Derfdog Posted August 25, 2003 Share Posted August 25, 2003 HelloI am looking at purchasing Direcway 2way, what are the things I should ask the sales person?I've talked to them once, and gotten the basic info, when the sales person found out I was not ready to buy then and there they became a little bit anoyed, but hey thats their bread and butter I guess.Can you explain to me this max amount of download I'm aloud to have in an 8 hour period? The sales person said that I am aloud to have up to 160 meg of down load within an 8 hour time frame. How do they monitor that? The person would not give me any details.Also I've either read in Scot's newsletter or someplace else out that the weather can affect access and downloads. Is it really bad, or is it dependant on the storm? I currently have DirecTV and do notice some loss in reception but since we are talking data transmision how much is a bad thing?Finally, I was thinking of using my old Win98 PC that runs on a Pentium II with 128 meg of ram, but the salesperson said that I should use one of my XP laptops. I didn't really want to do that because if my old system gets trashed then no big deal. Or should I forgo a wireless network and put the money into a better frontend PC.BTY Scott ( if you are listening ) your friends at http://www.firewallguide.com recommended that I check out your newsletter, I'm glad they did!Fred Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LilBambi Posted August 26, 2003 Share Posted August 26, 2003 Welcome!Before asking any questions of the Sales people, whose job it is to 'sell' it to you LOL! I would suggest taking a look at a few sites online with FAQs.Here are a few that I found and a Google link to even more:http://two-wayupgrade.direcway.com/faqs.htmlhttp://www.alltechsystemsonline.com/freque...d_questions.htmhttp://www.macteks.com/sat/qa.htmlhttp://www.orbitsatellite.com/DWAY/FAQ.aspGoogle Search - DirecWay QuestionsIf you are a highend gamer be sure to look at the latency issues in the FAQs.Hope some of this will help you as you look into your options with DirecWay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dicknite Posted August 27, 2003 Share Posted August 27, 2003 Hi!Having been a DirecPC/DirecWay subscriber for more than 4 years now, I'd like to direct you to a couple of other sites that are AWESOME as far as questions about Satellite.http://www.dslreports.com/forum/satandhttp://www.copperhead.ccDSLReports.com has an awesome FAQ set up (http://www.broadbandreports.com/faq/satellite) that will answer all of your questions as well as give you information on things you should do prior to and during your installation.Here's a little of my experience regarging your questions (and I'm NOT an expert, but I saw one on TV once):Max Download - otherwise known as the FAP (Fair Access Policy). In a nutshell, it is a bucket that is full of an amount of data that you can download without being throttled down in speed. The bucket starts out at around 169MB. My experience shows that I can download 140 - 150 MB in one shot without being slowed down. If you don't hit the FAP (go over their limit and get FAPped or throttled down), you are good to go. The bucket then starts filling back up and over the next several hours is full again. If you play streaming audio non-stop, you will get FAPped after a couple/few hours.I have never found this to be much of a problem. I am NOT a heavy downloader or P2Per tho. There are a couple of programs that you can download that will moniter your use for you and let you know when you are close to getting throttled down.Weather. Yes, it can be a problem. I live in Washington where it rains a LOT and have been knocked off due to weather. It comes back pretty quickly tho, as long as the storm lets up. The weather problem isn't only for over your location, but over the DirecWay Network Operation Center too. Afterall, they have to upload to the satellite - so if their weather sucks, your connection can go down. It's really not that much of a problem.I would say that my Dish Network TV goes down less often than DirecWay internet. I probably see a couple/few times a month where the weather keeps me from getting online. Of course, you can always revert to dial-up if that occurs since the DirecWay software can be set up to dial a modem if the satellite is unavailable - pretty handy!Win98 PC... If you have Win98 SE, you should be fine (SE supports ICS <Internet Connection Sharing> which seems to be a pretty accepted networking program for using DirecWay to connect all your computers through the one gateway machine.). I think the only reason that tech support suggests XP is to make their job easier - less variables as far as OS is concerned, the less they have to troubleshoot.A few other things:You saw how helpful the sales person was, right? Tech support is worse. I have found that tech support at DirecWay is useless. I go to the