# satellite Internet



## Walter Rakes (Jan 21, 2005)

Help is needed.


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## Walter Rakes (Jan 21, 2005)

*Im looking for a real satellite company that has satellite internet that has upload and down load speeds.*


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## JohnGfun (Jan 16, 2004)

Walter Rakes said:


> *Im looking for a real satellite company that has satellite internet that has upload and down load speeds.*


*
Direcway Is a Good One! www.direcway.com*


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## mini1 (Jan 25, 2004)

As said before, ONLY go with satellite internet if you can NOT, in any other way, shape of forum, get cable/DSL from a land based provider. There are still way too many downsides to satellite internet to make it worth it, if you have other options available. You have two providers, Direcway and Starband. Both are expensive and somewhat slow compared to cable/DSL.


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## Spruceman (Nov 21, 2004)

I had StarBand at the WV place for four years, as the only alternative was dial up (when the critters didnt chew into the phone line running up the mtn, on the ground). It was ever so slooooooooow for mundane tasks such as e-mail and discussion forums due to the need of several 45,000-mile-plus round trips earth to the FSS satellite at the 101-west orbital position and back to earth for each exchange [and the damn slowness of the speed of light]. Actually slower than I experienced with dial-up

I kept StarBand as long as I did due to noise in the phone line; (but for reason unknown to me for sure but probably related to the telco running fiber to a conversion box a couple miles away) the noise problem went away about a year ago. Where satellite internet has an advantage over dialup is for downloading large files such as software, updates, or service packs from manufacturers or resellers. When I first got StarBand it seemed so fast when it did 400kb downloads of large files; but with cable at the VA location at 4mb, and Verizon FIOS at 15Mb on the way at about the same price I was paying StarBand, 400k seems a snails pace. Another problem with the satellite Internet is rain fade. Since annual rainfall (liq equiv) at the WV place is about 100 inches, slow speeds and outages due to rainfade was a frequent problem -- just as it is with satellite TV there. The customer-to-satellite uplink is even more susceptable to rainfade and even "cloudfade" due to its shorter wavelength being more prone to water absorption than the downlink.

Decided to get along with dial-up only once the line noise problem was negliable as I had an MSN account already and could access them locally for only about a penny a minute long distance nights and weekends using a number only one central office away from the one serving me.

BTW Critters still are a problem, but generally only when the line is energized with the -48 DC current, so I disconnect it from the customer-to-telco interface near the highway when I'm gone. It's interesting that the current attracts them. They seldom bite into the neutral conductor.


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## Richard King (Mar 25, 2002)

I had Starband at the house until they lost the satellite a couple of months ago. I figured that provided a good chance to try cable modem service and signed up for Comcast service. Cable is faster, mainly due to the latency in the satellite signal, however, satellite is a good option if you have nothing else available. That's really what it is designed for anyway. I had installed a dish at my office and my house so that I could use the modem in either place and have high speed available in both places. I have now relegated the satellite modem to the office and have the Comcast service at the house. My main problem with cable internet is that it is not "portable" for someone like myself (a Starband dealer and certified installer with access to used dishes  )


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## Jacob S (Apr 14, 2002)

Why have two-way satellite if the uplink is going to be as slow as dialup? Might as well have SkyWay where you receive from satellite and transmit by phoneline. You could travel with the dish like you could with your Dish Network or DirecTv dish as long as a landline would be available (or cellphone if you have an adapter for it to work on a regular telephone to hook up to it).


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## JohnMI (Apr 2, 2002)

Jacob S said:


> Why have two-way satellite if the uplink is going to be as slow as dialup?


To save the cost of a second phone line?

DirecWay's 2-way's upstream is significantly faster than dialup for most users though...



> Might as well have SkyWay where you receive from satellite and transmit by phoneline.


You can still get DirecWay dial-return also -- even though they no longer advertise it.

- John...


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## Jacob S (Apr 14, 2002)

I remember when I heard about the dial return on DirecWay as well. How much is their dial return service?


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## JohnMI (Apr 2, 2002)

I think $60 a month, but I'm not positive. And that doesn't include the dialup provider.

- John...


