# Satellite Internet



## directvfreak (Feb 1, 2006)

MY brother and sister-in-law are building a house in the middle of nowhere (or close too it) and will be moving in about 4-5 months from now. There is no cable or DSL internet available so they have to go with satellite. They already have Dish Network at their current house so they are going to use the dish mover program and have it installed at their new house. They need to find an internet provider. I know there are two, Wildblue and Hughes Net. They need help on deciding which is the best. I don't know much about either provider. My brother and his wife do download music from itunes and upload pictures on Kodak easy share and stuff like that. Looking at their websites, i can tell you they will need at least the 1Mbps package from either provider, maybe even the 1.5Mb. It one point, I thought I heard that hughes net had a restriction on the amount of bandwidth you can use per month. Help!

Thanks


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## RAD (Aug 5, 2002)

Do you check to see if a local ISP is providing a wireless internet solution? Many times when cable and telco's don't provide service a local ISP steps up and builds out a wireless internet solution.


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## directvfreak (Feb 1, 2006)

What do you mean by a wireless solution.


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## RAD (Aug 5, 2002)

directvfreak said:


> What do you mean by a wireless solution.


No wires

Sorry, couldn't resist. There are ISP's that put antenna's up in certain areas and then with an antenna the the home you get internet access. When I was back in the Chicago area I used this company, http://www.dls.net/services/wireless.phtml as an example of a service offered.

You can try this link, http://www.dslreports.com/psearch?c=Search+for+Wireless+by+US+ZIP+Code to see if you can find a provider in the area. You might just need to look in the yellow pages at the new location for a provider, if there is any.


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## directvfreak (Feb 1, 2006)

Maybe Wireless, but what about satellite? Is there anything wrong with satellite? I know ping times are horrible but they aren't gamers so it doesn't matter a whole lot.


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## RAD (Aug 5, 2002)

directvfreak said:


> Maybe Wireless, but what about satellite? Is there anything wrong with satellite? I know ping times are horrible but they aren't gamers so it doesn't matter a whole lot.


The .5 second delay in each round trip can effect the performance for other applications besides gaming. Don't even think about trying anything like VoIP on satellite. They will also throttle your throughput if you start to transfer too much data (fair use policy) which may end up with dial up speeds. You might want to check some of the reviews at http://www.dslreports.com/reviews for sat to see what some others think.

In my old job I assisted hundreds of our work at home staff with getting internet service at their homes and not one of them was happy with satellite. If it's the ONLY thing available it's probably better then dial up but if you can find a wireless provider in your area you'll probably be much happier going that route.


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## directvfreak (Feb 1, 2006)

Okay, I went to the wireless website above and entered the zip code of the area they are moving to(43031). It came up with 5 providers. I clicked on the first one and it came up with a page with very little info. How do I get more info?


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## RAD (Aug 5, 2002)

directvfreak said:


> Okay, I went to the wireless website above and entered the zip code of the area they are moving to(43031). It came up with 5 providers. I clicked on the first one and it came up with a page with very little info. How do I get more info?


OK, the page you got on DSLRepots had a link on it to go to the ISP's, http://www.ncwcom.com/ site, did you click on that? Tha web site had a lot of info on it like a coverage map.


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## directvfreak (Feb 1, 2006)

Never mind, i figured it out, sadly, none of the services reach the area they are building. I guess the only option is Satellite or Verizon Wireless PC card, if it will reach their area. I need to check.


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## directvfreak (Feb 1, 2006)

Verizon doest reach there with braodband either so satellite it is... now which provider?


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## directvfreak (Feb 1, 2006)

No, it is weird but Time Warner cable ends two houses before their lot. And Embarq only has old analog lines and won't upgrade. The lot they are building their house on is part of my sister-in- laws parents land. Her parents have tried many times with both embarq and Time Warner to have them extend their lines to their house but they have yet too. Right now her parents have Dish Network and dial-up internet. They are looking at wild blue right now but haven't picked anything yet.


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## directvfreak (Feb 1, 2006)

RAD what happened to your post? It was here a minute ago but it is gone?

Thanks for the help BTW!


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## RAD (Aug 5, 2002)

directvfreak said:


> RAD what happened to your post? It was here a minute ago but it is gone?
> 
> Thanks for the help BTW!


