[RndTbl] rural internet access

[Colin Stanners]

Disclaimer: my job is wireless internet, although we don't offer service 
that far south.

Anything that doesn't suck involves equipment worth hundreds of dollars 
on your
roof and requires a contract. I've taken down enough Xplornet dishes to 
fill up a few
pickup trucks (some customers paid hundreds to get _out_ of their 
contracts) and
although I've once met 1 person that was happy with their service that 
person hadn't
tried anything other than dial-up. Some of their installers are using 
our service...

The only good option is fixed wireless, Wiband and Voyageur are there. A 
number
of times when Wiband recommends a concreted-in 68ft tower, a house-attached
40/50foot tower ($500-700 new, ~$200 used on Buy&Sell / Kijiji; height 
is without
counting ~10ft mast on top; tower can't be more than 20ft over roof) 
will actually get
you above the trees and fine signal for an install. I don't know if 
their 'regular'
technicians have the the authorization/experience to install those so 
that may be why
they're not quoting it. Best option is if you already have one & they 
can install on it.

There are some projects in the works to massively expand wireless 
broadband in
Manitoba in the next 18 months, but you probably don't want to wait that 
long.

On 11/19/2010 3:36 PM, Ian wrote:
> On 19 November 2010 15:02, Jeff Funk<funk.jeff at gmail.com>  wrote:
>
>> On Fri, Nov 19, 2010 at 2:19 PM, Ian<itschaotic at gmail.com>  wrote:
>>
>>> Hi all.
>>> What's the best value in rural service?  I'm just north of the US border,
>>> 14 miles, off highway #59.  There is wifi service all around me, but not
>>> "to" me without at least a 60' tower.  I'm looking at
>>> Explornet satellite service and really don't like their contract.  Are there
>>> smarter options?
>>> Ian
>>>
>> Too bad there isn't 3G service in that area, otherwise that might have been
>> an option with a rockethub or something.  I know WiBand has a tower in
>> Tolstoi at the park - no line of sight, or too far away from that?
>>
>> --jeff
>>
>
> There is a wiband tower in Greenridge too which is 5.8 mile as the crow
> flies.  By the time it's all said and done though, that appears to be about
> a $3000 project for the privilege of paying their billing every month.  That
> seems unreasonable.
>
> Or does someone have an "in" with a free standing 60' - 80' tower and
> installation info. that might make the project more reasonable?
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Roundtable mailing list
> Roundtable at muug.mb.ca
> http://www.muug.mb.ca/mailman/listinfo/roundtable