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Same monthly cost as the EVDO air cards... $59/mo.

America's #1 Choice for high speed Broadband by Satellite.

With HughesNet®, your super-fast, always-on, satellite Internet access is ready when you are—no dialing in, no waiting and no tied-up phone lines. You can download files in seconds, check email instantly and surf faster than you ever imagined. And HughesNet is compatible with Windows and Mac, so getting online anywhere in the contiguous U.S. is easy!

A good explanation: http://www.buygold.net/dw/direcway.htm

"WARNING, WARNING, WARNING, Will Robinson"

I "upgraded" from broadband to satellite about six weeks ago; it sucks.

I had broadband through a radio link to a tower in town (about 4 miles away) and I was dissatisfied because of slow downs when the server got busy.

I signed up with Dish Network satellite internet service from Wild Blue; it sucks.

After a rain, it takes two or three hours for the link to recover. I think it's because the dish stays wet. I've looked outside and see clear skies to the south and I still have no connection.

The worst problem, however, is caused by the inherent round trip delay from my modem through the satellite to the server on the ground; it sucks.

Downloading a file is no problem. Downloading some web pages takes forever (three or four minutes for some pages).

FGRV has no problems, thanks to Mr Sanders, but many sites are so slow it seems to take forever. The worst I've found is my on-line bank. After entering my login, it takes over two minutes for it to load the accounts summary page. Then when I click on Bill Pay, I sit for well over three minutes waiting for it to load the bill payment page.

Many web sites are designed such that each separate element requires a new connection to load. I can watch the bottom of my screen and see "connecting...," "waiting...," "loading...," over and over again for three or four minutes while each element of the page loads. I realize this is poor web site design, but it's a fact of life for many if not most web sites.

Mike, why don't you contract to redesign NetBank's web site?

The really stupid part of all this is that I signed up for 18 months of "service." It sucks.

If you're on a ranch in Nebraska and thirty miles from town, satellite internet may be just the ticket for you. If you have any other option give it a bye.

Did I mention, "it sucks?"

My bother got WildBlue out on his ranch and it seemed very slow. My understanding is that HughesNet® is much better. I think I read that some providers offer a 30 day money back guarantee.

This is something I must double check. The tripod and setup equipment is pretty spendy.

Thanks Morgan.

Here is an interesting comparison.
http://www.copperhead.cc/wbhn.htm

I've read up on several usenet groups and from the posts I've seen Hughes is worse than Wild Blue. Neither of them have customer service.

The problems caused by latency will apply to all providers; it's a physics thing. Some are marginally better than others, but the roundtrip to the satellite is essentially the same for all of them.

As I said, the latency problem is seriously compounded by poorly designed web sites; those that require a new connection (and handshakes) for each element of a page.

Latency was also a problem for the phone companies using satellite before there was plenty of bandwidth on intercontinental fiber. Military circuits with multiple hops were very disconcerting to speak across.

What ATT used to do is send one side of the conversation by cable and the return by satellite, cutting the latency almost in half but making the facilities more vulnerable to failure.

Sounds like you guys should be reading this Yahoo Group:

http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/RVInternetBySatellite/

Mike,

Thought you were going to use the new wireless antenna and go that route. Did it not work well?

I am going the wireless route.

I am looking forward to when wireless is not available say when I am boon-docking. Then what are my options?

Camp.

True, but I need to keep things running smoothly here, and take care of my customers.

In your case, Mike, satellite may be the only option. Just know the pitfalls.

Are you sure you can even get satellite service in a mobile platform? Dish Network was adamant the installation had to be done by their "professional" installer. Dish alignment is much more critical than for one-way TV.

Come over and try my connection before you sign up.

Morgan, I have Dish Network TV and it is pretty easy to set up. I also set up Phil’s in AZ. The software in the menus makes it quite straight forward.

Now, the satellite Internet system seems to be harder from what I read. WildBlue does NOT have set up software and does not allow users to set up. HugesNet Internet is similar to Dish Network. HugesNet has software to alien the satellite dish and it has 10 satellites to chose from making it much more available all across North America.

