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Experiences with DirecWay Satellite Internet

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the had-it-up-to-here-with-56k dept.

Since moving outside Ann Arbor almost 2 years ago, I've had only a 56k modem to tether my home to the net. Cable, DSL and ISDN are impossible in my location. DirecWay now offers the DW6000, which appears to be an operating system agnostic router for satellite internet access. I already use DirecTV, so this might work well. I'm aware of the game crippling latency, but that's not a huge deal to me. The monthly price seems reasonable, but is there a catch? I'm abusing my power as Slashdot editor to ask for experiences with this (or similiar) services. Does it bog down during the day? Not work with common hardware? Hidden costs? Does it cost a fortune for the required professional installation? Is ssh completely unusable?

9 of 771 comments (clear)

  1. No way by mr.henry · · Score: 5, Funny

    WTF.. the editor of Slashdot is on dialup?

    1. Re:No way by Uma+Thurman · · Score: 5, Funny

      Apparently that takes less bandwidth than a search for DirecWay on Google.

      --
      This is America, damnit. Speak Spanish!
  2. Satellite internet by pardasaniman · · Score: 4, Funny

    Features: Space age technology Really means your ping times will be comparable to that of the mars rover.

  3. That explains by RLiegh · · Score: 5, Funny

    why he doesn't read his own site ;-)

    -anonymous 56k user

    1. Re:That explains by Wog · · Score: 4, Funny

      Yeah, I even tried sniffing coke once.

      Pity, though, the ice cubes kept getting stuck up my nose.

    2. Re:That explains by Zardus · · Score: 5, Funny

      You know, I actually used to sell Coke illegally at my school....

      What I mean is this: Back in Junior year of high school, my school signed an exclusive contract with Pepsi and outlawed sale of Coka Cola on campus. Almost instantly, me and a few friends seized the opportunity to make some money and started selling Coke to fellow students at a lower price than the school itself sold its Pepsi.

      It went well for a few weeks, then rival gangs rose up and soon the school was torn in a Mafia-style Coka Cola peddling war. After a while, our "family" and the other guys' "family" were the only two left, and they decided to turn the heat up and set up shop in plain sight. It started a frenzy, got them shut down by the authorities within a day, and left us as the only ones to reap in the profits.

      The result of all that (other than a bit of spare change) has been being able to say "You know, I used to see Coke illegally at my school..." to people and see their reaction.

      --
      You can mod your friends, you can mod your nose, but you can't mod your friend's nose.
  4. Re:I find it odd... by LnxAddct · · Score: 4, Funny

    Why wasn't this an option in the "Failure as a Geek" poll last week :)

  5. Re:I find it odd... by dasmegabyte · · Score: 4, Funny

    "56k should be enough for everybody." --Cmdr Taco

    --
    Hey freaks: now you're ju
  6. You're right... by Dan+East · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...he should put up a standard TV antenna on a 100 foot tower, so he can pick up 2 channels full of static.

    Oh, but wait, he could just stream real-time video or download DVDs off of his 56k dialup. Is that the alternative you are suggesting?

    Geez, some people need to think before they get on their moral soapbox. Some other people need to think before they mod that crap up too.

    Dan East

    --
    Better known as 318230.