Motosat Satellite dishes for Internet/Tv

[Globetrotter]

Hi,

I'm have a Trac Star unit for Sat' Tv on our coach however I am trying to learn about the Internet via Satellite options available for rv's. Realizing there are becoming more and more wi-fi area's in camgrounds, does a system like "motosat" as an example provide a higher quality internet service or is it comparable to wireless service via campgrounds etc??

If requiring Internet for business purposes is the Motosat program or its competitors significantly better and if so how may the costs compare.

Any info you can share would be appreciated. Thank you!!

[Globetrotter]

Hi,

I'm have a Trac Star unit for Sat' Tv on our coach however I am trying to learn about the Internet via Satellite options available for rv's. Realizing there are becoming more and more wi-fi area's in camgrounds, does a system like "motosat" as an example provide a higher quality internet service or is it comparable to wireless service via campgrounds etc??

If requiring Internet for business purposes is the Motosat program or its competitors significantly better and if so how may the costs compare.

Any info you can share would be appreciated. Thank you!!

[Route 66]

Globetrotter, I moved you post over to the technology section.

I consider WiFi the least dependable, and the most difficult solution.

Not all campgrounds have WiFi and in those that do, the signal rarely reaches all of the campsites.

An air card or satellite is far more flexible.

With satellite, you are only limited to trees, etc, blocking your view of the satellite, but other than that, satellite will work anywhere.

The air card will usually work if you are in a cellular phone service area.

Air card, and satellite monthly fees are comparable, but the initial cost of the satellite equipment is much higher.

You internet needs usually determine which method will work best for you.

I have satellite internet, and I have never been in a situation where I could not get online.

If business requires frequent internet access, then an air card or satellite is the way to go. Some business users have both to insure access.

[Globetrotter]

Thanks Dirk, this helps me to get started.

I'll try to find an Internet Sat' dealer in my area in order to get more detailed info and pricing.

Cheers,

Dave

[Route 66]

I bought my F1 from Satellites In Motion, and I'm 100% satisfied with David's installation.

MotoSAT's web site has a lot of information also.

The vast majority of folks have the F1 system, but I see a few F2's out there.

[Bill Adams]

Globetrotter,
If you want to maintain the ability to receive satellite TV while you are driving down the road then you need to keep and use your Trac Star for your satellite TV reception.
The MotoSAT Datastorm antenna is capable of giving you satellite internet and satellite TV, but both are only available when you are parked.
The Datastorm will give you an excellent internet connection but will never be comparable to a ground based Cable or DSL connection. You can expect speeds in the 100-150K up and 800-1000K down range. This is still very good and you will be able to do most anything you want over the internet (VPN and VoIP are the exceptions). Because each of your internet requests must go to a satellite 22,300 miles above the Earth there is a thing called latency that further delays a satellite internet connection. You will click on a web link and nothing happens for 3-5 seconds. Then the entire page loads. This is the time required for the request to go to the satellite, back to Earth, the request is now sent to the website, the website responds to the request, is sent back to the satellite and then back to you. This takes time and, until someone changes the laws related to the speed of light, it always will.
Wi-Fi is "generally" faster than satellite "if and/or when" it is working properly. Many RV parks use an outside vendor to provide this service and the folks on-site know little or nothing if problems occur. Wi-fi services can be provided by dial-up, satellite, cable, DSL, whatever. You have no idea what you will be getting when you head for the park. Your travels are also limited to those parks that provide these services and you have to pray that they will work when you get there.
I don't mean to ramble, but we have traveled full-time since 2000. In 2002 we got our Datastorm antenna and Hughes internet service. Without satellite internet our ability to remain full-time would have been restricted or ended. Additionally, we run our business via internet and we have an internet connection ANYWHERE we park our RV. This is critical to our business and is highly appreciated when we are trying to pay our credit card bills and check our statements.
As a disclaimer here you should be aware that Janet and I are MotoSAT Datastorm dealers but there is not one word posted above that has anything to do with that.
The purchase decision should be based upon NEED. If you NEED an internet connection whenever and where ever you travel then you NEED a satellite internet system. If you can get by for a few days or a week without an internet connection due your location then you may or may not need a satellite internet connection. If you only need an internet connection now and then, then all you really need is a cellular card (still about $80/month) or campground wi-fi when and where it is available. Every (I think) Flying J has wi-fi for about $5/day. It takes a whole lot of these daily charges to cover the startup and monthly charges involved with satellite internet, but I will refer you back to the above statement....What do you NEED?