I went to a HughesNet dealer and talked to him about Fulltiming and using HughesNet. He said it is hard to set up and NOT for the average consumer. After talking a little while, he said I would have no trouble setting it up. Also, HughesNet does NOT sell or recommend the units as “Mobile” units.

There are many people using them as Mobile units though. Pete Dumbleton’s link is an example. http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/RVInternetBySatellite/ I also found Escapees that do the same.

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Mike,
This is the FAQ from HughesNet:



It's probably expensive though. I did remember something about how the dish needs to be 6 feet off the ground. What makes this more complicated is the fact that you will be transmitting to the satellite. The FCC regulates that. Don't know if the above helped or not but good luck.

Ted

Mike, you turned it down earlier, but there's still Internet by Data Card, depending on the cell coverage in the places where you are likely to camp.

I just read on another group that Dish with newer equipment at home charges $5/month extra if you are not connected to a phone line (dunno if that includes a cell phone or data card [which is assigned a telephone number in the VZW system, for one]). The old equipment doesn't carry the charge.

Ted, It does not require to be 6 feet off the ground, at least the one I saw being used at Escapee. It does need to be line of sight and so trees and other obstructions can cause a problem.

I have a Verizon EVDO air card. It works pretty well but can be painfully slow. We use it while traveling down the road and at Bandon SP. Good for email and forums. Not a good solution for intensive work.

That said, it did not work in many places we camped in Oregon - Jordan Valley (US-95), Lava Lake east side of Cascade Mtns (central Oregon). Both of which would have worked well with a satellite system. My customers needed a little fix and I could not help them. Had to leave early to take care of business.

I see Internet connection as one of 4 options.

• Libraries (their computers, time limits, no software to do work, noise, etc.)
• EVDO Air cards (I have Verizon)
• Wi-Fi (subject to a hopefully free local broadcast)
• HughesNet Satellite (price and technical skill issues)

Each system has its features and benefits, also its negatives.

There doesn’t seem to be a perfect solution.

Mike,



The following is from the link for one of the value added resellers:
http://www.groundcontrol.com/mobile-satellite-faq.htm

(emphasis added)

I hope that clarifies it. Their system looks pretty neat, though, as it folds and automatically finds the satellite.

Ted

a little off topic but might be useful. i started using a cell phone booster http://boatantenna.com/cellular/cellphone_...al_boosters.htm
and my cell phone through verizon to connect to internet . the free portion is painfully slow but you can up grade to a higher speed for a ? bucks more . the booster is really is the cats meow it get me out in places where before i had no signal to having 4 bars in the same area .

Thanks Ted.

I think there is a difference between:
Stationary Access Platforms & Mobile Satellite Systems.

Stationary
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Mobile
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Mobile Satellite Systems are mounted to vehicles and require the six foot height. (I could be wrong, but that is what I understand.)

I am looking at a Stationary set up that I will move from time to time.

Thanks Al.

Looks like it’s worth further investigation.

I posted the smart phone solution I'm checking in the other thread. So far I really like it although it isn't speedy. Got rid of the EVDO card and $59 a month and just use the unlimited internet on my Treo. If you get a signal on the phone you have Internet.

Do you connect via USB to your phone? Is it slower then your air card was?

This cost is the same for the Teo was the same cost as the Aircard so I opted to NOT sign up for that. My wife and I both use our Aircard, one on my Mac & her Dell.

Do you know what the speed differences are?

Hey Mike,

Not sure what the cost is ur referring to. The Treo Unlimited Internet through Sprint is $15 month which I have to have anyway for the phone to work with my Exchange Server. The PDA net is a one time $34.95 for the software to hookup the phone and that's it for charges. You use the same synch cable for the phone and the laptop sees the phone as a usb modem.

It is a bit slower than the aircard, but not $45 a month difference slower. :-) I think it is rated at 184 and the card when I had it didn't do much better most of the time.

I'm still testing it, but I can remote desktop to my office system and work so far. I use it right now for a filler service when I can't hit wireless which is not that often anymore.

I see a lot of Internet satellite antennas on Class A's at campground. They all seem to have a blue light at night. Once in awhile I'll find one running unsecured WiFi and I'll pop on for a quick Internet fix.

