Pixius Internet

TresCrows · Dec 30, 2005

One of the resaons I have not been on TBN over the last year very much is lack of a viable internet option. We live out far enough that there is no cable and no DSL--NADA--ZIP! Struggling with a dial up and AOL was more than I could handle. Recently another service came to my attention. Pixius Wireless Internet. It is a Broad Band wireless service that uses line of sitght towers. The tower I am on now is about seven miles distant. This requires a small dish on a tripod high on my roof. Next year they promise a tower near our area that will not require a tripod and dish--just a small antenna on our eve. Anyway, it is broad band, it is fast and so far relaible. It is also fairly cheap at only 45 dollars/month for upgraded performance and a few dollars less for a slightly reduced speed. The speed compared to dial up is amazing and my speeds are running about 150% typical T1 speeds.
Several neighbors now have the service as well. In the past some folks had Sprint but they no longer are adding customers and it was expensive!!!! Very expensive.

Does anyone use this service for their internet or what do other country folk use?
J

TresCrows · Dec 30, 2005

Here is a picture of the tripod antenna on our house. Like I was saying is that as the network expands with additional tower locations the tripod antenna will not be needed. They do not generally put up dedicated towers but rent space on existing towers. The tower we see now is quite a ways off at around seven miles, perhaps a bit more. The tripod tower is needed to clear a neighbors house and a cottonwood tree on the horizon. J

DUMBDOG · Dec 31, 2005

This is one of the reasons that we have not yet moved to the farm. Lack of a viable internet servie other that the telephone line. Now we have the same type system as you do, the tower is about two miles away. Now there are putting in high speed cable to the area.

Have high speed in town and could not go back to dial up.

Now that the obstacle to building is gone, we have to save our pennies to build.

cowboydoc · Dec 31, 2005

I think a better option is the Verizon Wireless DSL. I got it this summer and it has been nothing short of great. I have been all over the country and in some remote areas and it has never failed. Basically anyplace you can get a cellphone signal you can get the internet.

TresCrows · Jan 1, 2006

Amazingly we called Verizon over and over since we have been Verizon cell customers for years. They do not offer that service in this area. Beats me why, I gave up arguing with them. Some of our neighbors had Sprint wireless but it was much more money and after talking to them I find out they are no longer taking new customers here--why---again--I get no clear answers--sooooo--that left Pixius and it does work so far just fine. It is also cost effective.
Regardless of which service, any broad band is so far superior to the horrid dial up that there is no sense in trying to make a comparison. I don't know about you guys but our dial up was getting slower and slower and slower. It got to the point I could do virtually nothing including TBN. Pages just would not load. It may have to do with the spying or just more and more info being crammed into pages optimized for DSL and then being on dial up to open them. My wife does some of her work from home and it too was becoming impossible to access her work with the dial up.--now it is instantaneous. I uploaded MS SP2 a few weeks ago and it took over 12 hours. I uploaded it for my other computer--- took the dogs for a walk and talked with the neighbor and came back in and it was done--totally fast.

As a result of Verizons odd behavoir we left them behind, moved over to Cingular for cell service, probably a mistake but I don't care, it is just money, I just have to work some more, what the heck and the wife likes her new sleek Razer black phone she got for Christmas. Did not hurt that her battery was going bad and cost more to replace than getting up on Cingular, me too. Verizon is a good company, I hope they continue to do well, probably be back with them sometime.

Oh, happy New year to each of you for real now--it is 2006--wow---holy cow. J

Bird · Jan 1, 2006

( moved over to Cingular for cell service, probably a mistake )

I don't know why it would be a mistake. We've had Cingular almost 7 years (used to be Southwestern Bell Mobile when we first started) and have no complaints with them.

mudcat · Jan 1, 2006

DirectTV offers internet service via satelite.

jeffinsgf · Jan 1, 2006

Just took a look at Pixius' site. Nice service, but its only available in Kansas. Most wireless internet providers are focusing on major metros. It is nice to see someone adapting the technology to rural areas.

I had WildBlue satellite internet service installed a couple weeks ago. I am thoroughly satisfied with it. I first found out about WildBlue here on TBN. They have struggled with hardware supply problems, but that seems to be getting worked out. I was on the waiting list for about 3 months, but now I am not sure there is a waiting list at all. Comparing service plans, Pixius is on par with WildBlue at the low end, but for faster speeds and more service (I am running a business with my connection, as well as enjoying it personally) WildBlue is less expensive.

The installation was fast and simple and the guy made sure that I had all my computers up and running on the system before he left, even thought that is not part of their agreement.

The connection is always on. Satellite systems have some latency. What this means is that when you enter an address and request it, it takes a few seconds for the request to be processed. However, once the transfer starts, it is as fast as DSL or cable.

Best of all, unlike DirecWay, WildBlue is reasonably priced. I imagine that DirecWay will have to lower their price, now that they have some competition for satellite service.

cowboydoc · Jan 1, 2006

I had the same problem with them saying it wasn't offered. Which this isn't true because it's offered all over the country. Apparently the DSL service is in another department and all the phone part knows about is the dial up part. Anyway we went into the verizon store and got it. Anyplace you can get a cell phone signal you can get this. It's available anywhere basically.

It isn't dial-up either. It's a satellite system. It works very well. The thing I like about it is wherever I go I have the internet. There is a little card that you plug into the side and anyplace you are at you have internet if you have a phone signal.

Nasty135 · Jan 1, 2006

( They do not offer that service in this area ) Probably because the cost of the initial installation would out weigh the revenue, Maybe? Verizon would rather bide their time and have another vendor install the imbedded base and then by them out ... (It used to be Ok eat the cost for consumer loyalty)

Gte if Im not mistaken had most of the midwest and they were notorious for being shorthanded (by design) on management and technical side alike ,Where as Bell Atlantic before merging with Nynex was more service oriented lots of people to get the job done, Once merged with Nynex becoming Verizon then merging again with GTE it has been a downhill slide ever since from service to cutting heads and buying up the competition, Now I think they are to big for their britches as the stock is the lowest I have ever seen it and now they are cutting off the pensions as of JULY 2006 for the management which means if you don't have 30 yrs of service by that date you can't receive your full pension /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif
" Going with the national trend" BULL

Although I am on the associate side (union) It will eventually hit me more than likely at the next contract as well as the health care situation....(like a cheese to go with that whine)

OK now thats off my chest, Verizon and Verizon wireless are two different companies that only hold hands under the table /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif