Satellite Internet any good?

I recently bought a house and I can't get DSL out there. I was wondering if anyone out there knows if satellite internet is any good. For the last painful month I have had dial-up and absolutely cannot take it anymore. I also had a question as to if the satellite modem would allow me to have a wireless network in my home like I had with dsl? I was looking at WildBlue, http://www.wildblue.com/, as they are the cheapest I have found so far at $50 a month and right now I can get the equipment and setup for $300. Anyone have any advice/suggestions on them or any other cheap/better companies?

P.S. I live in Wisconsin and the Boonies so regular high speed is a rarity

Thanks people!

Matt

 

Is Satellite Internet the same as Satellite DSL? (Gee, I feel dumb asking that. -.- I've heard Satellite DSL sucks, it goes out every time the wind blows.

 

You will have the same setup i imagine with the modem. But Satellite is pretty expensive. Do you have good cell phone reception where you are at?

 

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Happy Research!
BankBen

 

I highly recommend against Satellite - it is very slow, as the lag times are very long between you and the satellite. The download rates are terrible, along with your bandwidth. I'm willing to bet it would not be much of an improvement over your current dial-up, or at least, not as much as you would want it to be.

Yeah, as mentioned, it is cost prohibitive.

 

Matt,

I had satellite internet for 5-years, Starband. It worked very well, reasonably fast down, pig-slow up, and very expensive: $70/mo. I ditched it when terrestrial wireless became available at $30/mo.

Do you live in an area served by Verizon Wireless? If so, consider EVDO, about the same price as satellite but MUCH more versatile. Works where ever a cell phone works and perhaps a bit faster than satellite. Cingular has a competing product, sorry don't know what they call it.

Hermit

 

Do you speak from experience? Have you ever had satellite internet?

 

I do, and i still don't reccomend it.

When it rains, it will go out in a flash.
Especially in the Wisconsin summers, how it rains there would not be to pretty in the summer with Satellite.

Best bet would be to do some research and see what you can get. Or if you have good cell phone coverage, might want to think about getting a PCIMIA card from Verizon, etc. That way you can roam around anywhere with internet from coast to coast.
Thats only your best bet if you have good cell phone coverage though.

 

Thanks guys, I was just checking into my options, and I guess that I'll wait until DSL becomes available in my area, which is bull, because it is only good for 3 miles, and I live 4 miles from a box. That bites, but I'll live with dial-up for now I guess. I was checking into all my options, and unless wireless signal is any good and fairly cheap, like under $50 a month, I'll wait for DSL, it shouldn't be too much longer,

Thanks again!

Matt