Starband vs Directway February 06, 2008, 08:16:34 am Yahoo Message Number: 89194In reviewing past posts it appears that it has been a few years since there was any conversation regarding Starband. Is anyone currently using the system and if so how is it working for you?Jim C
Re: Starband vs HughesNet (formerly Direcway) Reply #1 – February 06, 2008, 10:19:08 am Yahoo Message Number: 89196"it appears that it has been a few years since there was any conversation regarding Starband." I know a lot of Lazy Dazers with satellite internet setups, but all of them have HughesNet equipment (mostly from HughesNet reseller Dustyfoot). I've never met anyone with Gilat/"Starband" service. That doesn't mean there's anything wrong with Starband, but it certainly doesn't seem to be popular. I too would be interested in hearing firsthand reports about it.Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/
an on ramp to the www while traveling Reply #2 – February 06, 2008, 10:20:56 am Yahoo Message Number: 89197We contemplated getting a sat dish to connect to the Internet. We decided to get a Verizon "air card" and see how it worked for us. So far we are quite pleased. I am typing this while the DW drives slowly through a lane closure in Beaumont.We have AT&T cell phone and the Verizon coverage has been superior everywhere we have been in the southeast. With 3 or more bars, the download speed is about the same as we were getting on cable at home! When we get home I am going to get a router for it and not get cable again. We got the Verison USB modem. The cost is $70 a month. About what sat coverage would be, without the need to setup equipment. I think a sat rig would be better if we were in the same place for long periods. But, for us, right now it works for us.Cheers, Don
Re: an on ramp to the www while traveling Reply #3 – February 06, 2008, 06:30:05 pm Yahoo Message Number: 89221When we get home I am going to get a router for it and not get cable again.Don, Why are you going to use a router when you get home--can you run more than one computer with a single air card, and run them at the same time? I did not realize it was possible, but this would be great if so.Carl 23 1/2 TK
Re: an on ramp to the www while traveling Reply #4 – February 06, 2008, 07:02:12 pm Yahoo Message Number: 89225Quote When we get home I am going to get a router for it and not get cable again.Don, Why are you going to use a router when you get home--can you run more than one computer with a single air card, and run them at the same time? I did not realize it was possible, but this would be great if so.Quote Carl 23 1/2 TK Yes you can, Carl, and this Yahoo group will tell you how to do it: http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/InternetByDataCard/Chris
Re: Starband vs HughesNet (formerly Direcway) Reply #5 – February 07, 2008, 10:39:22 am Yahoo Message Number: 89246QuoteI know a lot of Lazy Dazers with satellite internet setups, but all of them have HughesNet equipment The only thing I really know about the Starband system is that in order to complete the last step in the setup (passing the ACP test), you must make a telephone call and someone else does the ACP test. I've always wondered how this would work if you were out in the middle of nowhere with no cell phone service (a situation we often find ourselves in) and were unable to make that call.With HughesNet, the ACP test is done "in house."Linda Hylton http://map.datastormusers.com/user1.cfm?user=1167 http://earl-linda.blogspot.com/
Re: Starband vs HughesNet (formerly Direcway) Reply #6 – February 07, 2008, 10:52:23 am Yahoo Message Number: 89247"The only thing I really know about the Starband system is that in order to complete the last step in the setup (passing the ACP test), you must make a telephone call and someone else does the ACP test." There's no way I'd ever buy a satellite system that required a phone call (meaning waiting on hold) every time I set it up. Sheesh! The whole point of satellite internet is to have a broadband internet connection even where there's no cell phone signal. If you have to talk to somebody on the phone every time you use it, you've negated any advantage satellite internet might offer.Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/
Re: Starband vs HughesNet (formerly Direcway) Reply #7 – February 08, 2008, 02:35:30 pm Yahoo Message Number: 89275Quote "The only thing I really know about the Starband system is that in order to complete the last step in the setup (passing the ACP test), you must make a telephone call and someone else does the ACP test." I am currently sitting on a sand beach in the middle of Baja California at latitude 26 deg 43 minutes. The weather is great by the way. On the same beach is a fellow snowbird with a Starband tripod internet system. Since we are miles from any phone I asked if he had to make any phone calls to pass ACP when setting up. He said it was always recommended but was only really required for the first time setup after purchase. He just aims it for the highest signal strength and goes online.Norm
