Advice regarding Internet Connection via Satellite

Hey Jon what about using a Blackberry down there?

Jon,

My vocal coach said to me last Tuesday about connecting her Apple computer to her cellphone through some device and connecting to the Internet. She is going to move out of Baltimore and will be on the road all the time. I’ll ask her more about this setup.

Tomoko

Cingular seems to have started this service and AT&T has acquired Cingular. What I have read so far is that there is a Broadband Connect service with 3G phones.

I am posting this to get this thread going so that somebody else who is actually using this can give you more ifo.

For what it is worth, I connect to the internet through either my 3G mobile or a USB modern. I have a MacBook Pro and am capable of downloading or uploading large files, abet slow compared to broadband, but it keeps me going. I use a voice/data plan on my phone and just a date plan with the USB modem to stay in the loop. My current providers are fairly reliable considering my location.

TK

Jon,
I’m out in the sticks and use Hughes. There is no cable or DSL out here. Not sure of the costs now but a dish and modem was around $600 US a few years ago.

Hughes services]] in Latin America

Jon, I went through the same decision-making process three years ago when I moved from New York city to a remote countryside house in south-central Sweden. My wife is Swedish and we bought her grandparents unused 100+year-old house and have been renovating ever since. When we arrived we suddenly discovered that the only internet access we could get was a slow dialup through the state monopolized phone service – Telia. My wife is a freelance graphic designer with clients in the U.S. and sometimes she had 50 mb files to upload. It was painful to tie up a phone line for a night to get a file to a client and then discover the upload screwed up sometime midway. ADSL, DSL and any other broadband access through a phone line was not available to us at the time. So I also checked into a satellite possibility with broadband up and download. I found some English and Russian companies offering the service. Startup costs were $2,000$4,000, including parabola, the receiver and the transmitter. Then of course there are the monthly fees and upload/download costs – a one-year contract with basic service was a few hundred dollars a month. There were many packages available to choose from, which varied in cost and varying capacities for transmission needs – then you paid more if more was transmitted. For us the cost was too much to justify a one to two-year lock in with a contract for such a service. And the startup cost, for us anyway, was also too much. Of course, your income will probably help you decide if it is worth it. We, fortunately, had the option of waiting for Telia (Swedish phone company) to finally install the new routers at the closest town so that there would be ADSL access for those of us living far from “civilization” – our neighbors are mostly retirees, farmers, and owners of summer homes. We lucked out in that six months later the new routers were installed and we now have ADSL. You may want to check with the phone company to find out if and when they can make your area accessible to ADSL. Even if you have to wait a few months, it means you don’t drop a few thousand dollars for a system and service you may not use again. Cheers, Dean

Hi Jon, I got some information from my vocal coach today and got to see the wireless broadband connection in action.

She has an Aircard 875U from AT&T (formerly Cingular). The device hooks onto the side of her Mac laptop, and connects to the Internet easily. The device itself costs $100, but her monthly fee is $60 + tax. The device is a 3G device with a phone number.

Now the main question is to find out whether you have a coverage in your area. Here is a page I found on the Dominican Republic and wireless broadband

I am going to start a new thread on wireless broadband to get more attention.

Jon,

I like Vecima Networks’ (out of Canada) Waverider MMT9000 Unlicensed Nomadic Wireless Terminal particularly if you are a freelance photojournalist.

You could probably find all necessary or at least the most expensive (the terminal) component through ebay, (Vicima Networks has no Refurbished products like Apple does) and would think the base, at least, is under a $1000 new. Suggested list price for one Waverider MMT9000 terminal alone and new is $1795.00. I may be able to find you one used, but never used, as well and for at least $500 less.

HERE IS SOME INFO FOR YOU JON, and don’t hesitate to email or PM, anytime.

The system [WaveRider] is a cost effective solution that can be deployed rapidly and is suitable for temporary or permanent installations where high speed voice, video or data services are required.

ABOUT VECIMA We design, manufacture and sell products that enable broadband access to cable, wireless and telephony networks. Our hardware products incorporate embedded software developed by us to meet the complex requirements of next-generation, high-speed digital networks. Service providers use our solutions to deliver services to a converging worldwide broadband market, including what are commonly known as “triple play” (voice, video and data) and “quadruple play” (voice, video, data and wireless) services. Our solutions allow service providers to rapidly and cost-effectively bridge the final network segment that connects a system directly to end-users, commonly referred to as “the last mile”, by overcoming the bottleneck resulting from insufficient carrying capacity in legacy last-mile infrastructures.”

* VECIMA CORPORATE HISTORY AND STRUCTURE

“Dr. Surinder Kumar founded Vecima Networks in 1988 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The Company was incorporated in Saskatchewan in 1988 as WaveCom Electronics Inc. In 2003, we continued as a federal corporation pursuant to the Canada Business Corporations Act and changed our name to VCom Inc.

In 1990, we introduced our first commercial products, a line of modulators for the cable television industry. We opened a microwave research facility in Victoria, B.C. in the mid-1990’s, and relocated the executive offices of the Company to Victoria in 1998. In the 18 years since Vecima Networks’ inception, we have grown from three employees to 533 employees as of January 1, 2006.

