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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 ...
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.