Satellite Broadband
 

Hi,

Anyone go advice on this subject?

I need to move from my current 0.3mb speed as its just no use. Sometimes drops off all together.
Im miles from the exchange and in the sticks, Scotland.

I have seen that Tooway company, and a few others, offering good speeds and for all the data we use, 10mb per month will be more than ample.

I just feel that there will be a draw back with it, however, I cant see it yet? Am I missing a hidden flaw?

Its a little more expensive per month, but im paying £16 for 0.3 just now, so if Im up to around £30 a month for fast speed, I dont mind.

Tuppence worth appreciated

Jamie

Im a too way trained installer, the latency is crap so pointless for online gaming , if the installer is a toe rag you'll lose the signal all the time as they're very pinpoint (not much margin of error)

I'd wait for 4G to be openly available.

yep, very high latency but can be high bandwith

depends on your usage profile,

okay for downloading large files, sh1te for surfing and gaming

on a bighter note, just had infinity installed and i have gone from .3 mb in the evenings to 55mb

(with low ping times too)

4G openly available, that's a joke, a lot of areas still can't currently get 3G.

Moving is your only option.

Is tehre any wireless broadband around there?

In Wales there are a few wireless broadband schemes which are sponsored by the welsh assembly

4G uses the frequencies from the UHF band which will carry a better distance and be openly available

But of course you knew that........ :D

I did know that, but I still stand by my comment. I wager you it won't be available out in the sticks.

Does a 200ms latency or whatever it is noticeably affect non-gaming use?

The actual round trip delay to the satellite is around that (36000km * 2 / speed of light) however the actual delay you'll see will be much greater due to the latencies in the signal processing, buffering for jitter, etc. 600-800 msec is not unreasonable.

For some stuff it makes no difference (e.g. downloading once the protocol has trained itself to the link conditions) and for some stuff it makes a lot of difference. Just depends how tolerant the relevant protocols are to the delay. VPNs can struggle.

Some of the technologies also use the phone line for the upload side of things so okay if you just want to download / stream / etc. but not so good if you require a more symmetric bandwidth e.g. video conferencing, remote working etc.

Forget the latency, it's the overage charges that will stun you. Survey your bandwidth usage well before ordering.

Tooway uploads and downloads

Im still none the wiser!

I can hardly get a mobile signal, so 3g/4g not an option.
No fiber coming my way ....ever I would say! So for all I need it for, checking my mails and going online for the wifes shopping sprees etc and the odd youtube clip, surely its going to be better than my current 0.3 to zero speed that I have just now!

I had to receive broadband via a sat dish. Used to get 1/2 a meg speed and 5 gig monthly limit. Speed was useless and we would hit our limit in a couple of weeks.

Luckily BT now are giving us 12 meg down the phone line and unlimited useage. I phoned the Sat company - Qsat and asked when would they be removing their equipment. They told me it's mine to dispose of.

My current situation is also crap - live in a major city on a fairly recent new build and I get about 1 meg.

Our only option in the next few years is to move house - and I dont think that will happen - or for O2 to start an unlimited 3G data plan - but again they dont seem interested. So for now we are left behind.

What irks me the most is BT keep sending me infinity invites - but I cant get infitity as their roll out stopped about 200 yards from my cab... super.

Jamie
Two or three options, IMO:
1. Rig up some kind of link-aggregation system, where you'd use your existing connection mostly for smaller files (where latency matters a lot more), and the satellite connection for larger files and streaming.
Up-side: almost certainly the best combination you'll get of acceptable latency and faster download speed.
Down-side: you'll still be paying for both internet connections, you'll need to invest in extra software and/or hardware (on top of what you need for each internet connection individually), and the technical complexity of the whole thing would be pretty high, even for someone with quite a good working knowledge of networking.

2. Switch to the satellite connection, but run all your home PCs through a software or hardware caching proxy on your home network, which you'd setup to favour smaller files (a few 10s of KBs or lower). Latency will be worse to begin with, but should gradually improve as time goes on and the cache builds up.
Up-side: faster download speeds for larger files or streaming
Down-side: worse latency, at least to start with, plus the extra outlay and hassle of rigging up the proxy.

3. Stick to your existing connection, but see if you can find a router that performs slightly better, or make sure your existing router and PC are both fine-tuned as best they can be (PPP, TCP stack and/or HTTP layer) to make the most of what little download speed you have. Optionally, also run everything through a caching proxy, which you'd want to setup to also cache somewhat larger files than for the satellite connection.
Up-side: least hassle of all the options
Down-side: slowest of all 3 options, possible outlay and hassle of rigging up the proxy.

I can give you pointers on what would actually be involved in all the above, so don't be afraid to ask :thumb:


- Mark

Hi there

Have look on those options

http://www.avonlinebroadband.co.uk/packages/

http://www.satelliteinternet.co.uk/packages?pkg=2

http://www.thinkbroadband.com/guide/...broadband.html


Jura