Our head and registered office is located at 4210 Commerce Circle, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, V8Z 6N6, and our telephone number is (250) 881-1982. Our website address is www.VecimaNetworks.com.

Our three wholly-owned subsidiaries and their respective jurisdictions of incorporation are WaveCom Electronics (2003) Inc. (Saskatchewan), 6105971 Canada Inc. (Canada) and Vecima Networks Pacific Pty. Ltd. (Australia). We also own all of the participating shares, but none of the voting shares, of YourLink Inc. (incorporated in Canada), voting control of which is held, directly and indirectly, by our President and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Surinder Kumar, and our Chief Operating Officer, Dr. Hugh Wood.”

VECIMA PRESS RELEASE
September 12, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*

WaveRider WISP INFO

US$3 MILLION INTERNET CONTRACT

Publication: Caribbean Update
Date: Monday, November 1 1999
Subject: Internet service providers, Transceivers
Company: Infi-Networx Caribbean Inc., WaveRider Communications Inc.
Product: Mobile & Base Transceivers, Internet Access Providers
Location: Barbados

“WaveRider Communications Inc. (OTC BB: WAVC, Frankfurt WVR.FSE), a provider of wireless Internet access products, on October 12 announced a US$3 million contract with Infi-Networx Caribbean Inc. of Barbados, a Wireless Internet Service Provider (WISP). Infi-Networx, based in Bridgetown, provides its subscribers with including wireless, satellite and fiber optic service. WaveRider also does business in Jamaica, Bermuda and the Dominican Republic.”

thanks Gayle. this just saved me a search

Jon,

In Belize we have two major options. One is Starband satellite and the other is Hughes or Directway (Google either one). Both cost around $2500US to setup complete with dish and modems, and around $100/month for access here in Belize. The problem I find is that they both restrict bandwidth to 3Gb per 7 days. If you go over that amount, they throttle you back and the connecton crawls.

I would love to have other options, especially mobile ones. The problem in Belize is that our telecommunications compnay has a monopoly, and controls every component of access outside of satellite access.

Tony

Thanks folks. The Cell phone connection is an option here, and has been for some time, but the service sucks and the cost is prohibitive. Satellite is the only way to go. We have a variety of local companies offering services,a nd their costs vary somewhat, most of them however sticking fairly close to the same prices that Verizon charges for its DSL (which is more than double the price for the service offered in the US). So after the initial investment in equipment I wouldnt be too bad off with the monthly rental (particularly considering that all my other monthly expenses are pretty low. I just paid the garbage pickup bill today: 10 pesos, or about 30 cents). Well, it is a necessity so i have no choice.

I can save money on the equipment if I buy it in the states, I was just wondering if anyone knew exactly which brands are best and where to buy them. ANy tips along those lines are appreciated.

Thanks for all the input.

