Well, it seems that way, anyway. I live waaaaay out in the country. We're a forgotten bunch out here, and choices are pretty much non-existent. You've got dialup, or the finger. Your choice. Try being a computer guy and living with this.

DSL? Forget it. 60,000+ feet to the CO. Remote terminal with a DSLAM someday? Forget it. Not enough houses in the area. Cable? Ya right. Cable someday in the future? After the cable company stopped laughing at me, they said "ahhh, no".

Sattelite has always been an option, but the latency (700+ ms), a VERY restrictive Fair Access Policy and the inability to run an IPSEC VPN tunnel shut that down in a hurry.

I actually went as far as to provision a T1 circuit. I was this --> <-- close, too. $610 a month. I almost pulled the trigger on it, I really did. I *really* like living here, and internet access is the only thing holding me up.

So far, the only realistic choice I've had was fixed 802.11b wireless, through a local provider. What a joke. It's not that it couldn't work, it's that they are COMPLETELY incompetent. It's a difficult link (6 miles non line of sight through trees), but not unworkable if you have a clue. I've *personally* done better, but it's not my gear and their network administrator has his head up his ass. So for the last 1.5 years, I've been suffering with 30% packet loss (no shit - it's just about unusable). This has been a thorn in my side forever, and it's the *only* thing about living here that pisses me the fuck off.

Well, while I was on the phone with Embarq's (my phone company) business unit getting ready to order a T1, they memtioned that I'm within range of a cell tower that supports EV-DO (2M up, 2M down). I'm like "you're shitting me, right?". Turns out, this is very new for the area. I had just about given up asking them about it months ago.

So, I orded it up and told them to ship the equipment overnight, if possible (my wireless is completely down, and has been for two days, forcing me to use dialup). They did it 2 day air. I just got it, I'm on it, and I'll be damned - it works, and it's RELIABLE. I can actually download a file without a timeout. I've waited 1.5 years to be able to do that in my own home.

So far, the speed is tolerable (33kb/sec downloads, 10kb/sec uploads) due to my distance from the cell tower. I'm going to order up a yagi for the outside, and a 3watt amp. That should do it, and I'd expect to see the downloads closer to 100kb/sec or so after I'm done. That's really all I need.

Oh happy day!

As an added bonus, I can be "that guy" at the ARFCOM shoots who has a laptop with internet access handy.

I didn't understand all the tech stuff, but if you're happy, I'm happy!!!  


CONGRATS!!!!!  

Where at in Ohio do you live exactly? I am from Deleware, OH and I want to move out to the country when my enlistments up.

Quoted: Where at in Ohio do you live exactly? I am from Deleware, OH and I want to move out to the country when my enlistments up.

Fulton County, in NW Ohio. I'm about 10 miles south of the Michigan line, and 40 miles east of the Indiana line.

When are the putzknockers gonna get aerostats going?

Quoted: When are the putzknockers gonna get aerostats going?

WTF?

I too would like to live out in the boonies someday. However, Internet access is the one thing that would be problematic in the scenario. I'm glad solutions are being generated for people who don't live in urban areas.

www.speakeasy.net/speedtest/
Download Speed: 422 kbps (52.8 KB/sec transfer rate)
Upload Speed: 99 kbps (12.4 KB/sec transfer rate)

Not too shabby, given what I have to work with.

Quoted: I too would like to live out in the boonies someday. However, Internet access is the one thing that would be problematic in the scenario. I'm glad solutions are being generated for people who don't live in urban areas.

It can be done, but you have to REALLY do your homework before buying that house. My brother in law lives out in the middle of nowhere, and he somehow managed to get DSL. Go figure.

