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Choosing the right router frequency can affect upload and download speeds within structures more than your customers realize.

Blacksburg, Virginia, 10/11/2021

The wireless router uses radio frequencies to transmit internet to user devices. The difference between 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz WiFi comes down to three factors: speed, interference and range.

2.4 GHz wireless networks cover a broader range than 5 GHz networks but at lower speeds. The faster 5 GHz frequency does not penetrate solid objects as well as 2.4 GHz signals, and this limits the reach of 5 GHz frequencies within the structure. So, is 5 GHz useful? Absolutely! If the router is near the receiving device (in the same room) the user can take advantage of the faster transmission speeds and reduced congestion.

Dual-band routers can be set it to transmit at both frequencies at the same time.

In January 2021, Parks Associates released a study indicating 41% of US households took part in a Telehealth visit in 2020; Half of all kids under 18 have a high degree of interest in continuing with Telehealth visits; and 29% of households expect to purchase a connected health product in the next 12 months.

The industry leapt through 5 to 10 years of development in just a few months. Telehealth opportunities for everyone, combined with an increased use of smart fitness devices and a need for healthcare in a world subject to massive quarantine, contributed to the rapid progress and increased Telehealth offerings by medical practices all over the country. Apple watches, Fitbits and other fitness wearables are potentially capable of detecting wearers are getting sick more than a week before the first symptom appears, according to a study conducted by Stanford Medicine's Healthcare Innovation Lab. More studies are being conducted to see if this is the case with COVID-19 infections.

Medicaid is getting in on the Telehealth movement and worked with Centene Corporation to create a partnership with the National Association of Community Health Centers. $5 million will be spent on equipment and providing "training and technical assistance to Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) to ramp-up their capacity to provide telehealth solutions."

It has never been more important for rural cooperatives to find solutions for bringing 100 mbps symmetric Internet services out to rural and underserved areas. WideOpen Networks helps communities establish and manage new Gigabit networks that lower the costs of telephone, TV, and Internet services for businesses, local government, and residents. We can help your community leaders assess a wide variety of business models that work.

Our sister company is making headlines!

Blacksburg company to expand fiber internet network as competition grows in New River Valley

BLACKSBURG — Choices for internet in town are rapidly changing.

WideOpen Blacksburg, the product of a company based at the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center, plans to deploy approximately 40 miles of fiber over the next year that will be capable of servicing up to roughly 8,000 homes in neighborhoods off North and South Main Street.

The fiber, already available to 80 customers in the Indian Run and Deer Run neighborhoods just outside of Blacksburg, allows residents to tap into top tier internet speeds that are not available to every home across the region.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has raised the need for more reliable internet service as many people have switched to working from home, said Andrew Cohill, the president and CEO of WideOpen Networks Inc.

"WideOpen plans to first expand to the Blacksburg neighborhoods of Airport Acres and Tom’s Creek Village," Cohill said.

Read more at the Roanoke Times

Check out our latest issue of FiberBits, where we talk about some of the current use trends we are seeing, especially the growth in work from home and business from activity.