You are welcome, John. Here is the WaveRider Product Overview
manual.

```````````````````

Jon, here are some VSAT links that may help you out finding a US distributor.

http://www.satsig.net/vsat_top.htm

http://www.satsig.net/ivsat.htm

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/product-description/0470866845/ref=dp_proddesc_0/002-8177936-4131252?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books

Any additional info on the satellite brand?

I had satellite here in Western Massachusetts 2 years ago but gave up on it since there is always a slight delay given that the signal has to go out 25,000 miles and then come back again. This can create problems with uploading data as the server will time out. Satellite internet simply does not work like DSL, Cable or broadband through a laptop card. Even if the speeds they quote are close to DSL, in practice, it is not as fast. Also, watch out for those clouds and bad weather—suddenly you have no internet in the middle of an important download/upload.

Here is the Wikipedia on the Dominican Republic and Communications.

Perhaps Jon knows everything written in this account, but just in case….

Here is a satellite company in the DR.
http://dr1.com/directories/services/dunhill_systems.shtml

I am a bit puzzled how no one is mentioning the very real latency which causes a delay with satellite internet. . . I get more reliable service with dial-up than I did with DirecWay (now HughesNet). Gayle: Does the WaveRider have a delay?

Davin,

It is because the normal use of e-mails and some Internet browsing can be done without experiencing a delay, but look at the Wikipedia treatment of this subject under satellite.

But Tomoko, Lightstalkers is a community of photographers who need the internet for uploading large image files to servers and agencies!!! I found major problems with satellite internet for uploading.

Satellite Internet

Main article: Satellite Internet

This employs a satellite in geostationary orbit to relay data from the satellite company to each customer. Satellite Internet is usually among the most expensive ways of gaining broadband Internet access, but in rural areas it may only compete with cellular broadband. However, costs have been coming down in recent years to the point that it is becoming more competitive with other high-speed options.

Satellite Internet also has a high latency problem caused by the signal having to travel 35,000 km (22,000 miles) out into space to the satellite and back to Earth again. The signal delay can be as much as 500 milliseconds to 900 milliseconds, which makes this service unsuitable for applications requiring real-time user input such as certain multiplayer Internet games and first-person shooters played over the connection. Despite this, it is still possible for many games to still be played, but the scope is limited to real-time strategy or turn-based games. The functionality of live interactive access to a distant computer can also be subject to the problems caused by high latency. These problems are more than tolerable for just basic email access and web browsing and in most cases are barely noticeable.

There is no simple way to get around this problem. The delay is primarily due to the speed of light being only 300,000 km/second (186,000 miles per second). Even if all other signaling delays could be eliminated it still takes the electromagnetic wave 233 milliseconds to travel from ground to the satellite and back to the ground, a total of 70,000 km (44,000 miles) to travel from you to the satellite company.

Since the satellite is usually being used for two-way communications, the total distance increases to 140,000 km (88,000 miles), which takes a radio wave 466 ms to travel. Factoring in normal delays from other network sources gives a typical connection latency of 500-700 ms. This is far worse latency than even most dial-up modem users’ experience, at typically only 150-200 ms total latency.

Most satellite Internet providers also have a FAP (Fair Access Policy). Perhaps one of the largest cons against satellite Internet, these FAPs usually throttle a user’s throughput to dial-up speeds after a certain “invisible wall” is hit (usually around 200 MB a day). This FAP usually lasts for 24 hours after the wall is hit, and a user’s throughput is restored to whatever tier they paid for. This makes bandwidth-intensive activities nearly impossible to complete in a reasonable amount of time (examples include P2P and newsgroup binary downloading).

Advantages

1. True global broadband Internet access availability
2. Mobile connection to the Internet (with some providers)

Disadvantages

1. Very high latency compared to other broadband services, especially 2-way satellite service
2. Unreliable: drop-outs are common during travel, inclement weather, and during sunspot activity
3. The narrow-beam highly directional antenna must be accurately pointed to the satellite orbiting overhead
4. The Fair Access Policy limits heavy usage
5. VPN use is discouraged, problematic, and/or restricted with satellite broadband, although available at a price
6. One-way satellite service requires the use of a modem or other data uplink connection
7. VoIP is not supported.
8. Satellite dishes are huge. Although most of them employ plastic to reduce weight, they are typically between 80  
and 120 cm (30 to 48 inches) in diameter.

Davin, I’m glad that you have raised an important issue for Jon for the use of satellite for internet connection and copied the Wikipedia article here. I’m sure Jon would appreciate it.

I myself have no experience with satellite dishes, etc. I’m trying to decide for myself whether I should get DSL now or get a 3G phone which is capable of connecting with broadband. I’m still on a dialup, but I hope to be moving out of here in less than a year.

The 3G phone which can accept a SIM card would be useful in Japan when I go there, and then I only have to rent (?) a SIM card. Renting a cell phone in Japan is expensive.

Hi Tomoko,

I have an uncle who is actually married to a Tomoko! I just felt that I must let people know about the latency with satellite. In Jon’s case it may be the only option, but in my experience it is not really useable technology. When I had it, it would go dead sometimes on a perfectly clear blue sky day with no clouds. I would go to the back window and there would be one little cloud hanging in the sky right above my satellite dish! This drove me crazy! No internet for a few hours! The WaveRider system that Gayle mentioned sounds better.

Hi Davin,

Tomoko is a fairly common girls’ name in Japan, so I’m not really surprised that you have a Japanese relative named Tomoko.

I don’t understand why the WaveRider system is good. All the information Gayle put out is not as informative to me. It sounds like a satellite broadband system, but they don’t use the word, satellite. I might be missing something.

As for the cellular broadband in the DR is concerned, it does not appear to be terribly expensive compared to the satellite system at one or two websites I looked at. I think Jon should look at any hidden charges before committing himself particularly because of the initial cost for the equipment.

Anybody else on Internet connectin via satellite?

Bump

It seems that in US one popular service is HughesNet (formerly DirecPC or DirecWay) which is Vsat based system and costs about 80 USD/mont + 300 USD for hardware.

http://go.gethughesnet.com/

but be aware of the so called “Fair Access Policy” which comes by default on all satellite Internet access, specially if you’re a huge bandwidth consumer ;)

We have Wildblue satellite here in rural Idaho. We have it by alone but you can get it in a package with Dish Network satellite tv. It is fast and very reliable.

I have to check my FAP (download statistics) every morning. And we still get Fapped (they throttle my connection if I go over my limit). This happens to us about every 6 months. It’s not like you can get fapped overnight for downloading a movie – it builds and builds over time in some kind of mathematical model you can’t understand unless you know calculus.

When we get fapped we drive 20 miles to the nearest library where they have free wi-fi.

Oh and forget customer service or any kind of help over the phone. That doesn’t exist. You’re on your own, baby. And don’t ask the people who install it for any kind of help using it because they are just contractors and they will tell you to call customer service.

We pay about 90$ a month for the business package. We are pretty happy with it except for the fap issues which are maddening. We can’t wait till we get some kind of dsl here. That is not likely to ever happen though.

the BGAN services from INMARSAT