Quoted: Well, it seems that way, anyway. I live waaaaay out in the country. We're a forgotten bunch out here, and choices are pretty much non-existent. You've got dialup, or the finger. Your choice. Try being a computer guy and living with this. DSL? Forget it. 60,000+ feet to the CO. Remote terminal with a DSLAM someday? Forget it. Not enough houses in the area. Cable? Ya right. Cable someday in the future? After the cable company stopped laughing at me, they said "ahhh, no". Sattelite has always been an option, but the latency (700+ ms), a VERY restrictive Fair Access Policy and the inability to run an IPSEC VPN tunnel shut that down in a hurry. I actually went as far as to provision a T1 circuit. I was this --> <-- close, too. $610 a month. I almost pulled the trigger on it, I really did. I *really* like living here, and internet access is the only thing holding me up. So far, the only realistic choice I've had was fixed 802.11b wireless, through a local provider. What a joke. It's not that it couldn't work, it's that they are COMPLETELY incompetent. It's a difficult link (6 miles non line of sight through trees), but not unworkable if you have a clue. I've *personally* done better, but it's not my gear and their network administrator has his head up his ass. So for the last 1.5 years, I've been suffering with 30% packet loss (no shit - it's just about unusable). This has been a thorn in my side forever, and it's the *only* thing about living here that pisses me the fuck off. Well, while I was on the phone with Embarq's (my phone company) business unit getting ready to order a T1, they memtioned that I'm within range of a cell tower that supports EV-DO (2M up, 2M down). I'm like "you're shitting me, right?". Turns out, this is very new for the area. I had just about given up asking them about it months ago. So, I orded it up and told them to ship the equipment overnight, if possible (my wireless is completely down, and has been for two days, forcing me to use dialup). They did it 2 day air. I just got it, I'm on it, and I'll be damned - it works, and it's RELIABLE. I can actually download a file without a timeout. I've waited 1.5 years to be able to do that in my own home. So far, the speed is tolerable (33kb/sec downloads, 10kb/sec uploads) due to my distance from the cell tower. I'm going to order up a yagi for the outside, and a 3watt amp. That should do it, and I'd expect to see the downloads closer to 100kb/sec or so after I'm done. That's really all I need. Oh happy day! As an added bonus, I can be "that guy" at the ARFCOM shoots who has a laptop with internet access handy.

i was gonna say even 100 feet frm the tower you'll never see 2 up and 2 down from sprint. still you've got about 256k down. which ain't half bad.

Quoted: i was gonna say even 100 feet frm the tower you'll never see 2 up and 2 down from sprint. still you've got about 256k down. which ain't half bad.

800k down would do it, really. I guess we'll have to see.

$610 a month for a T1 with bandwidth (ie. not just the loop)?  Any other homes within LOS?  IIWY I'd have set up my own wireless ISP by now.

Quoted: Quoted: When are the putzknockers gonna get aerostats going? WTF?

Why is that funny?

Quoted: $610 a month for a T1 with bandwidth (ie. not just the loop)?  Any other homes within LOS?  IIWY I'd have set up my own wireless ISP by now.

Port and loop, yes.

Yes, there are about 13 homes (visited each one in person) within Radio LOS. No takers. Dialup suits them just fine.

I tried, man. I really did.

I have a friend that lives out in the sticks in Indiana. He is getting fiber in a month. Friggin fiber and he lives waaaaay out in the sticks. I would kill for that. Abeit I have 5mb cable and could upgrade to 10 at any time but come on he is getting 30mb fiber in a month....

Quoted: I have a friend that lives out in the sticks in Indiana. He is getting fiber in a month. Friggin fiber and he lives waaaaay out in the sticks. I would kill for that. Abeit I have 5mb cable and could upgrade to 10 at any time but come on he is getting 30mb fiber in a month....

Some guys have all the luck.

Congrats on being "that guy"!

I do not think you need the amp. The tower will only tell your card to reduce power. Amps also increase noise, right along with signal. The yagi should be fine.

Well, I am glad that you sort of solved your problem at least it is better than it was before, so count your lucky stars.  So how much does this service cost if you don't mind me asking?

The problem is that it is still a bit too slow.  It will still take forever to download those new 500MB porn files.

Quoted: Well, I am glad that you sort of solved your problem at least it is better than it was before, so count your lucky stars.  So how much does this service cost if you don't mind me asking? The problem is that it is still a bit too slow.  It will still take forever to download those new 500MB porn files.

$84/mo, and I pay it with glee. You have no idea how hard up I am for broadband, any way I can get it.

Screw go for the gusto, you need a OC48 line to the house.

Quoted: Congrats on being "that guy"! I do not think you need the amp. The tower will only tell your card to reduce power. Amps also increase noise, right along with signal. The yagi should be fine.

I was thinking of you specifically, you know.

You make a good point on the amplifier - it increases TX, but can do nothing for RX (no amplifier can - it's still a radio, and it still has rules). The thing is, the frequency is so high, that it will be difficult to run the coax far enough. The gain realized by the antenna may be lost through the coax (it's ~1900MHZ IIRC...the losses through coax are nasty).

I get 5151 kb download and 653 kb upload and i pay $30 a month.

Is that good?

