Which is better? flatrate 3G vs satellite

OTK

Anyone got experience of both? I have satellite and am thinking of switching to 3G.

Myxomatosis

OTK wrote:

Anyone got experience of both? I have satellite and am thinking of switching to 3G.

By flat rate do you mean unlimited?

There is no real "flat rate" 3G offering from any company. Most have caps of 2, 3 or 5 gigs.

What kind of satellite do you have? I got skyDSL just a few days ago, very good.

watty

skyDSL is not 2 way Internet. Just a download accelerator.

Two way satellite has caps too.

For large files and reliability I'd say two way satellite is better.

For lower latency, but still not good enough for games the 3G is better.

With 3G there is no MINIMUM speed, nor even a guarentee that you get connected if the cell is busy.

Typical speeds are 50k GPRS, 180k 3G and 800k HSDPA using a high speed 3G card. Connection speed can be higher or lower. It is a kind of dialup that connects almost instantly, so if there is a loss of connection the session is lost, the download may need restarted, or page reloaded or a fresh secure login.

I'm presuming the OP means flat rate as in fixed monthly Charge (About 56 Euro? for 3G compared with minimum of 99 Euro per month 2 way Satellite).

Even 2 way satellite can work out cheaper than Analogue Dialup, line rental and SkyDSL, if you cancel the phone line.

OTK

I have 2-way satellite via pure/satlynx: 512k up 128k down. cap is low, can't remember how much exactly. By 'flatrate', I mean fixed price subject to cap rather than cost per meg pricing model as used on many mobile phone internet services.

With 3G, could I mount an aerial on the roof to improve signal quality?

FarSide

OTK wrote:

I have 2-way satellite via pure/satlynx: 512k up 128k down. cap is low, can't remember how much exactly. By 'flatrate', I mean fixed price subject to cap rather than cost per meg pricing model as used on many mobile phone internet services.

With 3G, could I mount an aerial on the roof to improve signal quality?

You certainly can...
With one of these
http://www.thiecom.de/shop/umts-antennen/artikel/slp15-umts-richtantenne/?sid=37589b7e3512ba206d1906f78a15f17f

And a pigtail for the card
http://www.thiecom.de/shop/pigtails/artikel/pig6fme-huawei-umts-karten/

If you want, you can mount the antenna backwards in front of an MMDS dish and increase the range to 4 miles.

DVDMAN

your modem or modem/router can make a big difference if the line has a high amount of noise on it, try a different brand. i heard modem/routers are better than just modems

niallb

FarSide wrote:

If you want, you can mount the antenna backwards in front of an MMDS dish and increase the range to 4 miles.

I'm getting well over twice that distance with a fairly reliable 200+k speed.
I did use a dish to help locate the best spot for the included antenna, and it
helps the card lock on, but in general use, it's not necessary.
I've also found that the older E618 vodafone card gives a stronger signal
than the newer (1.8Mbs capable) E620.

I'm in a sparsely populated area.
In areas with more users, your distance will drop drastically.

godskitchen

FarSide wrote:

You certainly can...
With one of these
http://www.thiecom.de/shop/umts-antennen/artikel/slp15-umts-richtantenne/?sid=37589b7e3512ba206d1906f78a15f17f

And a pigtail for the card
http://www.thiecom.de/shop/pigtails/artikel/pig6fme-huawei-umts-karten/

If you want, you can mount the antenna backwards in front of an MMDS dish and increase the range to 4 miles.

I am getting 3bars of 3G signal from 8 miles away with the above kit.

Patrickof

Niallb, you don't by any chance have a spare E620 that your not using then?

PM if you're willing to swap it for some nice crisp euros.

(I can get one off Voda but only if I tie into another 12 months)

niallb

Nope, I'll be using it when I get a better antenna, or when they 3G enable
a mast nearer to me!