What equipment needs to be installed at my home?

At Common Networks we use a Microwave technology to broadcast our signal over a mesh network of antennas that communicate with each other wirelessly over the airwaves. Since this technology relies on having a clear unobstructed line of sight from our equipment to one of our core network sites, we will need to mount the receiver antennas to the highest point of your rooftop for the best performance.

First, we'll erect a 3-6 foot mast (which includes 1-4 antennas) on your roof. When installing equipment on a flat roof, we mount the necessary antennas on the mast and place the mast on your roof. We will not drill into your home or building to attach the mast to your roof, but rather weigh the mast down with a few cinder blocks to keep the equipment secure. If the roof is pitched, it's likely that we'll need to attach the antenna mast directly to your rooftop using a handful of screws. 

For reference, we use different antennas for different purposes; here are the dimensions for each of the 3 antennas that may be mounted:

5" circle (approximately the size of a dessert plate)
7.5" circle (approximately the size of a salad plate)
10" x 14" rectangle (approximately the size of an average laptop)

From the mounting point we'll run a single Ethernet cable into the unit / home. This can often run along existing lines routing from your rooftop into the unit. If there are no pre-existing routes to attach our line to, we'll work with you to identify the best route into your home so that the end result looks as nice and hidden as possible. 

If necessary, we may need to drill a small hole where the cabling enters the building and attach a wall plate on the interior wall of your home – creating an Ethernet outlet on your wall. This will be installed and sealed by one of our professional installers. From that wall port, we'll run a Cat5 Ethernet cable to a small equipment box. You can decide that you want the equipment box right next to the entry point or tucked away. The only requirement is that the equipment box be located near a 3-prong electrical outlet.

From the equipment box, we'll run an Ethernet cable to your router location. Again, this can be right next to the box, or you can ask us to put the router further away, and we'll just use a longer cable. The router we provide is a Unifi Pro, and it will not need access to power – it is powered via the Ethernet cable.