Re: Starband vs HughesNet (formerly Direcway) Reply #8 – February 08, 2008, 07:53:21 pm Yahoo Message Number: 89281-When I was
Re: Internet by data card on the road and at home? Reply #9 – February 09, 2008, 07:06:57 am Yahoo Message Number: 89290On Sat, 09 Feb 2008 02:54:06 -0000, "Bob McNamara" wrote these inspiring words:QuoteThe deal breaker for me is Verizon's Terms & Conditions, which limits usage to 5GB per billing period: http://b2b.vzw.com/broadband/bba_terms.html Which says If usage exceeds 5 GB per line during any billing period, we reserve the right to reduce throughput speeds of any application that would otherwise exceed such speed to a maximum of approximately 200 Kbps.We are only in our second month, but so far our speed has not been degraded. We did download a few movies in the first month and since I am a news junkie I watch a few short video clips every day. Depending on how hard Verizon applies the rule, this could well be a deal killer. So far, so good.I would point out to anyone considering an air card to get the USB modem, versus a card, your next laptop may not have the same card slot.Cheers, Don
Re: Starband vs HughesNet (formerly Direcway) Reply #10 – February 09, 2008, 09:17:56 am Yahoo Message Number: 89292QuoteThe Hughes System is a fixed installation and not allowed to be moved from it's initial location, which has to be a house or business. . . .QuoteHe further stated if they find you are mobile they will cut you off. They have to do the setup at the initial location. You cannot change satellites, unless there is a problem with your specific location, such as high rise buildings etc. Ah, geez, that's a bunch of cr*p and I'm really surprised it's coming from Dustyfoot since he sells the mobile installations! It IS true that HughesNet does NOT support moving the mobile system EXCEPT FOR the automatic, roof-mounted Datastorm ($5,000+ installed). What that means is that if you run into a problem with finding the satellite, or some other aiming problem, you can't call HughesNet for help because, after all, they think the dish is in a fixed location, so why would you be trying to re-aim it? That's why it's so very important to buy equipment from a reputable installer who will be there to give you excellent after-purchase support. And it is true that it is next to impossible to change satellites on the mobile system (not a problem with the Datastorm system). As for cutting you off if they find out you are mobile, I've heard that claim before, but don't know of one documented case where that has actually happened. Oh, maybe to someone who was stupid enough to call HughesNet and tell them they're in Timbuktu and having a problem aiming their dish when HughesNet shows the dish attached to a house in Nome, AK! I, along with thousands of other people, including many on this list, use the HughesNet mobile system and have been doing so for many years (4 years in our case) without a problem.Linda Hylton http://map.datastormusers.com/user1.cfm?user=1167 http://earl-linda.blogspot.com/
Re: Internet by data card on the road and at home? Reply #11 – February 09, 2008, 09:41:43 am Yahoo Message Number: 89293Quote In the message below, Don talks about sticking with his data card for Internet access when he gets back home.The idea is tempting.Verizon charges $60 a month for internet access by EVDO data card, with an advertised download speed of 600-1400 kbps. Currently, WOW charges me $45 for 4 Mbps internet service. So it would mean paying $15 more a month for one fourth the bandwidth. It would still be tempting because a data card system would give me the ability to take my internet service with me on the road. (I'm excluding Verizon's BroadbandAccess Connect EVDO phone "feature" for this discussion). The deal breaker for me is Verizon's Terms & Conditions, which limits usage to 5GB per billing period: http://b2b.vzw.com/broadband/bba_terms.htmlIn an era of streaming downloads (including instant movies via Netflix), I could easily hit 5GB within a very few days, especially with multiple computers at home accessing the internet via an EVDO router.Does anyone use their data card a lot, involving healthy downloads? If so, do you have trouble with your service being curtailed for using too much bandwidth during a billing period?Mac 1995 TK in Columbus OhioWe contemplated getting a sat dish to connect to the Internet. We decided to get a Verizon "air card" and see how it worked for us. So far we are quite pleased. I am typing this while the DW drives slowly through a lane closure in Beaumont.We have AT&T cell phone and the Verizon coverage has been superior everywhere we have been in the southeast. With 3 or more bars, the download speed is about the same as we were getting on cable at home! When we get home I am going to get a router for it and not get cable again.We got the Verison USB modem. The cost is $70 a month. About what sat coverage would be, without the need to setup equipment. I think a sat rig would be better if we were in the same place for long periods. But, for us, right now it works for us.Cheers, Don
