Satellite Internet Providers

[InterBlog]

Chris and Cherie helped me to identify a solution that is fully expected to function to the extent achievable given the present-day state of technology, including functioning while I'm at my remote land in Canada. I ordered all the various components last night.

We are already tearing up the Interstate for the lithium conversion and so we might as well do this work all in one fell swoop so that the tearing can be efficient. (1) The lithium, (2) the wireless connectivity solution, (3) a permanently-wired dash cam, and (4) a new security device are all going in simultaneously.

[InterBlog]

Awesome vid from RVgeeks posted yesterday... if this particular equipment happens to be among someone's chosen repertoire of RV connectivity solutions, then this is the vid to watch on how to successfully install it. (Although as I've noted elsewhere, we in the subtropics do not rely exclusively on foam strip adhesives to affix any of our rig components. They just don't seem to stand up well to our environmental conditions.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APHIlkTdWLo

[amirm]

I have that unit and it has worked to substantially boost bandwidth. When the signal is very weak, it has strengthened it but not make it usable.

Note that you need to put your cellphone right on top of the indoor transceiver. Even a few inches reduces its performance substantially.

[WheelnStones]

Ran across a couple that had a satellite internet system RVDataSat.com and had the 400 Access Plan (scroll down aon page). He manages a $200 million plus hedge fund from the road and has never had a problem keeping track of the investments. $6500 for the satellite with unlimited 1.0 MB data download (not suitable for Netflix or video conf calls) at the minimum plan of $79.95 a month.

[amirm]

Nice find. That seems pretty 'reasonable' for any business related use. Wish the dish did not weigh 90 pounds but otherwise if I needed to stay online all the time, it seems like a good bet.

[Vitaver]

Installed the Weboost 4GX and got a 20% signal boost on my Verizon Jetpack. I am also navigating the puzzle of good cellular and WiFi reception. Read the book referenced above. It appears that putting directional antennas (yagi?) for the right frequency, up on a mast, is the best solution to achieve substantial signal gain.

This matches your research? It should not be so complicated...

[Lotus54]

I've tried a number of setups for internet access in remote areas- by far the best was using a Yagi aimed properly (and of course the correct frequency for the band you are using)
The smaller RF cable is ok for a short distance- crummy for longer distances (too much loss).

Aiming can be challenging, depending on your setup and location. Often we would see multiple 'peaks' and need to ascertain the best true signal with minimal multipath. Some setups have a much better interface for watching the single than others.

From what we saw, a low signal may download pretty well, but the upload speed will be horrible.

These were all permanent mounted stations - so spending awhile, to get the beset results was a one time thing. Plus it may be hours of driving to get there.

Note there are different gain Yagis- In General, the longer has more gain. The more gain, the narrower the 'beam' and harder to aim. The gain is both RX and TX. But often rated in theoretical measurements. To compare, make sure both are the same (dBi shows a higher level than the same gain using dBm)

Originally Posted by Vitaver

Installed the Weboost 4GX and got a 20% signal boost on my Verizon Jetpack. I am also navigating the puzzle of good cellular and WiFi reception. Read the book referenced above. It appears that putting directional antennas (yagi?) for the right frequency, up on a mast, is the best solution to achieve substantial signal gain.

This matches your research? It should not be so complicated...

[InterBlog]

Post-script on the connectivity issue.

I mentioned above that I paid Chris and Cherie for an individualized connectivity assessment. Well, with our lithium project, my roof job, my closet modifications, my folding bicycle research and testing, and all the rest, I'm *just now*, after all this time, getting around to phase 1 of the connectivity system testing. Testing requires that one go out beyond normal range, eh? Which is a challenge in a metro area of 6.5 million people.

Bottom line: It has been like every other danged thing we've ever done to our Interstate - it did not come cheap, but wow, is it a game changer. And I'm only on the first phase of testing.

[UKDUDE]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

Post-script on the connectivity issue.

I mentioned above that I paid Chris and Cherie for an individualized connectivity assessment. Well, with our lithium project, my roof job, my closet modifications, my folding bicycle research and testing, and all the rest, I'm *just now*, after all this time, getting around to phase 1 of the connectivity system testing. Testing requires that one go out beyond normal range, eh? Which is a challenge in a metro area of 6.5 million people.

Bottom line: It has been like every other danged thing we've ever done to our Interstate - it did not come cheap, but wow, is it a game changer. And I'm only on the first phase of testing.

And the answer is? A grandfathered unlimited data contract from Verizon purchased at huge cost?
Been looking into this for at least 6 years, particularly since both of us worked in the IT industry, and now I'm retired, and my wife announced her retirement just today. So the need has finally disappeared!

[amirm]

FYI I can get more bars with my repeater too but it doesn't necessarily produce a reliable link. If you have a link, then it produces far better performance. But with no service, I cannot get it to perform any miracles. This is with a magnetic antenna put on the roof. A directional antenna would do better but I don't want to erect and tear them down.

And yes, we have grandfathered Verizon unlimited . And my phone supports FoxFi which means I can setup a hotspot that my wife and I both can use and on multiple devices.

