Backup internet for business, built for retail.

Backup internet for business is a secondary internet connection that takes over automatically when your primary connection fails, keeping payment processing, POS, and critical applications online. Waveform's version pairs your existing wired connection with cellular backup and automatic failover, so a network outage at one provider never becomes costly downtime for your store.

Yes, with one caveat: the router needs power. Cellular networks typically stay up when local power goes down, so pairing the Core Router with a small battery backup (UPS) keeps payments and POS running through most power outages. Many stores put the router and payment terminal on the same UPS.

Yes. Waveform Internet sits underneath your POS, so anything that works on a normal internet connection works with us. Square, Toast, Lightspeed, Shopify POS, Clover, Revel, Heartland, and other cloud-based processors all work. Payment and POS traffic can be prioritized and protected, so your card reader isn't competing with guest Wi-Fi or signage when the network is under stress.

Your store stays online. When one connection fails or starts degrading, we automatically switch traffic to the healthy path. Critical traffic can run across both networks at the same time, so payments and POS are protected even during the moment of failure. Our team gets the alert as soon as something starts going wrong, usually before anyone in the store notices. Network outages stop being store outages.

Fast enough for a busy retail store, including payments, POS, inventory sync, music, cameras, guest Wi-Fi, and back-office tools. Most traffic runs at the native speed of whichever connection is healthiest. The bonded path is designed for resilience, not maximum speed, and is capped around 200 Mbps. That's still far more bandwidth than payment traffic needs. A card transaction is tiny.

We treat the fleet as one account, whether you run two locations or a medium-sized business with fifty. Each unit ships preconfigured for its specific store, billing is centralized, and your team has one point of contact who understands the rollout. Once locations are online, we monitor them 24/7 to keep operations running smoothly and surface the issues that actually need attention.

We don't currently offer a customer-facing dashboard. The point of the service is that you don't have to watch another dashboard. We monitor the things you'd be monitoring and tell you when something needs action.

For most retail backup setups, we ship a Core Router preconfigured for your store, with built-in 5G and the SIM already installed. Some configurations also include a 5G Add-On Modem for more cellular capacity or network diversity. Everything is commercial-grade Peplink hardware designed to run continuously. Mounting and antenna options depend on the store. If your setup is unusual, we size it with you before shipping.

Quick deployment is the point: usually about a week per location. Configuration takes a day or two, shipping is typically 3 to 5 days, and install is under 5 minutes. For chain rollouts, we can ship to multiple locations in parallel. The rollout pace is usually limited by store logistics, not by configuration work.

Some locations need an antenna survey or custom mounting hardware. When that's likely, we flag it before you order.

Waveform Internet doesn't certify PCI compliance for your store on its own. That's still a merchant-level responsibility. But our network design is compatible with the technical pieces most retailers care about. We can segment payment traffic on a separate VLAN from guest Wi-Fi and other store traffic, and the Core Router can be configured for common PCI-DSS networking requirements. If you have an audit coming up, talk to us and we'll walk through the specifics.

Failover means switching from a failed connection to a backup connection after the first one breaks, with no manual failover step needed. Most backup internet products work this way, so you may still see a short interruption when the backup takes over.

Bonding means multiple connections are active at the same time. Waveform uses selective bonding for the traffic where interruptions are expensive, like payments, POS, VoIP, and VPNs. Everything else uses intelligent failover and whichever connection is performing best.

No. The hardware arrives preconfigured. Installation is attaching the antennas, connecting your existing internet line, plugging in power, and waiting for the unit to come online. If anything is off, we can configure and troubleshoot remotely. You shouldn't need to become the IT department to get resilient internet.

T-Mobile Business Internet Backup is a simpler product: a single 5G connection that can take over when your primary ISP fails. It's cheaper and it may be enough for some stores with light internet needs that can live with its data limits.

Waveform is for stores that need a more managed setup. We run your existing ISP and a separate 5G connection at the same time, protect critical traffic with selective bonding, include the hardware and SIM, and monitor the connection 24/7. If an offline minute is genuinely expensive, that difference matters.

SD-WAN (software-defined wide area networking) services usually assume you already have multiple internet connections and backup links, the right hardware, and someone technical to configure and maintain it. Waveform includes the missing pieces: the second connection, the cellular plan, the router, configuration, monitoring, and support.

If you already have multiple ISPs and an IT team that wants to manage SD-WAN, that may be the better route. If you want the outcome without building the stack yourself, Waveform is the simpler path.

Yes. We offer primary internet tiers using cellular, as well as backup internet service tiers that add resilience to the internet plan you already have. For most retail stores, backup is the better fit: keep the wired connection you already have and add an active cellular path on top. Primary makes sense when local ISP options are poor, fiber installation is delayed, or the site is too remote for reliable wired service.

Yes. Rural stores are often a good fit because wired options can be limited, unreliable, or slow to install. We check cellular availability at your exact business address before shipping, so you know what to expect before you commit. If signal is borderline, we can include an external antenna.

Yes. Starlink can be one of the connections in the setup. This is useful for rural stores and remote areas where the best design is real infrastructure diversity, not two services from one provider: satellite plus cellular, rather than two services that depend on the same local wires.

There are no overage fees and no surprise bills. On Smart, the tier most retail stores run, your data is unlimited: no throttling, no deprioritization, and no separate allowance for the traffic we protect.

On Essential, the cellular connection is backup only. It stays dormant until your primary line drops, then carries 10 GB per month. If you go over during an outage, that's on us. If a store leans on backup every month, Smart is the better fit and we'll say so.

Send it back within the first 30 days for a full refund, including hardware. No restocking fees, no long contract, no awkward cancellation call. We check coverage before shipping, so failed locations are uncommon, but the return path is simple if it happens.

No. The internet service is month to month and you can cancel anytime. The hardware is yours to keep after a few months of service, depending on whether you bought it upfront or chose rent-to-own. If it isn't working for you in the first 30 days, return it for a full refund.

In most cases, yes. Your existing router can stay in place doing what it does today. Waveform sits in front of it and manages the multi-WAN logic. If your network is more complex, with VLANs, firewall rules, VoIP requirements, or unusual equipment, we'll review it with you before shipping.