[mdlug] Internet usage over 150GB

[Jeff Hanson]

I'm on Exede satellite.  With prepaying the modem lease for two years it
works out to about $60 USD per month for the minimum plan.

Warranty covers equipment but not labor.  I had some initial problems due
to a faulty dish assembly and transceiver (TRIA).  $100 for replacement
labor and realignment.  The tech gave me my modem code so I can realign it
myself if needed.  Entering the code into the modem's hidden install page
turns on a beeper on the TRIA.  It sounds a continuous tone when aligned.
After a few realignments I replaced the azimuth adjustment nuts with
stainless steel locknuts and replaced another damaged bolt.  It hasn't had
problems in several months except losing signal once due to snow build-up.
Works well even in fog and during snowstorms and thunderstorms.

There's a 10GB monthly data cap with the minimum service ($10 per GB after
else your capped to dial-up speeds) but they offer a "late night free zone"
at 12am-5am that ignores the cap.  With Transmission I can get 2MB/s
transfers during the LNFZ.

High latency is inherent in satellite connections because of the distance
but my other option is dial-up so I'm not complaining.  I just have to
stick with slower multiplayer games like Battle for Wesnoth.

Due to the latency the satellite has to fake some TCP error control to
prevent connection failures.  Supposedly this makes tunneled connections
difficult because it can't manipulate the encrypted packets.  I haven't
tried OpenVPN with it yet.


On Wed, Feb 26, 2014 at 4:17 PM, Dan Pritts <danno at dogcheese.net> wrote:

> I have a friend who had hughes at his place (up north, outside cable & dsl
> footprint).  It was incredibly unreliable.  He replaced it with “exede”,
> which works about a thousand times better.  Still has latency issues but
> much less than hughes did even when it was working properly - presumably
> less buffering.  ssh was usable over exede, not over hughes.
>
> I think he switched to sprint, though.
>
>
> On Feb 26, 2014, at 3:49 PM, Aaron Kulkis <akulkis00 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > rstaff wrote:
> >> Bob number 1,
> >>
> >> 150 GB max!  I wish I was allowed that much.
> >> My AT&T 3G wireless service restricts me to 5 GB in a billing cycle.
> >> It use to be unlimited, but was changed a couple a years ago.
> >> I talked to their customer service on my land line phone.
> >> They claimed to have sent me an email notification, I could not find it.
> >> I asked to buy a greater data capacity service, no such option existed.
> >> I am tied to my AT&T 3G wireless service via a Linksys router that
> accepts the AirCard.
> >> I live in a mobile home park for senior citizens that has no cable or
> DSL service.
> >> When I exceed 5 GB usage, AT&T shuts off my service.
> >> I have Internet dial up service as backup to access my email, browsing
> the Web is zilch.
> >> My longest forced dial up usage was seven days.  You guys try living on
> dial up.
> >> So you should just enjoy your 150 GB of data usage riches.
> >>
> >
> > Have you looked into getting a dish from Hughes (as in Hughes Aerospace)?
> >
> > I know some guys who get a Hughes dish every time they deploy, and use
> that
> > to provide non-military Internet service for themselves and the rest of
> the troops in their quarters, without having to go through all the
> rigamarole (and security issues) of going through a local contracter on the
> ground (Iraq, Afghanistan, etc.).
> >
> > Rates are pretty competitive, and, as indicated above, you can take your
> internet with you wherever you go (just set up the dish, re-aim to find the
> bird -- typically a 10-30 minute task), and you're back online.
> >
> > The only drawback is long ping times (typically 4-8 seconds.)
> >
> >
> >
> >> Peace out,
> >> Rick Staff
> >>
> >> On 02/25/2014 07:17 PM, Robert Jim Fulner wrote:
> >>> Greetings,
> >>>
> >>> I just received a message from my ISP that I had used more than my
> allotted 150GB of data in a
> >>> billing cycle.
> >>>
> >>> After our last MDLUG meeting I had been experimenting with some
> different media options than my
> >>> regular use has been, so the added usage isn't incredibly surprising.
> >>>
> >>> However, I have been on the same DSL plan since we bought the house,
> and I could have swore that
> >>> our plan included unlimited usage. Does this sound right to you all?
> Does "Unlimited" legally not
> >>> mean unlimited? Could I have received a notice previously that our
> limit was being changed and
> >>> just ignored it?
> >>>
> >>> Let me know your thoughts.
> >>>
> >>> -
> >>> Jim Fulner
> >>>
> >>> Sent from my SmartPhone. Please dismiss not so smart typos.
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> >
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