A Question For You Bro's That Know You Computer Stuff

[XXXL]

i will be moving out into the sticks soon and need some help. i've found out that where i will be living will not only lack DSL but Broadband too.

is there any other options available for high speed internet access out there? ? ? ?

i think i read that you can get satellite hookups. is there such a thing? if there is, is it worth it? or are there other, better options?

any help would be much appreciated.

 

[TheProject]

You can get satellite internet access from DirecTV, it's called DirecPC. They've now improved the technology so it no longer requires a phone line. I've never used it, so I can't say how good it is, but it's better than going back to dialup.

www.direcpc.com

 

[r00+]

Actually, there are wonderful ways around this problem.

I've read a couple articles detailing how to take a raw line and use it to get DSL speeds.

To give you a Cliff Note version:

Buy a raw copper line from your local phone company, tell them it is for a home security system (keeps them from making it phone or data lines).

Drop one side of the line in your house, and the other into a data center or a buddies house who has DSL or cable access. (I'd suggest buying a service from www.airswitch.com).

Going with Airswitch rids you of backbone bottle-necks you might get with other options (they essentially provide an OC12 LAN with internet connectivity).

They beauty of it is, a raw line costs less than an actual phone or data line and airswitch has pricing under 20 US dollars.

 

[nitlyan]

http://www.tek2k.com/DISH/Starband/starband.html

You can get 150 TV Channels and Satellite Internet connection for $99/month...Looks like a decent deal.....Hope you find something.

 

[r00+]

Yeah, the TV solution is ok....just be prepared to have a great deal of network protocols and services denied through them.

You know, things like java, telnet and SSH.

 

[XXXL]

THANKS FOR THE INPUT GUYS! i'll check out the links that you have provided and see what they have to say.

hey r00+, as i've mentioned many times to many ppl. i don't know shit about computers. the only time i've learned anything is when faced with something i needed to figure out.

that being said, could you, or someone explain what is ment by the network protocals?

AND if you have to time, list some of the advantages and disadvantages of each of the options. i know with broadband, on disadvantage is if you use you internet during peak hours, it can get really slow.

thanks again

 

[TheProject]

Yeah, the TV solution is ok....just be prepared to have a great deal of network protocols and services denied through them.

Y'know, I researched this pretty heavily before I went with DSL, and I don't believe there's any protocol limitations with the satellite systems. There probably are limitations through systems like WebTV, but you don't want those anyway. Stick to systems that will browse through your PC, not your TV.

Looks like the biggest difference between Starband and DirecPC is that DirecPC follows a "fair use" policy that is similar to the sharing that goes on with cable modems.

Starband offers unlimited internet for $69.99 a month, which seems pretty damned high to me. Didn't see a cost on DirecPC's site, but I didn't dig all that deep.

The raw copper line idea sounds pretty kick ass, but I don't know where you'd find a data center out in the sticks.

 

[mdd]

satelite??? i herd it mentioned b4

 

[r00+]

There a limited amounts of limitations with sat connectivity.

But there are a schlew of issues related to it in general.

Typically you have your own dish, which is cool. It's not too big, about the size the Sony DishNetwork stuff.

But the issues are related to sat technology in general, primarily the problem is that bandwidth suffers when the following things occur:
line-of-sight is block, say by trees swaying in the wind.
sun flares (autumn and spring)
heavy rain or snow

Also, sat providers are notorious for poor service and higher prices.

For the most part, the FAA limits sat bandwidth to burstable T1 (not sustainable T1) for each switched subnet. What does this mean in English, you and everyone in your state (roughly) is on the same T1 line. I say state, but in actuality it probably boils down to about 100 users per switched subnet.

 

[dballer]

You can get satellite internet access from DirecTV, it's called DirecPC. They've now improved the technology so it no longer requires a phone line. I've never used it, so I can't say how good it is, but it's better than going back to dialup.

www.direcpc.com

I live on a big piece of land with no DSL or Cable either. I use the system mentioned above.... not quite as fast as DSL or T1.. but it is alot better than dial up. If you need any set-up tips.. let me know.
DBaller

 

[TheProject]

But the issues are related to sat technology in general, primarily the problem is that bandwidth suffers when the following things occur:

Very true, and I've talked to a lot of people about this on the TV side of things. I have a DirecTV dish, and when I installed it, I tweaked it until I got 90% signal strength. Assuming DirecPC is calibrated by the same means, this is very important.

On days where the weather is crap, I've seen my signal strength drop by as much as 20%. All told, I lose a total of about 1 day per year to weather, which is in line with the specs.

If you go with sat, make sure that you know what direction your dish has to point for your area, and that you have a clear line of sight in that direction.

dballer, how'd your setup go on the PC side of things?

 

[r00+]

All dishes aiming at geo-synchronous sats (all commercial sats) need to point South (unless you're in the Southern Hemisphere).

 

[TheProject]

bumping for RyanH

The bulk of the thread's about internet, but the last post gives you your facing info.