Wild Blue and ethernet connection

[Solo]

I have finally gotten mad enough to switch from dial-up to something better. After one of the discussions from yesterday, I signed up for satellite internet from Dishnetwork. It's through Wild Blue. It calls for an ethernet network card. Ok, how do I tell if I have an ethernet network card?

Solo

 

[MossRoad]

Look at the back of your computer. You will see something similar to a phone jack, except it is wider and has 8 pins inside.

 

[jdbower]

Also note the symbol above the port:

 

[Solo]

Thanks fellows. I thought that was the plug but I wasn't sure.

Solo

 

[Western]

Have you tried it out? what about reliablitly? this is something I have been considering.

 

[CurlyDave]

When we first bought our property, we were living in an RV when we came to it. We really wanted internet and got Wild Blue. Then DSL became available, and I had a phone installed in the pumphouse, so I could use the DSL.

When we finished the house and moved into it, I moved the DSL.

Wild Blue is significantly better than dial-up. DSL in a rural setting is significantly better than Wild Blue. DSL in a suburb is significantly better than DSL in our rural area. Cable internet is significantly better than DSL in a suburban area.

If Wild Blue is the best you can get, it is miles ahead of dial-up.

 

[Jimbrown]

Some reading whaile you wait.
WildBlue Satellite forum - dslreports.com broadband community

 

[AlanB]

I have Wildblue, and agree exactly with what CurlyDave said.

That said, when I am waiting on something to load, and what I pay each month crosses my mind, I usually start to think Dialup would not be so bad.

But SWMBO and SWMBO in training quickly put the Kabash on that idea.

 

[rcrcomputing]

Satellite internet is the worst connection you can have "other than dialup".
check out the forums on dslreports.com.
That being said, it beats the heck out of dialup. No online gaming. No pcanywhere into your machine at home etc.. Your latency is way to high. It takes the signal to long to get to you. It's like the differance between water pressure and water volume, you have no pressure, but you do have some volume. So http traffic comes pretty quick once it starts. Https (ie banking etc) will be really slow.
Downloads should be pretty good. However, I'd imagine Wild Blue has something similiar to FAP (Fair access Policy). This means if you try to download an ISO image or any other BIG files, you will be slowed down as punishment for a day.

They will probably want to load software on your machine, it's not needed. Just slow the machine down.

My experience is with Hughes. Not Wild Blue. Though I'm not much impressed with my customers that do have Wild Blue, though I have other customers that say it's not to bad..
Welcome to satellite, where they have your right where they want you!

 

[Jimbrown]

The wild blue FAP is much worse than the Hughes FAP once you exceed it. You could be FAPPED on wildblue for as long as 30 days if you downloaded a whole bunch in one day. Granted it would have to be hundreds of megabytes. The instaler that put in my 9000 system does wildblue, hughes, starband, and others. He told me that he has more complaints about wildblue than he does hughes.

 

[thatguy]

One of my neighbors has Wild Blue (only because he is 1000' short of being able to get cable internet and DSL was also not available) and said he has never had any problems with loosing signal. His speed is acceptable, but certainly not DSL speeds - but you take what you can get..

Brian

 

[Solo]

Well seems like mixed reviews. I haven't had it installed yet, they are supposed to come tomorrow.

Solo

 

[CurlyDave]

One of my neighbors has Wild Blue (only because he is 1000' short of being able to get cable internet and DSL was also not available)...
Brian

We were about 2500' short of cable, and since my wife uses internet for her consulting business, we were willing to pay to have the cable extended. The @#$% Comcast wouldn't even talk to us about how much that might cost...

 

[Solo]

The installer just finished. Wow!! What a difference. So far I am really impressed.

Solo

 

[hudr]

I have been on HughesNet since 2004 and have been happy w/ the service. Yes, it is expensive. No, it is NOT DSL or cable. But if this is one of things I have to give up to live where I do, so be it. Nearly everything in life is a tradeoff.
About Hughes FAP: I have a little network consulting/install business on the side. I prestage PCs for customers before I deliver them onsite. On a new PC, with XP Pro and MS Office 2007, there are about 600 MB of updates to download (its a little less now that XP SP3 is out and I have it on disc). Hughes FAP for my plan is 200MB/24 hours. I bump it pretty regularly nowadays. I have just had to train myself to look for the "Admin downloads" for large updates so I only have to d/l them once and store them on my server. But you would be amazed how much data you d/l just surfing around and watching a few Youtube videos. Thats what gets you, its not just music or big files that count against your FAP, but every bit of data that passes to your PC.
And just like DishNetwork, a certain frequency of rain will knock it out. You just have to accept it for what it is; an alternative to dialup. Most of the folks I have talked to that hate satelitte are also the type that complain if their half-caff, double tall latte doesn't have just the right amount of cream on top. And they also believe all marketing hype that is directed at them.

