Frequently asked questions
Answers to the questions people ask before and after they sign up with Hudson Valley Wireless. Last updated 2026-09-27.
Coverage and getting a quote
How we check your address and what a quote includes.
How do I find out if Hudson Valley Wireless serves my address?
Enter your address on hvwisp.com. A local rep checks it against the network — fiber, fixed wireless, or both — and sends you a personal quote, usually the same business day. There is no automated checker and no plan menu: availability depends on the address, so a person looks at it. No account, no credit check, no commitment.
Which New York counties does Hudson Valley Wireless serve?
Hudson Valley Wireless serves 9 New York counties: Albany, Essex, Franklin, Lewis, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Warren and Washington. Coverage is checked address by address, not by the town line, so send us the address even if you are near the edge of a county.
What does a quote include, and does it cost anything?
A quote is free. Give us your name, email, phone and service address, and we send a complete quote covering the plan available at your address, the equipment and the installation. There is no obligation and no credit check.
How long does it take to get a quote?
Usually the same business day. A local rep reviews what the network can deliver at your address and emails a personal quote. If you have not heard from us within one business day, call (518) 458-7006 or email info@hvwisp.com.
Installation and equipment
What happens on install day, and who owns what.
What happens on installation day?
An HVW technician surveys the site, mounts a small weatherproof antenna (or connects the fiber terminal where we have built fiber), runs the cable, sets up the router, then aligns and speed-tests the connection — and does not leave until it works. A responsible adult must be present during the visit.
How much does installation cost?
Home internet starts with $1 down. Standard installation covers a single-story home with a clear cable path of under 100 feet. Anything outside that — masts, tripods, chimney or tree mounts, buried or aerial cable, multi-story buildings — is quoted and approved by you before any work is done, never added afterward.
Installation terms (MSA section 5)
Do I need a clear line of sight to a tower?
For fixed wireless, yes — the antenna needs a clear or near-clear radio path to one of our towers, and the technician confirms it during the site survey before anything is mounted. Fiber addresses do not need line of sight. Keeping trees on your own property out of the path is your responsibility; we will tell you if an obstruction starts to degrade service.
Who owns the equipment, and what if it breaks?
The antenna, radio, mounting hardware, router and any fiber terminal remain Hudson Valley Wireless property. We repair or replace equipment that fails in normal use at no charge. Damage from lightning, wind, hail, fire, flood, vandalism or misuse is your responsibility and is often covered by homeowner's or renter's insurance. When service ends, return the indoor equipment within 30 days.
Equipment terms (MSA section 8)
Does rain or snow affect the connection?
Minimal weather impact. Fixed wireless signals travel a few miles from a nearby tower, not to a satellite, and the outdoor antenna is built for wind, rain, snow and ice. Heavy ice or debris on an antenna can degrade service; call us if that happens.
Speeds, technology and reliability
What the network is and how it compares.
How fast is Hudson Valley Wireless home internet?
Home internet starts at $39.90 per month for 150 Mbps download / 30 Mbps upload in select areas, with plans up to 1 Gbps. Fiber, where we have built it, is symmetrical. The speeds available depend on your address, which is why a rep verifies it before sending your quote.
How is this different from satellite or cellular internet?
Hudson Valley Wireless is a purpose-built hybrid fiber-optic network: fiber where we have built it and next-generation fixed wireless everywhere else, both riding the same fiber and microwave backbone. Responsiveness is 5–20 ms (1–5 ms on fiber) against 20–600 ms for satellite. No data caps, minimal weather impact, and internet only — no TV package, no phone line, no bundle to hold your price.
Are there data caps or throttling?
No. Residential plans have no monthly data cap, no usage thresholds and no usage-based billing. During congestion we manage the network in an application-agnostic way, as described in our Open Internet Compliance Statement.
Open Internet Compliance Statement
Will I get full speed in every room?
The connection is delivered to the router; how far Wi-Fi reaches depends on your home. Managed In-Home Wi-Fi adds professional-grade access points placed for your layout, remote management and priority support, so every room — including basements, garages and outdoor spaces — gets full speed. It is optional on Basic through Smart Home plans and included on Smart Home+ and above.
Is it good for video calls, gaming and working from home?
Yes. Responsiveness of 5–20 ms (1–5 ms on fiber) is what video calls, gaming and remote desktop need, and symmetrical fiber where available keeps uploads fast.
Latency, jitter and bandwidth explained
Billing and your account
Paying, changing plans, moving and cancelling.
Is there a contract or an early-termination fee?
No. Residential service is month-to-month with no minimum term and no early-termination fee. Your monthly price does not change without at least 30 days' written notice, and you can cancel without penalty before a price change takes effect.
