septcasey
join:2006-09-07
United State
| Will the 512k/128k package work on 3 computers?
We are looking into satellite internet which is the only broadband available to us for under $60/month and I was wondering if we would be able to hook this up to 2 laptops and 1 desktop. If so, wil this effect the speeds at all? The laptops will only be used for occassional net surfing and not downloading much. The desktop will be the main used computer. Will all 3 computers be able to use the satellite internet at the same time or will it be like trying to watch streaming video on dial up?
Please let me know and thank you for reading. |
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grohgreg
Dunno. Ask The Chief
join:2001-07-05
Dawson Springs, KY
| It will work, provided you go into the deal with very low expectations from the start. First, the 512/128 is only an "up to" claim. About the only time you'd ever see that would be on ONE computer at three o'clock in the morning. Three computers sharing it during peak internet usage hours will likely be excruciating. And the FAP limit on that package isn't very generous either. Consider the size of some of Microsoft's updates, then multiply that by three computers.
//greg//
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HN7000S - 98cm Prodelin/2w Osiris - ProPlus - G16/1250H - NOC:GTN - NAT 67.142.115.130 - Gateway 66.82.25.10 - DNS 66.82.4.12 and 66.82.4.8 - Firefox 3 - AV/Firewalled by NIS2010 |
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septcasey
join:2006-09-07
United State
| We are very generic computer users. My sister is in college and needs broadband. As far as the updates for computer and stuff like that go I probably do that maybe 2 times a year. But that is because my dial up is so slow it takes days sometimes to download those updates so I my computer is almost always not up to date. However, when we get this I plan to bring it up to speed and then not worry about that for awhile so it doesn't eat up bandwidth.
So the threshold is the download and upload limit for the package right? I don't think even with using 3 computers on this package we would even come close to using that much. I am notorious for letting my dial up download while I am AFK and even doing that I would probably download around 500 MB of data a month and upload alot less than that.
The usage is probably not what you think. My sisters are not heavy internet users. My younger sister needs the internet just for doing her college homework and checking e-mail. My oldest sister will use it for probably online shopping and checking e-mail. Both of my sisters use my computer for internet use less than 4 times a week and less than an hour each time they do. So its not like all 3 computers will be constantly on and online. That will mostly be the desktop.
Thank you for your reply. What equipment will we need for hooking up the 2 laptops to the connection? They are both rather brand new HP brand computers. |
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grohgreg
Dunno. Ask The Chief
join:2001-07-05
Dawson Springs, KY
| Again, do not go into this with high expectations. Do that, and you'll be considerably less disappointed in the long run. It's not cable, it's not DSL, it's not WiFi - and sometimes it's barely better than dialup. That's just the nature of shared bandwidth (you're sharing that Wildblue signal with thousands of other customers). The more of them that are online simultaneously, the slower it is for everybody. That's why you'll likely never see the "advertised" speeds until three in the morning.
Cheapest way to hook things up at home is a conventional wired router. Plug all three computers into the LAN ports, plug the modem into the WAN port. But that limits your laptop mobility to the length of the cable. Assuming the HPs are wireless-capable, get a wireless router. That way you only have to plug in the desktop PC and the modem.
//greg//
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HN7000S - 98cm Prodelin/2w Osiris - ProPlus - G16/1250H - NOC:GTN - NAT 67.142.115.130 - Gateway 66.82.25.10 - DNS 66.82.4.12 and 66.82.4.8 - Firefox 3 - AV/Firewalled by NIS2010 |
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septcasey
join:2006-09-07
United State | Thanks. yes the laptops will need to be mobile. Is there a way to setup the laptops to work outside of the house with a satellite ISP or is it limited to the router signal length? |
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Spice300
Premium
join:2006-01-10
| The signal strength of the wireless port on the router determines how far away the laptops can be located.
Wildblue technical support will not give you any help setting up or troubleshooting a router because they did not sell it to you.
If you post your ZIP code or the name and state of a nearby city, I can probably tell you if you would be in a popular region and thus whether your speeds would be slow during prime time.
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Value Pack, beam 31, Riverside gateway |
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grohgreg
Dunno. Ask The Chief
join:2001-07-05
Dawson Springs, KY
| reply to septcasey
The laptops only see the router, the fact that there's a satellite modem on the other side means nothing. Laptop wireless range is strictly a function of combined laptop/router characteristics. My router is on the 2nd floor, and I have no trouble using the laptop in the backyard hammock. Haven't actually proved it yet, but I'm pretty sure I can connect from the neighbor's house across the highway.
//greg//
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HN7000S - 98cm Prodelin/2w Osiris - ProPlus - G16/1250H - NOC:GTN - NAT 67.142.115.130 - Gateway 66.82.25.10 - DNS 66.82.4.12 and 66.82.4.8 - Firefox 3 - AV/Firewalled by NIS2010 |
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tobicat
join:2005-04-18
Tombstone, AZ
| reply to septcasey
You might want to go here and read. No one is happy with the lowest plan and if you over go the FAP you are almost forced to upgrade.
»www.wildblueworld.com/forum/
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9000 spaceway III, 7000S SatMex 5 1050, Dlink wirless |
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septcasey
join:2006-09-07
United State
| Thanks everyone. So we will be able to have all 3 connected to the satellite connection. great!
So for the laptops to have "on the go" internet they need to have Wifi cards or mobile data plans right? For some reason I though there was a satellite card that allowed for satellite mobile connectivity. Anyway, thanks for the help. |
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tobicat
join:2005-04-18
Tombstone, AZ
| Ok you to be careful with terminology. The laptops do not need Wifi cards or mobile data plans. If you had that you would not need satellite. Study on that.
What you need is wireless router. Almost all sold today are wireless. That connects to the Hughes modem.
The laptops need wireless capability. Most newer ones have this built in. If not you need a wireless card or adapter.
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9000 spaceway III, 7000S SatMex 5 1050, Dlink wirless |
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Spice300
Premium
join:2006-01-10
1 edit | reply to septcasey
Your laptops need wireless network interface cards. If they do not have ones already built-in, you can get ones that interface through the PCMCIA port or a USB port.
Here is a list of router compatibility with Wildblue as reported by various users in 2007.
Getting a good installation is critical for having a problem free experience with Wildblue. Think about the location of the satellite dish. It needs to be mounted sturdy. A pole mount set in concrete is best, but is the most expensive mount usually costing extra. The dish can be mounted on a roof or wall, but it must be bolted into the roof joists or wall studs and braces attached.
Consider who you get the WB service from. You can get it from Wildblue directly, Dish Network, an NRTC, a local installer or others. In the past the greatest number of complaints have been from customers who got it from WB directly because WB subcontracts with DSI for the installers. Basically you would get an installer selected from a pool of installers rather than the same installer concerned about the happiness of his customers.
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Value Pack, beam 31, Riverside gateway |
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mikefxu
join:2004-10-05
Titusville, FL | reply to septcasey
We normally host 4 to 5 workstations and 1 server on this connection. Its used for server synchronization, company email, and light/general web browsing. |
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