[staciah]

We are moving to the country and our only two options for Internet is Satellite or Dial up. Satellite is soooo expensive but Dial up is soooo slow. Does anyone have Satellite Internet and what do you think about it?

Thanks in advance

 

[thefrug]

I do. WildBlue.net. It's $49.99 a month. thats the cheapest home package. I love it. It's always on, so when you turn on your computer you just need to click on your internet icon and boom there you are. It does go out when a storm is moving thru. If you spray the dish with pam, the snow won't stick and it'll work. You just have to be able to reach the dish LOL. I hate dialup. good grief! IMO, I think it's worth the price.We budget it in.

 

[Debbie-cat]

We also have satellite. We love it!!! Thefrug is right...just turn the computer on...click on internet explorer and boom you are on. Very fast, reliable... in fact through all the winter storms and summer storms last year we never lost connection once.

 

[nvmommyx6]

I have satellite out here in the sticks, a local company though...we love them it is $49.99 a month but I refer people so in a years time I have only paid for about....1 month!!!
The connection is awesome, good luck with your decision!
Mommy

 

[Durgan]

There is something sadly lacking in these accolades.

Satellite Internet means you receive signals from the satellite coming to your computer. BUT, BUT, you send through your old slow dial up service.

These so called Satellite service are mostly in the business of selling dishes, and they have a nasty habit of going out of business and the customer is left dangling.

They have been around since the early days of the internet , and found very much wanting. Caveat emptor.

If you get the service make sure the company supplies the cheap dish, which is grossly over priced if bought. In other words make the fat salesman put his money where the mouth is.

 

[thefrug]

There is something sadly lacking in these accolades.

Satellite Internet means you receive signals from the satellite coming to your computer. BUT, BUT, you send through your old slow dial up service.

These so called Satellite service are mostly in the business of selling dishes, and they have a nasty habit of going out of business and the customer is left dangling.

They have been around since the early days of the internet , and found very much wanting. Caveat emptor.

If you get the service make sure the company supplies the cheap dish, which is grossly over priced if bought. In other words make the fat salesman put his money where the mouth is.

sorry, but I got a router specifically for Wild Blue. it's not quite the size of a laptop and it's sitting here blinking pretty green lights at me. LOL I do not use anything from dial up. Not even the phone jack. I checked out both WB and some others and WB had the least bad reviews. I've had nothing but great service.

 

[thefrug]

There is something sadly lacking in these accolades.

Satellite Internet means you receive signals from the satellite coming to your computer. BUT, BUT, you send through your old slow dial up service.

These so called Satellite service are mostly in the business of selling dishes, and they have a nasty habit of going out of business and the customer is left dangling.

They have been around since the early days of the internet , and found very much wanting. Caveat emptor.

If you get the service make sure the company supplies the cheap dish, which is grossly over priced if bought. In other words make the fat salesman put his money where the mouth is.

sorry, but I got a router specifically for Wild Blue. it's not quite the size of a laptop and it's sitting here blinking pretty green lights at me. LOL I do not use anything from dial up. Not even the phone jack. I checked out both WB and some others and WB had the least bad reviews. I've had nothing but great service. NOTHING is perfect except for Nature hun

 

[Momto2Boyz]

I used to work for a company that did Starband Sat. Internet, it was ok service. We had it in our office, and sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't. However, that was 5 years ago...so I would think they've come a long way through the years!

When it worked, it was fast though!

 

[Durgan]

You are being misled.

Up connection is not via satellite. You do not have a satellite transmitter. Communication with the internet must be by some solid connection be it satellite phone or land line.

A true satellite connection would be great, but so far there are no cheap satellite transmitters. so you have a half connection.

Satellite connections disappear faster than a politicians promises. Here today and gone tomorrow, and all you have is an expensive dish, useful for nothing.

 

[Mavourneen]

Durgan does not know what he is talking about. See the bold area where it talks about the "hard wired" bit.

How do you access the Internet other than dial-up if you live too far from a phone company office for DSL and there is no cable TV on your street? Satellite Internet access may be worth considering. It's ideal for rural Internet users who want broadband access. Satellite Internet does not use telephone lines or cable systems, but instead uses a satellite dish for two-way (upload and download) data communications. Upload speed is about one-tenth of the 500 kbps download speed. Cable and DSL have higher download speeds, but satellite systems are about 10 times faster than a normal modem.

Firms that offer or plan to offer two-way satellite Internet include StarBand, Pegasus Express, Teledesic and Tachyon. Tachyon service is available today in the United States, Western Europe and Mexico. Pegasus Express is the two-way version of DirecPC.

Two-way satellite Internet consists of:

* Approximately a two-foot by three-foot dish
* Two modems (uplink and downlink)
* Coaxial cables between dish and modem

The key installation planning requirement is a clear view to the south, since the orbiting satellites are over the equator area. And, like satellite TV, trees and heavy rains can affect reception of the Internet signals.

Two-way satellite Internet uses Internet Protocol (IP) multicasting technology, which means up to 5,000 channels of communication can simultaneously be served by a single satellite. IP multicasting sends data from one point to many points (at the same time) by sending data in compressed format. Compression reduces the size of the data and the bandwidth. Usual dial-up land-based terrestrial systems have bandwidth limitations that prevent multicasting of this magnitude.

Some satellite-Internet service still requires you to have a dial-up or cable modem connection for the data you send to the Internet. The satellite data downlink is just like the usual terrestrial link, except the satellite transmits the data to your computer via the same dish that would allow you to receive a Pay-Per-View television program.

So, if you are in a rural area and you want broadband access to the Internet, satellite Internet may be for you!

 

[thefrug]

Approximately a two-foot by three-foot dish
* Two modems (uplink and downlink)
* Coaxial cables between dish and modem


this what I have with Wild Blue. Like I said I have great service. And if it wasn't for the big pine tree thats in line with the satellite, I wouldn't have that many interruptions. It gets heavy with snow or ice and the limbs drooped into the path of the signal. A light rain shower is ok, but a storm will take out the signal. and really, I'd rather listen to the storm than be on the computer anyways.

 

[jenloveschip2001]

I'm glad this was posted. I have been wondering if it would be worth it, right now we pay $19.99 through our telephone co for dial up internet. From what I have heard you have to sign a contract for the Wild Blue, is that true?

 

[staciah]

I'm glad this was posted. I have been wondering if it would be worth it, right now we pay $19.99 through our telephone co for dial up internet. From what I have heard you have to sign a contract for the Wild Blue, is that true?

From what I have been reading you have to sign a 24 month contract. DH and I have decided to get the Satellite Internet. We already have the TV thru Direct but I think Wild Blue is cheaper than Hughes Net.DH likes to watch some of his TV shows that he misses during the week and with the Satellite he would be able to watch them. Dial up he wouldn't. Thanks everyone for your input.

 

[pryor208]

I'm glad this was posted. I have been wondering if it would be worth it, right now we pay $19.99 through our telephone co for dial up internet. From what I have heard you have to sign a contract for the Wild Blue, is that true?

Not sure how long ago you started with dial-up, but I've seen many places that offer it for $9.99 a month. At $10 a month, the difference is small but adds up. Maybe you could call your phone company and ask if they'll match the price available elsewhere online or you'll switch. Just a thought.