satellite internet.. who uses what?

Do you get wireless phone coverage in your area?

I have recently got to test wireless broadband from both Altell and Verizon wireless. Both of these were faster than I expected. They of course use compresion to speed things up on the download, but even when transfering a zipped up file it was pretty decent.

In my area, both companies have it for $60 a month (plus buy the card for about $100) and you have access whereever you get cell phone coverage. I myself use Verizon for my mobile phone, and if it wasn't for my wife's desktop computer at home, I'd cancel cable boradband (which is almost $50 a month) and switch. For the $10 difference, I'll take the marginal hit on speed for mobility.

I did a spreadsheet listing and comparing the speeds that I received on testing the verizon card, compared to the DSL at our office. If I can find it, I will post it here.

-Greg

For internet I don't have any other option besides dial up or satellite.
The dial up is painful. The satellite will also have it's share of problems, storming days and nights, slow upload (which i do more than down load at present time).
The FAP does have me a bit concerned as I often spend hours at a time online, working.
Thanks for the info.

~dragonsjaw

Get DSL. Your phone provider probably offers the service; it's cheap and fast. I pay $29.99 per month and my DSL is as fast as cable.

Depends on your area, but no matter what DSL is a lot faster than dial up.

ahhh...I don't think you quite got it VG_King... we have no high speed on these phone lines and Verizon says never. We can get a cell phone to work here at the house, I hadn't thought about may be using that way, but some how I don't think that offer will be in this area either.
So far as I know, Satellite will be the only way to get a faster download load speed, I am not sure what the upload will be.
I was hoping there were other off the grid--- way out in the hills folks hanging around here to get some first hand info.
Thanks..

~dragonsjaw

You can get ISDN. It's fast...Neandertech is a pretty cheap provider.

What is FAP? I have not heard of it.

I do not have any experience with the sattelite internet except for third hand info ... Unfortuneately most people who have it hate it ... but if it is all you have then your kinda stuck ...

As to the Cellular internet .... That is only available in a Digital area coverage. If you are so far off the grid that your phone is analog ... then that is not going to help either ...

In the end usually cable TV companies are the first to offer Broadband in an area before others do. The reason is that they can pipe in high speed and pick up the TV people at the same time, so this becomes the most cost effective due to the fact there is very little requirements for the company to offer it.

If it is such a critical thing to have the high speed internet, and cost isn't too much of a factor ... you can talk to the business people (not the Residential) customer service with the local phone provider and see what options are available for a T-Line. This is usually pretty pricey but if you are not alone there then you can start up your own ISP and offer other options then to your neighbors.

There is a downside to sat they can monenter your file size stuff meaning that your only have a certian amount of spacee then it drops you down to dial up speed and it is expensive

Definatley check to see if you are getting a digital signal on your cell phone or if it is analog. Where in california are you at?

In the hills between 95560 and 95589 zip codes.
We have land line verizon phone and they are no help in this.
We use a pay as you go cell phone and it is digital, but not connected to any of the cell carriers you always hear about like Verizon, sprint etc.
The nearest town (Garberville) has cable tv and offers a high speed broad band on their set up..but they are miles away and will never come out here.
Most folks have DirectTV or DishTV for their tv needs.
It would be way too much money to try and get enough people to even think about running a T1 line.
So I guess sometime this spring, I will seriously look at the satellite internet again.
I just hate doing something that I know will have serious draw backs,
but hey that's part of living in the wilderness..
a lot of the techy fun stuff is just a bit out of reach.
Thanks.