Anyone use Satellite internet?

zozo
Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
Hey all,



I was wondering about the quality of broadband via satellite.



I keep reading that a) you need a PCI slot (goodbye TiBooks, iBooks, or iMacs) and b) a modem line for the upstream.



Isnt that annoying to still have to be connected with modem and receive via dish? Why not just get cable/adsl? I would think that if you have a landline (telephone) you can also have access to DSL. No?

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 15
    evangellydonutevangellydonut Posts: 76member
    Used one for a while...the 2nd generation (current one) goes directly to ethernet. the 4s delay is definitely annoying, and the speed wasn't all that impressive...It's affected by Earth's rotation, outside weather, your altitude/position etc. Use it as the last choice, if you cannot get cable, and only iDSL or worse, then Satellite might be alrite, but go with alternatives if u have them.
  • Reply 2 of 15
    ghost_user_nameghost_user_name Posts: 22,667member
    Just go 4 adsl <img src="graemlins/bugeye.gif" border="0" alt="[Skeptical]" />
  • Reply 3 of 15
    aquaticaquatic Posts: 5,602member
    I guess ya'll live in cities. In Vermont, sometimes you don't have access to cable OR or close proximity to a switching station for DSL. I remember one city slicker in a Suggestions thread who wanted Avatars for AI, and he suggested since everyone "of course" had broadband that modem users could piss off.



    Broadband for country bumpkins like me won't be around for another 10 or so years I bet. Most people in Vermont don't even know what broadband is, nor do they care about the Internet.
  • Reply 4 of 15
    banjo billybanjo billy Posts: 80member
    i have been using satalite internet from direcpc (now known as direcway) and they have no mac support so i have a cheap pc as a server...it uses usb to plug into the pc. i then connect the ethernet line to the airport base station and then that gives the macs in my house internet access



    its not that great...but its all i can get out in the stix



    [ 08-28-2002: Message edited by: Banjo Billy ]</p>
  • Reply 5 of 15
    noahjnoahj Posts: 4,503member
    We just got satellite in here at my work, and we are testing it out to see how it will fare as a possible solution for our locations that cannot get T1's, DSL, or Cable. So far it has been mixed.



    It is fast, and the satellite itself is 2-way, no modem line required. They have also got some new caching technology that does its best to alleviate the lag time between the click in the browser and it registerring at the server. I will let you know if anything of note comes up.



    [edit]

    Oh, and it seems like it would be platform agnostic as the box has a ehternet port in it the you pulg into a hub and then it acts as a DHCP, NAT, and proxy/Firewall. IT may be out of the price range of many here though, I would be willing to bet they could make it cheaper. (Not sure of the cost, but we never go cheap here, even if it makes sense to.)



    [ 08-28-2002: Message edited by: NoahJ ]</p>
  • Reply 6 of 15
    zozo Posts: 3,117member
    NoahJ, what service do you use? How much does an all-in-one 2 way solution cost? The prices I have seen here for a 2 way satellite connection is about 1200$ (in europe).



    Also, I have ONLY found Satellite cards for PCI... no Ethernet nor USB For those that have the non PCI solutions can you tell me what brand those sat adapters are?
  • Reply 7 of 15
    evangellydonutevangellydonut Posts: 76member
    hmm...either i'm behind or ahead...not sure which, but looking at the equipment that i had, StarBand 360, it had a direct ethernet connection...



    Oh, you can't move the receiver by yourself, according to the guy who installed it for me...so can't set it up by yourself if u move...as for equipment, it was around the $1k mark...
  • Reply 8 of 15
    fran441fran441 Posts: 3,715member
    [quote]Broadband for country bumpkins like me won't be around for another 10 or so years I bet. Most people in Vermont don't even know what broadband is, nor do they care about the Internet. <hr></blockquote>



    I somehow think you are mistaken.



    Here in NH, we have one of the best cable options in the country. Yes, there is no DSL, but Charter provides excellent cable modem service. I typically get 2,000 k/sec up and down!



    Also closer to Vermont, I've seen the broadband options in Keene and they are not bad either. It may be related to the colleges out there but options are available. I'm sure if you looked around a little more there would have to be something in your area. If they can cover the distances between homes in NH, I can only imagine that they could do it for you as well.
  • Reply 9 of 15
    zozo Posts: 3,117member
    has anyone managed to get an internet satellite solution for Mac aside from using intricate methods (like a PC server, via AirPort, etc etc)?



    thanx
  • Reply 10 of 15
    der kopfder kopf Posts: 2,275member
    Why do you want this satellite connection so bad?
  • Reply 11 of 15
    l'ermitel'ermite Posts: 24member
    [quote]Originally posted by ZO:

    <strong>has anyone managed to get an internet satellite solution for Mac aside from using intricate methods (like a PC server, via AirPort, etc etc)? thanx</strong><hr></blockquote>



    <a href="http://www.tiscali.com"; target="_blank">Tiscali</a> offers an interesting (but rather expensive) satellite solution. From the Swiss website:



    "Tiscali SAT comprend une antenne parabolique et un modem Satellite Tiscali SAT Model 360 que vous devez connecter au port USB ou Ethernet de votre PC."



    "Tiscali SAT a été introduit Ã* l'automne 2001 en Italie, en Allemagne et en Grande-Bretagne dans le cadre d'une phase pilote..."



    I have no personal experience with this, but if it says "Ethernet", then a direct connection to your mac seems possible.
  • Reply 12 of 15
    zozo Posts: 3,117member
    because I'm working for a satellite company now and Im looking for all Mac options (which there aren't) and since I can have the engineers here develop a MacOS X version (and therefore also have DVB board manufacturers create MacOS X compatible drivers).



    SO... the more feedback I get (and suggestions), the easier I can make my point to these guys



    So... at least in Europe... expect Broadband internet (and other fun services) via Satellite soon for you Mac!!!
  • Reply 13 of 15
    nx7oenx7oe Posts: 198member
    I have never used satellite internet
  • Reply 14 of 15
    der kopfder kopf Posts: 2,275member
    [quote]Originally posted by ZO:

    <strong>So... at least in Europe... expect Broadband internet (and other fun services) via Satellite soon for you Mac!!! </strong><hr></blockquote>



    That's nice, though I'm not immediately interested, seeing the huge amount of cable/DSL offers slapping around one's ears these days.
  • Reply 15 of 15
    aquaticaquatic Posts: 5,602member
    Most of NH is a suburb of Boston



    At my house we don't get cable or even town water.



    The real issue here is PRICE. Last I checked, because we were seriously looking at it, satellite internet was too expen$ive.
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