FAQ for Fixed Wireless Internet

Yes! Upward Broadband offers high speed fixed wireless internet throughout much of Pennsylvania. View our coverage area to see if your home gets service.

It can. Some 5G home internet can use very high-frequency signals that are more sensitive to heavy rain and obstructions, though many plans run on lower bands that hold up better. Either way, fixed wireless is designed and aimed for your specific location, which helps it stay consistent through changing weather.

In most storms, no. Fixed wireless is built to ride out the everyday rain, snow, and wind we get in south-central Pennsylvania. At Upward Broadband, our network is designed with redundant sources of internet to the tower and has backup energy sources. A severe event can affect any internet type, but a local signal has far less in its path than a satellite signal does. Also, we own the equipment, and our local team can be quickly deployed to resolve any issues.

Yes. Satellite signals travel about 20,000 miles through the atmosphere, so storms and “rain fade” hit them harder. Fixed wireless only travels a few miles from a local tower, which makes it far steadier when the weather turns.

No. Fog and humidity carry far less moisture than rain, so the signal between your home and the tower isn’t meaningfully affected.

Rarely. Light to moderate rain has little to no effect. In a heavy downpour you might notice a brief slowdown, but the connection stays up and recovers as soon as the storm passes.

Usually, yes, if you keep your old service active until the new one is installed and working. The smoothest approach is to schedule the fixed wireless install first, test it, and then cancel satellite once you know the new connection is ready.

The only reliable way is to check the availability at your address with the provider. Rural internet options can change from one road to the next, so broad coverage maps don’t always tell the full story. If you’re in south-central Pennsylvania, it’s worth checking whether fixed wireless is available before assuming satellite is your only option. See if Upward Broadband is available at your address.

Yes. Fixed wireless is often a strong fit for streaming, Zoom calls, remote work, and smart home use because it can keep latency low and avoid the kind of slowdowns that make live apps frustrating. Fiber works well too when it’s available, while DSL and mobile hotspots are usually more limited for heavier household use.

If you want a true alternative to Starlink, look first at fixed wireless and then at 5G home internet if your address has strong cellular coverage. Starlink is still a satellite service, so another satellite plan isn’t really a different kind of solution. The better choice is usually the one that gives you steadier day-to-day service at your specific address.

It usually is for everyday use, especially if you rely on video calls, streaming, security cameras, or a house full of devices. With speeds up to 1 Gig in some locations, fixed wireless can be the faster option. Also, fixed wireless keeps the connection on the ground, so it avoids the long delay that satellite service can have. It also tends to feel simpler because there is no dish pointed at the sky and no satellite-style data frustration.

For many rural PA homes, fixed wireless is the best place to start because it can deliver low-lag, everyday home internet without the same data caps and weather issues that satellite often brings. Fiber is great if it is available at your address, but in many rural areas it simply isn’t.

Sometimes. Fiber has reached a large part of Lancaster County, but some rural and outlying areas still don’t have a fiber line. If fiber isn’t available at your address, fixed wireless delivers broadband speeds up to 1 Gig over the air without needing a fiber line run to your property, which makes it a practical alternative in much of the county.

In and around Lancaster, business options include cable from Xfinity and fiber from providers like Blue Ridge, Glo Fiber, and Frontier where it’s built out. In rural parts of the county, those often aren’t available, and that’s where Upward Broadband’s commercial fixed wireless comes in, with speeds up to 1 Gig, no data caps, no contracts, and local support.

Fixed wireless uses a network of towers and equipment to deliver broadband to homes and businesses often without the local infrastructure needed for fiber and cable services. It’s commonly used to bring reliable service to rural and underserved areas.

In some neighborhoods, yes. Availability varies significantly. The fastest way to confirm is an address-level availability check. Check your address here.

If fiber isn’t on your road, fixed wireless is often the most practical “high speed” option. In very remote areas, satellite may be a fallback.

Yes. Build-out patterns, terrain, and local network infrastructure can change availability and performance within a few miles.

We serve many communities across South Central Pennsylvania, and availability often comes down to the exact address. In Lebanon County, we frequently have service in and around Annville, Campbelltown, Fredericksburg, Jonestown, Lebanon, and Palmyra. The fastest way to confirm service is to check availability online or view the coverage map.

A fixed wireless internet provider extends reliable and cost-effective broadband internet services to remote farms, homes, and businesses. Your antenna, which supplies a home wireless router, connects to our Point of Presence (PoP).

Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) delivers high-speed broadband straight through the air from a nearby tower to a receiver at your home, farm, or business.

