Anyone here using this system for broadband access?
Lots of research for you to do. Carefully check the LEM archives, as well as the Broadband.com forums. :)
Of particular note in our own archives: <http://www.mail-archive.com/macnetwork%40mail.maclaunch.com/>
Date: Sat, 21 Aug 2004 15:33:53 -0400 To: "Mac Network" <[email protected]> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: Satellite Connections
At 02:37 AM -0700 08/05/2004, Geoffrey Loeffler wrote:Anyone have internet service with DirectWay and have you successfully networked, they say I can use Ethernet or wireless if I want. I am interested in on how well this has worked.
DirecWay's Mac support is ... ROFL ... a dedicated Wintel PC. It uses a custom interface card to talk to their proprietary modem. It runs Windoze, Hugh's software (older: proprietary link software; newer: SoIP implementation with proprietary enhancements) and ICS (Windoze's "Internet Connection Sharing"), so it acts as a slow NAT Router. Their software is (as of July'2004) still having compatibility issues with various firewall and anti-virus softwares - so the PC is *vulnerable* to all the various viral / worm / port attacks.
Stability of the PC is poor. The two clients I had that used it have dumped the service due to reliability and support problems. One guy I talk often to via IRC is currently using his backup V.90, and has been for the last six weeks...
Another gotcha: DirecWay has some pretty harsh service caps. It quickly throttles to sub-V.90 speeds if you suck too much for too long. And they start charging by the megabyte if you exceed your monthly allotment.
Now, I wrote the above in August 2004. Since then there have been some "changes" to the service. Most importantly, the DW60xx series boxes are now available. Some of DirecWay's marketing information calls the DW600xx a "modem". It is not. The manufacturing info calls it a "terminal". That's closer... It's essentially a more tighly embedded Windoze/PC in a prettier box. It looks like they replaced ICS with something of higher performance. I could find no information as to the "terminal's" security or virus succeptability (and my fav clients aren't going to test until Q4 at the earliest).
Later in this thread, replying to Geoff, Dennis B. Swaney wrote:
Cable & DSL are NOT available to me.
What are your actual bandwidth (throughput up and down) needs?
Satellite is, in general, so low performance, you might find that bonded ISDN or bonded V.90 might suffice. $$ vs throughput vs hassle.
Near as I can find out, Starband requires a pc to "interface" between the Starband equipment & Macs. The DW6000 works with Macs directly.
*chuckle* per above. Is a PC still a PC if it's hidden in a pretty box?
However, thanks for your input. I have to do some more research; unfortunately, I also have to have the DirecTv up and running by mid February.
Please let us know how things go... So few of us use satellite service, we're craving first-hand experience.
My bottom line advice:
1) None of the satellite internet services are very good overall, so only consider them as a last resort, when other solutions aren't available.
2) Even when the satellite services are working "properly", their latency makes everything, except basic web surfing and downloading, virtually unusable.
3) Because the satellite services all require an embedded PC, you're bringing a security hole into your home. Defend yourself by putting a real firewall between it and your LAN. My personal pref: an old Mac running IPNetRouter and IPNetSentry, but most off-the-shelf NAT Routers will do in a pinch.
FWIW, - Dan.
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