Google Groups acting up

You've been having trouble with your internet connection for quite a while now. Why not just tether your computer to your phone? It just takes a USB cable.

Do you have a good source of 1000 foot USB cables? That is about how far from my computer it is, to a usable cell signal. There is no TV reception, as well. The walls are all metal.

It took over 15 minutes to be able to reply to this. It looks like I am going to have to switch to Satellite Internet service to get back on line.

Ah, I just saw your post in another thread saying you don't have cell coverage. Sorry.

Just curious: Just where *do* you live? I have copper and fibre broadband as well as 4G cell here in one of the most remote regions of India.

Seriously get a Mifi pebble with external antenna sockets. If you are not allergic to Hauwei there are good models around the $70 mark. eg

You need line of sight on a mast and a couple of cheap yagi antennae from China to match your local frequency(s). They are a bit tetchy about pointing so I use mine on a camera tripod with a pan tilt head.

I have only ever needed to use one antenna with mine. It is a good backup replacement for a dodgy fixed line installation much faster but the excess data charges on my contract sting a little.

I'd give the "travel" Wifi a go first. Assuming data contracts are about the same in the USA as they are over here some all you can eat mobile data deals are now cheaper than fixed line services in the not-spots.

--
Regards, 
Martin Brown

You can get a microwave dish pair for under $200. It acts like a long CAT5 cable.

Are you really missing that much? Have you read any good books lately?

--

  Rick C. 

  - Get 1,000 miles of free Supercharging 
  - Tesla referral code - https://ts.la/richard11209

r from my computer it is, to a usable cell signal. There is no TV reception , as well. The walls are all metal.

going to have to switch to Satellite Internet service to get back on line.

In the US, if you are not near a major population area, you might as well b e in a technology desert. Where I spend a lot of my time I have access cho ices of a WISP with low reliability and poor bandwidth with frequent bandwi dth overloads or satellite Internet connection with low aggregate bandwidth limitations (and expensive). That is not uncommon 100 miles from a signif icant city.

I don't know your area, but I have talked to a number of people in Europe a nd what is different is not so much the technology or the availability of c onnectivity in areas of higher population density, but the extent of land m ass 100 miles or more from areas of higher population density.

We have lots of land with not so many people and Internet is not so profita ble there.

--

  Rick C. 

  + Get 1,000 miles of free Supercharging 
  + Tesla referral code - https://ts.la/richard11209

Is being able to call your doctor or 911 important to you? I returned Spect rum's equipment this morning and ordered Hughesnet Sat internet.

As far as books, I read a few a month. Have you written any books? I wrote a SciFi trilogy a few years ago. Then I was too sick to seek out a publishe r. I havebeentrying to locate the files. It starts with a Mars colony. The secondbook is about bulding a working transporter. The thirdis about them u sing their new trechnology to round up the bad guys.

I haven't read a new sci-fi book in a long time. I'd love to read yours if you do get it published.

I may just self publish it on Lulu or anther similar service.

But then you need a wired connection and mains power at the remote end. This sort of kit is used locally here for an ad hoc fast microwave link network between mostly farmers that includes our village hall.

The great thing about using existing 3/4G nodes is that with good line of sight and a yagi you can work any within about 30 miles. Time gating rather than SNR prevents you from working ones at 35+ miles or so.

--
Regards, 
Martin Brown

Elon Musk's Starlink may be the ultimate answer:

What do you use, in the meantime? I had to go with Hughesnet, but it looks like they re finally starting to expand the local FIOS towards my area. I would prefer 1Gb.s service via fiber to any Sat service. This is my first post through Hughesnet.

s like they re finally starting to expand the local FIOS towards my area. I would prefer 1Gb.s service via fiber to any Sat service. This is my first post through Hughesnet.

The main problem with satellite Internet is the very limited download limit s. I never realized the cable operators had real limits on their Internet access, until the coronavirus. The phone companies have severe limits on t heir data use. Satellite is much like the phone companies. Often they don 't even tell you the limits, they just wait for you to exceed them.

My WISP has no limits, I guess it's too much work to impose them. I used 8

5 GB in the last 30 days. That helps to make up for the low data rate and the frequent outages.

I would bet the Musk satellite service is much the same as the others. The resource is very finite and they need to slice the pie to many customers t o allow anyone to use too much. Heck, they are counting on most people not even coming close to their fair share.

Good luck with the satellite Internet access. Certainly usenet won't tax t hat.

--

  Rick C. 

  -- Get 1,000 miles of free Supercharging 
  -- Tesla referral code - https://ts.la/richard11209

The capacity of any cellular systems (including satellite systems) are determined by the total frequency band available and frequency reuse distance. The larger the cell size, the larger the reuse distance and hence the number of cells available worldwide is limited and the lower the total system capacity.

The 5G peak capacity relies on very small cell sizes, such as an area served by a lamppost base station and the same frequency can be used within a few hundred meters. Low capacity satellite phones might have country wide cells, but the throughput is limited.

At very low altitude (400 km) orbit, the cell size can be reasonable, but requires a huge number of satellites and frequent handovers between satellites.

A satellite system would very quickly become saturated over urban areas, so usable throughput would be available only at very rural areas. The question is, can only the rural customers financially support a large satellite system.

That thing is a damn nuisance.

Almost every wide field instrument now is raked with trails from his blasted satellites. He is belatedly offering to paint them black.

The satellite clusters in low Earth orbit are blinding the dusk/dawn survey instruments that look for potential Earth impacting asteroids and comets (and disfiguring amateur astronomers shots too).

--
Regards, 
Martin Brown

On Saturday, August 8, 2020 at 2:37:01 AM UTC-4, snipped-for-privacy@downunder.com wro te:

ooks like they re finally starting to expand the local FIOS towards my area . I would prefer 1Gb.s service via fiber to any Sat service. This is my fir st post through Hughesnet.

mits. I never realized the cable operators had real limits on their Intern et access, until the coronavirus. The phone companies have severe limits o n their data use. Satellite is much like the phone companies. Often they don't even tell you the limits, they just wait for you to exceed them.

I don't disagree with anything you said, but it is not what I am talking ab out. I am referring to the rather artificial limits on aggregate data usag e. You can use large amounts of data at times when the system is not taxed . If the system is not fully utilized the excess capacity is just going to waste anyway. There is virtually no cost to use of the system, the main c osts are in having the system in place.

I recall looking into satellite Internet several times. Initially the conc ern was the low data limits. Later they claimed to have opened that up som ewhat, but still with hard caps. Then my main concern was contractual. Li ke the cell phone companies once you sign up they are going to get their po und of flesh independent of whether the system serves your needs or not. T hey also stopped installing the equipment for free so it might cost several hundred dollars to find out how badly it sucked.

--

  Rick C. 

  -+ Get 1,000 miles of free Supercharging 
  -+ Tesla referral code - https://ts.la/richard11209