What's a YAGI? I use my cell phone on the EVDO network while at work on my laptop. If I get a good signal, I can pull 500kbps down speeds, but I don't always get a good connection. I would love to be able to increase my signal here, but I am stuck inside a big metal building. Would this YAGI thing help me? Where do I get it and how much does it cost?

Thanks

Quoted: I get 5151 kb download and 653 kb upload and i pay $30 a month. Is that good?

Go fuck yourself.

Quoted: www.speakeasy.net/speedtest/ Download Speed: 422 kbps (52.8 KB/sec transfer rate) Upload Speed: 99 kbps (12.4 KB/sec transfer rate) Not too shabby, given what I have to work with.

HaHa!
4069 kbps Down, 368 kbps Up!

Is this good rates, I don't know shit about computers.

Download Speed: 6355 kbps (794.4 KB/sec transfer rate)
Upload Speed: 363 kbps (45.4 KB/sec transfer rate)

Quoted: Quoted: $610 a month for a T1 with bandwidth (ie. not just the loop)?  Any other homes within LOS?  IIWY I'd have set up my own wireless ISP by now. Port and loop, yes. Yes, there are about 13 homes (visited each one in person) within Radio LOS. No takers. Dialup suits them just fine. I tried, man. I really did.

Morons.

Back in '00 I moved back to my mom's house for a while.  At first, I used my cell phone as a 14.4kb/s modem  Then Ricochet came out.  It was supposed to be 128kb/s IIRC, but the ISP I had Wireless Webconnect, was a piece of shit run by retarded Scientologists and appears to have been run completely into the ground at this point.  I was able to get an IDSL circuit installed (we were a good 30K ft out on the loop) and used that until they day after I got laid off from my job, and my backstabbing bitch of a boss put my DSL circuits back into the billing system (one of the last acts of the laid-off billing staff had been to remove all employee services from billing so our fuckwad parent company couldn't give us shit about them).

Ahh well.  My mom is in the same house and gets DSL for $14.95 a month now.  A far cry from the $120 or so the IDSL would have run a paying customer

Quoted: What's a YAGI? I use my cell phone on the EVDO network while at work on my laptop. If I get a good signal, I can pull 500kbps down speeds, but I don't always get a good connection. I would love to be able to increase my signal here, but I am stuck inside a big metal building. Would this YAGI thing help me? Where do I get it and how much does it cost? Thanks

A yagi is a type of directional antenna, usually mounted outdoors. A good approximation (for size and appearance) for EVDO use might be a UHF television antenna. Actually a UHF television antenna would be larger, but you get the idea.

Using one at your office isn't really practical.

I have a Verizon V620 EVDO card as well for when I'm not on my 802.11g FiOS at home.  


ETA: 34.95/mo for FiOS and work pays for the Verizon EVDO access.

Quoted: Is this good rates, I don't know shit about computers. Download Speed: 6355 kbps (794.4 KB/sec transfer rate) Upload Speed: 363 kbps (45.4 KB/sec transfer rate)

Yes that's good, and yes I hate you. Just for that city boy, here's a picture of me shooting my Garand in my back yard about a month ago:



That's all I've got to say "ha ha" back with.

wireless   rocks  


so is it a pcmcia card ?  the ones that i've used have worked fairly well as long as you have at least a 50% signal  

Quoted: Well, while I was on the phone with Embarq's (my phone company) business unit getting ready to order a T1, they memtioned that I'm within range of a cell tower that supports EV-DO (2M up, 2M down). I'm like "you're shitting me, right?". Turns out, this is very new for the area. I had just about given up asking them about it months ago.

i have verizon evdo for my laptop for backup and on the road. whats cool about it is that i can sit the laptop in my car and drive all the way to the appalachian trail or all the way to savannah and never be disconnected.

i get speeds down in excess of 800kb (better than 1/2 t1 speed) speeds sometimes.

dont know which provider you got, but check the 'acceptable use' clause. go to evdo-forums.com and read up on neat gear including routers..

beware the limitations. i have a slingbox at home, but avoid watching it with evdo do to the acceptable use issues... you do not wanna get 'the letter'...

did you try the speakeasy full t1 price for 399?...

Quoted: Quoted: Is this good rates, I don't know shit about computers. Download Speed: 6355 kbps (794.4 KB/sec transfer rate) Upload Speed: 363 kbps (45.4 KB/sec transfer rate) Yes that's good, and yes I hate you. Just for that city boy, here's a picture of me shooting my Garand in my back yard about a month ago: alan.strawinski.net/images/guns/03-11-2007_Shooting_With_Marina/IMG_0252.JPG That's all I've got to say "ha ha" back with.

