Satellite Internet [RE-wrenches]

[Tom Elliot, Guffey Energy Works]

Allen,

I use Direcway but I got it from Earthlink, since I was already an Earthlink
customer (they lease Direcway bandwidth) and I think their customer support
is better than Direcway's.  However, if you want to do a vpn you have to go
to Direcway and pay extra.  It can be done but it entails a higher monthly
charge though I think the installation fee is the same.

Also, the modems they use consume somewhere around 35 to 45 watts (which is
outrageous) so that is a consideration on an off-grid system.  I run mine
through a laptop and turn the whole thing off most nights, with no problems.
The connection always comes up when the computer boots up.  I also am able
to network easily, my wife is connected to the internet through my wireless
network with her iMac with no problems.  However, I'd recommend at least
Win2k (it has to be windows, the satellite has no Mac software) or WinXP as
your operating systems and make sure both are "clean" installations, i.e.
not upgrades from 98, 98se or WinMe.

The data transfer is extremely asynchronous to minimize bandwidth usage.
I've seen download speeds of as much as 4 megabits (500 kilobytes) and it
can vary greatly from a low of 300, but upload speeds of rarely over 25
megabit.  Basically these systems are designed to replicate the phone
line/satellite systems of the past to allow you to get rid of the expense of
the extra line.  I'm so remote that my costs for a single phone line and a
dial-up ISP are within $2 of the monthly cost of satellite so it was a
no-brainer (outside of the installation costs, which I was willing to pay).

I run my system from my sw4024 and have had absolutely no problems with it.
I'm sold on the satellite in the absence of any other broadband connection
and they are viable for off-grid systems.

Tom Elliot


----- Original Message -----
From: "Allan Sindelar" <allan at positiveenergysolar.com>
To: "New wrenches posting" <RE-wrenches at topica.com>
Sent: Wednesday, February 19, 2003 2:14 PM
Subject: Satellite Internet [RE-wrenches]


> Wrenches,
>     I am ready to install a satellite internet system on my own offgrid
home. This is primarily to allow me to access +E work from home a day or two
a week, and general business web access. I am requesting recommendations and
experiences of others comparing Starband (Dish Network, better known) and
DirecWay (DirecTV, associated with Hughes Electronics).
>
>     I understand that Starband home version uploads/downloads by "bursts",
and as such doesn't work well for a Virtual Private Network unless I buy the
"small office" version. This means that I can't easily log into our
Quickbooks file and enter bills in real time. I can probably live with that.
But is DirecWay the same? And what are the other issues I should know,
especially those that the Sales Associates don't tell?
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Allan at Positive Energy
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
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