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Back to Dial up ????

BigAl

BigAl

Gone But Not Forgotten
In a few more weeks I will be moving to my ranch in Idaho . We cannot get hi speed through the phone system . Hughsnet or Wild blue seem to be our only other choices . Niether one seems to handle Skype very well in our area .

Anything new comming out that might help . I hate the idea of dial up again :sad:
 
I used to use Skycasters, its the commercial version of Hughsnet. I switched to a local provider who uses some sort of wide area Wi-Fi technology by positioning antennas on Cellular and Radio towers. I have a small dish on my roof directed at the cell tower 15 miles away across the state line and my service is much better than I had from Skycasters.

Not sure if there is a similar service in your area but my costs dropped from $200 a month to $69 a month and my connection speed doubled.
 
If you have to use a Satellite system make sure you sign up for a "business" plan. The quality of service seems a little better than the super cheap home-owner plans.

I still think satellite is going to suck but unless there is a local solution you are most likely SOL.
 
Don't they have data plans for cell phones where the phone acts as a WiFi connection in your home?
I don't have a data plan for my cell but Mrs. Zoom took her Dad to Verizon last week and got him something like that. I think it can accept 4 or 5 devices (e.g. computers, IPods...) through the phone. It was something like a $29.99 unlimited package if you already have cell phone service with the them.
 
I have Hughesnet at the house, and use Skype and it works pretty fair. I do though bypass the router and plug the computer directly into the Satellite Modem, the router seems to cut the speed in half and the pictures get a tad shaky.

I install the systems up here in Alaska for a friend of mine when he needs help. They have two systems, a one watt and two watt transmitters and the two watt is more for commercial and has a higher data rate/speed.

The one watt system is about $400.00 with a host of rebates that drop it down to under $100.00 right now, the commercial two watt is about double. Don't know if there is additional charges for installs if you live out a ways.

The systems work all over Alaska, so you should be a piece of cake there.

http://www.hughesnet.com/
 
bczoom said:
Don't they have data plans for cell phones where the phone acts as a WiFi connection in your home?
I don't have a data plan for my cell but Mrs. Zoom took her Dad to Verizon last week and got him something like that. I think it can accept 4 or 5 devices (e.g. computers, IPods...) through the phone. It was something like a $29.99 unlimited package if you already have cell phone service with the them.
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Good point - if you can get this then this is a great alternative.
 
we currently use a Verizon "my-fi" protable hot spot. 5Gb for $62/month.
virgin mobile (sprint) has their own version with unlimited access for $40/month.
some cell phones act as a protable wi-fi hot spot as well, if you have the unlimited data plan.
 
An air card might work for you if you get cell phone reception there. The advantage of an air card is you can use it anywhere there is cell phone reception. I use it on the boat and when I'm on the road (better than paying the hotel 10 or 20 bucks for wifi access.

Air cards run 59 per month with a contract required.
 
BigAl said:
We got maybe 300 people in about 5 million acres up here . I don't think it would pay for itself .:sad:
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The hughesnet would serve you well then. Much cheaper than all of the other satillite systems that I deal with in Alaska and better/faster operations... I can watch youtube on my computer (plugged into my router at half the speed) and it doesn't stop to buffer, can watch them all the way though.

You won't do better, unless you want to spend a few million for a landsat system the big guys use....LOL! Hughesnet is one of Howard Hughes spin off companies, been around for a long time and requires no phone lines to operate, uplink and downlink are all done by the system to the satellite.
 
tommu56 said:
Then tell them you would rent it to them for 1 cent and it was impertive to national security!:brows:

tom
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Yea I am sure that will work:unsure:. I'll take care of my own security..... And the last thing I want on my land is some damn tower . I just bought the ranch next door to keep the power company from setting electric poles across the meadow .
 
BigAl said:
Anything new comming out that might help . I hate the idea of dial up again :sad:
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Couldn't resist. Sorry, Al.


apple-postage-stamp.jpg
 
Hughes net is not bad if you don't exceed their download limit. Same issues with it as you have with sat. TV. The one thing that drove me nuts was their tech support could not speak English worth a damn. I had it 6 years ago before the limits and they had to honor my contract to not restrict access.
 
muleman said:
Hughes net is not bad if you don't exceed their download limit. Same issues with it as you have with sat. TV. The one thing that drove me nuts was their tech support could not speak English worth a damn. I had it 6 years ago before the limits and they had to honor my contract to not restrict access.
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Don't know what their policies were more than three years ago when I started to set up the systems, but when you reach the Fair Access Policy (FAP) limits, they slow your internet speed down for 24 hours to about 54,000 Baud of phone speed. Basically you have to download over a movie a day at the lowest levels to exceed that. Unlike all the other competitors, they don't charge you for going over you limits on bandwidth subscription. If you want to down load bigger programs, then subscribe to the higher limits and speeds or if you do the downloads after about 11 PM to about three AM, they don't charge against your account when the severs are slow during that period.

Try going over your Bandwidth at the local internet companies here in Alaska, and they will pin your ears back with additional charges, at times hundreds of dollars a month for abusers.

I hooked up a guy's system at the lowest levels and told him all that, the next day he called me and whining to me his internet was really slow, after talking with him, I got it from him that he had downloaded three movies before 11 PM and got "FAP'd". Stupid is as Stupid does...
 
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