Rock and a Hard Spot

[herbinredbluff]

I'm a new customer. Ordered the two year special and was thrilled with shipping, talking with a human and how simple it was to install. It did install and was up and running within 15 minutes (it could have been 10 but I finished my coffee first). So rating the company and service I'd go with a 9-10.

The problem is bandwidth (I think). We live in the country and are using satellite (Wild Blue). I can call a number or that number can call me (we used our AT&T phone), but as soon as the connection is made it begins breaking up. What I think is happening is I'm getting interruptions loading information up or down on my Internet link. I think I'm just shy of the minimum needed but I can't tell. Any suggestion?

I'd really like to keep the voipo service

[christcorp]

Bandwidth COULD be PART of the problem, but your biggest problem is LATENCY. Latency is the TIME IT TAKES for a packet to go from one end to the other. I've been working on satellite for a lot of years, and people just don't understand it. On DSL, Cable, Verizon, etc... if you are surfing and going to cnn.com or if you are using voip and your packets need to go FROM you in Denver to Chicago, that's about 1000 miles. Local calls aren't that bad. But with a satellite like Wild Blue or Directway, it leaves your home and goes 22,500 MILES STRAIGHT UP to a satellite. THEN, it comes DOWN 22,500 MILES down to the downlink facility somewhere in the United States. From there, it get's on fiber or whatever to go to the other end, such as cnn.com or the phone call you are making. Then to receive, it does it in revers and goes 22,500 miles back up to the satellite, and back DOWN another 22,500 miles to your dish. You're talking over 90,000 MILES just to send a packet and receive a reply.

So; instead of it taking 30-50 milliseconds (PING) to where you want to go; it is taking 500-2000 milliseconds. That's 1/2 to 2 SECONDS. And because this latency isn't stable, (The definition of JITTER: The difference between the HIGH and LOW of latency); it causes choppiness.

Now; I have installed a VOIP on a Directway satellite. If you INCREASE the buffers, you can get rid of the choppiness. But you will never get rid of the delay. You will speak, and it will take 1-2 seconds for the other person to hear you. And the same when they speak to you.

If you have ANY OTHER OPTION for a phone, TAKE IT. Don't use VOIP on a satellite system. If you don't have any other option, then it's better than nothing. If you can use cellular or regular Ma Bell POTS telephone, you should definitely use it. Especially in case of a 9-11 call. And while voip, and VoipO are definitely less expensive compared to traditional phone, digital cable phone, and cell phone; there's more to like than saving $30-$40. If you really are stuck in the boonies, there are "SATELLITE PHONE" systems. These are NOT THE SAME THING as putting voip on Wild Blue. Satellite phone uses LOW ORBIT SATELLITES. In other words, the signal isn't going 22,500 miles. PLUS, the most important thing is, the signal isn't going on the internet and trying to compete. It's dedicated to phone and handled by a company just for phone. There are many companies that provide these types of phone.

If a phone is important to you, look at these other options. If phone is just for convenience, then tweek away and have fun.

[herbinredbluff]

Mike,

Thanks for the reply. It does make sense and it almost seems like I should have known that but I wasn't thinking when I ordered. Phone Satellites would be too expensive but thanks for the suggestion. Anyway, Thanks loads for the feedback and suggestions.

Herb
Vet 1963-69

[redoneusa]

Frankly the chances of it working to the quality most people receive is slim to none. Of course you could always move!

[christcorp]

Actually, I've been able to get some really good voice quality using satellite. But the one thing you can't get rid of is 90,000+ miles of DELAY. I've had 2 phones side by side talking to each other and there was like a 2 second delay between talking and the other phone hearing it. But the quality was fine. i remember when I was much younger and stationed in Europe and using a public phone to call my parents back in the USA. There was a similar delay. Satellite has crappy delay; but quality can be good if you know what you're doing. If it's just a phone for convenience and you understand it's shortcomings, it's fine. If you are expecting the same as regular pots service, then no, it's never going to be that good. It can't. Not at 90,000 miles away.