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DirecWay Satellite Configurations and LAN Configurations?
Need for Speed asks: "I just moved to the boonies and I'm looking into DirecWay from Hughes. I'm too far from my CO for ADSL and IDSL is too expensive. DirecWay requires their modem to be connected to the USB port and their software to be installed on the client. Multiple connections can be supported by enabling ICS (Internet Connection Sharing) in Windows on that client. I then can connect a router/etc to the ethernet card on that client. I don't want to sacrifice my Linux box to do this. A direct connection from the DirecWay modem to my Wi-Fi router would be nice, but it doesn't seem to be an option here. Has anyone successfully configured DirecWay without installing the DirecWay software and connecting the DirecWay modem directly to your computer?"
You're kidding me? DirecWay requires using a usb connection and *software*? Whatever happened to the days of running ethernet out of the back of these routers? I've seen a few comcast cable modems only set up for usb, and that's just nuts. Now this - I'm absolutely baffled that they would do this. I know someone getting this installed on Friday - so I am very interested in finding out ways to make this work with other operating systems or directly with a wireless router.
slightly off topic - a comment not on linux, routers, ethernet, and the Hughes USB connection, but on the Hughes service itself.
i hope your understand the infamous FAP (Fair Access Policy). i never ordered DirecWay or DirecPC when I was totally rural because you basically pay for speed you can't use, unless you are just a light internet user. forget p2p unless you use a client that lets you limit dl speed. forget heavy downloading. i believe in its current implementation, the limits are that if you have the normal home user package and download more than a given amount, possibly 157 MB in 4 hours, not sure, you will be 'FAPPED' for the next 4-8 hours, which means the NOC slows the xfer speed to your ip to slower than modem speed for that period of time. you can upgrade to the 'business service' which last time i checked allowed around 500 MB in the same period of time before one was FAPPED, and which was around 99/month several months ago. i believe you can go to 3rd party resale reps and possibly get higher xfer packages than those above for more $ a month, but their pricing was outrageous by city standards. afaik, there is no 'unlimited dl' package.
people who've had the service have told me that getting FAPPED is capricious and unpredictable.
i believe that the competing satellite data service from the DISH network has similar restrictions (not sure) and last time i checked it was in bankruptcy.
alternatives:
if you connect thru a large telco, you can prob get ISDN, which can be expensive (SBC wants almost $100 a month and that doesn't include ISP charges) but at least the bandwidth is yours. some small telcos have it. many don't, and have no announced plans either for isdn or dsl any time between now and forever.
ATT offers synchronous DSL to a number of addresses that don't qualify for ADSL. their prices as of last fall were high, 100-150/month, for ISDN-like speeds. i don't have the right phone number for that service, would go to the web site and search.
some neighbors can band together for a local loop (likely very expensive and many rural telcos dont have a clue) (know some people who investigated this in rural north tx and gave up for the time being)
you can start a business providing fixed satellite service to your local town, if you live near enuf to a small but decent population center, and then try to setup the tower so that you're in range. no idea on feasability, know some rural areas in n texas that have this - have heard that in some towns the city govt paid for it and went into the ISP business, cannot confirm. a new one in my area is aledobroadband.com. know nothing of the business model.
if you live withing driving distance of a decent town with either cable or dsl, you can pay all or part of someone's dsl or cable, or rent/borrow a location and setup your own cable/dsl, and then move data via a portable hard drive.
when i first went rural there was no ISDN and i bonded modems and paid for part of my townie friend's cable modem. after ISDN became available in my location, i upgraded, but kept access to the cable connection.
some light surfers love the Hughes service. many think it's a rip. every time i investigated and asked around, i just heard such bad reports of both the ISP quality and customer service that i never went with it.
best of luck, and would love to hear what other rural people have done to get anything resembling broadband.
I am an FCC certified direcway installer and I think it's a piece of shit. I was totally offended when I was told that it would slow down a VPN connection b/c they block ports. I was not happy when they told me that it only ran on Windows 98SE or newer (the reason for this being the software helps monitor the signal, blah blah), the latentcy is 500ms-700ms, and that it was the speed would come to crawl if you setup a LAN behind it.
I used to work in this field and yes, you got a "typical" installer. Your regular joe-off-the-street. The profits are so low for the local satellite company that they can't afford to hire a techy to install these things, not that a self-respecting tech guy would do what it takes to put up dishes in people's houses... And to the best of my knowledge there is no training involved. If you can point a dish in under 8 hrs, you got yourself a job.
Just my $.02
AC