Unfortunately, there are a plethora of ways to implement a wireless network. I see it is not satellite,...which is good.
Ignore the Internet sales guy that tells you, "our network is 802.x based". There are several ways to implement this.
1) One method uses a network mesh, where all antennaes are used to relay traffic and the best one wins. This system is dependent on wide deployment in concentrated living areas. This is a decent system, requiring special equipment at each antenna/node. It works well, when deployed in large neighborhoods, but can suffer from thrashing if the deployment is includes too many nodes.
2) Another uses a point-to-point approach, where you get what you get, but it may not be steady as all users are sharing one antenna at the base station (ISP).
3) Then there is the system that uses a mix of the above. One home in an area is designated a central relay point and others make up the mesh. Typically, you would see this approach in a neighborhood where the home owners association has an office, or in an apartment complex. The ISP might run a land line to the central base station, then use wireless to communicate to the base station. Either #1 or #2 could be used for the wireless deployment. Or the ISP may use wireless to the base station as well.
Then you have the actual signal. It may require line-of-sight, it may not. It may require many repeaters, depending on the distance, it may not.
Basically, wireless is a grab bag. For the consumer to make a good choice requires a lot of time to understand what is being deployed by the ISP.
Unfortuntely, a lot of ISP's are being sold a bill of goods in this area as they have very little expertise in wireless. They just know they need to get away from the incumbent telephone company in order to survive.
It is an evolving market and it will get better, but it will take more time.