Re: Starband vs HughesNet Reply #12 – February 09, 2008, 02:08:37 pm Yahoo Message Number: 89297Linda beat me to it. :-) I agree with what she said: thousands of us are using HughesNet daily and have been for years, and I've never heard of anybody being cut off. You have only to look at the Datastom Users Group tripod forums (http://www.datastormusers.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?/ubb/forum/f/17.html>) to get an idea of how many folks use portable (non-MotoSAT) HughesNet systems.Now, I have heard recently that Hughes is tightening up their installation rules in a way that makes life more difficult for *resellers* of tripod-mount systems (e.g., Dustyfoot, Maxwell, et al.). What Mike heard from the Dustyfoot dealer in Quartzsite may have been grousing prompted by these changes. But I have yet to hear of any adverse effect on *users.*Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/
Re: Starband vs HughesNet (formerly Direcway) Reply #13 – February 10, 2008, 06:08:55 pm Yahoo Message Number: 89321Posted by: "Linda & Earl Hylton" elh3946 wrote: Sat Feb 9, 2008 7:17 am (PST) It IS true that HughesNet does NOT support moving the mobile system EXCEPT FOR the automatic, roof-mounted Datastorm ($5,000+ installed).Linda,Why does HughesNet care if these units are moved?Jim C[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: Starband vs HughesNet Reply #14 – February 10, 2008, 07:55:46 pm Yahoo Message Number: 89325"Why does HughesNet care if these units are moved?" I'm not Linda (and neither of us speaks for Hughes), but my guess is that it has to do with the cost of providing tech support.Ideally from their point of view, Hughes would like to have these systems installed by trained technicians in fixed locations. That way the likelihood of calls to HughesNet support is minimized, since the setup work is done by experts, and only done once per dish. The last thing they want is a bunch of amateurs setting up their dishes over and over, every few nights, and clogging their support lines with dumb questions. On the other hand, we "amateurs" are paying up front for the HughesNet dish and satellite modem, and then paying $60-$80 a month for the service. And we're getting support from our HughesNet resellers (such as Dustyfoot or Maxwell Satellite Systems), so Hughes doesn't have to hire a larger support staff.In short, what it boils down to is that Hughes *officially* disowns us, but they will happily take our money... as long as we don't expect any help from them when we have problems. ;-) Stated that way, this all sounds pretty risky, and I hesitated on that account before deciding to buy the HughesNet system. But as Linda pointed out, many thousands of RVers have been doing this for upwards of four years, and while it may sound unorthodox, in practice it works just fine. Hughes isn't cutting anybody off (it's sort of like "don't ask, don't tell")... resellers are handling user training and where needed, support... and we're all pretty much satisfied with the status quo. Could Hughes cut off mobile users in the future? Sure, but why would they? We're a steady, reliable source of income, and (thanks to reseller support) we're not a drain on their resources. If they cut us off, they'd be cutting their own financial throats. No sane business would do that.Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/
Re: Starband vs HughesNet (formerly Direcway) Reply #15 – February 11, 2008, 08:43:07 am Yahoo Message Number: 89328QuoteWhy does HughesNet care if these units are moved? It's not that they *care* whether or not they are moved...it's that they don't *support* them being moved. In other words, they don't want to be bothered with all the calls from people just learning how to tune in the signal. That's what the installer from whom you buy it is for.Linda Hylton http://map.datastormusers.com/user1.cfm?user=1167 http://earl-linda.blogspot.com/
Re: Starband vs HughesNet (formerly Direcway) Reply #16 – February 11, 2008, 09:45:40 pm Yahoo Message Number: 89361Quote Why does HughesNet care if these units are moved?It's not that they *care* whether or not they are moved...it's that they Quotedon't *support* them being moved. In other words, they don't want to be Quotebothered with all the calls from people just learning how to tune in the Quotesignal. That's what the installer from whom you buy it is for.Linda Hylton I like to take a stab at another possibility behind this question. First lets understand that these devices are not like simple tv sat dishes that you adjust to receive a signal. These are generating a signal (the uplink), and putting out RF energy in the microwave band. As a licensed amatuer, I know enough that any time a device is radiating RF energy above a certain minimum, their must be a licensed commercial or amatuer operator in charge of that operating station.I think that the datastorm units mounted on top of rv's and other portable equipment have been type certified to operate under their computer control for proper safe operation. Once installed by a certified installer. They are at least eight feet off the ground, and the computer will not allow the angles where their transmission