A WISP Overview

1
A WISP Overview

• Prepared By
• Marlon K. Schafer
• Owner
• [phone]
• ooe_at_odessaoffice.com
• www.odessaoffice.com/wireless

2
Why Become A WISP?

• There was no one else willing to bring broadband
  to the area
• Everyone else just sat there talking about the
  problem (lack of broadband)
• I knew the competition well
• I was just crazy enough to step out and give it a
  try

3
I Understand

• My market
• The opportunities
• The competition
• Teamwork
• And priorities!

4
Coverage

• Nearly 3000 square miles
• Each circle is 8 miles or 15 miles in radius
• Terrain issues are not factored in
• Ill eventually fill in the gaps
• Gotta cover larger areas first

5
What to do, what to do?

• There were few equipment choices
• A choice between FHSS and DSSS had to be made
• DSSS was cheaper than FHSS and I didnt need the
  scalability
• I was also out in the middle of nowhere, what did
  I need with an interference robust technology?
• DSSS (now commonly referred to as Wi-Fi) was the
  best for me

6
The First Tower

• Was a miserable failure
• Turns out that there is a LOT of unlicensed gear
  in the middle of nowhere
• The utility companies, schools, and phone
  companies also knew that it is a relatively cheap
  way to move data around
• It was also the last one that I had time to make
  look nice

7
Pick it all up and move it.

• From the second tallest (by mere feet) building
  in town
• To an even higher house on the side of a hill
• In a hurry
• 3.5 years later it still basically looks like
  that, including the boots!

8
Now that it works

• Its time to expand
• Wilbur Wa. was next
• I had a t-1 there as well
• We bought the extra tower sections to get a local
  cell phone tower raised
• This sits on a hill overlooking about half of
  town and much of the surrounding area

9
How tough is it?

• We really test the gear
• Yes, thats bird poop all over everything
• No theres no climate control
• Its in a cow barn, who needs heat?
• We have newer radios and battery backup out there
  now

10
Time for some fun

• The local Sheriff wondered if we could get high
  speed connectivity to the cars in the area
• Seemed that no one I could find had really tried
  that
• So we did
• The cars now have 11 meg radios, 500mw indoor
  amps and 5dB magnetic mounted antennas

11
Miscellaneous Pictures (My end)
This customer USED To have trees in the way.
Ephrata radio room
Odessa water tower pumping station system
Latest tower
Ephrata tower site
Main Backhaul in Odessa
Odessa water tower pumping station system
12
Miscellaneous Pictures (Customer end)
Outdoor radio under a car port
This is a test to see if sealing is needed under
a car port
Ephrata MTU install
Antenna mount becomes street light!
Very unobtrusive
Can you even see the antenna on the light pole?
There it is
13
Whats next?

• More of the same
• More coverage
• Take my abilities to larger markets
• Upgrade to better hardware
• Continue to see my company as it will be not as
  it is
• 1,000,000 will build a nearly county wide system
  AND supply hardware for 1000 people

14
Bio Marlon K. Schaferooe_at_odessaoffice.com
www.odessaoffice.com/wireless
When you look at Marlon Schafer, do not expect
to see bright lights and flashy clothes. He is
true to his upbringing. This humble man grew up
in a small farming community in eastern
Washington and lives there still. He maintains a
quiet lifestyle with his wife Melissa, and three
children. Marlon is a fixer of things that are
broken, "usually cause I broke them first".
Exploration and innovation have been life's
steering wheel for Marlon. It did not matter that
he didn't know how to fix what he was working on
he simply thrived on the challenge of the
attempt. He was one of the first ISP operators in
the entire country to put together a wireless DSL
network. Starting in the early spring of 2000, he
covered the area of Odessa, Washington, his
hometown. Lots of people helped, but nobody
showed him how. In high school, Marlon was the
track jock and football star. But he was
restless. At 18, he set out to see the world and
joined the Air Force. It was here that he got his
first taste of being a tower monkey. He became a
linesman, working on high voltage electrical
systems. Three years in Hawaii, then back to the
mainland. After leaving the Air Force with an
Honorable Discharge in 1988, Marlon moved to the
"Big City", Spokane Wa. Doing temp work, then
full time as warehouse manager, then copier
technician, he also went to school at night,
tackling 16 credits per quarter in electronics..
"I have always known that the only guy that
has any real chance of making it in the world
was the one signing the front of the paychecks.
His knack for fixing things progressed to owning
his own business and a move back to Odessa. In
1995, Odessa Office Equipment was born. The
problem - lack of internet access in his town. He
called every ISP he could find including
Compuserve and AOL, and non would provide access
in Odessa. "Its too small, there is no way to
make money in a town that size.", he was told. So
in April 1997 he borrowed 15,000 and hired a
Spokane based ISP to set up all the equipment,
becoming the area's first ISP. He knew that 56k
modems would be an expensive and short term
option for higher speed access. He also knew that
the phone lines in the area would not likely
support most of his customers. In 1997 he began
looking for the next generation of technology
that could be brought into the area, eyeing DSL.
When the phone company said it would never
bring DSL to Odessa he completely went around the
telco, and found people that could help him do it
instead. A local PairGain rep and Howard Fuller
from Net to Net loaned him some point to point
SDSL modems. DSL had arrived in Odessa. Marlon
discovered it was possible to do DSL without the
phone company, and he become a celebrity
overnight. He was sought by the international
community who wanted to copy his successes. The
Telcos, however, were not that happy with his
successful trials. They did not want Marlon and
his fellow ISPs to join them on the broadband
bandwagon as competitors. As a result, Marlon
noticed that the telcos began de-tarrifing the
services and raising the prices of dry copper
circuits needed for Homebrew DSL. They succeeded
in pushing the technology beyond what the market
would bear. So, on the advice from an
acquaintance, he began looking at wireless. He
set up his first wireless system in the spring
2000, and 'dang it worked.' "When I started
talking about how great it was, others who
followed my DSL trials also followed me into
wireless". Word spread. Marlon became a
consultant and salesman who was totally customer
focused on selling the best wireless networking
equipment available. Most of his advice was still
free, but the consulting part of his business
began to grow. Speaking and training engagements
followed. His notoriety blossomed, but he has
never succumbed to the celebrity mentality.
Marlon Schafer shares his life and love with the
people he respects, and those that respect him.
He is the support net for so many people his
family, his community, his peers, and his
friends. When someone needs help, and Marlon is
within earshot, he is there with a smile and some
duct tape. In fact, Marlon spends most of his
time helping others. He is held in very high
regard by the inmates, or audience of the
ISP-wireless mailing list. By asking and
answering questions to the list, he has given
direction to the complicated learning curve of
all things wireless. He organized a briefing for
the FCC, extolling the virtues of the
license-free space, which has become the Wild
West of Wireless. The well attended 1 hour
session went for 2 and a half hours! He has
tested and trained on a large variety of wireless
equipment, and is not shy to tell you the top 10
reasons why he loves it or hates it. Companies
who gain his nod are very fortunate, for his
opinion holds tremendous weight with other people
in the business. In the words of Steve Stroh,
well known journalist and good friend of Marlon
"Marlon Schafer is one of the most knowledgeable,
generous, and well-respected individuals in the
Broadband Wireless Internet Access Industry". I
second that notion, Steve. Only I would not limit
it to the Internet industry. Marlon Schafer is
for the world.