blk02banshee Posted April 11, 2005 Report Share Posted April 11, 2005 Does anyone here use or have experience with satellite internet access? My new house is way out in the sticks, and I was told by both the phone and cable company that I will never see high speed internet there, for at least 10 years. Now, my only two options are dial-up, or satellite. The satellite system I was looking at is $60/month + $500 to buy the equipment. The download speed is between 500 and 800 kbps and upload is 50kbps, which is better than dial-up, but no where near the 3800+ kbps cable I'm on now . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ducman Posted April 12, 2005 Report Share Posted April 12, 2005 I looked into it because I'm in that situation now, although I didn't go that route because we are supposed to get cable sometime this summer. I have satelite TV now. Dish and direct want the same fees as you mentioned with 2 year min subscription. I found one company that was local, not dish or direct, but the equiptment/ install was only $200 and $30/ mo. w/ one year subscription. UP/download speeds were similar to what you listed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlnoss Posted April 12, 2005 Report Share Posted April 12, 2005 I've been on Direcway for several years now. It's the only high-speed available since I'm out in the sticks also. It's pretty reliable but goes away during some storms. It's better than 28.8 which is all I can get on the phone line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
01bansheefox Posted April 12, 2005 Report Share Posted April 12, 2005 If your just surfing/internet use etc... its good but if you do like online gaming or other related things 56k is just as good or sometimes better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dnhyoung Posted April 12, 2005 Report Share Posted April 12, 2005 Are you to far out for microwave, or is it even available in your area. For a couple of years, I had it, and it worked really well, and was only about $30.00 a month with a 1 year minimum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
locogato11283 Posted April 12, 2005 Report Share Posted April 12, 2005 i have direcway satellite internet and its ok. better than dial up but not nearly as good as cable. when it rains hard or the wind blows hard it goes out but is usually back on pretty quick. price is the same as what you mentioned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STLBILL Posted April 12, 2005 Report Share Posted April 12, 2005 Aurora seems to have several providers of wi-fi (the "microwave" stuff). If you are in that place you posted pictures of a while back just throw a twenty-foot antenna up, point it toward Chicago and you might be able to surf faster than cable. Go to www.dslreports.com and punch in your zip code. The reason satellite doesn't work well for online gaming is because of the distance the signal has to travel. Geosynchronous satellites are about 22,000 miles high. This means your Internet has to run 88,000 miles more than the ours - constantly. I think the satellite signal itself is a four-stroke because it only goes about 186,000 miles per second. Putting a set of CPIs on it does not good at all. -Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loganskinner Posted April 12, 2005 Report Share Posted April 12, 2005 there is some satellite company that provides a service around central florida that is supposed to be as fast or faster than cable, but its $98.00 a month. i could be wrong, but ive had 2 people tell me that they looked into it and the price was rediculous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ledofthezep Posted April 12, 2005 Report Share Posted April 12, 2005 I've been on Direcway for several years now. It's the only high-speed available since I'm out in the sticks also. It's pretty reliable but goes away during some storms. It's better than 28.8 which is all I can get on the phone line. 353667[/snapback] I'm looking into the same service myself...dialup where I live now I'm lucky to get a 26.4 connection! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minkia38 Posted April 12, 2005 Report Share Posted April 12, 2005 Aurora seems to have several providers of wi-fi (the "microwave" stuff). If you are in that place you posted pictures of a while back just throw a twenty-foot antenna up, point it toward Chicago and you might be able to surf faster than cable. I think the satellite signal itself is a four-stroke because it only goes about 186,000 miles per second. Putting a set of CPIs on it does not good at all. -Bill 353836[/snapback] I'm very interested about the huge antennae things... anyone know any infp about picking up those micro-waves??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blk02banshee Posted April 12, 2005 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2005 Thanks for all the replys. Bill, I'm no longer in Aurora, but that microwave wi-fi thing sounds interesting. I think you have to be within so many yards of the transmitter for it to work, though. I'm going to have to ask the people in my area what they use. My closest neighbor is a doctor and has a mansion, so I'm sure they have something decent. Maybe I can just pay them to let me link into their service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sredish Posted April 12, 2005 Report Share Posted April 12, 2005 Ok, here's the deal. It's fairly fast but not instant. It usually works pretty good, but like Dave said, in a bad storm or something, it could go down temporarily. If you can't get DSL/Cable or any other wired high-speed, you can't beat it, but it's not a direct replacement for DSL or Cable. I'd choose a direct link over the sattelite any day, partly because it doesn't go down in storms and stuff, and because it's faster. Satelite isn't really that slow, but there's a lag before it goes, like the satellites are communicating. When my contract runs out, I'll be switching because it's now available locally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odaen Posted April 12, 2005 Report Share Posted April 12, 2005 Ok, here's the deal. It's fairly fast but not instant. It usually works pretty good, but like Dave said, in a bad storm or something, it could go down temporarily. If you can't get DSL/Cable or any other wired high-speed, you can't beat it, but it's not a direct replacement for DSL or Cable. I'd choose a direct link over the sattelite any day, partly because it doesn't go down in storms and stuff, and because it's faster. Satelite isn't really that slow, but there's a lag before it goes, like the satellites are communicating. When my contract runs out, I'll be switching because it's now available locally. 354090[/snapback] for wireless dsl, you pretty much need line of sight to the antenae you are connecting to, no matter how far it is away. like someone mentioned before, the download speeds might be good, but the ping times on anything you connect to are gonna be hella long with the satellite stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sredish Posted April 12, 2005 Report Share Posted April 12, 2005 for wireless dsl, you pretty much need line of sight to the antenae you are connecting to, no matter how far it is away.like someone mentioned before, the download speeds might be good, but the ping times on anything you connect to are gonna be hella long with the satellite stuff. 354093[/snapback] What ping times......, I got sick of waiting.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XxMeltIcexX Posted April 13, 2005 Report Share Posted April 13, 2005 I have direcpc. Download speeds are great, upload speeds just kill me! You cant upload big pictures or small pictures for that fact faster than dial up can. Plus when you download over 200 mb in one day it cuts you off to slower than dial up! This is what we get for $500 bucks in equiptment and 60 bucks a month! But yes, its better than dial up, but i cant stand when they cut me down for downloading too much, you would never see cable do that shit. Now this microwave thing...that sounds interesting, wonder if i can get it? Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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