What Is Fixed Wireless Internet & Why It Feels Faster | Lytwave

How Our Network Works
(And Why It Feels Faster Than You’d Expect)

At Lytwave, we’ve been delivering reliable internet for over 16 years! (formerly known as Mitec). During that time, we’ve seen a lot of confusion about how the internet really works—especially regarding wireless technologies, speeds, and what customers actually need.

Let’s clear a few things up.

Fixed Wireless vs. Satellite: Not the Same Thing

First and foremost, we are not a satellite internet provider.

Our service is fixed wireless, which means we use professionally engineered towers placed on hillsides to deliver internet directly to a directional antenna installed on your home or business. Unlike satellite internet, your connection doesn’t have to travel dozens or even hundreds of miles into space and back. As a result, the less distance the signal travels, the more stable and responsive the experience will be.

Speeds That Are Tested — Not Guessed

When our technicians install your service, they don’t just “turn it on and hope for the best.” They test your connection to ensure it can support all of our advertised speed plans.

In most cases, we can support speeds up to 100 Mbps download / 35 Mbps upload on our standard equipment. If your needs ever exceed that, we can look at custom solutions and upgraded equipment to meet higher demands.  We source reputable wireless product vendors and work closely with them to design service solutions that can achieve up to 10 Gbps!

Why Faster Isn’t Always Better

A common misconception is that higher speeds always mean better internet. Marketing and advertising from other providers often prefer to use "speed" in place of the more accurate term: "Bandwidth".  Think of internet speeds like lanes on a highway or freeway.  The more bandwidth you have, the wider the road gets.

Large providers often sell you a massive freeway—but that freeway is shared with everyone else connected to the same lines in your neighborhood. Even if you’re paying for a Ferrari-level speed plan, congestion can slow everything down.

At Lytwave, we focus on efficient bandwidth, low congestion, and performance that actually matters.

Download, Upload, and What Really Matters

When you run a speed test, you’ll usually see:

• Download speed (how fast you receive data)
• Upload speed (how fast you send data)
• Smaller numbers like latency and jitter

Latency is especially important. It measures how quickly your connection responds.

On our network, latency is often lower than Spectrum’s, which means your internet feels faster and more responsive when:

• Loading web pages
• Streaming Netflix or YouTube
• Joining Zoom meetings
• Gaming or video conferencing

Lower latency = a snappier experience.  We continually monitor and measure our network and average just 10 milliseconds of latency to the edge.  Spectrum has consistently been reported at 30-90 milliseconds to its network edge.

The Truth About What You Actually Need

Here’s a surprising fact:
Zoom only needs about 2 Mbps of upload speed for HD video calls.

Many customers are paying far more speed than they’ll ever use. It’s like going to a car dealership for a daily commuter and being sold a Ferrari when a reliable sedan would do the job better and cost far less.  When other providers market high-speed plans, they're really just selling you excess capacity.  Big providers often upsell massive plans because it benefits them, not because you truly need it.

At Lytwave, we've approached our speed plans and pricing differently and have found the sweet spots between needed capacity and actual usage patterns. This allows us to accurately plan our network growth and avoid congestion on our network as demand increases.  The other fundamental difference between Lytwave and other providers you'll find is that when we provide a service plan, our speeds are guaranteed minimums.  Other providers will often state "speeds up to" meaning they can and often will underperform when network loads exceed their capabilities.  We allow bursts beyond our minimum advertised speeds, so you'll see speeds slightly above your advertised plan when your home or business needs more bandwidth.

Our Philosophy

We believe in:

• Selling you what you actually need
• Providing consistent, low-latency performance
• Delivering reliable service without overselling

That’s how we’ve stayed in business for over 16 years—and why our customers stick with us.