Other Broadband Options?

[cardiac]

I just did a search of all the forums and came up empty handed. Does anyone know if there is a reasonably priced alternative to cable/dsl? I live way out in the boonies, and neither of these are available. Is Direct PC my only choice? I would like to have something a little better than 400k down/56k up. And it still ties up a phone line.

Verizon said it would be 1-2 years before they could upgrade the lines to run DSL on them.....🙁

Thanks,

Bob

 

[digitalman]

Unfortunitly at the mooment those are the only three mainstream broadband choices (cable, dsl and directpc). there are places where companies are testing new meathood for high speed access, but usually this is in a large market. if you live in the "boonies" you are stuck with directpc if you want to get faster access. sorry for the bad news
dm

 

[linuxboy]

Bob, check out if anyone is doing wireless in the area. You might be surprised.

 

[cardiac]

Wireless? As in wireless uplink/downlink? Hmmm, that's interesting! Do you know what companies are marketing this? I will have to do a little local research, but I haven't heard of anything yet. (I am an amateur radio operator, so I am in contact with a LOT of local electronics nuts).

Thanks,

Bob

 

[linuxboy]

http://www.wirelesstcp.net/frames/compare.html


I don't know any of the cities around Valparaiso so I don't know if anyone is doing wireless there.

Another option is running dsl yourself. Ask Verizon for an unconditioned, unloaded ISDN grade line. I think that runs about $30/month. Find the nearest ISP to you and if they're pretty close (in this case, the ISP will actually be the CO), you can get a point to point dsl connection and just pay the ISP for the bandwidth. The hardware will cost you close to $1000 but you will have a high speed line.


http://www.pairgain.com/PRODUCTS/megabit_access/mm300s.asp

http://www.nettonettech.com/products/SNE2000-S/

you can use those dsl modems and do it without a DSLAM.


if there is no ISP near you, check to see if you can get a clear line-of-sight to any ISP. You can buy the wireless equipment and do a WLL to the ISP and just pay for the bandwidth. That equipment should be closer to $1800. If you have towers near you that you have a LOS to, check that out also to see if you can loop to the ISP from the tower.


I don't know your budget but I think that the bandwidth shouldn't cost more then $50-$100/month depending on how much you use. But the initial costs can be high.

 

[cardiac]

Woah, lots of info there!. Thanks, and I'll research these sites and see what it looks like. That might be outta my budget for the equipment though (Just bought a 100 year-old, 2500 sq. foot farmhouse on a few acres😀 )

But, I'll go look and see what it's about.....

thanks a bunch,

Bob

 

[linuxboy]

yeah, it does get pricey.

: )

 

[ktwebb]

I do Wireless WAN links as part of my everyday job. Currently the company I work for is connecting every public school in St Johns Co., FL (St Augustine) in to one big network. You can do what Linuxboy is talking about but you wont be doing it for 1800 bucks and it would likely be much more of a headache than a solution. Situtations vary, and wireless WAN links are typically much cheaper than a fiber run, but just not viable for a residential consumer, unless, you intend to do some e-commerce or other money making scheme to pay for the upfront cost and tower space lease. On the other hand, there is now bi-directional satellite. Dont think DirecPC does it yet, but I was reading an article a month or so ago about a satellite launch that will enable 512 down and I believe 128 up. Not cable or fast DSL speeds but still alot better than a dialup.

 

[cardiac]

OK, kt, someone around here said Radio Shack, of all places, was the place to look for 2-way wireless. They supposedly just came out with a joint venture with Sprint. Will do a little research on that today....Thanks.

Bob

 

[cardiac]

HAven't found a Radio Shack that knows anything about it. They say, yeah, it'll be here shortly, but have no answers.

I still have the ISDN option, but don't want to go that way. I can get dual channel 128k for $35 a month......

Bob

 

[ktwebb]

Looked at your profile as saw you were in NW Indiana. Dont know much about Indiana geography but I found a couple of links that might interest you. These all look to be using older 2Mb technology. Either Direct Sequence or Frequency hopping 2.4 Ghz spread spectrum. (The new 802.11 uses Direct Sequence 2.4 Ghz as well) Anyway, the 2Mb would still be smokin but the price probably is going to be prohibitive. The first link is to a company that markets their wireless links to businesses but apparantly they do have residential plans although I didnt see any prices, and that aint good. The second is a page that has wireless internet providers broken down by state. Indiana is about halfway down. These would all be point to point earthbound connections and would require an antennae at your home. Likely a high gain parabolic, possibly with an amplifier, but it depends on distance and location. The antennae would point to a tower owned or leased by the provider. The Radio Shack/Sprint deal is probably a satellite link and ultimately will most likely be your best bet.

www.waveone.net
http://www.wirelesstcp.net/frames/compare.html

 

[cardiac]

Thanks, kt. I've already looked at Waveone, but they are in Warsaw, which is 60 miles east of me. I'll check out the other link you sent and see what I find.

Thanks,

Bob

 

[danzig]

The Radio Shack 2 way satellite mentioned here is called StarbandText. Most Radio Shacks around here are using it for display purposes now . It seems a little faster than my DirecPC . According to the memo the local Radio Shack guy showed me - initially it will only be available with preconfigured system purchase . They are taking deposits locally for the system right now . It is supposed to launch in November for $59.99 per month . Oh yeah - M$N will be used as the ISP .