Because wireless internet requires less infrastructure than DSL, fiber, cable, or satellite networks, it can be updated much more quickly, meaning faster and more reliable service for residents and businesses in remote areas where other network types have not invested time and money.

With fixed wireless internet, your on-site antenna uses radio waves to connect to a nearby tower just a few miles away. Satellite internet relies on signals from a dish orbiting Earth about 20,000 miles away, which is often higher cost, includes data caps, and has high latency (delay) that makes voice or video calls difficult. With Upward Broadband there are no data caps, just a high-speed, low-latency connection, generally faster and more reliable than satellite with no weather sensitivity.

Fixed wireless delivers internet via radio signals from a nearby tower, no cables needed, making it a great option where wired service is not available. Here is how it compares:

Fiber is the fastest and most reliable option with low latency, but it is not available everywhere. Cable offers strong speeds and wide availability in suburbs and cities, though upload speeds tend to be slower. 5G Home Internet is similar to fixed wireless and can offer excellent speeds, but performance varies by location. Satellite reaches the most remote areas, newer LEO services like Starlink have improved speeds and latency significantly, though latency and weather are still an issue. Fixed wireless hits a sweet spot for rural and suburban customers, easy to set up, no infrastructure required, and increasingly competitive speeds and prices, typically from a local provider.

Fixed wireless travels through the air rather than through buried cables or telephone lines, which means it’s less exposed to the cuts, floods, and construction accidents that can take cable or fiber offline. It also has fewer physical points of failure between our tower and your building. That said, no connection is immune to every outage — but for businesses that need a resilient primary connection or a reliable backup, fixed wireless is a strong choice.

Yes — and it’s one of the best uses for fixed wireless. Because our network runs on separate infrastructure from your cable or fiber provider, the two connections are unlikely to go down for the same reason at the same time.

We currently serve rural communities in Lancaster County, Huntingdon County, Lebanon County and across Western Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Maryland. Enter your address in our availability checker to see if we cover your area.

Upward Broadband serves rural areas across south-central Pennsylvania. This includes parts of Centre, Chester, Dauphin, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Mifflin, Lancaster, Lebanon, and York County, PA.

We offer plans ranging from 25/5 Mbps all the way up to 1 Gbps (1,000/1,000 Mbps) — fast enough to handle streaming, gaming, video calls, and remote work all at the same time.

Residential Plans (Download/Upload):
25/5 · 50/10 · 100/20 · 150/30 · 200/50 · 400/100 · 500/100 · 500/500 · 1000/200 · 1000/1000 Mbps

Business Plans (Download/Upload):
25/5 · 50/10 · 100/20 · 150/30 · 200/50 · 400/100 · 500/100 · 500/500 · 1000/200 · 1000/1000 Mbps

Not sure which plan is right for you? A good rule of thumb: most households of 2–3 people streaming and working from home will be comfortable at 100–200 Mbps. Larger households or businesses with higher usage typically benefit from 400 Mbps or higher.

Our local team is happy to help you find the right fit — no pressure, no upsell. Just an honest recommendation based on how you actually use the internet.

Yes. With speeds up to 1 Gbps and low latency, you can handle 4K streaming, video calls, large file uploads, and online gaming without interruption.

Fixed wireless is an affordable alternative with clear pricing and no bundles or gimmicks. Residential plans run from $39/mo to $119/mo, with a one-time activation fee from $0 to $99 depending on the plan. You pay only for what you need.

Business plans run from $89.95/month to $150/month with a refundable activation fee of either $149 or $199 depending on the plan.

It depends on your plan. Some residential plans have no activation fee at all, and for those that do, the fee is either $49 or $99. Business plans have an activation fee of $149 or $199.

In general, higher-speed plans come with a lower monthly rate and activation fee.

No hidden fees. What you see is what you pay, straightforward, transparent pricing every month.

Your first bill includes your monthly plan rate, plus, if applicable to your plan, a one-time activation fee. After that, it is just your plan price each month.

Autopay is not required, but it is available for convenience. You can pay however works best for you.

We understand life happens. If your payment is late, reach out to us and we will work with you. We are real people, not a call center.

We invest in reliable infrastructure and local support. Our pricing reflects the true cost of delivering quality internet to rural areas, without hidden fees or rate hikes.

We’re not going to make a promise we can’t keep — but here’s what we can tell you: in over six years of serving customers, we’ve raised prices exactly once. That was a $2/month increase to the managed router fee. That’s it.

We don’t play games with pricing. No introductory rates that quietly jump after 12 months. No promotional pricing that expires and leaves you with a surprise bill. What you sign up for is what you pay — and we work hard to keep it that way.

We can’t guarantee prices will never change, but we can tell you that keeping our customers’ trust matters more to us than squeezing out a few extra dollars.