Thats a helluva benefit.  I'd be willing to bet your mortgage is a helluva lot less as well.

Quoted: wireless   rocks   so is it a pcmcia card ?  the ones that i've used have worked fairly well as long as you have at least a 50% signal

It's a PC card, technically. It works well, but I'm not going to be 100% satisfied until I'm getting 800k down. I really think a decent outdoor antenna (and maybe an amp...we'll see) will do it.

Quoted: Quoted: Congrats on being "that guy"! I do not think you need the amp. The tower will only tell your card to reduce power. Amps also increase noise, right along with signal. The yagi should be fine. I was thinking of you specifically, you know. You make a good point on the amplifier - it increases TX, but can do nothing for RX (no amplifier can - it's still a radio, and it still has rules). The thing is, the frequency is so high, that it will be difficult to run the coax far enough. The gain realized by the antenna may be lost through the coax (it's ~1900MHZ IIRC...the losses through coax are nasty).

Ok, I'll give you that one. I didn't know how long the run would be.

Quoted: Quoted: Well, while I was on the phone with Embarq's (my phone company) business unit getting ready to order a T1, they memtioned that I'm within range of a cell tower that supports EV-DO (2M up, 2M down). I'm like "you're shitting me, right?". Turns out, this is very new for the area. I had just about given up asking them about it months ago. i have verizon evdo for my laptop for backup and on the road. whats cool about it is that i can sit the laptop in my car and drive all the way to the appalachian trail or all the way to savannah and never be disconnected. i get speeds down in excess of 800kb (better than 1/2 t1 speed) speeds sometimes. dont know which provider you got, but check the 'acceptable use' clause. go to evdo-forums.com and read up on neat gear including routers.. beware the limitations. i have a slingbox at home, but avoid watching it with evdo do to the acceptable use issues... you do not wanna get 'the letter'... did you try the speakeasy full t1 price for 399?...

Embarq is my provider, and they have a very favorable AUP. I made it abundantly clear to them that this was my *primary* internet connection, and I was going to abuse it for all it was worth. They were okay with that, and their AUP reflects it.

I looked into speakeasy, but they're a CLEC. They don't have a presence in my ILEC's CO (nobody does, really). So...not available. I tried.

Fuck dude, I get pissed off at 3 megabit access here.

My hometown, very near to you as you know, has cable but it's only about 300k.  Still, much better than dialup.  

My inlaws, right on the MI line, have dialup and I have measured it at 28k or so pretty consistently.  Makes me want to go on a killing spree, and I'm only there a few days a year.

Years ago, I provisioned a fractional T1 myself because I got sick of waiting for cable and DSL.  It was only $210 a month, at the time that was half what my rent was.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Is this good rates, I don't know shit about computers. Download Speed: 6355 kbps (794.4 KB/sec transfer rate) Upload Speed: 363 kbps (45.4 KB/sec transfer rate) Yes that's good, and yes I hate you. Just for that city boy, here's a picture of me shooting my Garand in my back yard about a month ago: alan.strawinski.net/images/guns/03-11-2007_Shooting_With_Marina/IMG_0252.JPG That's all I've got to say "ha ha" back with. Thats a helluva benefit.  I'd be willing to bet your mortgage is a helluva lot less as well.

Two acres, 3bd 2ba, $675/mo.

Sucky internet, but this is one of those "yin yang" things, you know?

Quoted: www.speedtest.net/result/109489731.png I have a Verizon V620 EVDO card as well for when I'm not on my 802.11g FiOS at home.   ETA: 34.95/mo for FiOS and work pays for the Verizon EVDO access.

Cool site.  I am showing about 3.7 megabit down and 250k up right now, kinda crappy.

Quoted: Yes that's good, and yes I hate you. Just for that city boy, here's a picture of me shooting my Garand in my back yard about a month ago: alan.strawinski.net/images/guns/03-11-2007_Shooting_With_Marina/IMG_0252.JPG That's all I've got to say "ha ha" back with.

Oh come on, you need to include the pic with you in your General Lee shirt.

Quoted: Quoted: Yes that's good, and yes I hate you. Just for that city boy, here's a picture of me shooting my Garand in my back yard about a month ago: alan.strawinski.net/images/guns/03-11-2007_Shooting_With_Marina/IMG_0252.JPG That's all I've got to say "ha ha" back with. Oh come on, you need to include the pic with you in your General Lee shirt.

