Internet for a New Business Location: Get Online Before the Wired Install

Opening a new location involves a long list of things that must happen in order. Internet is the item that quietly holds up six others. You cannot set up the point of sale without it. You cannot test the card reader, connect the cameras, train staff on the booking system, or receive the emails from the contractor who is late.

And the wired provider's first available appointment is after your opening date. This guide covers how to get a new business location online immediately, how to run it while you wait for a wired install, and whether you need the wired line at all.

Why commercial installs take so long

• Site surveys. The provider may need to confirm the building is serviceable before scheduling anything.
• Construction. If the line does not already reach your unit, someone has to run it. That can involve permits, trenching, or pulling cable through a building.
• Landlord approval. Work in shared conduits, risers, and telecom rooms often needs the property manager's sign off.
• Business account setup. Credit applications, contracts, and sometimes a personal guarantee.
• The appointment calendar. Then you wait your turn.

Each step is reasonable. Together they can run well past a lease start date.

The bridge: internet the day you get the keys

A portable cellular modem skips every step above because it does not touch the building. It is a small box with a SIM card inside and its own unlimited plan. It connects over the cellular network and creates a wifi network in your space.

• No site survey. No construction. No landlord approval. It plugs into an outlet.
• No install appointment. It ships free with the SIM already inside.
• No business credit application. A $100 refundable deposit per modem is the only qualification.
• No contract. Month to month, so a bridge can be exactly as long as you need it.

Order it when you sign the lease and it can be waiting for you when you pick up the keys. If the space is not ready to receive packages, ship it to your home or current location. It works anywhere with signal.

What you can do on day one

• Set up and test the point of sale and card readers.
• Configure tablets, printers, and kitchen or service displays.
• Get cameras recording and viewable.
• Train staff on cloud software before opening day, not during it.
• Give contractors and inspectors a connection for plans, photos, and paperwork.
• Run a soft opening and take real payments.

For build outs where the space is still a construction zone, our job site internet guide covers trailers, dust, and steel.

Which plan for a new location?

For a business location, the Business plan at $149.99 per month is usually the right fit.

• Static IP. If your cameras, VPN, or a vendor portal need a fixed address, you can configure them once. One caution for bridges: when you later move to a wired line, that line will have a different address, so anything tied to the address will need updating then. Our static IP explainer helps you work out whether you need one at all.
• Priority support. Opening week is a bad time to wait in a queue.
• Expedited replacement. If the modem fails, the replacement ships fast.
• Business invoicing. Clean records from the first month of the new location's books.
• Ethernet port on the modem. POS terminals, recorders, or your own router can connect by cable.

If the location only needs wifi for a card reader and a laptop, Residential at $74.99 per month provides the same unlimited data without those features. You can contact us to switch plans in either direction with no fee.

Check signal before you rely on it

Commercial buildings vary. A storefront with a glass front is usually easy. A unit deep inside a concrete and steel building is harder.

When you tour or take possession of the space, check your phone near the front windows and wherever your counter or office will be. Ask your contractor and staff what their phones show too, since different carriers give different results. If phones work well near the glass, you are a strong candidate. The method is in how to check coverage before you buy.

Placement in a commercial space

• Near the storefront glass, up high. A shelf behind the counter near the front often works well.
• Not in the back office if the back office is a windowless room behind a steel door. If your equipment lives back there, run an Ethernet cable from the modem up front, or let wifi carry it.
• Not in the telecom closet or a metal rack. That is where wired equipment goes. This is not wired equipment.
• Away from refrigeration, compressors, and large motors.
• Out of customer reach. The modem is Beakom property.

Test two or three spots on day one and keep the winner. See our modem placement guide and, for steel heavy spaces, the hard buildings guide.

When the wired line finally arrives

You have three options, and none of them involve a penalty.

Option 1: Keep the modem as your backup

You already know it works in the space and your devices already know its network. When the wired line goes down, you switch over and keep selling. A backup that fails differently from your main line is exactly what you want. See backup internet for small business.

Option 2: Move it to the next project

The modem is portable. Take it to the next location you open, a trade show, a pop up, or a job site. Same plan, nothing to update.

Option 3: Cancel

Cancel from the Customer Center. Service runs through the end of the paid month. Send the modem and charger back within 30 days with the prepaid label, and the $100 deposit returns within 10 business days of it arriving. No early termination fee, because there was never a term. Details in how cancelling works.

Or skip the wired line

Some businesses go through the bridge period and realize the bridge is fine. If your location's needs are a POS, a few tablets, email, music, and cloud software, and the modem handles it well through a normal busy week, you may not need to sign a multi year commercial internet agreement at all.

Make that decision on evidence. Run on the modem through opening, including your busiest day. If it holds up, cancel the wired order. If you need more, let the install proceed and keep the modem as backup.

Be honest about heavy needs. A location with many staff on video calls all day, large file transfers, or dozens of connected devices is a better fit for a wired line where one is available.

Other temporary situations this covers

• Remodels, when the old line is disconnected for weeks.
• Relocations, so the new space is live before the old one shuts down.
• Temporary and seasonal space: tax season offices, holiday retail, campaign offices, leasing offices for a new development.
• Disaster recovery, when you are operating from a borrowed space after a flood or fire.
• Provider disputes, when the wired company and the landlord are arguing about whose conduit it is. You do not have to wait for them to finish.

New location internet checklist

1. Check phone signal at the space during the lease process.
2. Order the modem when you sign. Track it on Track Order.
3. Place the wired order too, if you want one. It is the slow item, so start the clock.
4. Day one: test placement, keep the best spot.
5. Join every business device to the modem's network. Set a strong password. See our wifi security guide.
6. Run a test transaction on every reader.
7. Open on schedule.
8. When the wired line arrives: keep the modem as backup, redeploy it, or cancel.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need an EIN or a business credit check?
No. A $100 refundable deposit per modem is the only qualification, for either plan.

How long can I use it as a bridge?
As long as you like. It is month to month, with no minimum and no maximum.

Can I use my own router with it?
The Business modem has an Ethernet port, so equipment that accepts an Ethernet internet connection can plug in. Configuration of your router is up to you or your IT provider.

Will the static IP stay the same if I move the modem to another location?
Yes. It is tied to your line, not to an address.

I am opening three locations this year.
One modem can bridge them one after another, or order one per location. Each modem is its own plan and deposit.

The bottom line

Do not let an install calendar set your opening date. A portable modem gets the new location online the day you get the keys, carries you through opening, and then becomes your backup, your next location's bridge, or a returned box with your deposit on the way back.

See How it Works for the ordering process.