could damage a nearby person.The Dustyfoot and similar devices are set up at what is to be a fixed location by a technician, and in theory not readjusted. If they were relocated, due to safety, a licensed operator would have to do it. The danger is someone setting up very low, or on the ground where children can get close to the feed horn.I think they ignore it because it is profitable, until an accident occurs and they get sued for radiation burns to someone.Toiga George has a legit mount and calls them for service, and to switch sats, and beyond the initial outlay I think he pays the same as those with dutsyfoot do for service each month.When they install do they advise keeping the dist on a six or seven foot pole aimed above perople heads on the horizon. (The hazard is only very close to the unit. I think safety is the square of the distance of seperation. Maybe an amatuer operating microwave can comment is this is possibly what is effecting the requirement for fixed mounts?I saw USAF radar kill small animals that got too close to an operating high power antenna.Regards,Don Howe Long Island N2YIJ
Re: Starband vs HughesNet Reply #17 – February 11, 2008, 10:51:17 pm Yahoo Message Number: 89366"I think they ignore it because it is profitable, until an accident occurs and they get sued for radiation burns to someone. I saw USAF radar kill small animals that got too close to an operating high power antenna."This isn't radar, nor is it high power. These are *one watt* transmitters--zero chance of radiation burns. Given the beam width, you probably couldn't cook a moth with one, let alone a small animal. The official rule is to mount the dish at least five feet above ground level, but even that is probably overkill. The transmitter block itself bears a label warning you to keep two feet away. A device that is safe at two feet (and four times as safe at four feet) is not something to get excited over... unless you're a lawyer hungry for liability suits. ;-)Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/
Re: Starband vs HughesNet Reply #18 – February 14, 2008, 10:46:34 pm Yahoo Message Number: 89438QuoteThis isn't radar, nor is it high power. These are *one watt* transmitters--zero chance of radiation burns. ....snip, > Andy Baird Andy, I don't think there is any remote chance that a portable internet satellite transmitter will cause any problem.However, you hit the exact point....if you're a lawyer hungry for lawsuits. I have participated on the receiving end (for my former agency) in a number of these, so know how they progress.As far as a comparison with radar, the satellite that you use transmits on frequencies in the same spectrum as some radar systems. The power output of police radar is comparable, and there were many lawsuits based upon the possibility that the proximity of the radar antenna induced brain cancer in a number of officers. (all you need to do is interrupt the orderly replication of one cell and you may be at the start of cancer!)One watt isn't much power but my 5 milliwatt laser will project its beam over a mile (supposed to do 5 miles). A 100 mW laser is considered highly hazardous to anyones vision. Our cell phones are well under a watt (I forget the legal power limit) and there is still litigation over hand held cell phones and brain cancer. I miss my 3 watt cellular "bag phone" because it had the power to work anywhere. Since I make few phone calls I'd gladly accept the risk if I could get a 3 watt digital handheld cell phone...it would be fantastic. But as long as the lawyers are looking at the deep pockets of the cell phone carriers and makers, they won't be made. I have no doubt that all of the individuals on this group can safely set up their dishes. What also protects the rv community is that most individuals lack resources ($$$) sufficient to attract the sharks. However, the satellite provider is a big fish, so they insulate themselves by having "fixed" installations done by trained installers. I just came across another provider "Wildblue" who will also not do mobile setups or allow individual installation. That goes back to my original comment that I thought that this whole no mobile deal (unless you use their motosat) is probably based on FCC requirements. Government operates by common sense only at the street level at best...above there it is all by rules and regulations.The Datastorm website has over 6000 people registered. If the mobile "fixed" units were ever cut off (which I doubt) there is a sufficient constituancy to cause the necessary regulatory changes.Regards,Don Howe Long Island (Stuck in place)
Re: Starband vs HughesNet Reply #19 – February 15, 2008, 08:58:27 am Yahoo Message Number: 89444I just came across another provider "Wildblue" who willQuotealso not do mobile setups or allow individual installation. That's because Wildblue is spot beamed, so is not suitable for mobile installations...once you move out of the spot beam area, you don't have a signal.Linda Hylton http://map.datastormusers.com/user1.cfm?user=1167 http://earl-linda.blogspot.com/
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