Quoted: Is this good rates, I don't know shit about computers. Download Speed: 6355 kbps (794.4 KB/sec transfer rate) Upload Speed: 363 kbps (45.4 KB/sec transfer rate)

Not long ago, 1500 kbps was about $1400 per month, so yes - it's good.

Quoted: Fuck dude, I get pissed off at 3 megabit access here. My hometown, very near to you as you know, has cable but it's only about 300k.  Still, much better than dialup.   My inlaws, right on the MI line, have dialup and I have measured it at 28k or so pretty consistently.  Makes me want to go on a killing spree, and I'm only there a few days a year. Years ago, I provisioned a fractional T1 myself because I got sick of waiting for cable and DSL.  It was only $210 a month, at the time that was half what my rent was.

Next time you're here, you need to let me know.

When you boil it down, here's what I *need* to be able to work from home effectively:

1. RELIABLE internet access. It needs to stay up. No periodic timeouts.
2. The ability to keep an IPSEC VPN tunnel up.
3. The ability to carry voice traffic (low latency requirement, mostly)
4. RDP and VNC need to work respectably over the tunnel - nice and snappy.
5. When somebody sends me a link to a youtube (or whatever) video at *sane* compression levels, it needs to display without alot of buffering.

800k/200k is about all it takes. More is better (naturally), but that's really all I need. I cuss when I need to download an ISO image, but I manage. The extra speed comes in handy on HUGE downloads, but that's about the only time I actually want the speed. I only *need* 800k down - and that's coming from a hard core geek. Need and want are separate things. Living out here, want takes a back seat to need.

I live out in the country and I'm on dial up. (26k on a good day.)

I have a fiber optics line that was run through my ditch about three years
ago a quarter mile down my drive way.

Why, Oh! why, Won't they let me hook up to that baby!!

Dear Abby, what would you do?

GM

Quoted: I live out in the country and I'm on dial up. (26k on a good day.) I have a fiber optics line that was run through my ditch about three years ago a quarter mile down my drive way. Why, Oh! why, Won't they let me hook up to that baby!! Dear Abby, what would you do? GM

I'm a geek. If somebody was laying fiber in a trench on my property (via easment), you can bet your ass I'd be getting phone numbers and contact information. Somehow, somewhere, there's a fellow geek in on this, and he'd give me the hookup.

Quoted: Next time you're here, you need to let me know.

I'll definitely let you know next time I am out there, which will be this summer.

My frac was only 256k but it was rock solid, sometimes I think I liked the steady slower speed of it over my random ass cable connection.  I have Vonage VoIP but probably 80% of my calls drop because the shitty Comcast connection resets around 30 times a day.

Quoted: 4. RDP and VNC need to work respectably over the tunnel - nice and snappy.

Refresh my memory, what ports do RDP and ICA run on?  I thought Citrix was 1494 and RDP 3989 and some other port, but I can never find it online for some stupid reason.

Quoted: Quoted: Next time you're here, you need to let me know. I'll definitely let you know next time I am out there, which will be this summer. My frac was only 256k but it was rock solid, sometimes I think I liked the steady slower speed of it over my random ass cable connection.  I have Vonage VoIP but probably 80% of my calls drop because the shitty Comcast connection resets around 30 times a day. Quoted: 4. RDP and VNC need to work respectably over the tunnel - nice and snappy. Refresh my memory, what ports do RDP and ICA run on?  I thought Citrix was 1494 and RDP 3989 and some other port, but I can never find it online for some stupid reason.

In my line of work (Cisco voice), I don't deal with ICA anymore. RDP is 3389, and VNC is 5900 (default).

Quoted: Last Result: Download Speed: 8462 kbps (1057.8 KB/sec transfer rate) Upload Speed: 725 kbps (90.6 KB/sec transfer rate) Comcast's highest residential speed plan here.  8Mb down, 768kb up. -Troy

Damn you, too.

For you, here's a picture of a California liberal (Marina, she lives near Santa Cruz) shooting one of my AR's in my back yard:

For chits 'n grinns,

4803 kb/s down
343 kb/s up

Comcast (not high level) Cable Modem, 802.11G PC Card & Linksys Router.  100% Signal

Nice property.  Cool neighbors?

will be interesting to see how VOIP runs on EVDO. My evdo has a bit of lag. say min of 200, with normal lag running 300 to 400. i have voip but i only run it over my t1. have 2 voice lines, and two cell phones so im not phone limited..

i run cisco VPN, SSL (Aventail), and PPTP to an old altera concentrator. all of those run fine on the evdo..