[64airstream]

I'm just chiming in to follow the discussion, but had a thought while reading the posts here. We recently bought a new truck that has a hot spot built in. Haven't tried it on a trip with the trailer yet, but the cost is about $20 for a week or $50 for a month. You only purchase it when your traveling and it automatically terminates (according to the voice you get when you push the little button). I know it's cell based, but it would take the data usage off the cell phone plan and might work in the trailer (line of sight through the front trailer window), if you keep the power on to it in the truck? We'll give it a try on our next long trip.

Thanks for the thread and the thoughts and suggestions,

Roy and Marie

[InterBlog]

I did notice that the connection was more curiously variable than when I'm closer to a tower. BUT, it was a connection that gave me very little trouble, which is all I care about. I spent the afternoon working in the van as a mobile office, as it was designed to do, emailing, internet searching, downloading, etc., and even though bars were going a bit flippy, it was functional.

To be more quantitative, at one point I was reading around -123 dBm without the improvements activated, versus -90 dBm with. Then I drove further down the beach where the signal was weaker, but I stopped logging. I have two devices, both of which are capable of reporting a quantitative signal strength but with the iPhone, I mostly stuck with the bars as I didn't want to put it in the other mode, and the bars also integrate congestion (i.e., effects of other users on the band), so it's not a straight comparison. I'm not sure which dBm reading might correspond to the phone giving up entirely for loss of signal, where that threshold is. I was working on an air permit and didn't investigate that far.

[Vitaver]

I read in the WSJ that as a response to competition, Verizon restarted the unlimited data plans. Anyone has actual info on this?

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by Vitaver

I read in the WSJ that as a response to competition, Verizon restarted the unlimited data plans. Anyone has actual info on this?

Welcome back! Hope your trailer survived the winter camping OK.

You might want to check this thread for Verizon info:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f451...ed-162643.html

I haven't read the entire thread, but apparently there may be some devils in the details of Verizon's "unlimited" moniker.

Cheers,

Peter

[InterBlog]

Update on this thread...

The Wendlands got the scoop on this story apparently because they own a Roadtrek and are widely followed. Reportedly, the satellite provider Kymeta has signed an exclusive deal with Hymer / Roadtrek to provide a new satellite tech option on new Class B builds. At this point, even Technomadia is defaulting to the Wendlands' assessment of the system as the first installed of its type.

If this subject is of interest to you, you are probably sitting there scratching your head wondering why Kymeta (or any other producer) would limit their sales to just one tiny manufacturer when there are 8 million RVs on the road in America. Trust me - that idea makes nnooooo sense to the rest of us either. But we are very new into this process.

Anyway, here is the Wendlands' report. Their podcasts tend to be ad-heavy with a very low information baud rate... lots of aimless chit-chat which is great if you are retired and have unlimited time to indulge in such things. The meat of the discussion starts around the 30 minute mark of the podcast.

[Lotus54]

From what I saw after a quick read of Kimeta’s Web site (Redmond, WA)- it appears to be an antenna- they don’t do any of the service providing.

Maybe it is a great antenna for mobile type applications (or getting improved signal from other than geosynchronous sats), but I’d want to see who is actually providing the service and the cost and real world throughputs.

I’ve had experience with very large setups (fixed stations) and a fair amount of throughput (still latency issues for audio), and smaller ones that are data only.
Throughput on the data ones I used wasn’t very good (and to be able to use a VPN it was VERY expensive) and some of the companies doing it were abysmal to work with (Hughes for instance).

I’ll have to see if any of my contacts have anything to do with them and find out more.
Having many years in Telecom, I’m always pretty skeptical of the slick presentations that are long on ‘ideas’ but short on implementation details. Then when problems come up, it is always ‘Nobody else has that issue’.

Yeah, I’m just an old skeptic!

[amirm]

Definitely looks like early stage development of flat antennas. A lot more useful info here: http://spacenews.com/kymeta-ships-fi...s-with-oneweb/

[InterBlog]

Not that I know much about these things, but it would seem from the discussion that the back-end capacity is dependent on a great proliferation of LEOs. My husband suggested that Elon Musk is making the launching of those things cheap enough so that the entire scheme ends up being commercially viable on a consumer level.

Additionally, what gives me a bit of hope is that it will stimulate the cell majors into further investment, because it represents an unprecedented form of competition. Verizon no longer has to worry about T-Mobile alone. Whatever becomes available in terms of satellite, it's clearly a few years out, but I need it NOW. Cell capacity in eastern Canada is lagging the mainstream American market by about 5 or 10 years. There's one possible future version of my life that I won't get to live unless something changes.

[Boxster1971]

Originally Posted by amirm

Definitely looks like early stage development of flat antennas. A lot more useful info here: http://spacenews.com/kymeta-ships-fi...s-with-oneweb/

Thanks for this - good info. Kymeta is more than an antenna builder. They also sell terminals.

http://www.kymetacorp.com/wp-content...t_052517-1.pdf

But I don't think they are not a service provider. I'll have to listen to Mike Wendland's pod cast to see if he mentions that little detail. I'm always skeptical of anyone selling antenna "magic". As noted by LB3 only a large array of LEO (Low Earth Orbit) satellites could provide a data service to compete with cellular.

[Lotus54]

Repair and deployment of satellites is just a little more expensive than Cell. (I don’t see a ‘torque in cheek’ emoji)

The two big non-Geostationary comms sat companies were having issues a few years ago, I can’t see where the money to significantly improve that will come from.
Of course, a lot depends on the location for the receiver, canopy, terrrain etc.

I will watch and see.