# Satellite internet question



## Guest (Nov 17, 2007)

This is a dumb question, but I have been looking at Wild Blue for internet service since my dialup only connects at 9 or 11 KBPS. Their middle plan allows you 12,500 MB download per month before you exceed their FAP. How much exactly is a megabyte? I mainly surf the web and would like to be able to use things like Youtube. My grand daughter would like to download songs for her ipod. I will not be downloading large files or using it for work. Am I likely to exceed their limits?


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## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

1,000 Kilobytes, is One Megabyte, 1,000 Megabytes is One Gigabyte, 1,000 Gigabytes is One Terabyte, Above that I don't know.
And as far as Downloading 12K MB in One month If doing lots of songs and watching you tube, etc., I would say, just guessing now, but I _think, _ you could be over that 12K MB in one months time, along with surfing the net etc.


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## Guest (Nov 17, 2007)

Thanks AK. Satellite is my omly option besides dial-up and the package is $70.00 a month where dial-up is only $10.00. Hate to spend that much for an 18 month contract if I am going to be over the limit very often.


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## CJ (May 10, 2002)

Poppy, I just returned from a week at my folks, where they just had dial up. Egads, it's awful! I was never so grateful to return to our satellite dish in the RV!

We use Direcway (hughesnet) and have the 2nd plan up, it's $69 per month, and allows 385 megs of downloads per 24 hour period.


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## pixelphotograph (Apr 8, 2007)

Dont forget Windows downloads updates in the background as well as many other programs update themselves in the background without your knowledge.
This also eats into your limit.


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## HermitJohn (May 10, 2002)

You can block the ads and turn off flash and java in your browser. Dialup isnt so bad then, and I say that when I can only connect max at 26k no matter what. Actual my surfing probably like 21k average. Connecting at anything like 40-50k would be luxury. However with dialup, downloading anything but tiniest file, sucks. Forget videos or big music downloads.

I like downloading free software to try so finally got an old 350mhz laptop for $27, bought a $15 new wifi card, put Puppy Linux on it and take it to library to download any files when I stop at library on shopping days. I downloaded latest 100mb Puppy Linux iso in half hour (take like 12hr on dialup). Downloaded iso of latest Ubuntu cd using download accelerator in 20 minutes (Ubuntu servers are fast) but on dialup Ubuntu iso would take a full 3 days. Works for me. Sure I'd love to have fast connection at home, but until such is available and pays for itself, then it aint worth it. Dialup with current isp costs me $80 per year ($6.67 per month) for 300 hours guarenteed per month. I dont use 300hr per month, but the $40 per year ($3.34 per month)for 150hr per month wasnt enough hours and I didnt see any better deals. Many cheap isps advertise "unlimited access" but in fine print they define that as meaning you can access the internet through their service at any time of day. The actual number of hours you can actually use their service is usually 150 to 200 hour per month. So its hard to beat the 300hr for $6.67 I get with current isp.


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## OntarioMan (Feb 11, 2007)

- 12,500 MB download per month = 12.5 gb per month

- 385 mb per day = 11.6 gb per month (30 days in month)

- 1 gb will hold approx. 500 songs

- 12.5 gb per month is a typical limit for a "lite" broadband connection

- 50 gb per month is a typical limit for a "standard" broadband connection

- perhaps someone could post a guestimate average size of a youtube video 

I know lots of folks with "lite" broadband connections, who do not exceed their limits. 

As far as phone dialup - I don't know how folks do it - it is such a slow frustrating experience with todays internet.


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## Guest (Nov 17, 2007)

OntarioMan said:


> - 12,500 MB download per month = 12.5 gb per month
> 
> - 385 mb per day = 11.6 gb per month (30 days in month)
> 
> ...


Thanks, that puts it in perspective. If I understand what I read about the FAP policy, if you exceed your limits your speed is reduced to 128KBS until you are back within the limits. Even 128 KBS is a heck of an improvement over 9 KBS.


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## jefferson (Nov 11, 2004)

I am in the dark here. I always thought every bit that came into my computer is counted as download. or, is it only called download when I grab a copy of a file from the internet?
Looking at my counter, I am at 12 megs just this session (second time today)


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## OntarioMan (Feb 11, 2007)

You're correct - every bit counts. In the "grand scheme of things", downloading files, music, videos will have much more of an impact on your total downloads when compared to just surfing around the web - because files/music/videos are typically larger pieces of data.




jefferson said:


> I am in the dark here. I always thought every bit that came into my computer is counted as download. or, is it only called download when I grab a copy of a file from the internet?
> Looking at my counter, I am at 12 megs just this session (second time today)


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## HermitJohn (May 10, 2002)

OntarioMan said:


> As far as phone dialup - I don't know how folks do it - it is such a slow frustrating experience with todays internet.