I suspect the 6 foot regulation is to keep people out of the path of microwave transmissions.

Anyone know how much power these dishes transmit at? There's probably a good reason for the rule...

I could work from anywhere,so long as I have high speed internet...in a quiet location where I can do conf. calls. If only I could figure that out, I would rv full-time in the summer. Library's are too noisy. Panera's and coffee shops are great, but too public when you have to talk on the phone for 8-9 hours a day.

It would be perfect if I could work inside my trailer. How fast is the service when you go thru your cell phone? Is is comparable to cable internet for large files? Can you talk on the phone at the same time?

Yes. It has to be elevated for safety because of the microwave emmisions. (Warning...boring nerdy info follows.)

Even at 6 ft, it's not really good idea to sit in front of it. It shouldn't have enough power to cook you (like a microwave oven), but I've seen them cause sunburn-type rashes on techs who didn't turn them off before working on them. They can also be a dangerous for people with pace makers and other type devices controlled by radio frequencies. You'd prolly have to stand right in front of it to get a big enough dose to mess up a modern pace maker, but you wouldn't want to experiment on some unsuspecting neighbor with an older version.

One of the reasons I was so interested in WiFi was the EVDO card is not very fast in rural areas. In some metropolitan areas it is quite fast, but that is not where I tend to camp. WiFi is the easiest way to get high speed when it is available. When I have work to do, it is worth it for me to stay at a RV park that has WiFi and charge the cost to my business.

Yes, the EVDO card has nothing to do with your cell phone. They are different accounts. Now if you use your Palm Trio or Black Berry via a USB cable, that would be a problem to use the same device for both operations. I use a PCMCIA EVDO card in my computer. It works equally well in both my Mac and my wife’s PC. Monthly cost for an unlimited account is $59/month.

It is my understanding that the new, next generation, EVDO Express cards are even faster then my PCMCIA card.

I met a guy the has a HughesNet Satellite Antenna that he sets up when he camps. He gets excellent high speed and he can connect any where. The antenna is pretty large and some what difficult to set up. Not for the faint at heart. Cost after you purchase the hardware is $59/month. From what I gather Wild Blue is not user friendly and is extremely hard to set up.

I hope this helps.

DataStorm

All Internet, all the time!

$$$$

I believe the MotoSAT (DataStorm) is HughesNet on Seriods. More automation.

I'd love to see SpeedTest results on everyone's solutions:

http://www.myspeedtest.com

--P

Do ya think we might find a few pacemakers in an RV park?

Peter

Using your link, and a Verizon EVDO Rev A usb720.. avg over two tests: 679 kbps down.. I didn't see an Up option

Using DSL Reports, 654 kbps Down, 80 up.

Does not surprise me that the up kinda stinks. I have always noticed that, and confirmed it when I first got the modem. It IS significantly faster than my old pcmcia card, but that was not a Rev A connection.

DSL Reports, Java speed test.

I'll also note that I am in a fringe EVDO area. On different spot on the mountain, it seems much faster.

3 Watts according to the DataStorm website.

--Peter

Just found this site. I think it is spendy ($1550 one time fee, $59.99 monthly), but if it gives your “business” freedom to be on the road, it may be a Great Solution.



http://www.maxwellsatellite.com/

A follow-up to my earlier posts on latency:

When Dish Network installed my satellite service, the added a wildblue.com proxy in to my internet browsers. I disabled that proxy setting and saw a significant improvement in download speeds. It's still slow but not treacly.

There is a good article in October's issue of MOTORHOME magazine on this very topic

I really, really tried not to say anything, but I just can't stop myself. Proxy servers are usually security devices. They are there either to protect you or the network you are using from releasing information you don't want released, or preventing attackers from getting thru.

You may get less latency if you route around the proxy server. You can get your house door open a lot faster if you don't lock it. You need to ask yourself if that's going to get you what you want in the long run.

A side note on latency -- ATT and other carriers would decrease "voice latency" on international telephone calls by sending one side or direction of the conversation by satellite and send the opposite by underseas cable. If you really want to experience voice latency, you need to try a two-hop call by military satellite where it's almost necessary to use radio procedure like "over", esp if it's encrypted (adds processing time).