You don't have a high speed Internet connection??

[TSO]

NO internet except satellite, which I won't do. '!

why is that?

 

[California]

A story from the Old Days - We set up a wired network in our branch office, I argued for Ethernet instead of the proposed IBM TokenRing that HQ's consultants said we needed. (this was before WiFi existed). We ignored them and went ahead with Ethernet. A year later the pressure to read HQ databases was overwhelming, we were tired of poring through printouts and Sneakernet to bring over diskettes that they didn't want us make anyway. And 9600 baud dialup into HQ databases couldn't move enough data. The HQ 'experts' offered to let us join their 9600 baud TokenRing link between HQ and the IBM dumb terminals at our location.

We countered with you can instead join our proposed T-1 connection between this branch office and HQ if you'll pay for most of it. 1.5 million bits/second vs their 'state of the art' IBM approved 9,600 bits/second.

Getting the T-1 up not only got us Internet access to the whole big world out there, it let us integrate our Ethernet LAN with the new HQ Ethernet system that they were finally converting to. I'm proud to say the system I ran for a year as an orphan out there, integrated seamlessly with HQ's new system that they spent a huge amount of money on.

Anyhow ... T-1 was a 'conditioned' private data line with guaranteed performance and uptime; real professional quality for critical applications, in contrast to the 1200 baud modems that was all ATT would lease to you prior to the 1984 deregulation. I think a T-1 line cost some $1200/month back then. There was another 128 kbit/sec data service available that was so long ago I don't remember its name, and that alternative cost over $100/month.

You younger readers have no idea how fast the world has changed recently, from ATT's narrow-vision communication monopoly to now, literally the world's knowledge available via a device you can carry around in your shirt pocket - in one generation.

 

[MossRoad]

why is that?

I have three-four people in my house, all of them using hand-held devices (phones, Kindles, laptops) doing various tasks such as school home work, wife works from home for her employer on-call and some weekends doing phone/computer support, I do(did) I.T. support from home for 25 years. Plus we watch streaming video (NetFlix, Roku). I've looked into satellite several times. Here's what I found...

- It's too expensive.
- Problems with VPNs (required for work).
- Latency when remote controlling (RDC, TeamViewer, VNC).
- Data caps and throttled bandwidth.
- Cuts out when it rains or snows hard (have to clear snow from the dish).
- Can't stream TV or movies (see bandwidth limitations).
- Upload speeds are pathetic.
- Skype latency (my family is all over the country), and we sometimes have to video chat our customers (our fellow employees, who we support).

From the Hughesnet website FAQ High-Speed Broadband Satellite Internet FAQs | HughesNet Gen4

3. Are there activities that are not recommended for use with a satellite connection?

1. VPNs. Since your home is approximately 22,000 miles away from the HughesNet satellite in space, VPN usage for residential customers is generally not recommended as you may see overall speed reduced by 50?0% because of data encryption. Therefore, you may not be able to perform the activities you would like to do online. However, your normal speeds will return once you disconnect from a VPN if you choose to use it with HughesNet. Note: HughesNet Technical Support does not provide help with configuring or troubleshooting problems associated with VPN clients.

2. Heavy downloading. HughesNet offers a number of service plans to meet your online and browsing needs. For general web browsing and staying connected with friends, we recommend the entry-level plan. If your needs require more bandwidth, we suggest one of the higher plans with more bandwidth allocation.

3. Third-party VoIP Services. Hughes offers HughesNet Voice, a premium, feature-rich home phone service. HughesNet Voice is optimized to work over your satellite connection and does not impact your Internet plan痴 Data Allowance. Other third-party VoIP services are not optimized to work over satellite connections. With third-party VoIP services your call quality may be inferior and your Data Allowance will be impacted. HughesNet members who opt to use a third-party VoIP service are advised to carefully monitor their data usage via the free HughesNet Status Meter.

Streaming Video
Netflix works with Gen4 service plans. You値l be able to enjoy about 15 hours of standard-definition movies a month with our most popular service plan and 23 hours with the mid-tier plan. It is also important to note that streaming services often use high amounts of data, so be sure to set up your free HughesNet Status Meter to monitor your monthly Data Allowance to ensure you get the most out of your online activities. Streaming video is bandwidth-intensive. If you intend to watch videos you may exceed your download threshold. Check your current plan or consider upgrading to a higher bandwidth plan.

1. Why is there a limit on the number of TV shows and movies I can watch? To ensure fair Internet access for all HughesNet subscribers, Hughes maintains a Fair Access Policy that establishes an equitable balance of Internet usage for all customers. Hughes assigns a Data Allowance to each service plan, which limits the amount of data that may be downloaded or uploaded within a one-month period. Subscribers who exceed this limit will experience a temporary reduction of speed.