 

[WarrenF]

The installer just finished. Wow!! What a difference. So far I am really impressed.

Solo

I have more than fifteen years experience installing all types of Satellite Systems. I have installed many many Hughes Net systems, and many many Wildblue Systems. I own and am operating on a Wildlbue system as I type. I have three computers routed to my Wildblue. I and my wife are constantly on the net, surfing. She, looking at any new quilt patterns. Me, searching all the tractor classified ads and forums.

I have NEVER been fapped. Some customers I have installed have gotten fapped. That is when they discovered their kids were downloading music and movies. The YouTube videos are so compressed that they rarely figure into your FAP usage. I am a tightwad type of guy, so I have the Value Package.

Understand one thing. Wildblue and any other satellite internet system is what it is.....designed for people like me who live so far out in the country that the NBA will turn all white before we ever have copper wired internet. That is okay, cause I live where I live by choice.

It is my opinion that if you can get cable, that would be generally the best. DSL through the phone company would be the next best. There will always be limitations with any satellite system....such as latency. However at this point in time I do not see anyone figuring out how to beat the laws of physics.

Some of you complain about losing your signal during a rain storm. I had a thunderstorm come through last night that dropped about a half inch in a half hour....did not lose my service. I would really encourage those having trouble to double and triple check your installation, and complain until you get things made right.

 

[ragkar]

I've been doing a bit of research on hughesnet and have come across some blogs that have bad things to say about it and especially its FAP.
But one thing that annoyed me is identifying the satellite that I would be using. No where on the website do they reveal this information and two calls to different hughesnet support people didn't help either.
I have a problem with 70ft oak trees surrounding my house and I want to do a site survey myself before talking seriously to a dealer. When I installed my three dish network satellite dishes I found that there was only a small area on my property with a clear view of the dish satellites (3 of them).
Anyhow I called two dealers/installers with the following results:
(1) a kentucky based dealer said that the galaxy G3C at 95 degrees west (over the equator of course) was the one that I would use
(2) a local dealer said that the assigned satellite (hughesnet has 9 of them) changes from week to week. I would either be assigned Galaxy 16 at 99 degrees west or 117west at 117 degrees west.
hmmm
So I need a clear shot at either 220 degrees 39 deg up
or 225 degrees 37 up
or 245 degrees 27 up
They don't make things easy for me.

 

[WarrenF]

I've been doing a bit of research on hughesnet and have come across some blogs that have bad things to say about it and especially its FAP.
But one thing that annoyed me is identifying the satellite that I would be using. No where on the website do they reveal this information and two calls to different hughesnet support people didn't help either.
I have a problem with 70ft oak trees surrounding my house and I want to do a site survey myself before talking seriously to a dealer. When I installed my three dish network satellite dishes I found that there was only a small area on my property with a clear view of the dish satellites (3 of them).
Anyhow I called two dealers/installers with the following results:
(1) a kentucky based dealer said that the galaxy G3C at 95 degrees west (over the equator of course) was the one that I would use
(2) a local dealer said that the assigned satellite (hughesnet has 9 of them) changes from week to week. I would either be assigned Galaxy 16 at 99 degrees west or 117west at 117 degrees west.
hmmm
So I need a clear shot at either 220 degrees 39 deg up
or 225 degrees 37 up
or 245 degrees 27 up
They don't make things easy for me.

It is based on the month or the availability of space on the satellite. Provisioning to a particular satellite for HughesNet will be specified on the install work sheet AFTER you purchase the unit. Bummer I know....you could be pointed to one, and your neighbor down the street could be looking at another one.

Keep in mind that you CANNOT be as "tight" in your window with any Satellite Internet system as you can be with DVBS, Dishnet or Directv. Reason? You are installing an earth station that transmits and receives. A tight window, may play havouc with your transmit and will goof up your system.

 

[Solo]

OK I added the band width moniter. Now I'm not sure how it works? I assume the bar raises the more you download? Can someone explain?

Solo

 

[N80]

What kind of costs are we talking about with these services? Where my B-I-L lives he only has access to dial-up and on top of that the dial-up is slow, he rarely sees 28bps much less 54. He is interested in satellite internet, but is not real computer savvy and like me doesn't know much about this type of service.