Satelite for broadband???

[disarm]

Has anyone had any experience connecting to the internet via satelite? I live out in the middle of a cornfield. Neither DSL nor cable will likely EVER be available in my area. I can get satelite for 60 bucks a month, and they say you can download at 400 kb/s. If I get anywhere near this number I think it would be worth it. Whats your experience??
Thanks

[MacGyver]

No personal experience with Satellite, but I do know that ping times SUCK. Like 400ms average to even fast sites. Downloads are still fast, though. Just don't plan on playing any first person shooters over the net with satellite.

[disarm]

I hadn't planned on it. Have a LAN for that. It's my only option for broadband though. I also hear you don't get a static IP. I guess I'll call the ISP and see what they guaruntee before I make the jump. $600 dollar install. No self install kit.. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Frown]" src="frown.gif" />

[AHTTech]

I just installed a DirecWay satellite system for my boss. A certified installer has to set up the dish itself because of safety reasons/requiremen ts. The dish uses microwave for the upbound transmission, so it must be installed at least 6' above ground, etc.

The rest of the setup was painless. They have software that uses a web setup routine. The PC that the "modem" will connect to must have a free USB port, a configured modem and DUN must be configured.

McGyver is right about the latency. If you want to day-trade or game don't use satellite.

After setup we ran speed tests and were seeing 650-700kbs. I was impressed.

I also installed ICS on four PCs in his house. No probs there either.

I'm like you (rural setting) and I'm seriously looking at satellite.

Oh, and his install was only about $300.

[Miq]

I have been using starband for my ISP for a couple months now. The download speeds are usually pretty damn good but the upload is horrible. I usually say that on a good day my upload can rival the sickest POS 28.8 dialup speed (which is actually what all the upload reports are telling me too). If I had to choose between my old dialup or satelite, i would stick with the satelite just for the download speeds.

[Stalemate]

Does this solution use a dish for downloads and a modem for uploads?

As I recall when I researched this for a client, that's what DirecTV / Bell ExpressVU was using as a system last year.

All in all, it would generally be faster than a landline while slower than typical ADSL.

What about ISDN/T1 solutions?

[Miq]

Mine uses the same dish for both up and down.

[Stalemate]

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by Miq:
<strong>Mine uses the same dish for both up and down.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">That would probably be the best thing if you must use a satellite broadband, I would guess.

What about interference from precipitation?

I've had to remove snow and ice from mine when the recdeption would start crapping out on me. Even a hard rainfall can affect the reception! I don't use it for Internet access (I use ADSL instead), but TV reception is the pits when there's a big storm. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="eek.gif" />

Is that your experience also?

[Miq]

Living in Georgia we don't get much ice and snow but I will lose internet connection at a max twice a month for a couple hours while it is raining extremely hard, usually though it will drop once every couple months. If it is just a light rain I usually can't tell the difference. So far wind hasn't effected it yet and we have had wind strong enough to blow down a very large tree not too far away from the dish.