Posted on 12/09/2008 12:19:05 PM PST by NewHampshireDuo
I don’t know the future of this, but I’ve had Clearwire for nearly a year and love it. Not as fast as the fastest DSL, but faster than Satellite, and you can move around.
http://www.rcrwireless.com/article/20081205/WIRELESS/812049987/1096/MVNO/812049987/
I run a wireless ISP. If your 900 wireless is intermittent, get the ISP to fix it. I haven’t generally found much that can’t be overcome eventually with effort and a little trial and error.
Raising the antenna, re aiming, etc, are often the real fixes for 900 intermittency.
for the most part, 900 can fool the installer, by having a stronger “bounce” than direct signal, and the installer will point the antenna at the bounce, which turns out to be dependent on weather, temperature, etc.
If nothing else, it’s also possible to do inexpensive “relay” sites. I can build a 900 relay site for about 700 bucks with the equipment I use, and it works very well.
it was great for large files before hughes instituted its fair access policy and throttled back bandwidth .. anyway anything would beat dial-up but too many medical bills now, so what the hey.
any modern satellite system requires it be installed by fcc licensed tech because of transmitting to satellite.
Sprint isn't really unlimited. They are also imposing a 5 GB/month cap, but are doing so quietly. It's $59.99/month -- same as Verizon. If you go to a Sprint store, the salesman will probably offer you a 30-day free trial, and you can test it risk-free.
As others have suggested, try upgrading your current service to a high-gain directional antenna. If you decide to use Sprint or Verizon, also consider an external antenna pointed at the nearest cell-site. You can even buy repeaters that will also boost the signal for your phones:
I’m currantly using verizon wireless. It may not be as fast as DSL, but it sure beats the heck out of dialup.
I didn’t see your question answered. I, like you, have no high speed satellite offered at my location. None, zip..nadda!
So... I use Hughes satellite. It’s not as fast as I would like and its costly (59.00) a month. I have used it for 6 or 7 years now ... never had one minutes trouble with the equipment.
Before satellite internet I had dial up. A second phone line that was 35.00 a month and an ISP provider that was around 20.00 a month. Thats 55.00 six or 7 years ago. The satellite.. 59.00 and 30 times faster than dial up. Easy choice for me.
If I remember correctly it cost 295.00 for the equipment and set up.
A heavy rain will cause you to lose the signal for the duration of the down pour.
Think me might go look at the WildBlue homepage and see whats up with that company.
Best of luck to you.
P.S. We need to have a long talk with that Obama guy. If he can heal the sick and raise the dead voters surely he can get me some of that high speed internet.
In looking through the replies, several have mentioned Verizon wireless, From what I see that’s really for mobile use with a laptop. Is it practical for home/home office use with desktops?
On goodness after the install and cancellation if the service doesn’t pan out, the stock line seems to be “the installer makes sure it’s fine.” I did see one promotion (not sure which service) where they had 30 days after install for cancellation without penalty.
Thanks on the WildBlue input.
What is WiMax?
I’m not sure where I’m at with regard to any limits, 5 GB or other. I’m using cable now - is there a way to get historical usage for my account?
The provider I have is pretty cooperative but there are some things they won’t do - insurance no doubt. Their techs have to be able to access the antenna without ladders. Standing on a roof is ok but needing something to stand on is a no-no. Believe me, I’ll thoroughly exercise them before I switch to someone else and have to go through another learning curve.
“My neighbor, who is a real estate agent, needs high-speed internet to do some of her work from home. She has a local wireless service. I tried out the service on her computer one evening, and the Drudgereport did not load that much faster than my outdated dial-up.”
I’ve seen the same. Interesting though - FreeRepublic comes up very quickly.
That’s right, Obama is not only going to make the waters recede but will also give us broadband. Damn, I should have voted for him. Of course he’ll address the inner cities first and make sure that all welfare moms have broadband and a laptop.
I’ve talked with them about a relay. There’s a house down the road that seems to have better luck. They are friends of ours and the provider would consider such an option if all else fails. They are only about 100 yards away, if that.
“Looks like a lot of flaming of WildBlue”
Yeah, I checked out that site. Ouch.
Hell, cancel your service, split the costs with the neighbor and share their link with a wifi transmitter. There are many ways to share via line of sight.
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