DirectWay or Wild Blue

[OutHouse]

Im trying to get my company to get this for me to use at home. I cant take 26.6 dialup anymore especially at 3am when i get paged and have to connect to work to troubleshoot. The prices have come down a lot and is now within reason to even bring it up.

anybody have here have it? if so how do you like it, any problems with it?

**EDIT** after reading some really bad customer reviews of Direct Way I wont consider getting that service. However there is a new company called WIld Blue that is cheaper and from the reviews much more reliable.

linky

 

[Crono]

I would only use if no other broadband is available. I don't have experience iwth it personally, but have heard it is slow, and unreliable for the price.

 

[waggy]

i have it now.

I HATE IT. but it is better then dialup. It is expensive, slow and unreliable. Not to mention if you use it to much they will lock you down to dial up speeds. the support is really bad and hope you have no plans to use ith while a storm is on!

 

[T3C]

Its spendy

 

[waggy]

ohh one bad thing is networking really sucks with it.

If im on my computer doing something and my wife gets on her machine to check her email it halts whatever im doing. It just stops. so trying to refresh ATOT takes until she is done or it will come in really slow.

i really really wish i could get adsl or cable sigh.

 

[labgeek]

VPN'ing with satellite SUCKS! Or used to anyway... I had starband too... that sucked even more! Don't think they're even around anymore.

IF your company will pay for it, see if your ROBC can get and ISDN line to you and TRY to find someone who will sell you a dual ISDN dialup account. IF you can't find a 128K, many regular 56K dialup are really 64K ISDN ready. I have a couple of ISDN S/T modems, NT1s (so you can run 2 devices) and a modem sharing box (can't for the life of me think of the name at the moment - it's a router with 3 serial connections for modems) device that will multiplex across up to 3 accounts for a lan. Though VPN will go only across 1 connection, BUT surfing goes out 1 and back across both via load balancing for images on web pages. Downloading is limited to 1 channel. And you get the full 64K (or at least 56K if you RBOC provisions it wrong) both ways.

BTW, even if you can't get DSL, you should be able to get ISDN. They can back-haul ISDN VERY long distances... mine was over 20 miles. I just had to sign an agreement that if they ever upgraded the local CO's switch I would let them change my phone number. They ran fiber all the way back to the nearest city from the local CO (it was on their "to do" list already I just sped up the process), and gave me numbers (SPIDs) from there. Since it was used for computer connections, I couldn't really care any less.

 

[GeekDrew]

I'd personally recommend going through AgriStar (a reseller for DirecWay), if you are indeed going to get it. I've heard better things about their customer support than DWay's, and it's the same service.

<edit>

After seeing that you are now considering WildBlue, I'd recommend poking around over at Broadband Reports. I don't have any experience with it, but I've heard good things about it.

 

[OutHouse]

I have just been reading some really great customer reviews about Wild Blue. From what i have read people really like wild blue and they cut over from directway. I think ill look at them and see if my boss will bite on the idea.

 

[OutHouse]

Originally posted by: labgeek
VPN'ing with satellite SUCKS! Or used to anyway... I had starband too... that sucked even more! Don't think they're even around anymore.

IF your company will pay for it, see if your ROBC can get and ISDN line to you and TRY to find someone who will sell you a dual ISDN dialup account. IF you can't find a 128K, many regular 56K dialup are really 64K ISDN ready. I have a couple of ISDN S/T modems, NT1s (so you can run 2 devices) and a modem sharing box (can't for the life of me think of the name at the moment - it's a router with 3 serial connections for modems) device that will multiplex across up to 3 accounts for a lan. Though VPN will go only across 1 connection, BUT surfing goes out 1 and back across both via load balancing for images on web pages. Downloading is limited to 1 channel. And you get the full 64K (or at least 56K if you RBOC provisions it wrong) both ways.

BTW, even if you can't get DSL, you should be able to get ISDN. They can back-haul ISDN VERY long distances... mine was over 20 miles. I just had to sign an agreement that if they ever upgraded the local CO's switch I would let them change my phone number. They ran fiber all the way back to the nearest city from the local CO (it was on their "to do" list already I just sped up the process), and gave me numbers (SPIDs) from there. Since it was used for computer connections, I couldn't really care any less.

