Photo by Vlada Karpovich on Pexels.com TIPS TO OPTIMIZE YOUR WIRELESS NETWORK’S PERFORMANCE In 2020, rural telcos that provide wireless internet access have seen many rapidly developing events that have impacted their businesses.  Instantaneous increases in demand due to COVID, RDOF applications, CBRS Auction and CARES Act money/grants have been pushing rural telcos to optimize network […]

EXTENDING THE LIFE OF YOUR RADIO NETWORK MUNICIPAL BUDGETS IMPACTS The last several months have had a significant impact on Public Safety agencies. Budgets for the next few years have been cut drastically as sales tax revenues drop and the impact the Gallagher Act reduces incoming revenue. To date, the vote on the Gallagher Act has not been decided. Now, municipalities are becoming more conservative in spending. […]

THE PRECIPICE OF RURAL MUNICIPAL BROADBAND Are you a city or town that is considering offering middle and last mile rural municipal broadband connectivity? The need for ubiquitous fiber and wireless infrastructure is at a precipice. Moreover, the pandemic is now driving more people to rural communities and students into remote learning.  If we do […]

Photo by Ekaterina Bolovtsova on Pexels.com If we have learned anything from this pandemic, it is that rural communities’ need better, faster broadband solutions now.  Today, grants for broadband are being pumped into network expansion (fiber and fixed wireless) to satisfy the needs of online learning, work from home, and tele-medicine.  Companies are switching to long […]

In March of 2020 Colorado school districts were forced to offer alternative learning solutions to their remote students. This led to the prioritization of high-speed Internet access. Fiber isn’t everywhere. As a result, many remote students lack access to suitable Internet speeds. Without it, their distance learning coursework can’t be completed. This leaves many students […]

An industry test equipment manufacturer recently estimated up to 40% of all wireless microwave paths are not aligned optimally. We believe it’s more, perhaps as high as 60%, or higher. Of course, it’s a difficult assessment to make. However, we frequently troubleshoot installation issues and have observed thousands of deployments. Optimal antenna alignment ensures the […]

Years of attending and exhibiting at trade shows and vendor exhibits have revealed the four most common mistakes made by both attendees and vendors. Trade shows are usually expensive to attend and can be a major distraction from your day to day activities if not managed properly. Whether you’re an attendee hoping to learn something […]

Defining your “WHY” will transform the way you conduct your business and manage personal relationships. How often do you ask yourself “WHY”? We highly recommend you take the time to watch Simon Sinek’s 18-minute TED talk: How Great Leaders Inspire Action. His presentation is based on his award winning book Start With Why – How […]

Castle Rock Microwave is constantly evaluating different tools, software apps, pieces of test equipment and methods. We do this to help streamline our broadband wireless deployment and maintenance obligations. Everyone loves the allure of new toys, but few have unlimited budgets. One could easily overspend in these areas. This post should help you identify the […]

It's easy to fall into the trap of believing that we're alone in having a certain problem, need or deficiency. You're not alone! This summer we surveyed hundreds of broadband wireless professionals in an effort to understand some of the largest gaps and pain points in the industry. The professionals surveyed included end users in […]