---
title: Availability and Line of Sight FAQ | High Desert Internet
url: https://hdiss.net/faq/availability-and-line-of-sight/
business: High Desert Internet Services (HDISS)
phone: 775-575-9593, 775-391-5660
email: info@hdiss.net
mailing_address: Home base: 200 S Virginia St, Suite 760, Reno NV 89501 (dispatch office, not a walk-in store). Mail: Billing Dept., PO Box 11353, Reno NV 89510
hours: Office open 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, seven days a week. Network watched around the clock.
type: Fixed wireless internet service provider (homes and small businesses), web hosting, customer email, domain registration
service_area: Northern Nevada - Washoe, Lyon, Storey, Churchill and Douglas counties and Carson City; availability is checked address by address (line of sight to a tower)
plans: Bronze $50/mo up to 500 Mbps down, up to 200 Mbps up; Silver $75/mo up to 800 down, up to 200 up; Gold $99/mo up to 1 Gig down, up to 200 up; ask about the up to 1 Gig / 1 Gig ultra-low-latency service
no_online_purchase: true (check your address or call; existing customers pay at https://www2.fernley.net/hdiss/onlinepay/paymentform.cfm)
since: 2002
---

- [Home](https://hdiss.net/)
- [Questions and answers](https://hdiss.net/faq/)
- Availability and line of sight

# Availability and line of sight: questions and answers

High Desert Internet sends a radio signal from a tower to an antenna on your building, so it needs a clear path between the two, and that is checked address by address. No town, ZIP or road settles it, and no page here promises service.

An installer adjusting a roof antenna. Stock photo: Adobe Stock, not High Desert customers or staff. [Photo credits](https://hdiss.net/photo-credits/)

## Questions by topic

[Plans and prices](https://hdiss.net/faq/plans-and-prices/) [Availability and line of sight](https://hdiss.net/faq/availability-and-line-of-sight/) [Installation](https://hdiss.net/faq/installation/) [Equipment](https://hdiss.net/faq/equipment/) [Billing and payment](https://hdiss.net/faq/billing-and-payment/) [Data and fair use](https://hdiss.net/faq/data-and-fair-use/) [Speed and latency](https://hdiss.net/faq/speed-and-latency/) [Weather and reliability](https://hdiss.net/faq/weather-and-reliability/) [Business](https://hdiss.net/faq/business/) [Email, hosting and domains](https://hdiss.net/faq/email-hosting-and-domains/) [Switching and cancelling](https://hdiss.net/faq/switching-and-cancelling/) [Support and outages](https://hdiss.net/faq/support-and-outages/)

Most questions start from the same place: whether the antenna on your roof can see a tower. These answers explain what that means, what blocks it and what happens after you send an address.

### How do I find out if High Desert Internet is available at my address?

Send your street address through the [address check](https://hdiss.net/check-availability/) or call 775-575-9593. A person looks at the path from the nearest tower to your roof and calls you back. If it looks clear, a technician confirms it at the house.

### Why can't you just tell me if my town is covered?

A town is not the unit. Read [why a town answer does not work](https://hdiss.net/faq/availability-and-line-of-sight/why-not-just-tell-me-if-my-town-is-covered/).

### What does "line of sight" mean?

It means the antenna can see the tower with nothing solid in the straight line between them, such as a hill, a building or a tall stand of trees. It does not mean you can see the tower yourself from the yard. The guide on [what line of sight means](https://hdiss.net/guides/what-line-of-sight-means/) has the longer explanation.

### Do trees block the signal? What if my neighbor's trees are in the way?

Trees in the line can weaken or stop a radio link, and they grow. A neighbor's trees count the same as yours, though you cannot trim them. The technician looks for a mounting spot that clears them, and says so if none exists. See [what blocks a wireless link](https://hdiss.net/guides/what-blocks-a-wireless-link/).

### My house is in a canyon or behind a hill. Can it still work?

Sometimes. A hill between the house and the tower is the usual reason a check says no, but a different spot on the roof or a pole can change what the antenna sees. The only way to know is the check, so send the address and say what the land looks like.

### How far from a tower can I be?

No distance is published. The company's own FAQ mentions links of up to about 40 miles, and the answer for your address is in [how far from a tower you can be](https://hdiss.net/faq/availability-and-line-of-sight/how-far-from-a-tower-can-i-be/).

### Can the antenna go on a pole or a mast if the roof does not see the tower?

Sometimes, and the technician decides on site. Read [the pole and mast answer](https://hdiss.net/faq/availability-and-line-of-sight/antenna-on-a-pole-or-mast/).

### Do you come out and look before I commit?

Yes, a technician surveys the property and agrees the spot with you. Read [the site survey answer](https://hdiss.net/faq/availability-and-line-of-sight/do-you-look-before-i-commit/).

### Is there a coverage map?

No, and [this page explains why](https://hdiss.net/faq/availability-and-line-of-sight/is-there-a-coverage-map/).

### The FCC map lists a provider at my address. Does that mean I can get service?

Not by itself. See [what the FCC map does and does not tell you](https://hdiss.net/faq/availability-and-line-of-sight/fcc-map-lists-you-at-my-address/).

### I live in a manufactured home or an RV park. Does that matter?

A manufactured home can work when the antenna has a clear path; see [internet for manufactured homes](https://hdiss.net/internet-for/manufactured-homes/). An RV is not a published service, so ask by phone. In a park, ask the manager before the survey.

### Can I get service in a brand-new subdivision with no cable yet?

Possibly. [The new subdivision answer](https://hdiss.net/faq/availability-and-line-of-sight/new-subdivision-with-no-cable/) explains what changes when houses go up around yours.

### How is this different from satellite?

A satellite signal goes to space and back. A High Desert signal goes from a tower on the ground to your roof, so it needs a clear path to that tower, not to the sky. Compare them at [fixed wireless vs satellite](https://hdiss.net/compare/fixed-wireless-vs-satellite/).

### What happens if the address check says no?

You can ask us to keep your address on file in case the path changes, and we tell you honestly what we see. See [what happens if the answer is no](https://hdiss.net/faq/availability-and-line-of-sight/what-if-the-address-check-says-no/).

## What happens after I send my address?

A person at the office looks at the path from the nearest tower to your roof and calls you back. There are three honest outcomes. The path looks clear, and a technician confirms it at the house. The path looks blocked, and we tell you so and keep the address on file. Or it is hard to tell from a desk, and someone needs to look at the property. In every case the answer is for that address, not for your street, and nothing is ordered or charged by sending it.

Customers have told the story from the other side. One 2025 Google review describes a technician surveying the property and agreeing the equipment's placement with the owner on site. The check exists because some paths are blocked by trees or hills, and it is better to find that out at a desk or on the roof than after a purchase.

### Sources

- [hdiss.net/](https://hdiss.net/) (High Desert FAQ, links up to about 40 miles, read 2026-10-01)
- [hdiss.net/services/](https://hdiss.net/internet-plans/) (High Desert plan cards, read 2026-10-15)
- [broadbandmap.fcc.gov](https://broadbandmap.fcc.gov) (FCC National Broadband Map, read 2026-10-15)

### Talk to a person

- Call [775-575-9593](tel:7755759593) [775-391-5660](tel:7753915660) Open 9-5 every day
- Email [info@hdiss.net](mailto:info@hdiss.net)

[Check my address](https://hdiss.net/check-availability/#check)

### Related

- [Check my address](https://hdiss.net/check-availability/)
- [What line of sight means and why we check it first](https://hdiss.net/guides/what-line-of-sight-means/)
- [Service area](https://hdiss.net/service-area/)
- [Rural internet](https://hdiss.net/rural-internet/)
- [How installation works](https://hdiss.net/installation/)
- [Installation: questions and answers](https://hdiss.net/faq/installation/)

Local since 2002

Fixed wireless from towers in Northern Nevada. Three plans, no contracts, local support, 4.8 on Google from 36 reviews.

[About High Desert](https://hdiss.net/about/)

## Answered in full

- [Why can't you just tell me if my town is covered?](https://hdiss.net/faq/availability-and-line-of-sight/why-not-just-tell-me-if-my-town-is-covered/): Because fixed wireless depends on a clear path between one tower and one antenna on one building, and that path changes from house to house. A town name cannot say whether your roof can see a tower, so availability is ch
- [How far from a tower can I be?](https://hdiss.net/faq/availability-and-line-of-sight/how-far-from-a-tower-can-i-be/): High Desert Internet does not publish a maximum distance from a tower, and no tower locations are listed on this site. The company's own FAQ mentions links of up to about 40 miles, which describes the technology and
- [Can the antenna go on a pole or a mast if the roof does not see the tower?](https://hdiss.net/faq/availability-and-line-of-sight/antenna-on-a-pole-or-mast/): Sometimes, and the technician decides on site. A different spot on the building or a taller mount can change what the antenna sees, but High Desert Internet has not published a rule, a height or a price for poles and mas
- [Do you come out and look before I commit?](https://hdiss.net/faq/availability-and-line-of-sight/do-you-look-before-i-commit/): Nothing is installed until a person has read the path from the nearest tower to your roof and called you back, and the company states it has no contracts, so a visit does not lock you into a term. Whether a separate look
- [Is there a High Desert Internet coverage map?](https://hdiss.net/faq/availability-and-line-of-sight/is-there-a-coverage-map/): No, High Desert Internet publishes no coverage map. The address check replaces it, because a map shaded by area would suggest an answer that only the path from a tower to your roof can give.
- [The FCC map lists a provider at my address. Does that mean I can get service?](https://hdiss.net/faq/availability-and-line-of-sight/fcc-map-lists-you-at-my-address/): Not by itself. The FCC map is built from what providers report, in updates twice a year, so a listing is a starting point and not an order confirmation. For High Desert Internet or any fixed wireless company, the path fr
- [Can I get internet in a brand-new subdivision with no cable yet?](https://hdiss.net/faq/availability-and-line-of-sight/new-subdivision-with-no-cable/): Possibly, and the address check is how you find out. Fixed wireless does not need cable in the street, but it does need a clear path from a tower, and a new subdivision changes that path as houses go up.
- [What happens if the address check says no?](https://hdiss.net/faq/availability-and-line-of-sight/what-if-the-address-check-says-no/): A person tells you plainly, and you can ask the office to keep your address on file in case the path changes. A no means the path from the tower to your roof is blocked today, not that nothing can ever change.