After I posted I say you said you check cable and telco so I just deleted it. Sorry I couldn't help more. You still might want someone to just look in the local yellow pages and see if any of the ma/pop operators in the area have a wireless solution, had to do that a couple time for my WAH folks. Good luck with the hunt.

BTW, IIRC, Spaceway 3 is supposed to be launched next month. You might want to check with Hughes to see what that will do for their service since SW3 was built for internet service.


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## tedb3rd (Feb 2, 2006)

I have had DishNetwork since before they stopped offering al-carte' channels that were worth a flip. (That's a long time.).... Anyways. I signed onto WildBlue this Spring because, although not out in the middle-of-nowhere, we do not have the option of DSL or cable.

I have WildBlue's most basic package and it has been better than I expected after reading/watching users posts in the Wildblue forum for almost a year before signing up. Speeds, for the most part, have been what they advertise. I check speeds daily and there have been a few times (just a few) where I was clocked faster than my subscription 'allows.'

I would recommend starting with the lowest/slowest package and see if you can live with it. If not, you can always upgrade. With general browsing via satellite, the 'slowness' comes from latency (signal traveling from dish, to satellite, and back down to earth... and then that whole process back). You sit there for a few seconds, and then the whole page is there in about 1-2 seconds. For $30 more a month, you sit there for a few seconds, and then the whole page is there in about .75-1.25 seconds. If it's worth it to you, go for it. The only noticable difference is if you were doing A LOT of big file uploads and downloads.

Yes, they do have a 30-day rolling bandwidth that you're allowed. If you go over, they penalize you. Both companies you mention have this. You've got to do some really heavy uploading/downloading to violate the quota. I understand that WildBlue allows more compared to HughesNet but never did any 'research' into that. In addition to typical browsing, I do local radar maps, A LOT of flickr, and an occasional comical video off YouTube and the higest I've gotten was about 60% of allowed download and only about 20% allowed upload.

One thing I have noticed is that upload speeds seem to be more erratic from day to day. Sometimes it's really good, sometimes it's not. (Whereas download has been more consistent/less variance.) If they are looking to do A LOT of upload to Kodak, there may be some days where they may have que the files, and go watch some TV while it uploads.

My only complaint has been recent and it has to do with sending/recieiving my EarthLink e-mail into MS Outlook. When I first got Wildblue, e-mail came in about as fast as regular internet content. But for the last few weeks, it's been slower than dial-up (both ways)--f it even does work and not time-out. A few times, I've just given up and plugged the phone line in and used dial-up for e-mail. You can check via webmail without problem.. just something about the pop3/smtp servers they (Wildblue) changed recently that really slows it down.

DishNetwork and Wildblue are offered as a package through DishNetwork so definately read up on the offers they have bundled.

Satellite internet is like satellite TV. If it rains, you lose it until the skies clear. Where I am, when the TV goes out, I know I've got about 1-2 minutes before I lose the internet. Nice little 'warning' method they use. (-:

Bottom Line:
Satellite internet with WildBlud, IMHO, is great compared to dial-up. But don't go for it thinking you're going to get DSL or cable speeds just because you're paying as much (if not more) for satellite. My neigbors who still have only dial-up come over here and drool at the speeds. Friends who live in areas served by DSL/Cable think I'm crazy to be paying for this--but they haven't experienced the hell that is dial-up for years. I'm a "happy camper" with WB, but if/when DSL comes along, I will be switching simply because it's faster and cheaper.


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## directvfreak (Feb 1, 2006)

Thanks so much for the info! Anybody have any info on Hughes net?


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## aim2pls (Jun 18, 2007)

directvfreak said:


> MY brother and sister-in-law are building a house in the middle of nowhere (or close too it) and will be moving in about 4-5 months from now. There is no cable or DSL internet available so they have to go with satellite. They already have Dish Network at their current house so they are going to use the dish mover program and have it installed at their new house. They need to find an internet provider. I know there are two, Wildblue and Hughes Net. They need help on deciding which is the best. I don't know much about either provider. My brother and his wife do download music from itunes and upload pictures on Kodak easy share and stuff like that. Looking at their websites, i can tell you they will need at least the 1Mbps package from either provider, maybe even the 1.5Mb. It one point, I thought I heard that hughes net had a restriction on the amount of bandwidth you can use per month. Help!
> 
> Thanks


(limited downloads per month) as does wildblue ....... its referred to as .... fair access


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## directvfreak (Feb 1, 2006)

Anybody have any idea as to which is better?
Hughes Net Seems to allow less bandwidth before slowing down the connection. Wildblue seems to be the best option but either will do.


