Satellite Broadband

[Joshie]

Haven't been online much due to a trip away and because I have been installing satellite broadband.

I live in Milton keynes so I was amazed when BT informed me that I couldn't get broadband.
promised to update you on the Europeonline package which I have fully installed on my PC.

The verdict? - fantastic!!. I tested the download speed on McAfee = 903.68 Kbps ( 112.96 KBps). That's almost twice as fast as BT Broadband!!

However i got myself hooked up with Europeonline.

For 159 Euros (including P&P) you get a "DVB" card which is basically a plug and play card which allows reception of satellite transmissions (TV and data streams).

I installed the dish myself - Needs to point at Astra 1 @ 19.2 East (NB: not Astra 2 (SKY) which is at 28.2 East. This means that you need a 60cm dish and universal LNB (£55). While I can install myself I would recommend a professional install as the signal is not strong with a 60cm dish and alignment of the dish needs to be spot on.

After three days of making all the mistakes (like installing the (wrong) software which they sent) I got it running. When I got the right software installation was a sinch.

You are allowed only 500Mb of data download per month so if you wanted to download a movie (650Mb) you'd surpass the data allocation. When this happens the service is basically unusable. The good news is that for 50 Euros you can buy a 5Mb data pack which is what I've done. Looking at all the other broadband satellite providers Europeonline is cheap as chips for a great service and I'd recommend it. I downloaded a MP3 from Kazaa in only 30 seconds!

Certainly worth it if you can live with another dish on your house.

[kennyboy]

I looked at satellite connection few years ago and what put me off was the cost and the uploading i.e back to basic dial up. Take it this is still the case with uploading, unless technology has moved on.

[jeffw]

If memory serves the reason you can't get ADSL in MK is because the line plant is Aluminium rather than Copper. ADSL uses higher frequencies than normal PSTN and these higher frequencies are attenuated by Aluminium.......

It the cross you have to bear for living in an area that was cabled in the '70s.

[Joshie]

Uploading is still by 56Bps - but that is no issue for me as I hardly ever upload anything.

Great solution if you live in the sticks or in Milton Keynes [img]images/graemlins/biggrin3.gif[/img]

[fatcat]

Joshie,
You and I need a very serious talk indeed at OP.

Cheers

[TimJMS]

Well I want it, and living more than three feet from an updated exchange I cant have it down a wire.

At the same time I seem to be with a provider who (quite astonishingly IMO) simultaneously cannot shut up about how brilliant it all is, while being impotent when it comes to providing me with any kind of broadband service!

B U N G H O L E S!!!

Will be picking both your brains at OP then [img]images/graemlins/thumbs.gif[/img]