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Old 12-21-2018, 03:09 PM   #1
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Internet Providers/Remote Wifi

We're looking to buy a trailer in the coming weeks. I work from home (software developer), and my wife gets 5 days off every three weeks. So we're looking to spend those 5 days camping and I would work from the trailer. In doing so I would require internet access. Worse case, I use my cell to stay on top of problems and hot spot it if I need to remote into a server. But I'm curious if there's providers out there that allow internet via satellite and is it worth it?

Thanks!
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Old 12-21-2018, 03:52 PM   #2
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But I'm curious if there's providers out there that allow internet via satellite and is it worth it?
They exist, but the value is an individual judgement.

The technology has been used for many years, normally called VSAT, but it has usually been used for private business networks rather than internet access. The biggest users for internet access are likely airlines (for passenger internet access), with private users being uncommon. I have satellite TV, but not satellite internet access. The best-known supplier (of consumer internet access via 2-way satellite) around here is Xplornet, and the Shaw Direct TV service is available in a bundle with Xplornet service. Xplornet is normally marketed to rural homes; technically it will work on an RV - if you are willing to mount the big dish on the trailer's roof and have a clear line of sight to the satellite - but you would need to check coverage areas to see if you would go out of service while travelling away from your home location.

In addition to services such as Xplornet that use a typical "satellite TV" dish, there are very portable systems, but they are prohibitively expensive.
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Old 12-21-2018, 03:59 PM   #3
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This might be worth reading.

https://www.rvmobileinternet.com/guides/satellite/
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Old 12-21-2018, 04:23 PM   #4
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I've recently researched what's available in Canada and found the antennas are really big and prohibitive expensive for RV use. I'm now looking at cell phone boosters. I've seen posters on this forum use a telescopic pole mounted on the rear bumper and extend it up 30ft with antenna
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Old 12-21-2018, 05:15 PM   #5
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Sat Internet

When we first moved to very rural, northern New Mexico, we thought, "Internet, no problem, we'll just get Satellite internet from Hughesnet. That was in 2008 and the service was abysmal. Unusuable for business work. Perhaps it was better now. Fortunately for me, we were able to get a microwave Internet link after a year or so and I paid $400 to break my Hughesnet contract and never looked back. My best suggestion is to pray nightly that the US and Canada implement true nationwide, no coverage gap, 5G service. That is possibly something my grandchildren might see in their lifetime.
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Old 12-21-2018, 05:57 PM   #6
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My best suggestion is to pray nightly that the US and Canada implement true nationwide, no coverage gap, 5G service. That is possibly something my grandchildren might see in their lifetime.

Not sure about 5G but it may be sooner than you think:

FCC Approves SpaceX to Launch Internet-Beaming Satellites | Fortune
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Old 12-21-2018, 06:12 PM   #7
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Satellite internet was not new.. latency is a big thing, since it will take "that much" time for packets to travel up and back.. new technology does not really make packets travel significantly faster either..
latency issue can be lessened with some cache mechanism for streaming or stuff that has a lot of audience (ie, a lot of people want the same content) but not going to help much with terminal based operation. I think you will have to find out if it works for you based on your applications.
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Old 12-21-2018, 06:15 PM   #8
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I've recently researched what's available in Canada and found the antennas are really big and prohibitive expensive for RV use.
They're the same as a full-size satellite TV antenna (the oval dish used for Shaw Direct). That's certainly big, and Escape-sized trailers rarely have them (although some do), but they're reasonably common on large RVs.
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Old 12-21-2018, 06:19 PM   #9
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Satellite internet was not new.. latency is a big thing, since it will take "that much" time for packets to travel up and back.. new technology does not really make packets travel significantly faster either..
latency issue can be lessened with some cache mechanism for streaming or stuff that has a lot of audience (ie, a lot of people want the same content) but not going to help much with terminal based operation. I think you will have to find out if it works for you based on your applications.
the latency with Hughesnet, etc is due to the satellites being in geostationary orbit, about 24000 miles up. speed of light is 180000 miles/second, so if a packet has to go up to teh satellite, down to hughesnet, out over the intnreet and back to hughesnet, up to the satellite again and back down to you, the 4 * 24000 miles becomes 96000 miles, which is more than 1/2 second at light speed added to the internet round trip time (generally measured in milliseconds).


the SpaceX stuff uses low earth orbit, so the satellites are only 200 or 300 miles up not 24000. it remains to be seen how will it will work in practice.
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Old 12-21-2018, 06:21 PM   #10
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Satellite internet was not new.. latency is a big thing, since it will take "that much" time for packets to travel up and back.. new technology does not really make packets travel significantly faster either.
True - that's one reason that I didn't go with satellite at my rural home. Most of the latency is due to transit time, and nothing will ever change that as long as geostationary satellites are used (it takes half a second at the speed of light to go from the user up to the satellite, down to the earth station, back up to the satellite, and down to the user).
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Old 12-21-2018, 08:48 PM   #11
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A software developer like the OP might not be bothered that much by the latency inherent in a geostationary satellite-based system.
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Old 12-21-2018, 10:10 PM   #12
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Thanks for replies everyone, and the link Padlin. I'll review it tonight.

Your right Mike, latency isn't as much of a concern for me. I can do most development offline. It's more as an emergency, or intermittent pulling down of source repositories. We won't be streaming movies etc.

Unfortunately the data plans in Canada are insanely expensive. As an example we recently switched to Telus which was the best deal we could find and pay 180 a month for 2 phones sharing 12gb. I'll use my phone as a hotspot in a pinch, I was just hoping there was a better solution I was unaware of.
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Old 12-22-2018, 12:23 AM   #13
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Unfortunately the data plans in Canada are insanely expensive. As an example we recently switched to Telus which was the best deal we could find and pay 180 a month for 2 phones sharing 12gb. I'll use my phone as a hotspot in a pinch, I was just hoping there was a better solution I was unaware of.
There are much cheaper plans for the mobile networks, but they are offered to provide high-speed access to rural residents who may have no other options, since they don't have wired telco service with high-speed data capability, or "cable TV" service. They are intended to be unworkable for mobile use, so connections to cell sites away from your home location are typically denied. At Telus this is the Smart Hub service... but you almost need to know that it exists and what it is called to find any evidence of it on their website. It is just regular LTE service, but with special pricing for these target customers (of which I am one).
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