Broadband

tcube

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jun 18, 2001
Messages
397
While moving to the country has many advantages, it also has a major drawback - no broadband except for satellite which is too darned expensive.<br /><br />Any of you using broadband over power lines or broadband over fixed wireless connections? Our electric co-op is thinking seriously about making it avaialble.
 

ndemge

Commander
Joined
Jul 15, 2002
Messages
2,644
Re: Broadband

Havn't heard of the power line broadband...<br /><br />How much is the satilite? The other alternative is ISDN
 

tcube

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jun 18, 2001
Messages
397
Re: Broadband

Direcway is around $100/mo with a huge($500) up front equipment investment - way outta my league. We're way to far out for DSL - doesn' ISDN have about the same distance restriction?<br /><br />Oh, the other problem with satellite is that I can't use the company's VPN unless I go to the way more expensive business version.
 

eeboater

Commander
Joined
Jul 19, 2004
Messages
2,644
Re: Broadband

The broadband over powerline thing is getting tested in Houston. I think its going to do nothing but help the industry as it will provide competition to RoadRunner/Cable<br /><br />Sean
 

JB

Honorary Moderator Emeritus
Joined
Mar 25, 2001
Messages
45,907
Re: Broadband

I live 5 miles beyond the end of the world, tcube.<br /><br />I have a wireless broadband connection that works just fine.<br /><br />My provider is North Central Texas Wireless Broadband LLC.<br /><br />Moving this to Non-boating Tech.
 

ndemge

Commander
Joined
Jul 15, 2002
Messages
2,644
Re: Broadband

ISDN has much less distance issues than dsl, as long as they have the circuit capability where you are<br /><br />You looking about the same $100 a month, but that includes 2 phone lines, your home phone will hook to the back of your new isdn router, but you will also need an ISP, Figure anouther $40 a month for that. Or you could just do 2 regular phone lines, 2 modems and do dual modem.
 

nothreat

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Aug 7, 2004
Messages
123
Re: Broadband

I am using Starband satellite internet and it is reasonable speed. About $70/mo with $500 worth of equipment. You can learn more at www.starband.net. There is another satellite provider available now at www.wildblue.com. I understand you get T1 speed. I don't think the BPL (broadband over powerline) is really a good bet right now. It is reasonable in areas with dense population, but when you get to the point that you have 2 or 3 houses per mile (like a rural cooperative area) is is not really cost effective to install. There is drop equipment which must be installed at the substations. We have some utilities in Indiana that are running pilots on it right now and I think that is pretty much what they are finding.
 

roscoe

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Oct 30, 2002
Messages
21,780
Re: Broadband

BPL is also causing problems with radio operators, from sw to emergency services. They figure they can force the emergency services to use some sort of wireless access tthe BPL. But what happens when the BPL goes down for some reason, and the local fire/police/ambulance/and emergency government has no regular radios? But they are screwing the ham operators with interference that they claim isn't there. They claim they are on an entirely different freq, but the problem is the interference is generated up the line in multiples of the freq being used.<br /><br />My Direcway is only $59.99 a month. Has been for 3+ years.
 
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