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## damjr (Mar 10, 2004)

directvfreak said:


> Anybody have any idea as to which is better?
> Hughes Net Seems to allow less bandwidth before slowing down the connection. Wildblue seems to be the best option but either will do.


As a distributor of both, here's my assesment.
HughesNet has been around a lot longer and has the proven technology. WildBlue is where Hughes was about 5-6 years ago.
When it comes to Bandwidth availability...........Hughes hands down !!!!! Hughes has 12 birds to operate from, while WildBlue has only 2. With the limited available transponders for WildBlue they can fill up fast, which in turn will cause performance issues for all users in your spot beam. WildBlue has already been forced to shut down areas due to capacity issues.

Hardware reliability. They both have their issues but we have seen more with WildBlue. If you do decide to go with Hughes I would suggest getting their Express Service plan. This plan guarantees a 1 or 2 day response time for service depending on which plan you choose. Without the plan it can, and sometimes does, take up to 5-8 days for service.
FAP. Hughes wins here also. If you should reach your bandwidth allotment you will be throttled back for up to 24 hrs with Hughes, while with WildBlue you'll be throttled back the remaining days left in the 30 day cycle. Also with WildBlue if you exceed your allotment more than twice in a given period they could and have shut the customer off.
I hope this helps.


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## directvfreak (Feb 1, 2006)

Thanks for the help!


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## goughl (Jul 18, 2003)

I have had the Hughes service since April and for the most part I am satisfied,although there has been some time when things slowed to a crawl.
Down load speeds are as advertise most of the time. Sorry can't help with WB, but Hughes is better than dial-up which is the only thing available here.
As far as the FAP, what DAMJR says is correct.


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## Brandon428 (Mar 21, 2007)

I had hughes net and it was the worst thing ever! The only thing worse though is dial up and sometimes dial up was better. I strongly encourage you to look for nearby WISP towers. If there are no WISP towers within reach get wild blue its much better. Hughes net allows 200mb/24hrs. Wild blue allows like 10gigs a month which is alot better. Just remember this hughesnet = Devil.


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## Bijou Media (Jul 28, 2007)

Right now WB is the better system.

Also worth review is spacenet the Nova system is great. Below the starband link is the local dealers in Ohio. You will pay more, but get better service.
The thing with hughes is they load up the transponders too much. Their ratios are very high 100 to 1 for instance (100 customers per transponder) where as Starband may be 50 to 1. There is a lot less of a log jam. Those are not exact numbers I am using them as an example. I'm not sure what the real numbers are most of the lower end systems don't tell you.

http://www.starband.com/

http://www.starband.com/buy/resultzip.asp


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## Koz (Sep 16, 2006)

2 options that haven't been mentioned.
1) Verizon doesn't reach there, but how about Sprint wireless broadband?

2) Get to know the neighbors 2 doors down with Time Warner access. Put in a wireless N router. Share with your family. Not sure how big the lots are and, therefore, whether it will reach or not.


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## countysky (Aug 27, 2007)

directvfreak said:


> MY brother and sister-in-law are building a house in the middle of nowhere (or close too it) and will be moving in about 4-5 months from now. There is no cable or DSL internet available so they have to go with satellite. They already have Dish Network at their current house so they are going to use the dish mover program and have it installed at their new house. They need to find an internet provider. I know there are two, Wildblue and Hughes Net. They need help on deciding which is the best. I don't know much about either provider. My brother and his wife do download music from itunes and upload pictures on Kodak easy share and stuff like that. Looking at their websites, i can tell you they will need at least the 1Mbps package from either provider, maybe even the 1.5Mb. It one point, I thought I heard that hughes net had a restriction on the amount of bandwidth you can use per month. Help!
> 
> Thanks


I use SkyWay for my internet service and it works pretty well for me. It's only about 30 bucks a month. So yeah, check them out. I can't post urls yet (the whole 5 posts rule), but just use the link in my signature.

-Jared


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