Skamokawa Internet Services completed a recent expansion which will greatly increase the number of homes and businesses that can access the service. Skamokawa Internet is primarily a wireless internet service provider using fixed transmitters to reach permanently installed receivers at client locations. Internet speeds available depend on signal strength with plans starting at 25 Mbps and topping out at 90 Mbps for wireless customers. “Our new transmitter site is located just west of Vista Park on top of the ridge and reaches west, middle and east valleys in Skamokawa. Potential customers ideally have “line of sight” coverage to the transmitter from their location for the best service. The new transmitter also reaches customers east and south of Skamokawa” according to Steve Carson, owner of Skamokawa Internet Services. “I hope that we can provide critical internet service for students, teachers, and those required to work from home due to current restrictions in place.”
Skamokawa Internet Services started in 2018 when Carson and his wife moved to Skamokawa. Both of them owned home-based businesses and fast reliable internet was critical to their moving here. Working with the Northwest Open Access Network, a wholesale internet provider, Carson was able to anchor the network with a high-speed fiber backbone. “Wireless delivery is the most economical way to connect homes and businesses to the internet”, according to Carson. “With help from the community, we were able to grow to over fifty customers from the initial transmitter site. With our new site, we could easily double our customer base in the coming months.”
The new site is 100% solar powered with a 650-watt solar panel. Remote monitoring and connectivity are accomplished with a 5 GHz microwave link providing a 400 Mbps connection back to the fiber backbone. Two 120 degrees, 5 GHz microwave transmitters allow client connections from northwest of the site to due south of the site. High definition security cameras will provide an overview of the location as well as sweeping views of the river and valleys.