Some final thoughts (for now) on satellite Internet

Posted by Dennis Sellers Feb 2, 2007 at 1:53am

Recently, I did a three-part series on setting up satellite Internet on a Mac for those who have no other recourse to broadband access (you can read ‘em here: Part 1, Part II and Part III). I’ve had the system for over two weeks now, so how do I feel?

I didn’t like paying the upfront costs (about 400 bucks) and I don’t like the monthly fee ($69.95). But I can’t get DSL or cable, wireless systems such as EVDO aren’t fast enough and fiber optic is just a dream, so I have little choice. That said the satellite Internet from HughesNet is faster than I thought and pretty reliable. It’s worked in rain without much slow-down and overcast skies don’t seem to affect it at all. Internet gaming doesn’t work, VOiP and video chatting are wanky at best.

My main complaint: for some reason, I occasionally have to unplug the HughesNet modem from my AirPort Extreme Base Station (I have a network set up) and plug it into my desktop Mac to “reboot” the system (it’s not really rebooting, but that’s the best term I can think of). Then I can reconnect the modem to the Base Station and everything is fine.

But the bottom line is this: my daily work is much faster. I’d say the Internet satellite saves me at least an hour a day in work time, so it’s more than worth the money. I wish I had other options where I live, but I don’t. For those in my situation, I’d certain recommend satellite Internet.

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