Satellite Internet?

[WAYNO]

I am on satellite right now. I have tried to post multiple times the last couple days on this forum and if it's a lengthy post it fizzles out before I can send the post.

 

[WAYNO]

That was a test and it worked. Satellite has a long way to go before it is viable.

 

[BlindedByScience]

Had a coworker with a satellite net hook up. Said the latency was a killer, but once things started moving the actual data rates were quite good. That's as detailed a description as I got.....

 

[K7ZS]

Hi WAYNO

"I am on Satellite" is a bit like saying "I have a car" ... which provider are you using? AND, which hardware are you using. Those 2 things are important to qualify my comments... Things have changed a lot, and the new Hughes Gen 5 on Echostar 19 and also the Viasat on their Viasat 2 satellite are much better than the older version (Viasat was Exede and Wild Blue before that).
Nobody is saying anything other than IF you don't have DSL, FIBER, or a cost effective Cellular choice, it IS available and now supports streaming, I use it to remote control my Ham Radio station from Mexico, Voice over IP etc. and that would NEVER work until the 2 new satellites have gone up.

Physics cannot be ignored, the signal must travel to a satellite in the Clark Belt, 22,500 miles away AND BACK, 45000 miles at the speed of light means a quarter of a second (230ms) of latency added to whatever the internet adds, which is anywhere from 25 to 200ms... BUT, for streaming activities, once the 'stream' starts to arrive, you are not 'ping ponging' so you don't have any latency effects.

WORST experience is on the SECURE SITES i.e. BANKING as they have an acknowledgment request which must be answered OFTEN and that invokes the 'back and forth' mode and that has a very obvious delay over terrestrial circuits.

Just Sayin' it's vastly improved, but still 'it is what it is'. A lifeline for some, not the best option of you have others. Not being able to upload to Craigslist is not typical of the NEW systems.... make sure your dish etc. is aimed JUST RIGHT, there is no 'wiggle' room on dish pointing for sat internet compared to TV. Think of hitting a ping pong ball on the backside of the moon, with a .22LR pistol! AT NIGHT!

-Kevin

 

[The Heretic]

LEO satellites will solve the latency problem, but then you need a lot of satellites because they don't stay in one place like a geosynchronous satellite does, and you need a system that can drop a satellite and pickup the next one that comes into range, and a number of other problems - but there are orgs working on it.

 

[WAYNO]

Hi WAYNO

"I am on Satellite" is a bit like saying "I have a car" ... which provider are you using? AND, which hardware are you using. Those 2 things are important to qualify my comments... Things have changed a lot, and the new Hughes Gen 5 on Echostar 19 and also the Viasat on their Viasat 2 satellite are much better than the older version (Viasat was Exede and Wild Blue before that).
Nobody is saying anything other than IF you don't have DSL, FIBER, or a cost effective Cellular choice, it IS available and now supports streaming, I use it to remote control my Ham Radio station from Mexico, Voice over IP etc. and that would NEVER work until the 2 new satellites have gone up.

Physics cannot be ignored, the signal must travel to a satellite in the Clark Belt, 22,500 miles away AND BACK, 45000 miles at the speed of light means a quarter of a second (230ms) of latency added to whatever the internet adds, which is anywhere from 25 to 200ms... BUT, for streaming activities, once the 'stream' starts to arrive, you are not 'ping ponging' so you don't have any latency effects.

WORST experience is on the SECURE SITES i.e. BANKING as they have an acknowledgment request which must be answered OFTEN and that invokes the 'back and forth' mode and that has a very obvious delay over terrestrial circuits.

Just Sayin' it's vastly improved, but still 'it is what it is'. A lifeline for some, not the best option of you have others. Not being able to upload to Craigslist is not typical of the NEW systems.... make sure your dish etc. is aimed JUST RIGHT, there is no 'wiggle' room on dish pointing for sat internet compared to TV. Think of hitting a ping pong ball on the backside of the moon, with a .22LR pistol! AT NIGHT!

-Kevin

You're right. Not being a radio geek, I know nothing of the difference between different satellite wifi products. But as a consumer of the service, which I pay dearly for, I should not be expected to know the differences. All I know, is at nearly 30 bucks a day for the privelage of using the service while I'm off the coast, I have the right to expect it to work, which too often it does not.

 

[K7ZS]

Understand completely ... It sucks when something you pay for doesn't deliver! I get it! $30 a day? WHOA! Something wrong with that. Plans start @ $49 a month, and even if you go over your allowance, it still delivers 3 Mbps per second, fast enough to stream in reduced resolution...

I'm just trying to offer HOPE that it can be resolved ... (no being a Radio Geek required!) If you are not still under contract, I suggest you can call to cancel (mention going to VIASAT) and watch them dance to try and keep you as a customer! I would demand all new equipment (which is easier to install for lots of reasons) and a professional install with guaranteed results, and I bet they'll do it. AND reduce your monthly cost!

