Satellite Internet access...

[blueonblack]

Can anyone out there in The Real World (where such mythological things as DSL and cable exist) give me any input on satellite internet access? I am seriously considering HughesNet, as the only alternative to dialup here. (If you mention broadband around here, the locals start fingering their pitchforks and muttering about congress with the Devil...). I have never been blessed with anything other than dialup, so wanted to be sure what I was reading.

The professed speeds for the package I am considering are 1.6 Mbps max download (typically 900 Kbps to 960 Kbps during peak periods) and 250 Kbps upload (typically 130 Kbps to 150 Kbps during peak periods). Forgive my ignorance, but are these Kbps numbers the same as the "K" in 56K? I typically connect here at 42K to 49K. If I am reading the numbers right, that figures to roughly 20 times my current download speed. Upload is obviously slower but not nearly as important to me.

I am trying to get as much info as possible, since this requires a 2-year commitment. I can cancel in the first 30 days but still have to shell out the "installation fee" of $300. So, any input in the area at all would be great, sound off!

Thanks.
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[Bopher]

My information is kinda old and probably wrong by todays standards but a few years ago satellite access was limited to close to broadband downloads but you still were limited to 56k upload via dial-up. There was bi-directional talk going on where you would be at the whims of nature. I believe there was a thread around here talking about satellite internet I'll see if I can find it.

[xRyokenx]

The owner of another website I used to frequent quite a bit has satellite internet and hates it. Then again, managing a website, even if it's on another server, probably takes quite a bit of bandwidth to do. So I dunno.

You are at the mercy of nature though... if satellite internet is anything like satellite TV anyways.

[BerticusPryme]

a friend of mine has wild blue another satelite provider and he really enjoys it.from what I understand they are a little cheaper than hughesnet so you may want to check there also

[crenn]

I've heard it's alright. The closest thing I have is my mobile which gets 1.6mbps (although I hardly use that much bandwidth).

[nevermind1534]

And remember that it's in kilobits and megabits. They are 1/8th of Kilobytes and Megabytes, respectively.

[mtekk]

A friend of mine has Wild Blue, which is two way through the dish. The biggest complaint about it is lag, you will not be playing any online FPS with it that's for sure. As the others have said, it is at the mercy of poor weather conditions, especially outgoing data. But other than that, if you live in the sticks, its probably the best you can get.

[halcyonforever]

Lag is really bad, voice communication is neigh impossible, and FPS games are dead in the water.

Basically it just takes longer for the upstream to turn around in a downstream (even with an on-dish upstream) that any sort of bi-directional communication suffers serious lag.

But for browsing web pages... general internet... it should be sufficient.

(Used to work for Dish Network back when we were pushing StarBand, and have experience through other friends that have it)

[Snowman]

I just so happen to be certified instructor/installer in wild blue and Hughes Net. Wild Blue only has 2 satellites right now and lag is definitely an issue. HughesNet just launched a new service that is 5 meg down and later to be upgraded to 10 meg down. It is all two way communication as far as Hughes and WildBlue goes. Depending on what area your in I can even recommend a person to do your install or if your close enough I would be glad to help out. If you have any questions I would be more than happy to help.

[FuzzyPlushroom]

Speed isn't the problem today, it's ping time (as mentioned; if you play any online games, keep a dialup account for 'em), weather, and - yes, cost. A friend of mine pays $70 a month and paid close to ten times that to have it installed - and his satellite connection is slower, both ways, than my 1.5/384 DSL (which is $30 a month).

[nevermind1534]

You can get netzero dial-up for free for 10 hours a month. They try to hide it, though, and there are ads, but you can't beat the price.

[blueonblack]

You can get netzero dial-up for free for 10 hours a month.

Cheap is good, but free is hard to beat. :D

10 hours a month wouldn't do it for me, but thanks for the info, didn't know there were any free ISPs left out there.
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[blueonblack]

Speed isn't the problem today, it's ping time (as mentioned; if you play any online games, keep a dialup account for 'em)

Thankfully I am not looking for online gaming, just browsing and file downloads that don't require a nap between keystrokes. I actually signed for and tried out Alltel wireless Internet this very night. For $60 a month I can get *77K* download speeds! Woooo hoooo!! Think I'll stick with my 45 for $18. Taking this POS back to them tomorrow.
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[TheGreatSatan]

What about an air card with dock from Verizon (http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/store/controller?item=phoneFirst&action=viewPhoneDetail&selectedPhoneId=3926) or something? That's got to be cheaper than $300!

[blueonblack]

What about an air card with dock from Verizon (http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/store/controller?item=phoneFirst&action=viewPhoneDetail&selectedPhoneId=3926) or something? That's got to be cheaper than $300!

No doubt, this was my first thought. I tried Alltel's service, that's where I got the whopping 77K connection speed, on one of their air cards. No thanks. I am outside Verizon's and Sprint's "mobile broadband" coverage area, meaning I could expect similar speeds through their wireless service. AT&T's map shows me just barely inside theirs so I plan to try it later today. Wish me luck, because I think I've decided to keep my dialup before I risk $300 for nothing. I can think of some VERY cool stuff I could put inside my new build for $300. :)

Hopefully I'll be updating this post later tonight with something other than smoke signals and cave drawings.
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