We are finally getting choices for
Internet Access here in Bandera County. The days of long distance calls
to log on are over with. Most providers offer unlimited access these
days. If they do not offer unlimited access, you may want to shop
around. Below are the ones we know about. Many more are on the way. Feel
free to email us if you have questions you can't seem to get
answered.
Depending on where you live, you may be
able to use the following providers:
All of the companies listed above offer modem access
over a phone line. Many are beginning to offer faster connections
depending on where you live and what phone company you
use.
Note: Hill Country Telephone now
offers satellite internet service on the Hughes platform which is the
same as DirecPC. The pros and cons are the same as below but pricing is
less and you get a free dial up. See below for
details:
Internet Satellite
Service:
Companies like Direct PC and Starband offer high speed access but
it's still a bit pricey. Both Direct PC and Starband are two-way
services, so no phone line is required. We have been using
Starband since it became available in early 2001 with fairly good
results but there are definite limitations you should be aware of before
chunking down the sizable investment it takes to get up and running.
Even though there are two different companies, both are very similar in
the pros and cons when deciding to go this route. With this being the
second year for this new type of internet service, you can expect price
drops and service improvements. Here's the low down:
Due to a severe latency from the time it takes to get
up to orbit and back, you can expect the following:
No VPN
No online gaming except some card games
(no Quake type games)
No Internet phones
No service in hard rains,
ice or snow
Very slow upload, not any faster than dial up
Some
chat programs will not work due to high ping times
Upload averages 30Kbps to 40Kbps or 3KB/sec to
5KB/sec
(uploading a 1 meg file will take about 4minutes)
Download averages 500Kbps to 650Kbps or 60KB/sec to
80KB/sec
(downloading a 1 meg file will take about 10
seconds)
Price (approximate and subject to change):
Starband:
Installation and equipment - $650.00 to
$800.00
Monthly charges - $79.00
DirecPC:
Installation and equipment - $650.00 to
$800.00
Monthly charges - $70.00
Hill Country Telephone:
Installation and equipment - $650.00 to $800.00 and
they will let you pay it off on your phone bill...
Monthly charges -
$49.00 and a free local dial up for bad weather...
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