Just shows what I don't understand; I thought those aspects were well covered in the link(s)!
No ISP will guarantee bandwidth/speed or set a minimum bandwidth/speed; most will specify "up to". Satellite ISPs certainly will. And the volume limit is given.
I am a serious geek, an extremely heavy internet user and, possibly, need to get a life
My monthly bandwidth usage is between 7GB and 25GB depending upon a number of factors.
As I will soon be fulltiming, I am changing my business model so that it is virtually all on-line. A lot of items will become automated and handled by the servers, so that will (should) reduce bandwidth requirements to hopefully around 3GB a month with the occasional blip of up to 10GB. I also require VoIP of the SIP variety not just Skype.
I have researched the use of mobile broadband and although, in the UK, we can purchase systems that allow up to 10GB a month, in France this is not available. I haven't checked Spain. Therefore I have to look at an alternative, Satellite. Although the business will be picking up the "tab", funds do not stretch to those required to use BGAN etc.
As the Alden system looks feasible, I need more information about it, especially how reliable it is; what the "actual" upload and download speeds are (not those stated by the literature); what the "fair use" policy is; etc. etc.
So I would be very interested to hear from anyone who has one of these systems, especially if they have used it on the continent.
JQL, if you're still looking for information on the Netmaster, I'd be surprised if I can't help you. RoadPro is, after all, the distributor in the U.K.
The problem with the Internet and Mobile Broadband is that most Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have what is known as an Acceptable Use Policy (AUP). This basically states that although they say you can download as much as you want, in practice, you can’t there are very strict limits.
Alden’s AUP is very simple:
Quote:
FAIR USE OF BANDWIDTH
Although the network is designed to make efficient use of the satellite bandwidth, additional rules are implemented to provide a real broadband experience for most of the users.
The bandwidth is always equally shared between all users of the same type of service; this means that a minority of users cannot block the service for the majority of the users.
Especially in peak times some bandwidth consuming applications are shaped in order to keep the overall service quality, e.g.
- Peer to peer applications including Skype
- Heavy download activities
- Unicast video streaming
This does not mean that those applications won´t work, but speed and quality might be reduced.
In a nutshell, you can use it as much as you like for whatever you like (including VoIP) but at certain times of the day it will be slow. No one else offers this level of service at anywhere near the same price.
Having read the alden netmaster[MHF Link] Manual based on the current information in the Manual, AUP and other information from Alden and other website this device looks to be the best system for those want Home User Internet and Satellite TV access in and around Europe.
When you look at the price of Satellite TV dishes for mobile homes, those that are “self seeking” i.e. find the satellite themselves, are in the region of £1,600 to £2,000 fully installed. To have the same system but with the addition of Internet is about £3,250 fully installed. On top of that you receive 40 days free Internet Access.
The Access packages that are available with the Alden system are quite reasonable. Currently: 730 Euros for 1 year, 355 Euros for 100 days (or part of a day) during a period of 2 years, 210 Euros for 40 days (or part of a day) during a period of 1 year. Additional time can be purchased via the Internet or by phone.
If you are “Full Timing” in and around Europe, this makes your Internet Access about £40.00 a month based on current exchange rates.
The speeds aren't blistering - on a par with 1MB broadband and the speed will drop dramatically at busy times. Use it outside of the busy times (usually between 18:00 and 21:00 weekdays) and you have what seems to be a very acceptable system.
There is one real bonus with this system, Voice over IP (VoIP). You can use Skype to stay in touch, Phone Home for free or minimal cost.
There are downsides. The startup costs are high and you can’t surf the internet and watch TV at the same time.
You can use the Netmaster to watch TV and surf the web at the same time if you use a little thing called a Slingbox. I'm actually writing this while watching a film on Film 4.
Slingbox connects directly to your TV aerial or a digibox at home and allows you to control the digibox from your computer, via the web, anywhere in the world. The Slingbox has its own basic Freeview receiver and you can use it as a standalone unit - that's what I do.
This means that you can now watch BBC & ITV - or anything else that you can watch at home - anywhere in the world where you can access the web. I've even used my phone to watch TV. It works very, very well although picture quality varies according to the speed of the connection.
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