Satellite Internet

dwco5051

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Sep 14, 2008
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Anyone out there using satellite internet? I don't have much choice, only DSL or satellite where I live out in the boonies. Specifically Hughsnet, pro and cons.
 

ondarvr

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Apr 6, 2005
Messages
11,527
When I had it it was miserable, very slow, almost worthless, and those were the good points.
 
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dwco5051

Commander
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Sep 14, 2008
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When I had it it miserable, very slow, almost worthless, and those were the good points.


Looked at reviews on the net at that is what most people are saying. I think I may have to keep my landline just for the slow but dependable DSL.
 

GA_Boater

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May 24, 2011
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I have DSL and recently upgraded to twice the speed. The tech installed a new modem and changed the wiring from a 2 wire pair to a 4 wire pair. He called it pairing I think. Anyway, it was all done at the junction box with no new wiring and maybe something at the phone office. Maybe your phone company has the ability to do the same type of thing.
 

fishrdan

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Jan 25, 2008
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6,989
I would never buy satellite internet, unless it was the only thing available... Several years back I had to do an hours worth of work over satellite internet, it took 5-6 hours due to the high latency, upload and download. Anything that was done was 1200 miles up and 1200 miles down to the place I was contacting, then 1200 miles up and 1200 miles down to get back to me.... Streaming may be OK over satellite as once you get the stream going, it's a constant download stream.

GA made a good suggestion, pair bonded DSL. I'm only a mile or so from the phone company's DSLAM and have 25/5 service with their pair bonded DSL. Not bad for crappy DSL... If your phone company offers pair bonding service it should double your current internet speed.

I contacted my phone company/ISP 3 times over the years (3-5 years apart) and asked if they had any promotions running. Each time they said they had a special going and could double the speed for little to no cost, with a free modem. Just be sure to document everything as my last upgrade was a battle, after they didn't live up to their 5-year price lock guarantee, a year after I had been on their "new" service. After a year of back and forth, bills corrected then being messed up again, they finally figured I wasn't giving up and have me locked into their agreed upon pricing. Well, at least for the past 6 months.......
 

southkogs

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I've used both satellite and DSL in the past, and I found satellite to be pretty unreliable. I have some friends who had it for a few years, and ultimately wound up getting rid of it because they would lose reception so often that it was practically like not having it.

When I had DSL, I was getting pretty good results from it - and that was about 10 years ago.
 

Scott Danforth

Grumpy Vintage Moderator still playing with boats
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Been there, done that, have the tee shirt, paid penalty, went back to dsl. Then went mobile hotspot for a while
 

dwco5051

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Sep 14, 2008
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PIC_0030.JPG
My DSL works fine as I watch my DirecTV logo play Pong during heavy rain.

Or have to go outside with a 16' extension pole with a brush on the end while on a stepladder to wipe the snow off the dish. Another of the pleasures of rural life but you learn to take it in stride along with chasing bears away from the chicken

coop. BTW the date is wr ong on the picture because the memory went dead on the camera from sitting without batteries for too long. Was only two years ago.
 
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dingbat

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Nov 20, 2001
Messages
15,414
Had satellite back in the 90's. Better than dial up which was the only other option at the time..
Traded satellite for cable, cable for fiber.

Screen capture performance using WIFI on Iphone. Wired performance well over 3 figures. Residential account....
 

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Bayou Dave

Lieutenant Commander
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Dec 13, 2012
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1,780
I have 2 choices where I live. Satellite or nothing. I chose satellite. It isn't "fast" and probably around 90% reliable. But we got used to it and sure beats my other choice.
 

bruceb58

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Mar 5, 2006
Messages
30,454
RVers use it a lot and it is way better than it used to be. Big problem is a lot of latency..you can't beat physics..close to 700mS.

If you do much uploading it's relatively slow 3 Mbs

Another issue is cost depending on how much you download. A basic plan has similar limits to a cell phone so you can't really stream movies unless you pay a lot more.
 
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Cofe

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Apr 23, 2009
Messages
1,883
I have had hughsnet for the last four years. Yes it is slow, and I can barely stream youtube. Not any choices where I live. Fifteen years ago I had a T1 connection where I used to live. It spoiled me real bad. Too bad our country won't let power plants put internet over the power lines like in Germany.
 

dwco5051

Commander
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Sep 14, 2008
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My plan was for my wife to get a smart phone and for me to keep my 10 year old flip phone as we only had one cell phone between us and get rid of my land line and replace the DSL with Hughsnet. We ended up with her getting an I-phone, me getting a semi-smart flip phone, and keeping the landline with DSL. Only twenty bucks more a month thanks for some checking around by the oldest boy to make his mom happy. I have to have a flip phone because I spend so much time in the woods and on equipment it has to go in a buttoned shirt pocket. The young lad asked why I just don't get a nice belt case for the phone. He forgot that I couldn't wear two phone cases because I already have one of them fake phone cases for my .380.

Problem solved
 

tallcanadian

Captain
Joined
Sep 7, 2006
Messages
3,245
Sheesh. I didn't know that DSL even still existed. I have satellite internet and am not happy. They offer three packages. I took the middle package, up to 5 mpbs. The key words are up to. For most of the year I was getting .8 mpbs. That's "point 8". All for 80 bucks a month. I can't even view my home video surveillance through it. Don't expect too much.
 
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