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## Jacob S (Apr 14, 2002)

The heck with that, thats almost the same price as their two-way service. I think I will just go with SkyWay which includes a dialup provider or Dish Network's service when it launches which is supposed to be under $40 a month with free hardware for their two-way service.


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## JohnMI (Apr 2, 2002)

Jacob S said:


> The heck with that, thats almost the same price as their two-way service.


Yes, but the hardware is much cheaper. Two-way hardware from them is $600. Used is around $200-$350 depending on the setup. One-way you can pick up for under $100 fairly easily.



> I think I will just go with SkyWay which includes a dialup provider


Who does SkyWay? I'm not familiar with them.



> or Dish Network's service when it launches which is supposed to be under $40 a month with free hardware for their two-way service.


Heh. I won't hold my breath for anything from Dish...

- John...


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## Richard King (Mar 25, 2002)

Starband pricing.
http://starband.com/findadealer/index.asp


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## JohnMI (Apr 2, 2002)

So -- is that "SkyWay"? I've heard of Starband -- but not SkyWay -- which is what Jacob was talking about. Does Starband call their service SkyWay? I didn't see it listed that way on the site...

Plus, aren't those prices pretty much the same as DirecWay? The way Jacob was freaking about DW, I thought it would be significantly cheaper or something.

I don't see it being that much better. Especially if you are going for used equipment -- lots of DW used stuff on EBay. Although, probably Starband stuff there too, I assume -- although I haven't looked...

- John...


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## Richard King (Mar 25, 2002)

I think he was thinking fo DirectWay.


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## Jacob S (Apr 14, 2002)

I am talking about a service called SkyWay which only costs $99 for the hardware and is only around $30 a month for the service. This uses satellite to receive and phoneline to send. They have different service levels depending on how fast you want the service. You can install it yourself. Here is the link:

http://www.skywayusa.com/faq.asp


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## SimpleSimon (Jan 15, 2004)

jgoggan said:


> You can still get DirecWay dial-return also -- even though they no longer advertise it.


That's news to me, and I'm a D'Way installer & retailer. Dial-return went away some time ago.


jgoggan said:


> I think $60 a month, but I'm not positive. And that doesn't include the dialup provider.


$60/month is what the basic 2-way service costs. They offer a dial backup service for either $10 or $15 a month more.


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## JohnMI (Apr 2, 2002)

SimpleSimon said:


> That's news to me, and I'm a D'Way installer & retailer. Dial-return went away some time ago.


People activate them still all the time. They don't sell the hardware for 1-way, but if you buy it used, you can still activate it. In fact, you don't even have to call -- you can still do it through the WebSetup if you'd like.

Sorry for any confusion -- I didn't mean that they still offer it directly if you just called them and wanted to buy a full 1-way setup. I meant that they still offer the service if you want to do your own hardware.

Of course, the other advantage to 1-way as far as upfront costs go is that you don't have to pay an installer to point the dish -- you can do it yourself.



> $60/month is what the basic 2-way service costs. They offer a dial backup service for either $10 or $15 a month more.


I'll check my bill to be positive, but I believe I am paying $50/month for 1-way. I was at like $40/month, but that was because I got some year of discounted service when I did their free 1-way hardware upgrade a year or so ago.

- John...


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## JohnMI (Apr 2, 2002)

SkyWay looks interesting -- I will at least look into it more.

In a quick look, I didn't see anything regarding how much you can download and how fast you can do it in. For example, with DirecWay, you get FAP'ed at 169MB. I can't even install Half-Life 2! (Side note: the Steam system sucks.)

I'd certainly switch for cheaper monthly rates AND a larger download bucket...

- John...


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## JohnMI (Apr 2, 2002)

I checked my bills -- I'm paying $40/month for DirecWay's one-way (i.e. dial-return) service currently.

I looked more at SkyWay, but they want $250 to get started (for equipment plus installation). As I was saying, you could do DirecWay one-way for a heck of a lot cheaper than that if you bought used and did your own install (which is really not that difficult).

So, doesn't look like I'll be switching to SkyWay any time soon. It just isn't worth the $250 to save $10 per month -- unless their download bucket is huge/unlimited (and I haven't been able to find that info on their site yet -- which troubles me a bit too)...

- John...


