vents or eave screens without asking me. Be prepared to explain before you drill a hole. If I tell you to crawl under the house, then be prepared to bring your knee pads. Do you have the appropriate hooks or hangars? Does your technician regularly check his material / tool stock in his work van, or does he/she just grab whatever is convenient when running cabling? Can you tell that I have had contractors show up at my house in the past?
You don’t need a mask at my house. You don’t need to act like I have leprosy. If you need to use the restroom during your workday, just properly wash your hands (with soap) afterwards. What concerns me right now is how society is viewing hand washing as a new thing !!!
Hi Brent, thanks for sending this our way! Yes, the 5 Step Process is a high level view of how we take care of customers to getting them installed. The installation process is an internal wiki page which isn’t as pretty! The install process itself is 8 steps with 2-8 sub steps involved with each step including where to enter the house with the cable, where to mount it, etc. Sounds like you have had some bad experiences with installation technicians! We have a very stringent process for quality control with our guys and they do great work!
What kind of cable runs from inside router to outside dish/radio receiver—cat 5e? Or RG-6 coaxial cable?
Hi Bob, great question! We run Cat5 cable which comes in the house and connects to a power injector to power the radio via POE (Power Over Ethernet).
I need voicemail but not my old number. How long does it take to get phone service from you if I had my internet connection set up yesterday? Does someone have to come out and set it up?
Hi Lynne! It looks like you also called into the office as well and we got things taken care of for you! Do you have any further questions? We are always happy to help!