Broadband Alternatives to DSL & Cable

[cprice12]

So...we're moving into a rural area in Edwardsville.

DSL internet, not available.
Cable internet, not available.

I hear satellite internet sucks and runs around $80 per month.

Wireless broadband is popping up all over.
Anyone have it?
If so, what's it like? What does it cost? Etc.

I also heard Edwardsville is going fiberoptic. Anyone have that?

I'd really like to avoid satellite internet, but still get broadband...but not sure if that will be possible.

Any input?

I'm 99% sure we're going with DirecTV for television...looking forward to finally getting the NHL Network.
F'ing Charter.

[rebelmusic]

I suggest not moving out of civilization. Help?

[SteveO]

A few folks I know on the fringes of E'ville have that wireless broadband. It works good enough and is about the same cost as regular broadband.

I'll find out which company they're using.

[SixDemonBag]

Seconded. My mom lives out in Labadie, and just ponied up for a wireless card from Verizon. She'd been on dial up for 4 years previous. It does indeed work "well enough". You're not going to be able to stream HD videos or anything, but at least you can get a song off ITunes in less than 20 minutes.

I'd suggest that as your best option. As I understand it, there are some municipalities out in the boondocks that are trying to organize something like a co-op, where various neighborhoods in the area fork over surplus from the association, and the city makes up the shortfall, to build a tower. But I don't know anywhere that's implemented it yet.

[cprice12]

Seconded. My mom lives out in Labadie, and just ponied up for a wireless card from Verizon. She'd been on dial up for 4 years previous. It does indeed work "well enough". You're not going to be able to stream HD videos or anything, but at least you can get a song off ITunes in less than 20 minutes.

I'd suggest that as your best option. As I understand it, there are some municipalities out in the boondocks that are trying to organize something like a co-op, where various neighborhoods in the area fork over surplus from the association, and the city makes up the shortfall, to build a tower. But I don't know anywhere that's implemented it yet.

Is there a cap on the bandwidth you can use with the wireless broadband? I thought I read that there was.
I'd rather go satellite than be limited with my usage.

[al]

i think it's 5 GB limit a month for verizon.

[SteveO]

Curt, see if this company will do the wireless broadband for you:

http://www.empowering.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[cprice12]

Curt, see if this company will do the wireless broadband for you:

http://www.empowering.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Weird...I was a customer of Empowering Technologies' dial up service when I lived in Edwardsville back in 1997.
I was happy with their service then.
Thanks, I'll look into it.

Actually, I was a customer of theirs when I was accused of hacking into the St. Clair County 9-1-1 home page and replacing it with my hockey team's home page in 1998 or 1999.
1) I didn't "hack in". It was an accident. For some reason, I had read/write permissions on every directory of every company that Empowering Technologies hosted. And I was browsing around the different directories looking at files...and I guess I was inadvertently in the wrong directory when I uploaded changes to my hockey team's page...and my index page replaced their index page...and there you go. For five or six hours, the St. Clair County 9-1-1 home page was proudly displaying the Hometown Phone Book Roller Hockey Club's home page.

2) They were really pissed and called me at work the next day. I was on a conference call with Empowering Technologies and some official from St. Clair County. I was told by the St. Clair County guy that I was going to "face the wrath of St. Clair County" since they thought I was a hacker...but they ended up apologizing to me once they found out they had a major security problem that anyone could exploit by just browsing folders on the remote server via ftp.
They were lucky I didn't have malicious intent. I could have messed with hundreds of businesses' websites.

Goofballs.

[stinkdified]

So...we're moving into a rural area in Edwardsville.

weak...


that whole story about replacing the homepage is freaking awesome however...

[cprice12]

So...we're moving into a rural area in Edwardsville.

weak...

Don't like rural areas?
We'd only be about five minutes from downtown Edwardsville. And the land is pretty sweet:

(our five acres is on the right in the photo)


(where the house is going to sit)

that whole story about replacing the homepage is freaking awesome however...

It makes for a good story I guess.

[stinkdified]

anh, true...ive always been the type of person that just needs the amount of space for me and my shit...like, i kinda feel like i could live in eurpoe if i ever had to...not that i would really like it, i love the us...the melting pot theroy. i lived in downtown rolla while i was going to school and i felt like i was going to go crazy...like, there was never anything going on...i.e. you could sit on the porch through the late hours of the night...i.e.1:19 am and you might see a few cars pass by...it just seems to lack stimulation i guess...

anyway, the property is sweet..nice lake.

[goon attack]

Can I come live on your property, Komrade? I'm in need. Help me.

[the knob]

Can I come live on your property, Komrade? I'm in need. Help me.

We can build you a bunker under my pool. I'm always willing to help out the little man, and the heat from your nuclear melts should warm the pool in winter.

[goon attack]

Will I have internet access down there?

[Mellanby_equals_grit]

Will I have internet access down there?

Cable too.

[goon attack]

What are the lube supplies going to be like?

[the knob]

Will I have internet access down there?

I'll let you use the WiFi.