Service Costs:
We differ from most broadband providers in that we don’t sell “speed tier” service levels — every customer receives uncapped bandwidth at the maximum speed their hardware is capable of delivering. Instead we use a completely transparent utilized billing model where the cost of our service is broken down in two parts, with no hidden or additional fees:
- Bandwidth usage, paid per gigabyte of data used.
- A flat $20/month support fee.
The price per gigabyte averages between $0.09-$0.14/gb, varying based upon your location, how many relays your connection travels through on it’s way to our gateway, and the end cost of the gateway you’re connected to, but for even the most rural customers will not exceed $0.14/gb.
How Much Will I Pay?
Due to this on-demand pricing model your bill will vary by month, similar to your power, but our customers customers fall into one of three general categories:
- Average household (2 parents with 2 children): ~$50-$60/month.
- Single person households or otherwise lite internet users: ~$30-$35/month.
- Large households or otherwise heavy internet users: ~$80-$100/month.
Funds are pre-loaded on to a secure digital wallet on your router on an as-needed basis, and usage can be transparently tracked on a private web portal accessible via your router. These funds never expire, and at no point do we hold or have access to the funds securely stored on your router.
When the funds on your router reach less than $10 you will receive a daily text message notifications that you will soon need to load additional funds onto your router.
To learn more about why we use this billing model, how we set the price per gigabyte, and the advantages this model has over traditional ISP “speed tier” billing review our customer FAQ page.
Free-tier Service
If your router completely runs out of funds you will always remain connected, but set to our free-tier service, which rate limits your connection down to 2mb/s. This allows for customers who may not immediately be able to afford to reload funds on to their router to maintain a connection to the internet that will provide basic functionality like simple web browsing, e-mail, or a video call. We will never disconnect a customer for non-payment.
Hardware Packages:
Entry Level Package:
Antenna ($99): Ubiquiti Wireless CPE
Router ($96): Linksys EA3650 AC1200+ Dual-band WiFi Router
Package Overview: This router provides roughly 1000sq ft of WiFi coverage and is capable of delivering connections speeds of 100-120mb/s.
Installation Fee: $99
Total Install Cost: $294
High Performance Package:
Antenna ($99): Ubiquiti Wireless CPE
Router ($199): Linksys WRT32x AC3200 Dual-band WiFi Gaming Router
Package Overview: This router provides over 1200sq ft of WiFi coverage and is capable of delivering maximum speeds of from 200mb/s-500mb/s.
Installation Fee: $99
Total Price: $397
Business Service Package:
Antenna ($159): Ubiquiti Pro Wireless CPE
Router ($249): Industrial Micro Firewall Appliance – 4 Port Gigabit Router
Package Overview: The router included in this package is a wired ethernet router capable of speeds up to 1gb/s. This router does not include wireless capabilities by default, but can be added on by request for an additional cost of $45.
Additionally, included in our portfolio of business IT services, we provide small business and enterprise-grade wired and multi-access point wireless deployment services.
For businesses that would also like to host a relay we can add that to your installation upon request.
As the size and requirements of our business customers are all unique the cost for installation is done on a per-case basis, where a bid will be provided upon the initial site inspection.
Installation Fee: bid will be provided at time of site survey
Total Install Cost: varies by location
Note: for large business customers who have an existing provider they want to continue to use our service can be utilized as either a load balanced connection to add additional capacity, or as a low-cost hot-failover backup connection. Special configurations can be provided on request.
Relay Host Package:
Antenna ($249): Various
Router ($199): Linksys WRT32x AC3200 Dual-band WiFi Gaming Router
Relay Revenue: $0.01/GB (relays earn an average of $4/month per customer connected through your relay)
Package Overview: As relays serve the essential core function of growing our network in size and speed by providing bandwidth to customers around them the minimum router required is our Linksys WRT32X router capable of handling a faster connection speed than our entry level router, though other router options are also available. This also means that, by necessity, we work to deliver the fastest connection possible to our relay hosts.
Installation Cost: $249
Total Installation Cost: $697
Further Information About Hosting a Relay
Each relay is custom built by us through a process of carefully choosing specific hardware and finding the ideal location and mounting equipment so that it maximizes it’s benefit to the network as well as the revenue it earns for the customer.
The price listed here is the entry level price for a basic single relay antenna.
While we handle all of the technical details around choosing the ideal hardware and design, however every customer has the option to invest more into their relay depending on their location, the amount of hardware they wish to purchase, and what will best benefit the customers around them and the network as a whole.
In such cases where a customer is interested in hosting higher performance or multiple antennas we will advise them as to their various options, which can potentially include multiple receiving antennas (which increases the customers total speed and reliability of their connection), as well as multiple relay antennas (which can increase the relays earnings).
In large neighborhoods or housing communities with numerous customers it is ideal for neighbors to negotiate with one another as to who wishes to host different varieties of relay equipment. In these cases we are more than happy to coordinate this communication and work with multiple parties to ensure the best result for each relay host, and the customers around them. This is one of the many ways where the more community participation that takes place, the better the quality of service is for everyone.
Relay Hosting Disclaimers:
While relays do provide the owner a certain revenue, in most cases purchasing a relay should not be considered a profit-making investment. Relay earnings fluctuate over time depending on the number of customers around you, as well as their overall bandwidth usage. While there are certain circumstances in which a relay might earn a significant profit, most relays earn enough to significantly and sometimes entirely subsidize a customers monthly service cost.
Anyone has the option (and is encouraged) to host a relay, not all locations are well suited for a relay at the time of their initial customer installation. If this is the case and you wish to host a relay we will keep you on a wait list and notify you at such time when hosting a relay would be practical.
You can find our formal relay operator agreement here.
Customer Satisfaction Guarantee
We are confident that every customer we connect will instantly recognize the advantages our service has compared to other providers. However, if you are not fully satisfied with our service for any reason you can return the hardware within the first 30 days for a full refund, minus the cost of installation.
Custom Installations:
We work with all of our customers on a case-by-base basis to ensure that everything from the installation of hardware to the service we provide meets their needs and expectations. In most cases, any reasonable or common requests, we offer this custom work free of charge as part of the pride we take in our work and the services we provide for our customers.
However, while we always aim to provide the best prices and the highest quality work and materials we ask that our customers understand that any special requests that require additional materials and / or equipment can increase the cost of installation to varying degrees.
Disclaimers and Notes Concerning Equipment and Installation Costs:
We sell all equipment at cost, with zero mark-up. While we offer a quality of service that provides faster speeds and lower costs than other internet providers, we do understand that the upfront cost can be a barrier for entry in some cases. Because of this we offer to work with every customer on a per-case basis to establish convenient payment plans.
We are continually working on ways we can provide equipment, installations, and the cost of our service itself at an ever lower cost to our customers. Along these lines we are also working on plans to be able to provide subsidized equipment, installation, and service fees for low-income families and other demographics in need.
Lastly, due to the continually and quickly changing landscape of supply chains for electronics, and other supplies related to our installations, these prices can be subject to change. However any change in cost will always be promptly communicated to all present and future customers on our website and other forms of direct communications.
Thank you in advance for your understanding. We look forward to continuing to grow our network and providing best-in-class services to residents of the Missoula and Bitterroot valley’s for many years to come.