Dish Network& The Internet

[jlhugh]

Has anybody heard lately how this is going? I am going to be moving out in the boonies and wireless is available, but it is going to be right on the edge of the spectum. So I was checking into more options. I know that E* is supposed to be doing internet, but I haven't heard anything on how that is going. Are they still planning on doing it? I know there is Wildblue and Directway, but since I have E* now I'd thought I might give them a try first.

Thanks

 

[goaliebob99]

What E* internet... ..... Its not up.... as in hasnt launched yet.. sometime in the next couple of years if dish does internet Go with wild blue

 

[jlhugh]

I knew E* hadn't launched it yet, but I didn't know it was years off. I'll scratch that one off the list. I am going to try the wireless route first then satellite.

 

[Stacy A]

jlhugh,

If you are moving out to the boonies around Wichita Falls, you are likely limited to two choices, Direcway and Wildblue - that is if Wildblue actually has someone trained in your area. Good luck. It certailnly hasn't happened around here yet.

 

[SimpleSimon]

You will ALWAYS be better off with terrestrial wireless than any kind than with ANY kind of satellite service.

There's just NO way to beat the speed of light propogation delay issues.

 

[HCI]

You will ALWAYS be better off with terrestrial wireless than any kind than with ANY kind of satellite service.
There's just NO way to beat the speed of light propogation delay issues.

Direcway or Wildblue work fine if you are just browsing. RPG games and VPN's are there worst enemy. Direcway Does have a VPN accelerator package, but I have only seen it on enterprise installs.

Simon dont you have something to do with the wireless?

 

[Stargazer]

I'd like to launch a wireless internet here but don't know if I can get enough people in this community to take the service to make it cost effective enough. There are too many trees and hills.

 

[SimpleSimon]

Well DW & WB are fine for browsing when compared to dial-up, but not when going against any high-speed service.

I sell local WiFi to my customers that can see a tower. I'm also a certified DirecWay installer.

Stargazer: There's LOTS to consider, but it's really not all that difficult. The company I work through has 4 towers and covers most of the county - around 500 sq. mi. It's a Motorola Canopy system with a range of 20+ miles.

Trees and hills ARE an issue of course, but I bet you don't have more than we do.

 

[hdtvtechno]

Has anybody heard lately how this is going? I am going to be moving out in the boonies and wireless is available, but it is going to be right on the edge of the spectum. So I was checking into more options. I know that E* is supposed to be doing internet, but I haven't heard anything on how that is going. Are they still planning on doing it? I know there is Wildblue and Directway, but since I have E* now I'd thought I might give them a try first.
Thanks

As i see your located in texas, I should mention that Sprint Broadband Direct Service is relaunched

Check it out http://www.sprintbroadband.com

 

[Stargazer]

I had talked to a guy a while back that has most of the towers in my area. He went to school with my mom. Got along with him good. They have their own dialup internet service though and was thinking about launching their own high speed internet in the future so I am guessing that I probably could not get space on the towers to do that if they are going to do it themselves. Perhaps I should wait for Wi-Max to come out next year. Some of the providers in town have their line of site service but nothing out here in the country.

 

[HCI]

Well DW & WB are fine for browsing when compared to dial-up, but not when going against any high-speed service.
I sell local WiFi to my customers that can see a tower. I'm also a certified DirecWay installer.
Stargazer: There's LOTS to consider, but it's really not all that difficult. The company I work through has 4 towers and covers most of the county - around 500 sq. mi. It's a Motorola Canopy system with a range of 20+ miles.
Trees and hills ARE an issue of course, but I bet you don't have more than we do.

Simon what carrys the signal to the tower? Is it like a T1 line or something to that effect?

 

[jlhugh]

I have 1 to choose from that I know. It is www.dtnspeed.net. According to their map the place I will be moving too it right on the egde of their service and I am hoping I can get it. Satellite is going to be my very last choice before dial-up. There is another on here called Clear Talk Wireless that uses the cell towers but as of today it does not go that far out of town.

