In article , Alun
writes:

(N2EY) wrote in
:

In article , Alun
writes:

The cheapest satellite Internet access in the US is Starband, which is
$40/mo for 768k speed. However, the combined cost of equipment and
setup is $600!!! This is why I still have dialup, no other broadband
being available. It is possible to find the equipment used (some people
sell it when they get DSL or cable in their area), but the setup fee is
still $240. That's not a typo, it's $240 for setup, not $24.

When DSL first appeared, there were substantial setup and equipment
fees. They have pretty much gone by the wayside now.

True enough. Maybe this will happen with satellite eventually. We may just
have to wait.

Or pay the $$ up front.

In my case I think both DSL and cable are available on the other side
of the street!

?? How wide is your street?

It's a main road, but not a divided highway. It's not particularly wide.
The houses on the other side have their back yards facing the main road and
they are in subdivisions. We are not in a subdivision and have no
neighbours. If we were, then we would have an antenna covenant! That is the
supreme irony, if we were across the road and could get broadband I
couldn't put up antennas. I think dial-up and antennas is the better
choice.

Me too!

The main probelm with DSL is that the total cable length from your modem to the
telco's end is limited, and if you're too far away you cannot be served. Of
course they're building more infrastructure but that takes time and is focused
on the densest markets.

Or do your utilities run behind the houses, as they do here?

The power lines run across my front yard, as does the cable from the cable
company. However, they wouldn't let the previous owner of this house have
cable TV service, saying that it is a main transmission cable not a
distribution cable!

That may actually be true.

OTOH, the power lines are close enough that BPL is a
real worry. Still, they will be Part 15, so as a licenced user I will be
able to get them to shut their whole system down, right?

That's what Mr. P says...

One friend suggested I should get Wi-Fi and link into one of my
neighbours, paying a cut towards their broadband bill. He knows
someone who linked their house with their business premises by Wi-Fi,
but says they lose the connection when it rains!

Lot of new 802.11() systems that are a lot more robust than earlier
ones.

BPL is set to cost only about as much as DSL and maybe nothing to
install. Some people would go for it just because they don't have a
spare 600 bucks to buy and set up a satellite system. I would almost be
tempted if it wasn't for ham radio. Cable Internet is $55/mo here. That
includes $15/mo for basic cable TV, whether you want it or not. DSL is
$35/mo. I am sure that some people would try BPL instead, as it doesn't
need extra wires or Wi-Fi.

Some form of special modem is needed for BPL, and it is proprietary to
the particular system in use because they're all different. Your cable
modem and DSL prices are higher than we pay here ($43 and $30,
respectively) and the prices keep dropping. Verizon, for one, offers
package deals where POTS, DSL and cell phone service are all bundled
together for a very reasonable price.

We have Verizon here too. I don't think they charge everyone the same
prices, though.

The prices quoted are for the Philadelphia metro area.

There are some new BPL articles on the ARRL website. Worth a read.

73 de Jim, N2EY