What are my options?

[cypher543]

Here's the story...

I live 7 miles out of the nearest town. However, I am stuck with 31.2kbps internet. Why? Becuase my phone company's DSL area "circle" ends about 2 miles to the east of my property. If i lived 2 miles closer, I would be surfing the net in style... but noooo. Instead, I've got lag and a ton of huge files to download that will take days instead of just hours or even minutes.

I could get satellite internet. But the only kind I can afford is "one-way" package. Meaning, a modem sends a request, and then the satellite sends the content. I haven't heard very goods thing about this type of setup. So that's also not going to happen.

So what are my options??? I desperately need high-speed internet. But for now, I have to drive 20 miles to the nearest wireless coffee shop. I hate that very much...

What should I do?

[Johnny Fist]

Wait for WiMax.

[cypher543]

well... never even heard of that. I'll look into it, though. :D I doubt wireless internet is good for a server, though. :(

[Mutt]

G'day,

Where do you live? If ya happen to be in Australia (unlikely I know but ya never know) the government will subsidize the cost of getting satellite if you live in a country area with no DSL service. Up to $300 I think. If you're not in Australia maybe it would be worth investigating if your government has a similar scheme.

John

[Firewing1]

Move 2 miles closer :)
lol jk... I guess your only option at this point is either wait or get the satalite -- After all, if you don't like it after a month you can always cancel the package.
Firewing1

[cypher543]

Thanks for the replies. I found a local ISP that offers state-wide (i'm in the US) wireless internet. Up to 512kbps upload and download. I signed up for a free site survey to see what kind of signal I get here. Hopefully it all works out. :D

[grndplane]

Which ISP? Thanks

[cypher543]

It's only avaliable in Central Missouri. Sorry.

[w5set]

That's going to be a good trick to pull off in some of those hills and valleys around parts of Central Mo...

[cypher543]

There's a wireless service tower only 10 miles from me and no hills in between. So it should work out ok. That free site evaluation should confirm it, though... *impatiently waits until tuesday*

[Zigzagcom]

Time to get that Pringles Cantenna ready... :D

[w5set]

cantenna??
leftovers from war driving?
hi--hi
cypher543--you must be up on the "Ozark Plateau"
Rolla area?

[cypher543]

Warrensburg area, actually. Never even heard of Rolla, Missouri. :P

[w5set]

Sure you have heard of it--remember the old Smokey & the Bandit movies?
He pronounced it as "roll-ah"--hi--hi
Actually I was born and raised around Houston, Mo.
I have ran all over Mo--so to speak. Warrensburg is far away enough from K.C. area to actually be livable in. Nice place.
WiFi access getting to be the "thing" around here too--every coffee house/and a lot of places offereing it--one local company is even going to put widespread usage up about 12 miles from me, but I think for now I'll stick to DSL..
I would have to put up that 60 ft. tower laying in my backyard and I have enough trouble/worry with lightening with the antennas I have up now (Amateur Radio).

[cypher543]

Besides the crappy phone lines, the awful storms, and the absence of good internet service... it is a nice place. :P

[grndplane]

Hopefully you can do a YUM update on Tuesday. :-)

[Zigzagcom]

Rolla, close to Fort Leonard Wood. Did my basic there.

[w5set]

Me too ---Basic in Ft Lost n the Woods and grew up 32 miles away.

[Zigzagcom]

I remember the beautiful sunrises there, the sky is so blue and full of color...that was back in the late 70's. Memories, sigh...

[w5set]

Yeah--nice pretty sunrises--and the best part was ya HAD to get up way before the sun ever thought to rise and were usually standing in formation facing the sunrise ---just so ya could enjoy it---huh.??

[Zigzagcom]

You are hitting it on the nail...you could not avoid the beauty of it, unless they had ya doing KP by that time.

[w5set]

KP?? waz zat?? hi--hi
didn't do firewatch either--except to fill out schedule for it too, for others to do.
I got out of that by wearing the funny black armband with ALL of the strips--3 up 3 down.
Company jerk/clerk/go-fer boy for Bravo 1-3 (jeeeez--I can still remember that company)
Drill Sargents snap fingers--I hopped. Company Commander snap fingers--I squated..
I was an "I HOP"/squater
Drove a jeep or Deuce around picking up fallouts and sick calls (I had a military drivers license then when I enlisted!) and made little lists of everything--"i"'s dotted--"T"'s crossed in all the right places.
Carried hot coffee in my canteen to the training areas and had to let the cadre help me drink it...watched most of the harder stuff from the side of the C.O. when it was happening.
30 minutes total rifle training/qualifying (was good ol hillbilly marksman anyway) and took 5 minutes to learn to throw a grenade way way off!! (as if any moron would want to hold on to a live grenade with the pin pulled!!)
Hummmm--basic for me was easyyyyyy...
But may have gotten a little harder after that.

[Zigzagcom]

LOL, sounds like you skated in the beginning. 12B10 bridge-humper with a blasters ticket here, but ended up in the coms section, drivin' for the second lt. Seems I skated in the end.

[BandC]

Rolla, close to Fort Leonard Wood. Did my basic there.

Went to college in Rolla. Good school but the place sucks. Bad old days... :) Quite a few people from MO here. I'm surprised.

[w5set]

Hummmm--School of Mines??
Bad old days?--naaaww
Just "old days"--long ago..
for me anyway.
Graduated Houston, Mo High School in May
Class of 1966..
started summer course of college 4 days later--(S of O--Holister, Mo.)
now that summer sucked....college was on the banks of Lake Taneycomo and I could usually find time to look only!
OOOPPPPSSS--we jacked this thread didn't we?
Sorry. (good thing it's in the wibble!)

[cypher543]

OOOPPPPSSS--we jacked this thread didn't we?
Sorry. (good thing it's in the wibble!) It's no problem. :D This stuff is interesting.

[w5set]

Well, we did get off on a tangent didn't we?
speaking of tangents--I just visited the M$ (through a link on a news page) site for Office Updates--
the thing told me that
******Sorry, the Office Update site does not support Office for Mac***********

And M$ thinks I am using OSx--guess it does look like some form of "Nix" to the M$ server.
But I am puzzled how the browser ID I send back of "Nunya" for a operating system is seen as a "MAC" response??

[BandC]

Hummmm--School of Mines??
Bad old days?--naaaww


Yup, UMR. When you're a city boy like me, a town of 15000 in the middle of nowhere just doesn't cut it. :)

[w5set]

Yeah--but they had fairly good pizza n beer (draft, if you please) all around town.
And I lived 53 miles south of there (back when) -really out in the sticks.
My "Hometown" was 1900+ population and closest "large" place WAS Rolla!!
guess it's all 'relative".