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## Jacob S (Apr 14, 2002)

The hardware itself for Skyway is only $99 if you install it yourself. I am wondering what the speeds are for DirecWay's one-way service for the $40/mo price. The speed for Skyway for $30 is only 200K and is $50 for 400k. If DirecWay has better speed for $40 than what Skyway does for $30 and if the hardware can be had for cheap then it may be worth taking a look at. Skyway has backup dialup if the satellite goes out included with their service. The question is if you buy used hardware do you still have sign a one year contract to get the service? If I was not satisfied with the service during that contract period where I would start to experience problems then I wouldn't want to be forced to keep their service or pay a hefty penalty.

Here are the prices for the SkyWay service:

12-month contract. Prepay annually and receive a 13th month FREE!
200 kbps speed for $29.95/mo.
400 kbps speed for $49.95/mo.
800 kbps speed for $59.95/mo. < Special price!
1500 kbps speed for $99.95/ mo.


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## Geeke19 (Oct 16, 2004)

They really need to make a price on satellite internet for rural areas. Seen on local tv news ticker 72% of Americans are still on dialup, 69% say that satellite internet cost to much to install, thats why they are still on dialup. 

God I hope wildblue comes through for rural area's they say it will be in my area but I am just freaking scared on what the install price is going to be.


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## Jacob S (Apr 14, 2002)

WildBlue:........................................Skyway:
.......................................................$29.99/mo --> up to 200kbps ($27.60 1yr)
Price...$49.95/mo --> up to 512kbps.......$49.99/mo --> up to 400kbps ($46.00 1yr)
.........$69.95/mo --> up to 1.0mbps.......$59.99/mo --> up to 800kbps ($55.20 1yr)
.........$79.95/mo --> up to 1.5mbps.......$99.99/mo --> up to 1.5mpbs ($92.00 1yr)

(1 yr - when you prepay for one year of service getting the 13th month free - avg price when getting one month free)

WildBlue Hardware: ? $249 ? $299 ? including installation
SkyWay Hardware: $99 + Install $150 = Total $250

*WildBlue:*
_Do you offer a warranty on the equipment? _ 
Yes. You will receive a 90 day labor/12 months parts warranty on all equipment at no charge when you become a customer. 
And for only $4.95 per month the WildBlue Service Protection Plan covers the WildBlue equipment, allowing you to enjoy high-speed service without worrying about equipment problems. Your low monthly fee includes free replacement of all equipment, in-home service with an authorized technician for only $29.95 (regularly $75.00). If you sign up after your installation the price is $5.95/mo.

When and where will the service be available? 
We expect to begin offering the WildBlue service in the second quarter of 2005 to customers across the continental U.S. The service will be introduced community by community, so please enter your name on the priority waitlist (there is no obligation to purchase the service) and we'll contact you when WildBlue is available in your area.

I wonder if a one-way service will be available with WildBlue. It seems as if the WildBlue's two-way service is competitive with Skyway's one-way service.


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## julesism (Feb 25, 2004)

I do not know about WV or other parts of the country, but WiFi-ISPs are popping up in many rural areas of Texas. For example, my parents live in a small town with under 800 people. Someone paid to have a T1 installed at their home and now he is the only high-speed ISP around. It uses the same 802.11b that laptops and wireless networks use. It's pretty fast and reliable, esp. at 2am when you have the whole T1 to yourself  and only $50/month. Sure, cable and DSL are faster but when the only other choice was sat-internet, it was an easy decision.


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## JohnMI (Apr 2, 2002)

Jacob S said:


> The hardware itself for Skyway is only $99 if you install it yourself.


Ah -- good to know. I didn't see any option at their web site to install it yourself. It just said the install was $149. So, if you can do it yourself, then sounds good.

Although, if you buy used DW equipment (which you can get one-way for $50-$100 these days), you can also install that yourself. So, SkyWay's one-way self-install is comparable to DirecWay's self-install (with used equipment).



> I am wondering what the speeds are for DirecWay's one-way service for the $40/mo price.


I got about 400k on average and bursts over 1000k. I've seen 1500k sustained for 50MB or so now and then.



> The speed for Skyway for $30 is only 200K and is $50 for 400k. If DirecWay has better speed for $40 than what Skyway does for $30 and if the hardware can be had for cheap then it may be worth taking a look at.


