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Direct TV internet: Broadband
high speed internet service via satellite
You've got Direct TV. So now you
want to bundle it all together and
get Direct TV internet right?
Sounds good, but let's take a closer look.
First off let me tell you this,
overall DSL or high speed cable broadband is going to
be a better choice for internet access over Direct TV internet.
But if where you live the only option available to you is dial up
(like a rural location), then dish internet might be something you
want to look at.
Hughes (Direct TV) is the only game in town
when it comes to dish tv internet
DirecWay, DirecPC, DirecDuo, and
SpaceWay are all names you have probably heard before if you have
even slightly inquired about Direct TV internet. Well they are
all part of Hughes satellite broadband internet solutions.
Wondering which one is for you?
Well let's see how each system
works first, so you'll have a better idea of what fits your needs
best.
Here's what's available when it comes to
broadband satellite internet
DirecPC - Started back in
the '80's DirecPC was Direct TV's first leap into dish internet. Only
available in a one way broadband system i.e. you only get high
speed internet on the download, you still had to dial up to
upload. DirecPC is not supported or being sold by the Hughes
satellite network anymore. Although you can still activate used
dishes if you can find one. You'll be able to tell you've found one
by the distinctive grey-colored dish.
DirecDuo - Right after
launching the DirecPC satellite broadband service, Direct TV came up
with an attachment that could be added to the DirecPC dish to
receive the Direct TV signal. What that amounted to was true
dish tv internet, without the pain of having two satellite dishes on
your roof.
DirectWay - Not long after
the launch of DirecPC, the screams for a 2-way dish system, brought
the launch of DirecWay, which comes packaged with a broadband
upload upgrade on DirecPC technology. At this point Direct TV discontinued DirecPC and officially renamed their dish tv internet
DirectWay. Even if you only want the one way / dial return offering
it still goes by the DirectWay name and uses the updated white
satellite dish.
SpaceWay - SpaceWay is the
next significant upgrade on the Direct TV internet system. The
system uses a point-to-point connectivity, which is much more cost
effective since it eliminates the need for the central
retransmission station or hub. Available for commercial use in 2005
SpaceWay will probably make it's way to home users shortly after
that.
You may have seen dish internet
offered by several different providers, EarthLink and AOL,
and Pegasus in the past. These systems are basically just
"powered by" these different ISP's, much like the other
broadband internet services, as they are all essential the same
Direct TV satellite internet.
A little clarification on Direct TV DirecWay 1 way and
2 way internet systems
DirecWay 1 way uses a dial up
connection and modem to upload data from your computer. DirecWay 2
way uploads with the same satellite link it uses to download data.
That's it in a nutshell.
DirecWay 1 way is
essentially the same technology as DirecPC, high speed broadband
download via satellite link, upload via modem better known as dial
return.
This going to be your cost
conscience option since you're only high speed on the downstream,
although it still will be more expensive than other broadband
solutions since you will have to endure the cost of maintaining
another ISP for upload purposes.
But still, it's an inexpensive
option for broadband since with most people, 90% of what you do
online will be downloading webpages.
As with DirecPC, there's no
professional installation required since you only receive the high
speed signal and don't transmit.
1 way / dial return was the first
Direct TV internet option available from back in the DirecPC
days, but since the old DirecPC satellite dish is no longer
available, you still get the newer white Direct TV internet DirecWay dish. Since 1 way
and 2 way both use the same dish upgrade from 1 way to 2 way is
fairly simple if you so desire.
DirecWay 2 way is the dual
broadband big brother of DirecWay 1 way. 2 way serves up a high
speed satellite link both ways upload and download, and is also
known as satellite return.
If you're expecting to upload
fairly large files, send lots of email with attachments, or you're a
webmaster and need to upload webpages, then the high speed upload is
an obvious benefit.
2 way also eliminates the need for
the additional ISP for dial up. So no tied up phone line, and the
Direct TV internet upload speed will be about 4X better than dial up. Not
blazing, but definitely better.
One problem with satellite return
is the higher cost, but since you don't need another ISP it kinda
evens out. Another issue is installation. It must be done by a
professional. Even once it's been installed, any technical issues
must be handled by a professional.
This is because since the 2 way
system actually transmits a signal to the satellite. Since that is
regulated, FCC requires a professional install the system for that
reason.
The initial professional install
can run you around $199, but as with Direct TV most times you can get
around that with a free installation promotion. When you're ready to
buy, keep your eyes open you can almost always find one.
DirecWay FAP (Fair Access Policy) makes sure
everybody plays fair with satellite bandwidth
Satellite bandwidth is limited.
Direct TV internet is a shared resource. Those two facts don't mix
well when you think about thousands of people using the same
resources.
It's pretty simple, a few heavy
users could tie up the system from all the other customers. To
alleviate this Direct TV came up the the Fair Access Policy (FAP).
Under the Direct TV FAP every customer
gets a limit on the amount of data that can be download in a given
time period. The threshold is usually somewhere around 169 mb peak
time, 225 mb off peak.
If you were to download more than
169 mb in 4 hours or less during peak time, you might trigger the
FAP. Once triggered, your download speed will be slowed until a
specified amount of time has past, usually 10-12 hours.
Typical internet use and a few
software downloads usually won't bring you close to the threshold,
but heavy downloading, like MP3's may put you in the dangerzone.
Maximum threshold is variable
depending on your Direct TV internet package, although around 169 mb during
peak is common. A business package may allot you like double that,
around 360 mb, just be prepared to pay for it.
The FAP is not automatic either,
just because you go over your threshold doesn't mean it is
automatically triggered, just depends on the overall usage of the
available bandwidth at the time. But once engaged the FAP can cut
your download speed to dial up levels, like less than 56k, so it's a
good idea to play fair.
Related articles:
Direct
TV satellite systems
Over a decade and growing, Direct TV is the granddaddy of digital TV
satellite dishes.
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