The company's connection to a nearby WISP helps it advise customers on selecting the right equipment for the job.

by Jeff Goldman [October 4, 2006]

Defacto Wireless Distribution was founded two and a half years ago by the owners of the wireless ISP Texas Broadband. Lance Jahnke, the company's director of marketing, says that with nobody else in Texas distributing wireless equipment at the time, they simply saw a market opportunity and took it.

The aim, Jahnke says, is to serve as a one-stop shop and full-service online store for just about any wireless equipment anyone could need. And it's not just for Texas—the company distributes both nationwide and internationally. "We have a salesman in Slovakia handling the European accounts, and we have several representatives here that sell to pretty much all of North America and South America," he says.

Defacto Wireless Distribution 12775 LBJ Drive, Brenham, Texas 77833 List of contacts

It's Texas Broadband's experience in the wireless industry, Jahnke says, that really makes Defacto stand out. "Coming from the ISP business, we know the equipment, we know what it does, we stay current on the new items coming up—and when a customer calls in, they're not just ordering items or parts from us: they actually get some background on how to put it together and make it work," he says.

And Jahnke says that kind of advice is very attractive to most of the company's customers. "We do have some large companies that already understand the equipment—they know what they want, and they know how to set it up—but the large majority of our customers that call in are looking for some guidance," he says.

On the cutting edge
Another benefit of the connection to Texas Broadband is the company's ability to try new equipment as it comes out. "We can test some of these products out when we get them in," Jahnke says. "Before we start selling a new product on the market, we like to let Texas Broadband have some components, put them out and try them, and then we get feedback from them."

As part of that effort, Jahnke says, Defacto is constantly keeping an eye out for new equipment. "We want to stay out there on the cutting edge—we want to offer the latest," he says. "We have a good test area for it, so we always try to get in new products and test them out. Then once we find out they're good, we start selling them."

Defacto sells products from a wide range of manufacturers, from AirMatrix to Zinwell. "We don't try to push one manufacturer over the other," Jahnke says. "We try to recommend whatever product will fit the application. We have pretty much anything from the customer to the AP."

And if Defacto doesn't carry it, Jahnke says, they'll get it. "We can get other components that we're not advertising to our customers," he says. "If we don't have, say, a certain name brand radio or antenna in stock, we can go out and source it for the customer, get them a quote and a freight estimate, and get that item to them."

Pricing and returns
It's difficult, Jahnke says, to use pricing as a differentiator—but Defacto does its best. "We do try to stay very competitive in the market here in the U.S.—we want to be at competitive pricing," he says. "There are some items that of course you can't be competitive on, but that's why we try to add value in terms of the knowledge of how the equipment works and how to get it set up."

Defacto processes returns within 30 days of delivery, but doesn't offer any additional warranty on the products it sells. "We fall back on the manufacturer's warranty, but we process the return for the customer," Jahnke says. "We don't leave them out there to deal directly with the manufacturer: we handle it through our office."

In addition to the guidance and support that Defacto provides, Jahnke says good customer service is very important. "We strive for that," he says. "Every company's had their glitches, but we try to handle our customers with a more personal atmosphere than just a mail order company. We want to get to know our customers—we want to know their business, and we want to help them."

—End