Seems to be at least worth looking into.

And, heck, if you want -- you can pick up a DW two-way setup used for $200-$300 depending on the hardware you want. Of course, you'll pay more per month though...

I'm still most interested in what SkyWay's FAP policy will be. I mean -- how LONG can I download at the 200k speed until they force slower speeds? That's my main gripe with DirecWay...

Oh -- one last thing to note... DW's $40/month does NOT include the dialup account. You'll need to get one from your own ISP -- so add $10-$15/month for that if you need it.



> The question is if you buy used hardware do you still have sign a one year contract to get the service?


People have been arguing about this lately. DirecWay tends to say yes, you do, but I got a supervisor to ok a month-to-month on used equipment after some arguing. Kinda like talking to Dish CSRs, I guess. 

- John...


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## Jacob S (Apr 14, 2002)

I have been wanting to startup my own high speed wireless ISP service if the hardware costs would not be so high. I can have a T1 line ran to my house. They said that it would cost me about $250 a month for the T1. No DSL, Cable Broadband, WISP available here. DSL is 7 miles in two different directions from my house. I figured if I sold some of the speed to others in the area that would get my cost down and I may even be able to make a profit from it if I can sell enough subscriptions to the service but for each person that uses it that would bring the speed down for everone as the T1 would be split among the number of people that use it plus the speed lost transmitting the wireless signal.


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## SimpleSimon (Jan 15, 2004)

Rough rules of thumb.

A T-1 can support 60 users.

A single 802.11b (don't go 11g - it's not as robust) can support 20 users.

Sector antennas cost a lot. High-gain Omnis do not.

It all depends on your LOS and distances. If you're in a typical treeless subdivision, you might not even need an amplifier. Your biggest problem is bandwidth allocation, although the WiFi access point should prevent any one user from killing you.

In testing my rig (which is still waiting to be hoisted into it's tree), my Linksys BEFW11S4, 500mw amplifier, and 12dBi Omni pushed 500+ feet through trees. Other end of the test rig was a 200mw laptop card with a 8dBi omni antenna.

I expect to have a good solid mile at 11Mb/s if I ever light it up - which likely won't happen with DSL coming to the subdivision. Want a good deal on some stuff?


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## Jacob S (Apr 14, 2002)

I am not too familiar with the hardware and app's needed to get wifi started. I have a bit of trees with hills here which would cause for LOS issues. If I can get enough people to signup for the service here then I will have a T1 brought to me and selling the service to others will help "split the bill". Just by having about 10 people on the service would make it about $25 a person plus hardware costs. I would have several miles of unserved high speed areas. Could I offer phone service (with long distance)? This could help me get some more customers and perhaps a bundled package. The hardware costs could make this prohibitive and I may not be able to get many people to sign up if the hardware or service costs too much.


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## JohnMI (Apr 2, 2002)

jgoggan said:


> SkyWay looks interesting -- I will at least look into it more.
> 
> In a quick look, I didn't see anything regarding how much you can download and how fast you can do it in. For example, with DirecWay, you get FAP'ed at 169MB. I can't even install Half-Life 2! (Side note: the Steam system sucks.)
> 
> ...


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## Geeke19 (Oct 16, 2004)

I pray that wildblue doesnt have a crazy installion price like others!


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## JohnMI (Apr 2, 2002)

Heh. Pray all you want -- it still isn't going to make it happen. I'm not sure God cares much about how much we pay for satellite dish installation. Hopefully, he has better things to do. 

- John...


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## Oldcoot (Dec 17, 2004)

I had Direcway for about 4 years. I was using the satellite uplink system.
For the most part I was pleased with it. Upload speed is slow.
It will not support VPN at any reasonable speed. I dumped it when DSL became available.
I had very few issues with it but the user must understand it's limitations.
As stated above, satellite internet would be my last choice in a high speed provider.


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## JohnMI (Apr 2, 2002)

Indeed -- I have had DW dial-return for years now and it certainly works. But I'll switch to DSL or cablemodem as soon as either become available here. Which will likely be a while. heh.

- John...


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## Geeke19 (Oct 16, 2004)

wildblue should be coming out in about a month and a half IDK for sure gonna go check out their site now.


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