High Speed Internet

   / High Speed Internet #1  

chuckp

Bronze Member
Joined
Sep 9, 2000
Messages
92
Location
Northeast, Texas USA
Tractor
TC35D, IH2444, 9N
I got this notice from my IP about a new High Speed Internet service. The service is being offered here in northeast Texas. Do any of you think this would work for us country boys who don't have DSL capability?

<font color=blue>Argon Technologies is proud to formally announce the completion of
construction, testing, and trials of our Phantom Wave High Speed Wireless
Internet Access.

Phantom wave provides home and business users with an always-on, always
lightning fast Internet Connection.

Connection speeds available include 128Kb/s, 256Kb/s, and up to 20Mb/s. These
speeds are applicable for both upload and download (symmetrical).

At a whopping 256,000 bits per second (256K) transfer rate, that's approximately 775% faster than the average dial-up account.

Now for some really great news: There are No Phone or Cable Companies to deal with. All aspects of the service are managed and controlled by Argon Technologies.

Some Comparisons:

DSL:
1. DSL uses the same copper phone lines that you are currently using for
dial-up. We all know how bad our phone lines are in this area.
2. DSL is only usable within a three mile radius (cable length) of the phone
company exchange (Downtown CO). At that three mile distance, connections are very
slow.

Cable Modems:
1. Cable Companies utilize their existing cable infrastructure to
push digital data to home users. This technology was designed for users
that are watching the same X number of TV channels. It does not scale well
to a busy network environment with users all wanting to view different data.
2. Testing in some sites has shown throughput speeds to actually drop below
dial-up speed during peak hours.
3. In addition, cable service is very limited
in geographic range.

Satellite:
Coming soon to North America is bi-directional satellite
internet access.
1. The first problem you encounter is that you have to buy
their computer to get the service.
2. The second problem is the time it takes a signal to go into outer space,
bounce off a satellite, then back to the ground and return is 900% slower
than our wireless connection. Since TCP/IP is packet based (small packs of
information per transmission), this equals truly slow internet access.
3. Other Satellite options require a phone line for the uplink side of the
connection.
4. Satellite signals are highly susceptible to rain fade, with a medium rain
completely cutting the signal off.

Phantom Wave:
1. Phantom Wave High Speed Wireless Internet Access provides a
256K always-on connection requiring no phone lines.
2. Our system is highly scalable to accommodate a large number of users without
degrading performance.
3. All aspects of the process and connection are controllable by Argon
Technologies.
4. Weather does not affect the quality of the Service.
5. Phantom Wave can reach users in rural and outlying areas since we do not need phone or cable service.
6. Did we mention there are NO PHONE or CABLE COMPANIES involved!

We are presently offering service in the Greenville, Cash, and Caddo Mills
markets. We are rapidly expanding our network and will soon offer services
in Lone Oak, Point, Quinlan, Tawakoni, Emory, Commerce, Sulphur Springs,
Paris, and many other locations.

Please forward this e-mail to all your friends. As we do with dial-up
Internet Access, we will be providing a referral program for Phantom Wave.
When people sign up and tell us they heard about it from you, you will
receive credits to your account. Sign up enough people and you get your
service for free.

Rates:

Residential Users:

$150.00 + Tax Installation Charge
$59.95 + Tax per month service charge

A one year contract is required for service.

Business Users:

$300.00 + Tax Installation Charge
$129.95 + Tax per month service charge

A one year contract is required for service.</font color=blue>
 
   / High Speed Internet #2  
Chuck -

Excellent example of marketing hype -- but this one might very well be on the level.

Pretty much everything they say about the other connectivity schemes is true, and wireless networking is already in use in various parts of the country with excellent performance.

I've been quite content with my DSL, so I haven't been keeping up on the latest technologies, but now that I'm spending more time in "tractor country", I think it's time for me to start looking into high-speed alternatives myself.

Keep us posted on the happenings in Texas and we'll see if we're looking at a whole new set of communication options for our tractors. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif



HarvSig.gif
 
   / High Speed Internet #3  
The wireless service you describe is indeed "on the level." Usually, there is a transmission tower erected to serve a geographical area, which covers about a 30 mile radius from the tower. You will have a small reception device (smaller than a DSS dish) located on your roof or similar place, allowing you to receive signals from the tower. This must afford "line of sight" connection, so you can't live in a dense woods.

They can usually hook this up within a couple of days, plug in, and go. I have a friend in Tucson who gets this same type of "broadband" access via Sprint, and he reports that it is fantastic. The only problem he mentioned was having to cut off some limbs from a tree in his back yard so he could get a clear line of sight to the tower for reception.

$59.95 is a little more than cable or DSL, but you will be well-pleased with the speed and service, I do believe. Also, it should not bog down after more users come on line, as cable does. I would ask them to "waive" the install fee, if you are willing to be an early adopter! Maybe you could also ask around your area to find someone who is already using the service, or check local newsgroups, forums, etc.

BobT.
A Indiana Boy
 
   / High Speed Internet #4  
I do not know anything about the new wireless Internet connections. We do not have it in our area yet. In fact we do not has DSL or cable modems way out here. It does not look like they will have ether one out here any time in the next 2 or 3 years.

So I have been looking at http://www.getspeed.com there is a link to information on using a Direct PC connection. The new wireless connection sounds like a much better system to me. But this may be an option for others that live in and area like my self.

Roger
 
 
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