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DirecPC USB Satellite Modems Available for Linux
manyoso writes "Helius, Inc. has announced a USB DirecPC modem for Linux. The software drivers are going to be available on their website, no word about what kind of license. The software is available on their Model 7100 router, which retails for $2,500. The router runs Caldera Linux and comes with: dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP), SMTP e-mail, Web hosting, Web caching, NNTP news, FTP, UDP, Telnet, proxy, and firewall. The upload is standard phone line or ISDN." Looks like a fairly expensive way to get a 400kbs uplink (You need software, a router, and a normal modem/isdn ISP for outgoing traffic) but for people who live outside of DSL/Cable range, this might be a cool option. And it looks fun to play with ;) But my cable company promised that they could hook me up this spring, so I'm not sure if it's worth it ...
Is it just me, or is the main use of a hard link to the internet the "always on" availability?
Personally after reading through the "features" on the router gizmo they're selling, I take it as Helius trying to do a few things.
Capitalize on not-so-tech-savvy people
Capitalize on "that Linux groove going on
Sell people on MAXIMUM AVAILABILITY based router
;)
Now this Maximum Availability ploy they mention is for them to reconfigure your router when a network or cable connection is down and will do little to nothing to get someone on the net, so they win with the not-so-tech-savvy people who spend their money thinking its an always redundant connection.
I probably rather take an "always on" 128k line over a dial up satellite deal like this one.
Ahh simplicity. Well the typical person will not need a fraction of a t1 connection to their homes for some time unless everything becomes bloat. People are often confused by the myriads of technology stuff so obscure and shoved down their throats they take little time to read the fine print.
More power to Helius for gaining some sort of niche on the market somehow, as for me I'll stick with my SoHo Cisco 1xxx based home DSL router which serves me fine and has throughout the years at the fraction of the cost of this product. 700.00 US a year ago on ebay
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Is it just me, or is the main use of a hard link to the internet the "always on" availability? True, when I first got DSL I was blown away by the speed, but over time I started to use the internet in ways I never would have if I was connected over the phone.
I probably rather take an "always on" 128k line over a dial up satellite deal like this one. Maybe broadband would catch on more if providers were more focused on that aspect rather than competing on maximum available bandwidth.
The slow upstream speed is reason enough to avoid using satellite modems, but even more sinister is the potential for eavesdropping.
When you use a standard phone connection, it's virtually impossible for someone to eavesdrop. A physical interception of the wires must be made, and that is usually detectable. That's the nature of actual hug-a-by connections. This is why wireless hookups are almost never used in classified or high-risk situations.
But with a satellite modem, you're broadcasting your signal to the entire universe. Anyone can intercept part of your signal and reconstruct the entire whole. Anyone with another satellite has you at his mercy. Worse still, your signal doesn't just stop at its intended destination (the intended satellite) -- it travels out into the rest of the universe as a stream of electromagnetic radiation, to distant galaxies, and beyond. Years from in the future, someone can intercept that signal (just as we currently intercept the light from distant quasars billions of years after it was emitted) and know what your surfing habits. It's both an invasion of your privacy as a consumer and it sets a shaky precedent for how distant alien races will perceive the entire body of humanity. Satellite modems will surely bring the wrath of alien conquerers down upon our lush green planet.
Technical decisions alone shouldn't govern which technologies we employ. They have strong and strict social implications and background conditions that must be attended to. Keep that in mind when you think to purchase a satellite-modem service.
Check out Starband.com for $60/month full 2-way communication.
My friend said they wanted $200 for installation - he's a CCNA/MCSE Siemens network engineer. For $50, you can take a test and be a 'certified starband installing engineer' which he is going to be doing. Starband is at http://www.Starband.com
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When I was first looking into broadband solutions for my apartment, the DirectPC solution was among those that interested me -- if nothing else just for the coolness factor of having a satellite link.
But damn, the time-based charges and the lack of an uplink (except via ~30k on modem) makes me quite glad that I'm in an area with cable modem availability (via AT&T). Maybe I'm lucky, or maybe we just hear the horror stories, but I was hooked up within three weeks of placing my order and get excellent bandwidth -- both up and downstream. And I sure as hell didn't need to pay for any such fancy overpriced router/modem equipment like this -- my linksys broadband router does just fine for $150!
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