 

[BrettTRay]

What is dish going to do with there KA band frequencys on AMC15 and Echo9.
They first said they were going to be using them for broadband uses but we haven't heard anything lately. Maybe they are working on something behind the scenes. I honostly believe that Dish does have a potential moneymaker in satellite internet if they go about it the right way. Its just like when DBS satellite first came out. There were issues with equipment costs that didn't allow them to give free installs, and thats what satellite internet is up against. There is no doubt that satellite internet has potential to do speeds close to what cable does but getting the equipment prices down to a price that people will sub to is a different story. DBS never took off until they gave resonable install and equipment prices and satellite internet won't neither if they don't do it also. Wildblue is seeing this and they are being rewarded for it to. No one in the outskirts wants to pay hundreds of dollars for an install and for equipment. Dish should offer a 99.00 Install and equipment upfront cost and then make you sign a customer agreement with resonable montly prices, especially for people that sub to there tv service.

 

[HCI]

What is dish going to do with there KA band frequencys on AMC15 and Echo9.
They first said they were going to be using them for broadband uses but we haven't heard anything lately. Maybe they are working on something behind the scenes. I honostly believe that Dish does have a potential moneymaker in satellite internet if they go about it the right way. Its just like when DBS satellite first came out. There were issues with equipment costs that didn't allow them to give free installs, and thats what satellite internet is up against. There is no doubt that satellite internet has potential to do speeds close to what cable does but getting the equipment prices down to a price that people will sub to is a different story. DBS never took off until they gave resonable install and equipment prices and satellite internet won't neither if they don't do it also. Wildblue is seeing this and they are being rewarded for it to. No one in the outskirts wants to pay hundreds of dollars for an install and for equipment. Dish should offer a 99.00 Install and equipment upfront cost and then make you sign a customer agreement with resonable montly prices, especially for people that sub to there tv service.

One reason I believe the cost is so high is because of all the bandwith that the company's have to pay for. Look at direcway they have 9 satellites I believe "someone correct me if I am wrong". And depending on which satellite it is they have at least 5 or 6 transponders on each, no telling how many on SM5. I dont believe the price on the equipment to go down until they get at least 3 or 4 more times of subscribers they have now they just cannot afford to.

One other drawback of the satellite internet is the lag time. You have to communicate with a satellite that is 23000 miles in space, up down up then back down again. No matter how fast they make it this will never be resolved.

Dont get me wrong Satellite internet is a great thing for people outside of the city cause it beats the hell out of dial up, and believe it or not a lot of people around were I live love it. Our company does between 150 to 200 per week but we operate in 4 states Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Arkansas, we also cover some of the edge of Alabama.

 

[BrettTRay]

Who do you all install, Directway or Wildblue, or both? What parts of alabama do you all cover? I'm guessing just the northwest.

 

[HCI]

Who do you all install, Directway or Wildblue, or both? What parts of alabama do you all cover? I'm guessing just the northwest.

Direcway mainly, we are under contract with them so we cannot touch Wildblue.

The futhest I have went is Hamilton, I was just in Aliceville today which is right outside of Columbus, MS. I think however we have a guy that may do some of the upper portion of the state, line to line.

 

[KE4EST]

Where I live there are 4 towers of wyfi that I know of off hand there is more of course as you go down the road but they are losing there butts now. At one time there were hot, but now dsl and cable high speed Inet is moving in. All the people I know that can't see the towers if they can afford have sat inet and I have switched a lot to WB cause is faster and cheaper than direcway. However a lot in the rual areas are getting dsl and dumping directway cause it is even cheaper. Where I live there are a lot of mountains and wyfi is useless unless you can see the tower it is no good, plus the fact they charge 39.99 for 256K down. Might as well go with WB for 49.99 for 512K down if you can afford it.

 

[Stargazer]

When are they going to get those stratellites in the stratosphere using those hot air balloons up and going?

 

[SimpleSimon]

Simon what carrys the signal to the tower? Is it like a T1 line or something to that effect?

Yup. Although often more like a T-3 or bigger.

Sometimes it'll actually be a point-to-point microwave link to another tower, which might have a landline, or yet another link.