How does the 30-day money-back guarantee work?
If you are not satisfied with your new residential service for any reason, cancel within 30 days of activation — by email, phone, mail or through your online account. We remove exterior equipment at no charge, you return the indoor equipment, and we refund what you have paid, including the $1 down and monthly fees, to your original payment method within 30 days of receiving the equipment. It applies once per customer, per service address.
What do "$1 down" and "first month free" mean?
You pay $1 at installation and your first month of service is free; regular monthly billing starts on your next billing cycle. The plan, price and any promotional terms are stated in your Confirmation of Sale, and there is no promotional rate that steps up later.
How do I pay my bill?
Bills are emailed to your account email address, and you can view invoices and pay in the Customer Portal — new and recently migrated accounts at connect.hvwisp.com, older accounts at portal.hvwisp.com. Not sure which? Call (518) 458-7006. A mailed paper invoice is available for a $5 monthly fee.
Can I change my plan?
Yes. Upgrade or downgrade at any time with no plan-change fee. The change takes effect at the start of your next monthly billing cycle.
I'm moving. Can I take my service with me?
Contact us before you move. If the new address is in our service area we transfer the service and re-install the equipment there — please do not move the equipment yourself. If we cannot serve the new address, you can cancel with no early-termination fee and return the equipment.
How do I cancel?
Email info@hvwisp.com, use the Customer Portal, call (518) 458-7006, or write to us at 11 Cannon Street, Green Island, NY 12183. We confirm every cancellation in writing, and it takes effect at the end of the billing cycle you have paid for. Return HVW equipment within 30 days. There is no cancellation fee.
Support and troubleshooting
What to check first and how to reach us.
My internet is down. What should I check first?
Check the Network Alerts page for a known outage in your area. Then make sure the antenna's power adapter (the PoE injector) and the router both have power, and restart them: unplug both, wait 30 seconds, plug in the antenna's adapter first, then the router. If you are still offline after a few minutes, open a support ticket or call (518) 458-7006.
Network Alerts · Open a support ticket
What are your support hours, and who answers?
Phone (518) 458-7006, Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM Eastern. Email info@hvwisp.com and we respond within one business day. The person who answers works in Upstate New York, and local technicians provide remote or on-site support — whichever it takes.
How do I open a support ticket or book an appointment?
Submit a ticket from the Contact page, or schedule a phone call or Teams meeting with sales, support or billing at a time that suits you, so there is no waiting on hold. Customers can also track their tickets in the Customer Portal.
Will I be charged for a service call?
Not if the problem is with the HVW service or equipment. If a technician visits and the issue is on your side of the router — your own devices, network gear or software — the visit is billable at the rates in the Master Services Agreement, and we tell you before scheduling when a charge may apply. Managed In-Home Wi-Fi customers get up to 30 minutes of remote device troubleshooting per month at no charge.
Service call rates (MSA section 7)
Which customer portal should I use?
New customers and recently migrated accounts use connect.hvwisp.com. Older accounts that have not been migrated use portal.hvwisp.com for billing history and account information. If you are not sure, call (518) 458-7006 or email info@hvwisp.com and we will point you in the right direction.
Policies and legal
Short answers that link to the full documents.
Where can I read your terms, privacy policy and other legal documents?
All seven are on the Regulatory & Compliance page: the Master Services Agreement, the 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee, the Website Terms and Conditions, the Acceptable Use Policy, the DMCA Policy, the Open Internet Compliance Statement and the Privacy Policy.
Do you sell my personal information?
No. Hudson Valley Wireless does not sell your personal information, does not share it for other companies' marketing, and does not use it to train AI. The Privacy Policy explains what we collect, why, and how to exercise your state privacy rights.
Do you block, throttle or prioritize traffic?
We do not block lawful content and we do not throttle by application. During congestion, traffic is allocated by service tier — not by content, application or device — as the Open Internet Compliance Statement describes.
Open Internet Compliance Statement
What if I dispute a charge?
Tell us within 60 days of the invoice and pay the undisputed part; we will not suspend service over an amount that is under good-faith review. Most concerns are resolved by customer service at (518) 458-7006 or info@hvwisp.com, and the Master Services Agreement describes the steps after that.
Disputes (MSA sections 4 and 12)
Business and government
The same local network, engineered for uptime.
Do you serve businesses and government?
Yes — primary business internet, backup and failover, dedicated internet access, and government and municipal connectivity, from the same local team and the same local number. Call or email and ask for the business team.
Business internet · Government and municipal
Can I use Hudson Valley Wireless as a backup connection?
Yes. Fixed wireless runs on a different physical path from a wired connection, which makes it a natural failover for a business that cannot afford downtime.