My neighbor still has a land line, pays over $100 a month for bundle with only 1 Mbps internet from Frontier. Better plans are available but you think Frontier is going to call him and tell him ... NO WAY... You have to be your own advocate in this marketplace!

I wish you luck, to both improve your service and SAVE a lot of money ... (and improve your firearm budget!)

-Kevin

 

[WAYNO]

I am on a cruise ship, and it's the last day.. I am bound only to what they offer. That is my only and total experience. I've subscribed to this service on 4 different occasions, and the service has been less than stellar each time. But as I am now successfully posting this, sometimes it works better than other times.

 

[K7ZS]

LEO satellites will solve the latency problem, but then you need a lot of satellites because they don't stay in one place like a geosynchronous satellite does, and you need a system that can drop a satellite and pickup the next one that comes into range, and a number of other problems - but there are orgs working on it.

LEO = LOW EARTH ORBIT ... These satellites, being only about 100 miles up, are not 'geostationary' to exactly like Cellular Phones, they 'pass you' from one to the next. Need a whole bunch of them so you are always in view of at leat one of them. That is exactly how the IRIDIUM global phone system works, but they cheat and hook up through cellular networks whenever you are in range, which is an increasing amount of the time. That system had major setbacks when MANY COUNTRIES denied them the prerequisite EARTH STATIONS needed. (The LEO satellite picks up your signal, then relays it to the nearest 'Earth Station' to get into the broader network.) Paul Allen lost his shorts on that deal when it was first implemented ... poor Paul ...

The things we go through to have INTERNET at all times ... the world would stop whirling (or so some would say) without it!.

-Kevin

 

[K7ZS]

I am on a cruise ship, and it's the last day.. I am bound only to what they offer. That is my only and total experience. I've subscribed to this service on 4 different occasions, and the service has been less than stellar each time. But as I am now successfully posting this, sometimes it works better than other times.

AHA@! Ships at sea = MOVING ALL THE TIME. Can't have the 'tractor beam' lock on the satellite with the motion, and of course they love to charge you handsomely for the privilege ... you're supposed to be at the buffet all day, then the bar the rest of the time! Enjoy and that explains the pricing comment!

-Kevin

 

[CountryGent]

Many thanks to you guys for all the information. I appreciate the details very much. I've read a bit about HughesNet new sat option and it looks promising. My father had Hughes back in the early 2000s and it sucked on toast, but that was over a decade ago, so well before their present system. I had not considered, nor know a lot about, ground-based microwave Internet service. I will need to do some homework in that regard.

The location of this project, if matters much, would be northwestern Nevada. (This particular expansion has been dubbed Operation Exodus because it involves a man with a beard, leading his tribe to the desert, and way from an oppressive government. It think it is fitting, but I digress. )

 

[ATCclears]

SpaceX Starlink users provide first impressions and unboxing pictures

"It feels like it's from the future... I am amazed at how well it works."

arstechnica.com

 

[The Heretic]

They are now into their public beta. I am still waiting for the email.

 

[OldPewPews]

Starlink promises to solve a lot of the problems of satellite internet - mainly the terrible latency - but holy cow, it's expensive! Hopefully they'll have enough early adopters for the prices to come down over time.

 

[K7ZS]

They 'only' have about 750 satellites up so far, headed for 30,000 ... and they had hoped to put up over 40,000. A gargantuan expenditure. Hughes spent $1 Billion for a single big satellite (Echostar 19) but it's 26,000 miles out. The Starlink satellites are LEO's (not Law Enforcement , but Low Earth Orbiters) Just over 300 miles up, so the latency compared to all other satellite internet services will be miniscule by comparison. 'Ping' rates on the order of 40 ms versus an absolute minimum 500ms due to the speed of radio waves and a 52,000 mile round trip to the Hughes satellite, typically 750ms+ ...

Expensive? Compared to service in metro areas perhaps. My local WISP (Wireless Internet Service Provider) here in Rural Yamhill County wants $125 a month for 25 Mbps ... I pay 'only' $80 for 5 Mbps down, 2 Mbps up with a data cap ....

I'd gladly pay $99 a month for 120 Mbps download speed!

Just Sayin' ... I'm signing up the minute it's available!

 

[The Heretic]

Starlink promises to solve a lot of the problems of satellite internet - mainly the terrible latency - but holy cow, it's expensive! Hopefully they'll have enough early adopters for the prices to come down over time.

$99/mo for 50+ mbps is fine with me - I pay $65/mo for 6 mbps now and I often do not get that speed - sometimes I get nothing at all.

The $500 for the equipment is a one time thing so not a big deal - it would amortize over time.

 

[ATCclears]

Starlink review from an actual user.

 

[The Heretic]

I especially and desperately need faster and more reliable internet connectivity now; I am working on a contract gig and my connection to the remote servers on the east coast is always dropping out and very slow.

 

[Ramjet12]

I especially and desperately need faster and more reliable internet connectivity now; I am working on a contract gig and my connection to the remote servers on the east coast is always dropping out and very slow.

Do you know how far away you are from your CO? Who's your telco?

 

[Ramjet12]

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