DSLReports site and have all the answers right away. Tech support is good if you want to raise your blood pressure.The install needs to be monitored and inspected by YOU. While there are good installers, there are also bad installers. Make sure that your installer does the job right (again, DSLReports has a great piece in their FAQ about installation problems and suggestions) - the system needs to be grounded and mounted correctly. These seem to be 2 places where installers "save some time" to your detriment.Latency. If you are a gamer, remember that there is a latency of up to a couple of seconds - your request for information (clicking on a button) has to travel something like 24,000 miles up to the satellite, 24,000 miles back down to the NOC, go out on the terrestrial internet, get the information you requested, go back to the NOC, back up 24,000 miles to the satellite and back down 24,000 miles to your dish. A couple of second delay is noticeable.The newest release of software from DirecWay helps a LOT with this as far as browsing goes, but it is still there.Speeds. Upload speed is "UP TO 128k". You won't see this. I have all the updates and newest software installed and I see pretty normal upload speeds of 60-80k. Better than dial-up, but less than DSL or Cable. Download speeds (file transfers, FTP, etc...) can be (and usually are) AWESOME! I regularly clock over 2 MEGAbits download speed. I average over a Megabit. This, on downloads, makes most DSL and cable look pretty slow. (No flaming, I said MOST!)Hope this helps.d|:^)Dick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonicDragon Posted August 27, 2003 Share Posted August 27, 2003 DSLReports.com has an awesome FAQ set up (http://www.broadbandreports.com/faq/satellite) that will answer all of your questions as well as give you information on things you should do prior to and during yourYea, i've also heard that DLSReports does a great job.Thanks for all the info I've also been wondering about this. I don't think i'd ever really do it, but, it's good to know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dicknite Posted August 28, 2003 Share Posted August 28, 2003 Yea, i've also heard that DLSReports does a great job.Heh, heh... I made a mistake once and posted to an unmoderated email listserver and put in DLSReports instead of DSLReports... Won't make that mistake again! DLSReports is a porn site... Just FYI. d|:^)Dick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derfdog Posted August 28, 2003 Author Share Posted August 28, 2003 Thanks for all the info. Now onto bigger and better questions, I am sure that this has been posted before but...I've read the " Networking and You Satellite Internet Connection" that you directed me to - http://www.copperhead.cc/download .Now, I am starting to think and wonder ( the thinking always gets me in trouble )The diagram is simple enough but instead of sending the incoming/outcoming modems into a host PC first why can't you send it into a Belkin Components F5D6050 Wireless USB Adapter. PLEASE NOTE: I know that this is not a router, but don't they make a router with a USB connection?The configuration that I was planning on doing was using my old PII ( I verified it against Direcway's hardware req ) running Win98 SE as the primary PC then using wireless to connect to my wife and daughter's 2 laptops.A freind said that by the configuration shown in that document. The primary PC would ONLY be used like a proxy-server/firewall and that the load on it too much for anything else. Is that true? Does this mean that I'll have go out and buy another PC just so I can play on?DerfDog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LilBambi Posted August 28, 2003 Share Posted August 28, 2003 dicknite,Thanks so much for the great DirecWay links and your experience with DirecWay. Your experience over 4 years in this thread is greatly appreciated!BTW: Regarding weather ... I undestand that it is not just weather problems at your location that can affect you. Weather problems at the satellite uplink/downlink location (NOC?) are just as noticeable to you. So knowing where the uplink/downlink location is a good idea if you don't have weather problems but your connection becomes poor or non-existent, right? (Like bad thunderstorms).Those upload speeds are great!What are you paying these days for 2-way DirecWay? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Lee Posted September 3, 2003 Share Posted September 3, 2003 I'm glad dicknite has such good upload and download speeds! I feel left out. ( I have satellite internet through Starband, and my download speeds start at about 300kbs (sometimes), but rarely stay above 60 to 80 kbs, before it's through. Sometimes, like today, I'm slower than dialup, but our dial up here was slower than anyone else's, hence switching to satellite. But I don't have to worry about how much I download in a 8 hour period. Satellite's great, when you don't have any other option. Allan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dicknite Posted September 5, 2003 Share Posted September 5, 2003 DerfDog -Sorry for the delay in answering. I run a manufacturing company and one of the things we make is fishing tackle. It is the middle of a HUGE salmon run right now and we're running around like heads with our chickens cut off this time of year, so I tend to drop the ball on things that aren't work... Now, I am starting to think and wonder ( the thinking always gets me in trouble )Yeah - me too!...instead of sending the incoming/outcoming modems into a host PC first why can't you send it into a Belkin Components F5D6050 Wireless USB Adapter.The data coming out of the DirecWay receiver is not like the data coming out the end of a cable or dsl modem. It has to be translated in the DirecWay Navigator software, which is running on your Gateway, or Connection, PC. Then it is sent to your monitor or the other systems on your network.A freind said that by the configuration shown in that document. The primary PC would ONLY be used like a proxy-server/firewall and that the load on it too much for anything else. Is that true? Does this mean that I'll have go out and buy another PC just so I can play on? No. That is NOT true. When I first got the SRS system, I was running a PII 333 (?) and it worked fine. The DirecWay software does not take up all of your resources by any means. More memory and a faster processor did seem to increase my satellite experience, but I think that was more because my machine could render graphics and "do the math" faster.The configuration that I was planning on doing was using my old PII ( I verified it against Direcway's hardware req ) running Win98 SE as the primary PC then using wireless to connect to my wife and daughter's 2 laptops.That should work fine. As long as it meets DirecWay's requirements, you should be good to go.As far as wireless networking, you will be needing to access dslreports and practicallynetworked.com to get the information on how to do it. Some folks have a TERRIBLE time of getting wireless to work and others breeze right through it. Myself, it worked like a charm. I have a wired/wireless network going with 6 PC's wired (Cat 5), a laptop (Wireless) and a PDA (Wireless) and it went really smooth. Set up the Host computer first, then the wired part of your network (if any is planned), then the wireless portion.Let us know how you fare!d|:^)Dick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dicknite Posted September 5, 2003 Share Posted September 5, 2003 BTW: Regarding weather ... I undestand that it is not just weather problems at your location that can affect you. Weather problems at the satellite uplink/downlink location (NOC?) are just as noticeable to you. So knowing where the uplink/downlink location is a good idea if you don't have weather problems but your connection becomes poor or non-existent, right? (Like bad thunderstorms).Yes, that is right. Sometimes there will be clear weather all around the Pacific Northwest (I know, that's hard to believe, since it rains EVERY DAY in Seattle) and we will see weather related problems because of weather over the NOC in Germantown, Maryland.Those upload speeds are great!Upload varies a LOT. Sometimes you can clock 80 up and then sometimes it is down in the 20's. I think I probably AVERAGE 60Kb up.What are you paying these days for 2-way DirecWay?I'd have to get out the Amex bill and look, but - well, hang on a second and I'll go look... Sorry that took so long, but the phone rang... Anyway, the monthly bill is $59. That includes $10 for having them as my ISP.d|:^)Dick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scot Posted October 4, 2003 Share Posted October 4, 2003 Uh, let's also not forget Scot's Newsletter:http://www.scotsnewsletter.com/best_of/satellite.htm-- Scot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FuzzButt Posted October 4, 2003 Share Posted October 4, 2003 A customer of mine is getting DirectWay (I think that is the one) installed late next week. They are charging $580 or so for installation and setup. She asked me how it is going to work and other than what I have read from Scot I have no actual experiance with this type of ISP.I hope the install goes well for her as I am looking forward to seeing how it works in real life. I just hope they can get their money out of it. I guess it beats Dial-up and thier long distance bill was more than the install price last month.Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LilBambi Posted October 6, 2003 Share Posted October 6, 2003 Uh, let's also not forget Scot's Newsletter:http://www.scotsnewsletter.com/best_of/satellite.htm-- ScotDoh! Of course ... I knew that! LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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