Point-to-Point Link

What is Point-to-Point Link?

Two dishes or panels face each other across open ground and exchange data. Because the beam is narrow, it carries a lot of data to a far spot and is less affected by other signals. The FCC's rules for fixed microwave in 47 CFR Part 101 include subparts titled Private Operational Fixed Point-to-Point Microwave Service and Common Carrier Fixed Point-to-Point Microwave Service, so the term has a formal place in the rules.

Contrast it with point-to-multipoint, where one tower serves many homes. The two often work together: a point-to-point link may feed a tower, which then serves homes.

Why does it matter on a fixed wireless connection?

The link that carries traffic from one site to another is called backhaul. For a customer it is invisible, yet it affects the whole network, because every home on a tower depends on that tower's own connection. A modest link out to a ridge can serve a lot of rural homes.

Some wireless providers also offer a dedicated link to a business that needs one. High Desert lists an ultra-low-latency up to 1 Gig service on an ask-if-it-is-in-your-area basis, with no price published. Whether it is built that way is not stated, so call to ask.

What should I do about it?

For a home on a ranch road, a standard connection is almost always the first thing to check. A dedicated point-to-point link is for special cases such as a second building far from the house. The help article add a second building covers the usual steps.

Do not aim or adjust any antenna yourself. A misaimed dish can lose the link or disturb a neighbor's. If you would like a distant outbuilding connected, call 775-575-9593 and describe the distance and what lies between.