[hamguy]

During our travels to Alaaska this year we have stopped at 65 RV Parks. All but 9 had wifi and most were free. One was $2/day and a couple others were $4.95. One was $12.95 but I just laughed at the idiot that tried to tell me he was the cheapest in Canada where the price was set by the government!!??

One feature we look for is WiFi listing. No listing for WiFi-no stop unless there are NO alternatives.

Last year, I found many, if not most Passport America parks had WiFi.

[Globetrotter]

Thanks everyone for your help.

At this point I will experiment with an air card and see how that works initially.

Very interesting information and I appreciate your taking the time to respond.

Dave

[Jeff and Cheryl]

Bill Adams,

You indicate that VoIP is not doable with the satellite internet connection. Is this because of the time lag, the size of the bandwidth, or some other factor I may have no clue about? I am starting planning for being on the road for several months a year and will need phone access for customer service reasons plus internet access for scheduling work. Cell phone with a booster antenna will be helpful but I concerned about being in the middle of Montana or Alaska and not having a cell signal. Any advise or pointers would be appreciated.

[Bill Adams]

VoIP is "doable" with satellite internet but only the software based services such as Skype if you stick with the low-end consumer versions.
Hughes has specifically done something to prevent the hardware based services such as Vonage from working properly at any service level.
The larger (much more expensive) antenna tied to the iDirect service will give very good service but the monthly service fees for internet and VoIP is over $300/month.
There are certainly places you are going to find where cellular service is not available. The Skype service not only suffers from a long delay (2-4 seconds) but you have to ensure that 2 people don't talk at the same time as you will lose both ends of the conversation. Most people use "over" like you would on a 2-way radio to help prevent problems. If you are calling family and friends you will both learn how to handle the delay over time. If you are calling a business it is likely that they will hang up before they hear you say Hello.

[Prevost82]

We also have a F1 Datastorm for the same reasons as Bill mentions. I have found that WiFi in campground has been spotty for us ... poor system or coverage, if the system goes down the owner doesn't know how to get it up and running again so it's down for several days ... for us it's just not reliable for our needs.

We use Skype all the time as Bill states there's a lag ... it work best computer to computer and works OK computer to phone but it doesn't work very good at all computer to cell.

We generally use it to keep in touch with family and friends so they now how to deal with the lag time ... and it save us a ton of money on long distance cell phone changes ... that alone pays from the monthly sat charges.

Ron

[Route 66]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">The larger (much more expensive) antenna tied to the iDirect service will give very good service but the monthly service fees for internet and VoIP is over $300/month. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I believe iDirect is the system Bob has.

You might want to ask him for his opinion.

[JamieB]

Jeff.

I have a .98 XF2 with a 4 watt BUC and an iDirect modem. I am using EtherSat's basic plan which is 1024/128 and I am using Vyper as my VoIP provider. Total monthly cost is about $200. The phone quality is very good, and while there is a delay, it is only around 3/4 to 1 second. I would venture to say that it would probably work for you. If you wanted to know how it sounded, you can drop me an e-mail at jamie@dish-internet.com and I can give you a call over my VoIP.

One of the nice things about Vyper, and some other VoIP providers is that they have low upload bandwidth usage. That allows you to use your phone and internet simultaneously.

Jamie Billingsley
Satellite Internet Solutions.

[rebelsbeach]

My experiences pretty much "mirror" Jamie's except that my VAR is Mobilsat...

For the purposes of answering the OP, I too carry a Verizon PC card for those times when we're either away from the rig or some other reason...