Thanks for the post, but i know there is no way i can get the company to shell out 200 a month for ISDN. I do have it availbe but its not within depts budget.

 

[waggy]

heh looked into the ISDN wow that is expensive.

I do not mind shelling out around $50-100 a month for it. but nothing besides direcway or wildblue is out here.

/me sacrafices a small goat to the internet gods! please bring broadband out here!

 

[krmarks]

The latency in satellite is just brutal. I would stick with dialup before I would go with satellite. I have used directway once, and it was terrible. The company I worked for got it as an interim while we were waiting for a new T1, and the latency and horrible networking/proxy made us dump it in favor of 56k dialup. Satellite is the absolute worst broadband solution available. It would probably be cheaper for them to provision a T1 to your house than ISDN...LOL.

 

[OutHouse]

Originally posted by: krmarks
The latency in satellite is just brutal. I would stick with dialup before I would go with satellite. I have used directway once, and it was terrible. The company I worked for got it as an interim while we were waiting for a new T1, and the latency and horrible networking/proxy made us dump it in favor of 56k dialup. Satellite is the absolute worst broadband solution available. It would probably be cheaper for them to provision a T1 to your house than ISDN...LOL.

Yea i have been reading about the latency issues. I dont do online games so i need to find out how the latency will affect VPN or connecting to our citrix servers. Wild Blue has a 30 day guarantee so if we do decide to give it a try we have a out if it wont work for us.

 

[GeekDrew]

Originally posted by: Citrix

Originally posted by: krmarks
The latency in satellite is just brutal. I would stick with dialup before I would go with satellite. I have used directway once, and it was terrible. The company I worked for got it as an interim while we were waiting for a new T1, and the latency and horrible networking/proxy made us dump it in favor of 56k dialup. Satellite is the absolute worst broadband solution available. It would probably be cheaper for them to provision a T1 to your house than ISDN...LOL.

Yea i have been reading about the latency issues. I dont do online games so i need to find out how the latency will affect VPN or connecting to our citrix servers. Wild Blue has a 30 day guarantee so if we do decide to give it a try we have a out if it wont work for us.

It's a good thing that they have that guarantee... I somehow doubt that you'll have much success at all with VPN or Citrix access over any satellite connection. Those connections are just too "chatty", from what I've heard.

 

[Utterman]

Maybe look into Verizon's EVDO service. It's about $60/month for Verizon customers (80/month if not).

 

[DrPizza]

Question: what are the real-world connection speeds with satellite broadband?

 

[WTT0001]

Wildblue hands down vs. Dway, With wildblue you will actually get your rated speeds, tech support is in the usa (not india), the Fair Access Policy is done monthly not every 8hrs and it works properly with secure sites

Disadvantages are latency (Dway is around 1000ms on average, Wildblue is around 650ms on average), Neither works well with VPNs (Dway your lucky if it works at all, Wildblue will work with SSL types (Slow though, steady 40kbps) but not IPSEC types) and both are expensive (Dway $600 up front, WB is $500, Monthly Dway is $60+, WB is $50+)

Bottom line, Either works for browsing and small file downloads, WB can handle large file downloads as well as secure sites properly. Dway has more satellites up there (more sight options if you have trees/buildings around) and has been around longer.

If there is anything I didn't cover or you have more ???s, LMK,

WTT
WB/Dway/DTV/Dish Installer

Edit: See above for VPN info, Real world speeds on the residential Dway is 650kbps down / 15 - 20kbps up (With the DW6000, Theoretically the DW7000 help upload wise but everyone in our company that has seen/installed it has said it really isn't much of an improvement), Commercial is 950kbps down / 90kbps up (Again DW6000, Up front cost is $1000, $100+ per month)

WB Value Pak is 515kbps down / 100kbps up, Select is 1028kbps down / 180kbps up, Pro is 1560kbps down / 230kbps up

Edit #2: Link to the DSL Reports Sat Forum, a lotta great info over there

 

[FoBoT]

all hail WTT0001 !