Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some questions which
people frequently ask us.

How Do I Find My Lat/long For A Survey ?

Every location on the planet has a Latitude and Longitude. This information pinpoints your location which helps our network engineer find you on a map in relation to our known radio access points, which provide the connectivity.

This is what Lat/long info looks like: 56.840032, -5.095156

On your smart phone
If you have an iPhone open the compass app and this will show you your Lat/Long. You should copy and paste your Lat/Long when you are outside the front of your property.

You can open Google Maps or any other Mapping app. Usually a blue marker shows your location on the map when you are connected to the internet (3G/4G or slow internet) Tap or right-click the location to find the co-ordinates. You can also right-click on a Google Map and select “What’s Here”, then copy the co-ordinates.

On your browser
Open Bing Maps or Google Maps

Click one of the mapping tools above then type in your address or move the map around to find your location. Right-click your location and copy the Lat/Long, and add this info to your enquiry.

Will I Need To Buy Another Router ?

We provide a router with the installation.
We cannot offer support for other brands.

What Happens If I Leave The Scheme

This will be set out in the terms and conditions.

If you want to unsubscribe from the scheme but have a relay outside your house which is vital for others who are part of the scheme, we’ll try and find an alternative site for the relay. Failing this, we will request for you to kindly keep providing the power to this relay as part of the community spirit upon which Comms West is based.

If you are moving house, the new inhabitants of the house can take over the existing contract and pay only a “take over” fee (rather than a new connection fee) providing the equipment has been left in working order.

Does Bad Weather Affect The Connection ?

No. Rain or snow do not affect the connection.

Obviously, we cannot predict/prevent power cuts by falling trees, antennae damaged by debris during storms and anything else which nature throws at us but we aim to restore any lost connection within the shortest possible time under safe conditions.

A tree obstructing the view may need to be trimmed. Clear line of sight is very important.

What Broadband Speed Will We Be Getting ?

We aim to provide everyone with an upload of 10Mb and a download speed of maximum 30Mb to start with. Depending on the time of the day and the amount of traffic at that time, speeds will fluctuate. This is normal.

I Am Still On A Contract With Another Provider - What Do I Do ?

You can check with your current provider to see how much it would cost you to cancel your agreement. You can then either decide to sign up to our scheme at a later date OR you can sign up to Comms West and have it running at the same time as your current provider until your contract expires.

The Comms West installation does not use your phone line to provide a service.