Broad Band options, Help!

[EddieWalker]

From 6am to just before 8am, I wasn't able to get online. It's raining out and my satelitte service was out. I'm expecting more storms today and for the next three days, so it's anybodies guess if and when I lose my connection again. This is normal for satelitte.

Eddie

 

[jdbower]

Besides, with the Verizon card you can take your laptop with you so you can Google on your Gator, download from your Deere, email Amsterdam from your New Holland, add kilobytes to your Kubota, run Microsoft on your Massy, someone stop me!

 

[Jimbrown]

If you can get Verison EVDO that is the best way to go.

 

[texbaylea]

Since we live rurally and am marginal for cell phone coverage I went to direct wireless. Because of my trees I had to go to a 70' tower to get line of sight to the service antenna (on top of a tower for the local water district).

I am very happy with the service, they are here within 24 hours if it cannot be fixed by consultation. The only thing that knocks me down so far is a lightning strike. The first took out the antenna/radio and part of the cable. The second wasn't as close but the pulse knocked out the POE and my router. I turned every thing off overnight and the electronics "healed". The system went to working the day but the provider sent out a technician any way to check the system out.

I get ~540kbps down and ~160kbps up which is enough for me. I can buy two higher levels of service on a 30 day basis. At my level I pay $50 a month.

Vernon

 

[riptides]

If you can get Verison EVDO that is the best way to go.

EVDO rev A

This is a build out of both Verizon and Sprints networks, no rev A phones are on the market yet. Too bad. Because I use my cell phone as an external modem and - here I am.

So get a rev A access card, be carefull if and when you decide to stick it in an EVDO router. Some EVDO routers don't do VPN either......

Other than that, you cannot beat the mobility with this technology!

-Mike Z.

 

[Soundguy]

Speaking of latency and downlink levels.. anyone got a good site to go to to find your ping or latency or throughput level?

I used to have one book marked so i could check my dl/ul speeds.. but have lost it in the last 2 weeks somehow...


Soundguy

 

[dmccarty]

Soundguy,

This is what I have bookmarked. Don't know if it is "good" or not but its what I have.

Speakeasy - Speed Test

Later,
Dan

 

[texbaylea]

Here is another site for speed measurement.

MySpeed Bandwidth Test, Internet Speed Test, Broadband Speed Test

Vernon

 

[Soundguy]

Thanks Tex and Dm.. Both tests produced almost identical results.. so that's a good sign.

thanks again.

soundguy

 

[MarkV]

Thanks everyone, you have offered a bunch of information I didn’t know about. Let me see if I can answer a couple of questions and ask a couple.

Dan, I would not have known about the VPN problems with satellite. As it turns out her company has switched from a VPN, which was a constant problem, to an internet based system. Now they have so much security with it that it isn’t working very well anyone. Hopefully they will solve some of the start up problems soon.

Mike, I don’t know what PCMCIA stands for but at least now know what to ask for. We only us a desk top so linking two computers is not an issue for us.

Anojones, well done, you explained that in a way I could understand. Any idea how hard it is to set up a desk top with the PCMIA stuff?

Jdbower, No need for multiple computers, we have enough trouble with one. My wife works for an airline so she does travel weekly but is too busy bringing back wine from Europe to bother carrying the extra weight of a lap top. It is good to know we could link two if needed in the future.

Jimbrown, texbaylea, MikeZ, Help me here, EVDO I don’t know what that is? Is there more than one type of wireless service from Verizon?

Thanks all, keep the information coming.

MarkV