2. I like to watch TV shows and movies in high definition (HD). Can I watch HD on Netflix with my HughesNet service? Yes, you can watch your shows and movies using high definition over HughesNet. Keep in mind that high definition uses higher amounts of data than the standard-definition shows do. So be sure to set up your free HughesNet Status Meter to monitor your monthly Data Allowance to ensure you get the most from your online activities.

3. I typically watch more than 30 hours of TV shows and movies in a month. What if I need to use more? There are a couple of things you can do if you壇 like to watch more shows. First, the popular video services like Netflix and Hulu allow you to manage the amount of data you use by adjusting your video quality setting. You can go to your account settings online for these services and select different player setting options to manage the amount of data you use when playing movies and TV shows on Netflix. This change alone can double your viewing hours from 23 hours of standard-definition viewing to 46 hours with our mid-tier plan. Or you can purchase additional bandwidth on an as-needed basis with HughesNet Tokens. An extra gigabyte of usage can be purchased for only $9.

4. I don稚 use Netflix for watching movies. Can I use HughesNet with Hulu, HBO Goｮ, Crackleｮ, etc., instead? Yes, HughesNet will work with most major Internet streaming video providers. Just be sure to monitor your monthly download allowance using the HughesNet Status Meter.

Static IP
Static IPs are not available with residential service. If a static IP is needed, we recommend that you contact the Hughes business services group at 1-866-674-4406. If you plan to use HughesNet for remote home devices that allow you to control your lights or thermostat from a phone or for a security device that allows you to watch video remotely, we recommend that you check your device痴 user manual to see if a static IP is required.

Videoconferencing (Skype? Google Chat? FaceTime?
You can use videoconferencing with Gen4 plans, but we encourage users to monitor their Data Allowance when videoconferencing. Free tools, such as our Status Meter, will help you with tracking Data Allowance in order to get the most out of your online activities.

 

[MossRoad]

...There was another 128 kbit/sec data service available that was so long ago I don't remember its name, and that alternative cost over $100/month. ....

Were you thinking of ISDN?

What is ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network)? - Definition from WhatIs.com

 

[California]

Were you thinking of ISDN?

What is ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network)? - Definition from WhatIs.com

That's it! :thumbsup: Looks like it's still out there:

ISDN can deliver speeds up to 128 Kbps over home phone lines. Where it is still available for residential users, it -- like acoustic modems -- typically serves as a last-resort technique for low-end data connectivity, used only when DSL and cable modem services are not available.

 

[MossRoad]

That's it! :thumbsup: Looks like it's still out there:

We used to use that for serial communications as phones to some or our remote warehouses. We'd multiplex serial data and phones over ISDN.

Kinda funny how when I started, we had a mainframe, and "dumb" serial terminals at every user location. Then we switched to PCs running desktop programs, storing data on servers and accessing databases on servers. Then switched back to PCs running remote desktops on terminal servers... basically high-tech dumb terminals. Big 'ol expensive circle we ran around in over 25 years.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

I think too many people just assume that *everyone* has a high speed Internet connection (especially my urban friends~)-- not realizing that for many that's just not an option. Of course satellite has gone a long way to reach rural folks but satellites come with other issues such as high latency and cost, and in general are not as desirable as cable or DSL.

We're lucky here in that there was big build out some years back assuming a local resort would be developed more, but even though that did not materialize the cable did get much nearer to our house that it would have normally. Just not a big incentive to cable companies to target us living in rural areas.

But things do seem to be improving with more and more initiatives to expand broadband. Given the demographic here is largely rural, I'm wondering how many still don't' have a viable broadband option?

$145 a month for a cable bundle plan without a cable box. They throttle the speed down unless I pay more.

 

[oosik]

I've had one brand or other of satellite internet service since its been available out here. I've got HughesNet now and barring stormy wx its been OK for me. I've never come close to using the 10Gb monthly allowance. Land line phone service isn't available either. First it was the Motorola Bag phone now its the crappy cell phone. On a good day I'll get two bars on the cell phone.

 

[MF283]

Looks like SkyNet isn't available in TN:confused3:

 

[Wakey]

We are going to look at a few rural properties today so my days of lightening fast cable modems might be over. The property we saw last week received an offer, likely while we were on site. We were pretty deflated when we found out Monday when we called to make our offer. One thing that was a shock is that I ran an app on my phone and the 4G was over 50 Meg down and about 5 up! Hopefully the tower is between this property and the one we are viewing today that is about 5 miles away. I don't think Verizon has unlimited data any longer so this might be a phone only luxury.