--- title: Can you install on a metal roof or metal shop building? url: https://hdiss.net/faq/installation/metal-roof-or-metal-shop/ 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/) - [Installation](https://hdiss.net/faq/installation/) - Can you install on a metal roof or a metal shop building? # Can you install on a metal roof or a metal shop building? Often the outdoor antenna can go on a metal building, and the technician decides the mount on site. The harder part is usually inside, because metal walls and roofs weaken Wi-Fi. An installer adjusting a roof antenna. Stock photo: Adobe Stock, not High Desert customers or staff. [Photo credits](https://hdiss.net/photo-credits/) Shops, barns and metal-roofed homes are common in rural Nevada, so this question comes up. The company has not published mounting details, so this page separates what is general from what you must ask. ## What about the outdoor antenna? The antenna needs a clear path to the tower, not a particular roof material. A metal roof is a surface to mount on, and the technician chooses a position that sees the tower. The company has not published how it mounts on metal, so ask how it will be fixed and sealed, especially on a standing seam roof where holes are unwelcome. A tall metal building can also block the path, if it stands between the antenna and the tower. The technician checks that on site. See [what blocks a wireless link](https://hdiss.net/guides/what-blocks-a-wireless-link/). ## Why is the inside harder? Wi-Fi is radio too, and a metal shell reflects and absorbs much of it. A router in the middle of a steel shop may reach only part of the building, and a router in the house may not reach a shop at all. The guide on [Wi-Fi to a shop, barn or guest house](https://hdiss.net/guides/wifi-to-a-shop-barn-or-guest-house/) covers the fixes, and [stucco, adobe and metal walls](https://hdiss.net/guides/stucco-adobe-and-metal-walls/) explains the physics. The simplest fix is a wired run. An Ethernet cable from the injector to a router or access point placed where the people are works better than trying to push Wi-Fi through steel. ## What should I tell the office? When you send your address, say what the building is made of, which building should have the connection and whether a second building is wanted later. The article on [adding a second building](https://hdiss.net/support/add-a-second-building/) says what the office needs to know. Ask the technician to show you the plan for the cable run before work begins. Send the address through the [address check](https://hdiss.net/check-availability/) or call 775-575-9593. ### Sources - [hdiss.net/terms-of-use/](https://hdiss.net/service-agreement/) (HDISS Service Agreement V 1.12, read 2026-10-15) - [hdiss.net/](https://hdiss.net/) (High Desert FAQ and service description, 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) ### More on installation - [Do I need to be home for the install?](https://hdiss.net/faq/installation/do-i-need-to-be-home-for-the-install/) - [Where will the antenna go on my house?](https://hdiss.net/faq/installation/where-will-the-antenna-go/) - [Do you drill holes in my house?](https://hdiss.net/faq/installation/do-you-drill-holes-in-my-house/) - [Do I need my own router?](https://hdiss.net/faq/installation/do-i-need-my-own-router/) - [Do you need power near the antenna?](https://hdiss.net/faq/installation/do-you-need-power-near-the-antenna/) [All installation questions](https://hdiss.net/faq/installation/) ### Related - [Installation: questions and answers](https://hdiss.net/faq/installation/) - [Wi-Fi to a shop, barn or guest house](https://hdiss.net/guides/wifi-to-a-shop-barn-or-guest-house/) - [Stucco, adobe and metal walls: why Wi-Fi dies between rooms](https://hdiss.net/guides/stucco-adobe-and-metal-walls/) - [Internet for farms](https://hdiss.net/internet-for/farms/) - [Check my address](https://hdiss.net/check-availability/) 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/) ## 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/)