Correct, month-to-month, always. No contracts, no early termination fees. You stay because you want to, not because you are stuck.

No. All of Upward Broadband’s high-speed internet plans come with unlimited data and no contracts.

Yes. Upward Broadband’s network is engineered for 99.9% uptime. And because your connection comes from radio waves instead of buried cables, no one can accidentally cut your access with a severed wire, making fixed wireless worthy of your trust.

Your data is as safe on our fixed wireless internet as it is on cable or DSL systems. As always, it is a good idea to use anti-virus software and follow the recommended security settings for all your devices. We work to keep your wireless connection to our fiber optic backbone fast and reliable.

Fixed wireless is generally resilient to snow, ice, fog, and humidity with minimal impact to your service. In rare cases, severe high winds can knock an antenna out of alignment. If that happens, we will send a technician to realign it at no cost to you.

The signal’s reach depends on the local terrain and whether anything obstructs your connection to the tower site. Typically the signal covers about a 10-mile radius of our tower.

Just a few pieces. An antenna is placed on your roof or mounted to your building or home, which communicates with our access towers and connects to a wireless router inside.

Fixed wireless is a quick and simple installation and can often be set up just a few days after signing up. Contact us and we will let you know if your location is eligible, then we will install the receiving antenna and modem, and you will be ready to stream Internet Without The Hassle.

Call our local team at 717-869-0968 and a real person will help you. Most issues are resolved the same day, and because we are local, if a technician visit is needed we can usually get to you quickly. Our network runs at 99.9%+ uptime.

After installation, we will not leave you on your own. Fixed wireless should be relatively maintenance-free, but sometimes things happen. You can call us with any issue and reach a real person, maybe even one of your neighbors, who will make things right.

To provide a safe internet environment for all ages, Upward Broadband offers a filter that may restrict access to material we consider objectionable, such as pornography and illicit content.

While the technology used to provide fixed wireless internet is improving, trees and seasonal foliage can prevent your rural property from receiving service. We always take this into account when setting up service. That’s why availability is best confirmed by address and, when needed, a site-specific evaluation.

Most installations use a small receiver mounted where it can get a clean signal, often on a roofline, eave, or a short mast. The goal is reliable performance, not a complicated build. Placement depends on your property’s terrain and what’s between your home and our tower.

Yes, with speeds up to 1 Gig, fixed wireless internet is a great option for video conferencing and work from home activities. Contrary to other services, like satellite, it offers stability, fast speeds, and low latency.

Many households prefer non-satellite options for gaming and real-time use because a ground-based connection typically delivers a more responsive experience. The best fit still depends on what’s available at your address and how you use the internet.

Severe weather can affect any outdoor network. Fixed wireless is designed to be dependable, but extreme storms can occasionally cause short-term performance changes. In most cases, service returns to normal once conditions pass.

Yes, many customers use fixed wireless for security cameras and remote monitoring. If you need advanced networking features like hosting services or port forwarding, it’s worth discussing your setup with the provider.

Performance can vary depending on overall network usage, especially during peak evening hours. A well-managed fixed wireless network is designed to maintain consistent service, but it’s smart to confirm expectations based on your location and needs.

We serve many communities across South Central Pennsylvania, and availability often comes down to the exact address. In Lancaster County, we frequently get requests for service in and around Lancaster, Ephrata, Lititz, Elizabethtown, Manheim, Intercourse, and New Providence. In Lebanon County, customers commonly check for coverage near Lebanon, Palmyra, Annville, and Myerstown. In Huntingdon County, we often see interest around rural communities like Mount Union, Orbisonia, Three Springs, and Shade Gap. The fastest way to confirm service is to check availability online or view the coverage map.

Yes. Fixed wireless internet is designed specifically for areas where cable and fiber aren’t available. By connecting your property to nearby network infrastructure, it delivers reliable high-speed internet up to 1 Gig without trenching or waiting for traditional providers to expand service.

In most cases, yes. Fixed wireless typically offers lower latency and more consistent performance than satellite because it doesn’t rely on orbiting equipment. That makes it better suited for video calls, cloud tools, security cameras, and day-to-day farm operations.

It can. Each farm is evaluated individually to determine the best equipment placement. Fixed wireless is commonly used on properties with long driveways, barns, outbuildings, and multiple structures spread across the land.

Terrain and tree cover are common in Pennsylvania. That’s why availability is determined through a property-specific evaluation rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. Many farms with challenging layouts are still serviceable.

