Dish network/ internet access

[jjrbus]

 I see Dish is offering internet service. I checked the website but there is not much info there. Is anyone useing or contemplating useing it?

[m-werx]

Hi we used Hugh's net and/or directway for internet service and direct-TV on the road, one dish dose it all. Used it for the last four years. with minimal problems, they do have a new system coming out as a upgrade, we will let you know if its better when we get ours.

Darren.

[Sean]

"Dish Network" offers internet service -- but not on the Dish Network...

In other words, this has nothing whatsoever to do with the satellite network and receiver system you use for Dish TV.

Dish is reselling DSL -- which is a wireline-based service, of no use in a bus, and for those customers who can't get DSL, they are reselling WildBlue.  WildBlue is a satellite internet system that competes directly with HughesNet and StarBand.  AFAIK at this moment, you can not get WildBlue on any kind of mobile dish.  By contrast, there are at least two working automatic rooftop systems that will work with HughesNet, and there are several portable tripod systems that will work with HughesNet and/or StarBand.

WildBlue is a decent system (although it has drawbacks, including no backup satellite launched as yet, limited coverage footprint, and limited service plan offerings), but it's not useful (yet, anyway) for anyone in an RV.  And, even for home-based Dish customers, it's still a separate antenna, receiver, cables, etc. etc. -- not connected to the Dish system in any way.

FWIW/HTH.

-Sean
http://ourodyssey.blogspot.com

[Ross]

Hi we used Hugh's net and/or directway for internet service and direct-TV on the road, one dish dose it all.

One dish can sort of do it all.  Once you have the internet dish, you can add the TV LNB.  Unfortunately, this means that you now have to set up the dish even for TV, which can take a half hour or so, and is not practical when you stop for a little while at a rest area or truck stop.  I have DirecTV on a crank-up dish and an aircard for internet.  The aircard is online all the time, even underway and the crank-up dish takes less than a minute to point and neither require leaving the bus.  I have a Hughesnet tripod setup as well and I find that the crank-up dish/aircard combo is the most convenient.

Ross

[Sean]

One dish can sort of do it all.  Once you have the internet dish, you can add the TV LNB.  Unfortunately, this means that you now have to set up the dish even for TV, which can take a half hour or so, and is not practical when you stop for a little while at a rest area or truck stop. ...

If you have the automatic one, you just push a button, and it's up and working in less than five minutes.  We put our internet dish up all the time at rest stops, lunch stops, or even if we just need to pull over and look up a good place to stop or eat.

All of that said, the internet dish with TV LNB on it is unique to Hughes -- it won't work with WildBlue (or StarBand, for that matter), which is what Dish Network is selling, which was, I thought, the original question.

If what you are interested in is HughesNet, then all this information and more is readily available on the 'net, especially at the DataStorm Users Forum, http://map.datastormusers.com.

FWIW.

-Sean
http://ourodyssey.blogspot.com

[prevost82]

I also have HughesNet DataStorm for internet. Like Sean sez pusha button and five minutes later you're on line .... anywhere
Ron

[sommersed]

I use Starband on a tripod.  The main reason I chose starband was that I prefer and use Dish network TV which uses sats 110 and 119.  Starband uses sat 129.

I have the bow for dish network and all I have to do is zoom in on sat 129, and dish sats are spot on without me doing anything. In otherwords, find Starband at 129 and all three are spot on!

[Ross]

If you have the automatic one, you just push a button, and it's up and working in less than five minutes.  We put our internet dish up all the time at rest stops, lunch stops, or even if we just need to pull over and look up a good place to stop or eat.

But you can buy a bus for what they want for a Datastorm dish.    I wasn't referring to that dish since it is not an option for most people.  I like the aircard because it can be used any time.  You don't even need to pull over and the service costs the same as the Hughesnet service.  Aas far a hardware costs, the aircard costs $50....Datastorm costs $6000+.

Ross

[bobofthenorth]

Unfortunately the aircard doesn't work at Candle Lake or Waskesiu or Mara or Manzanillo or Alamos or Guasave or .....

We just bought a tripod system and it took me 24 hours to set it up the first time.  I hope it goes faster as time goes on but it sure works great once it is set up.  We're still waiting for the LNB to arrive to connect to ExpressVu but that is supposed to be in the mail. 

[Sean]

But you can buy a bus for what they want for a Datastorm dish.    I wasn't referring to that dish since it is not an option for most people.  ... As far a hardware costs, the aircard costs $50....Datastorm costs $6000+.

Umm, I paid $2500 for mine, and that was four years ago ... you can find them for less now.  Sure, if you want to buy one brand new, you'll pay ~$5,000.  But there are good used ones on the market, from all three vendors that have made them (MotoSat, Ground Control, and some Canadian company whose name escapes me at the moment).  I'd think that if you can be patient and watch eBay, you could get one for $2,000.  About double what a good tripod system costs new.

I like the aircard because it can be used any time.  You don't even need to pull over and the service costs the same as the Hughesnet service.

"Any time" is a relative term.  The air cards work in less than a quarter of the land area of the continental US (and the percentage drops well below that number if you include Alaska).  So if you mostly camp along the interstate, or within four or five miles of population centers, this can be a great solution.  That's not where we like to park...  we park in the boonies, where not only do digital services like air cards not work -- we can't even get an old-fashioned analog cell signal.  In fact, we have VOIP software on the computer so that, if we need to make an emergency phone call, say to a towing service, or worse, an air ambulance, we can do it.

YMMV.

-Sean
http://ourodyssey.blogspot.com

[Devin & Amy]

jjrbus,

I would recommend the same system Sean is speaking of. We have been using our Datastorm system for five years now, on three different rigs, and it is an extremely stress free way of hooking into the "Sat Grid".
The system has been pretty bulletproof up to this point. It is upgradeable for better speed as well.
We work from our bus and it is imperative that we can fax, make a phone call, or recieve E-mail any time we find it necessary in our business.
We also enjoy the search for a campsite with a "clear view of the southern sky".
The real advantage to a "hands-on" system is this ability to move the dish to a better location farther from the bus.
Once again the advice comes up as - It all depends on how you want/need to use your bus. Do you need quick automatic internet, or do you just need to hook it up when you have the time at a destination?
HTH
Devin

[prevost82]

I'm with Sean on that ..I only pay 2K for mine.
Ron