sattelite internet--yes or no

[TurboGTA]

I used to have cable internet had it maybe 1 yr and I loved it,then we moved to a house in the country where there is no cable or DSL

I now have telephone line internet that connects at a slow as hell 48kbps


I can get sattelite internet for $70 a month and connect at a quoted 1.0Mbps




so should I do it?

 

[Jbenn911]

How about cellular service ?? We use Sprint's EVDO service in our patrol cars and with the newest version, you'll be over 2megs a sec for 49.99....They have USB modems as well as PCMCIA/PC-Card versions...

 

[David65]

I've known three people who've had it. Two said it sucked, the third loved it. Don't know if it was the install or the weather or what was the reason for the poor performance. Have you looked into fixed microwave service? I've got it out here in the country and love it. Except when the damn lightning hits one of their towers, that is. Only thing is it's pretty much line of sight. You have to be able to see their tower, unless you're really close. Here's a link to look for wireless providers. Don't know how up to date it is.
Wireless T1 Service Provider Directory
Couple pics of my antenna are attached.

 

[TexasT]

We had the DirectWay. It was kind of expensive compared to cable high speed. We were on the same situation just outside the coverage area of the cable. It wasn't quite as fast as the cable but it was way faster than dial up. Buying the receiver was the biggest drawback at around $60O then the monthly fee.

I liked it but now we have moved and will be getting the cable.

 

[turbot2496]

Had wildblue.... hated it. It was barely ok at first but its oversold now and slower than dial-up. Were talking 3 sec ping times if you can believe that. From what I read most of the other sattelite providers are crap too. A couple of forums to check out before you take the plunge.

WildBlue Uncensored !

HughesNet Uncensored !

I would go with the sprint cellular deal if you have coverage in your area. I don't have it but I have heard good things from the people who have it.

 

[Walker231T]

I've got Hughes Net formally Direcway. I'm on the consumer plan $59.99 a month. While it's not cable or DSL it sure beats the hell out of the local phone lines around here. I was lucky if I could connect @ 19kbps, it was PAINFUL!!!! I read and researched about it on it here:

broadband help » Forums » HughesNet Satellite

And the other site that was posted. The bad thing about reading on those sites is you are mostly reading the problems people are having. The people that are happy never really post because they don't have anything to post about. I held off for about a year because I was reading those forums but once I had it installed I wanted to kick myself in the butt for not doing it sooner. It has it quirks. Like when the weather is real bad you lose you signal and it's definitely not gaming friendly with the high ping times. But overall I have been pleasantly pleased with my system and service.

I bought my system on e-bay used and saved myself about $400. There are tons of used system out there to bid on, just buy one from someone with good feedback. I pretty much did most of the installation myself. I did a pole mount. I put the pole down in cement and mounted the dish, ran all my lines, and installed the grounds. All the installer had to do was point the dish and install the software. Now they don't even install software. Just MAKE SURE you find a GOOD INSTALLER. This will make all the difference in the world. 9 times out of 10 when the system doesn't work right it's because of a bad install. I got a guy that was 3 counties over but paid him extra to do it becasue he was HIGHLY recommended. Those fly by night installer do a rush jobs and don't fine tune the dish point and that makes the service kind of slow. And knock on wood I have not had one problem from my system. Even made it thru hurricane Isabel without a repoint.

I don't know much about Wildblue but from what little bit of reading I have done they are having a few problems but they are a new company. I think once they get things ironed out and have been around a little longer they should be OK.

 

[Epitome]

I had Direcway for 3 years, before it became Hughesnet and while it was expensive it was way better than dial up.