We serve many communities across South Central Pennsylvania, and availability often comes down to the exact address. In Lancaster County, we frequently get requests for service in and around Lancaster, Ephrata, Lititz, Elizabethtown, Manheim, Intercourse, and New Providence. In Lebanon County, customers commonly check for coverage near Lebanon, Palmyra, Annville, and Myerstown. In Huntingdon County, we often see interest around rural communities like Mount Union, Orbisonia, Three Springs, and Shade Gap. The fastest way to confirm service is to check availability online or view the coverage map.

Fixed wireless typically delivers 100 Mbps to 1 Gig, while fiber can reach 1 Gbps or more. Fiber is faster on paper, but fixed wireless speeds are more than sufficient for streaming, video calls, gaming, and remote work.

It means the tower delivering your fixed wireless internet is connected to the wider internet via fiber-optic lines or high-capacity multi-gigabit backhaul. The “source” of the internet is fiber-grade. The wireless delivery is only the last mile from the tower to your property.

Many fiber and cable providers lock you into 1- or 2-year contracts with early termination fees. Fixed wireless providers, including Upward Broadband, often have simpler terms. Upward Broadband doesn’t require contracts, so you’re in control.

Xfinity cable internet is widely available in urban and suburban Lancaster County and offers packages up to 1,000 Mbps, making it the fastest option where cable lines reach your address. However, cable is often unavailable in more remote rural areas. Where cable doesn’t reach, fixed wireless from Upward Broadband delivers broadband speeds up to 1 Gig without trenching or phone lines.

DSL providers like Frontier offer the lowest advertised monthly rates, with plans starting around $27.99 plus a $10/month router fee. CenturyLink and EarthLink plans start around $49. These prices are often promotional and speeds are limited to 6–40 Mbps. Upward Broadband’s entry-level 10 Mbps plan starts at $49.95/month with transparent, non-promotional pricing.

Availability depends on your exact address and line of sight to our network towers. Upward Broadband serves many communities across Lancaster County, including rural and suburban areas where cable and fiber aren’t available. The fastest way to find out is to check availability online or call our local team at 717.869.0968.

Cable internet from providers like Xfinity offers very high download speeds in areas where cable infrastructure exists, but it often requires bundled TV or phone packages and promotional pricing that increases after the intro period. Fixed wireless from Upward Broadband delivers broadband speeds without bundling, with fair transparent pricing and no contracts. For rural addresses outside cable’s footprint, fixed wireless is often the only broadband-speed option.

Satellite providers like Viasat and HughesNet are available nearly everywhere, but they tend to be expensive for the speeds offered, may be affected by weather, and often include data limits that slow your connection after you reach a threshold. For most Lancaster County households, a ground-based option like cable, DSL, or fixed wireless delivers a better experience for streaming, video calls, and everyday use.

Xfinity cable internet offers some of the fastest speeds in Huntingdon County, with packages up to 1,000 Mbps in areas where cable infrastructure reaches your address. However, coverage is limited to parts of the county, and many rural or remote homes and businesses are outside Xfinity’s footprint. Where cable doesn’t reach, fixed wireless from Upward Broadband delivers broadband speeds without trenching or phone lines.

DSL providers like CenturyLink offer some of the lowest advertised monthly rates in Huntingdon County, with plans starting around $49. Rural Broadband Cooperative also offers lower-cost fixed wireless options, though membership and installation fees apply. These lower-cost plans typically come with limited speeds. Upward Broadband’s entry-level plan starts at $49.95/month with transparent, non-promotional pricing and broadband-capable speeds.

Yes. Upward Broadband serves farms, agricultural properties, and businesses in many parts of Huntingdon County with the same fixed wireless network that reaches rural homes. Availability depends on your address, so the quickest way to know is to run a coverage check.

Availability depends on your exact address and line of sight to our network towers. Upward Broadband serves communities across Huntingdon County, including Huntingdon, Mount Union, Shirleysburg, Rockhill, and surrounding rural areas where cable and fiber aren’t available. The fastest way to find out is to check availability online or call our local team at 717.869.0968.

Cable internet from providers like Xfinity offers very high download speeds in the limited parts of Huntingdon County where cable infrastructure exists, but it often requires bundled TV or phone packages and promotional pricing that increases after the intro period. Fixed wireless from Upward Broadband delivers broadband speeds without bundling, with fair transparent pricing and no contracts. For rural addresses outside cable’s footprint, fixed wireless is often the only broadband-speed option.

Satellite providers like Viasat and HughesNet are available nearly everywhere in Huntingdon County, but they tend to be expensive for the speeds offered, may be affected by weather, and often include data limits that slow your connection after you reach a threshold. For most households, a ground-based option like cable, DSL, or fixed wireless delivers a better experience for streaming, video calls, and everyday use.