You want a lean opeerating system, you want a lean browser, you want to block all the broadband only stuff like java applets, flash ads, and basically any banner ad that loads off a seperate server. You can block images from downloading also if you are really suffering for speed though if you have ads blocked, thats enough.

You also if using windows have to continually scrub it clean of unwanted malware attracted to it. And the software running to do that can slow stuff down also. I still dont know why people are masochistic enough to want to take windows online, but each to their own, everybody needs a hobby I guess. Maybe ungunking windoze is rewarding for some.

I know what broadband speed is like, its nice, but for basic surfing if you lock out all the bandwidth wasters then dialup isnt that bad. Now if you are only getting 9k surfing speed, something is wrong. Nobody should really connect at less than 26.4k and doing online surf test, nobody should surf less than 19k to 20k. I connect less than that and it means I have to go inspect phone wiring. Usually corrosion or rodent damage.


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## Mechanic Intern (Jun 10, 2007)

OK, let's get some things straight; AK, it's exactly 1024KB in a megabyte, same going from megs to gig and gigs to terabytes. I have seen that most youtube videos are an average of 11MB, (I use the youtube catcher to download them as opposed to wasting time waiting for the site to load). I am on 19.2Kbps dilaup, so I know how painful it is to have to wait for things to load. John, I have had our phone pplz check the lines, and the lines are fine, our ISP is just hell bent on disconnecting at random intervals and keeping me from viewing most websites. (they say that the yahoo home page (among others) is a total size of 600 terabytes, with a minimum link speed requirement of 90Gbps to load properly) I hate dilaup more than you know.


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## HermitJohn (May 10, 2002)

Mechanic Intern said:


> I am on 19.2Kbps dilaup, so I know how painful it is to have to wait for things to load. John, I have had our phone pplz check the lines, and the lines are fine, our ISP is just hell bent on disconnecting at random intervals and keeping me from viewing most websites. .


I've had isps that were slower than normal. 19k is getting down there borderline normal, but with rural lines and slow isp, its possible. I am lucky and toll free to bigger town that has all sorts of networks/pop phone numbers. One turns ugly I just find another. I know many though are stuck in some tiny phone exchange with no choices or one expensive choice. For a while there were few isps offering an 800 number if you didnt have local number. No extra charge. I used such an isp for a while though I could use both their 800 number and their local numbers. Unfortunately some phone companies (like mine) blocked the 800 number. Interestingly elderly friend of mine about 7 miles away has different phone company and 800 number still worked for him. I switched isps and saved a few bucks. They still offer a free two week trial I think so if you want to see if their 800 number works in your area, their website is www.erweb.net They very prompt in replying to any inquiries and overall nice to deal with.


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## OntarioMan (Feb 11, 2007)

Well, yes and no. When it comes to FAP (fair access policies), hard drives (ever wonder why your 60gb drive is not 60gb?), etc. etc. - folks appear to be able to give many definitions to the terms mb, gb, tb, etc.

A gb could be 1024mb, it could be 1000mb, or it could be.... I suppose you have to read the fine print to be sure.



Mechanic Intern said:


> OK, let's get some things straight; AK, it's exactly 1024KB in a megabyte, same going from megs to gig and gigs to terabytes. .


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## okie-steading (Jul 19, 2007)

i have the top wildblue package. i keep an eye on wildblue.net to track my usage. keep in mind that it is a rolling 30 day period. this package is fast...well, compared to dialup; at 1.5 mbs. and we get 17,000 megs a month d/l. right now i am at 10,000. i do a lot of music d/l, youtube, and other stuff. the lag is something terrible though. if i could do over, i would search for a wireless provider before choosing wildblue satellite.


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## texican (Oct 4, 2003)

Go with Direcway. There's still a FAP, but it only lasts 24 hours. No monthly download limits. With Direcway, you can get unlimited mb's between 3am and 6am (ET). I typically dl between 600 to 900mb each night.


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## Snowdancer (Sep 23, 2002)

texican said:


> Go with Direcway. There's still a FAP, but it only lasts 24 hours. No monthly download limits. With Direcway, you can get unlimited mb's between 3am and 6am (ET). I typically dl between 600 to 900mb each night.



Directway is now HughesNet.

 *Directway* 


I have HughesNet and love it. I download music but don't do too much video and I have never even come close to my daily limit of 375mb.


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## HermitJohn (May 10, 2002)

These postings got me looking. My phone company, Windstream, via their website now claims my area no longer is offered DSL and they want to sell me their version of relabelled satellite service which is horse hockey as friends daughter and her husband have Windstream DSL. They pay through the nose for it also as they have the fast version. 

I did look and there is still a small regional wireless isp that uses small microwave dish on customers roof to provide broadband isp service. Supposedly I fall into one of their service areas, but my guess is that I am on the wrong side of the mountain from the local tower. I do own the tippy top of the hill so I suppose a pole going above tree line in upper pasture would get me service, but hate to think of the logistics of powering the receiver and getting data cable back down to my shack.


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