Direcway Satellite I'Net With A Mac
I'm building a house so far out in the boonies that I'm seriously concerned that Santa won't be able to find me. The only broadband option I have is satellite. But Direcway (the satellite ISP) doesn't have Mac software yet. They keep talking about it but it's still vaporware.
If I try using Virtual PC would it be so slow that I'd be wasting my money on the satellite connection? Would it even work with Virtual PC?
Could I use my Wintel laptop as a server and network my iMac to it as a client gaining satellite I'Net access in that way?
Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. The folks at Direcway really don't seem to care if I buy their service or not.
If I try using Virtual PC would it be so slow that I'd be wasting my money on the satellite connection? Would it even work with Virtual PC?
Could I use my Wintel laptop as a server and network my iMac to it as a client gaining satellite I'Net access in that way?
Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. The folks at Direcway really don't seem to care if I buy their service or not.
Comments
I am now, as of June 9, a DSL subscriber. It's possible that I got really, really, really lucky, and the telco just happened to put a new switch in just the right spot for me to get DSL. One, happy day I got a DSL flier in the mail.
So, how far are you from your nearest neighbor that can get cable TV? For me, I think that's at least 6 miles. How far are you from your nearest neighbor that can get DSL? Before I could get it myself, I think that was also at least 6 miles.
If your answers are like, "Well, uh, that's gotta be, like, 30 miles," then I guess you really are out there. Otherwise, your best option may be to just wait it out with dial-up.
Originally posted by spotcatbug
Ask yourself how far out in the boonies you really are. I thought I was completely in the boonies and that I wouldn't have high-speed Internet until, like, 2020. I was also considering satellite, but after researching a little, I decided it wasn't worth it.
I am now, as of June 9, a DSL subscriber. It's possible that I got really, really, really lucky, and the telco just happened to put a new switch in just the right spot for me to get DSL. One, happy day I got a DSL flier in the mail.
So, how far are you from your nearest neighbor that can get cable TV? For me, I think that's at least 6 miles. How far are you from your nearest neighbor that can get DSL? Before I could get it myself, I think that was also at least 6 miles.
If your answers are like, "Well, uh, that's gotta be, like, 30 miles," then I guess you really are out there. Otherwise, your best option may be to just wait it out with dial-up.
The nearest cable connection is over 20 miles away. There are no plan to bring cable near us since there are so few homes where I'm building. As for DSL, the nearest powered switch is over seven miles away. So it's satellite or dialup and people out where I'm building have warned me that dialup rarely gets better than 28.8.
BEN
Originally posted by saabmp3
Holy S*** dude, you are out there. Haha. I would check to see if you can use satellite with a Router or Proxy server. That's all you need for a connection to the net. My DSL provider (LONG time ago) who uses PPPOE to get on didn't have a mac client (OS9 era). Used a router, worked like a charm. (Note, this is not MY mac, just a mac, but the story still holds). I would reccomend looking around like that.
BEN
This is what complicates matters. Direcway uses proprietary software to control the special satellite receiver. The receiver functions like a modem but really isn't. It takes the signal from the dish and tanslates it into digital information that is then sent to the computer and finally re-translated (is that a word?) by the software to be used by standard email programs and browsers.
I'm not sure this proprietary software will work inside Virtual PC and I can't get an answer from the Direcway techies. That's why I wondered if networking the iMac to a Wintel do do the trick.
I'd like to find out BEFORE I make the big $$$ purchase of the satellite hardware and commit to a 12-month contract with the ISP.
Originally posted by spotcatbug
Strangely enough, I just saw a banner ad at VersionTracker for Net2Dish. If you go to their site, look in the right column of the front page; it says, "The DW4020 is 100% Mac Compatible." Good luck.
This company is designed to handle business accounts rather than individual home users. That's not a problem in and of itself, but because it's a business solution the hardware is more expensive and the minimum monthly fee is $79 (and just try getting that rate). Direcway's price is $59 a month and the hardware isn't as expensive.
I still have my fingers crossed that Direcway will release it's Mac software soon.