Satellite Internet?

[stretch]

I live in Las Terrenas and I am in negotiations to accept a job to teach specialized online IT courses. I already have Claro fibre-optic installed in my house. It is quite stable, but every once in a while a truck hits a line somewhere and we go without internet for a day or two. This is not an option for me because the institution I will be teaching for cannot replace the instructor mid-course, as it is a specialized course. I need to have a backup internet connection. Has anyone had any success with a satellite internet connection in Las Terrenas or in the NE corner of the country?

 

[AlterEgo]

Starlink is coming. There’s a thread about it.

STARLINK is getting closer......

https://actualidad.rt.com/actualidad/371314-filtran-precios-internet-satelital-starlink?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=all For that price I'm in. (for English version click top right)

dr1.com

 

[MiamiDRGuy]

Starlink is coming. There’s a thread about it.

STARLINK is getting closer......

https://actualidad.rt.com/actualidad/371314-filtran-precios-internet-satelital-starlink?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=all For that price I'm in. (for English version click top right)

dr1.com

When it becomes fully available, I'm going to order one. I'm tired of Claro BS, paying $2600RD for 20Mpbs but my wife always get 1-2Mpbs if your LUCKY!

Time for me to ditch Claro

 

[beeza]

I live in Las Terrenas and I am in negotiations to accept a job to teach specialized online IT courses. I already have Claro fibre-optic installed in my house. It is quite stable, but every once in a while a truck hits a line somewhere and we go without internet for a day or two. This is not an option for me because the institution I will be teaching for cannot replace the instructor mid-course, as it is a specialized course. I need to have a backup internet connection. Has anyone had any success with a satellite internet connection in Las Terrenas or in the NE corner of the country?

I'm in the exact same situation. Covid has changed me from being an engineer to an instructor and I conduct classes online with Zoom. I have fibre cable from Delancer in Sosua and the truck has hit the pole a few times during my new career and is quite frustrating. I have a 4G cellular modem as my backup, but Zoom consumes the MBs and can be costly.

Can't wait for Mr Musk to complete his world domination of satellite internet. I will be of the early adopters as soon as it's available here.

 

[Bred]

They will have to improve the antennas first.

Starlink dishes go into “thermal shutdown” once they hit 122° Fahrenheit

This is going to be a big problem here. First you have to pay US$500 for the equipment plus shipping, plus whatever tax ADUANA wants to charge for it. Then when the dish breaks under warranty what are you going to do with it? Ship it back to the USA? How much? Then pay for shipping and ADUANA again? That's going to be an expensive toy.

I paid my $99 deposit to StarLink earlier in April, as well as several of my friends here did. After reading the above reports I am now thinking to cancel my order and get my deposit back, unless StarLink improves the current antennas.

 

[windeguy]

Virtually nobody will pay to ship such an item back to the US. That kind of shipping from here to the USA is not a good option at all. I suspect the same thing applies to most countries , so if the only repair center is in the USA, this won't be a good option until the dishes have improved circuitry and can remain stationary and reliable for years after enough satellites are launched. Motors and salt air are are bad enough of a combination for those near the coast in the Tropics, but temperature shutdowns at 122 degrees F seems untenable in many parts of the world. It will depend on what circuits are unable to function at higher temps as to how this eventually plays out.

As an electronic design engineer, the above issues are one reason I am not an early adopter of new technology.

From the article and I quote: " SpaceX will need to make "a significant hardware revision for the commercial launch." He called it "a really tricky engineering problem with some insanely tight constraints."

Yep, they should have had that in mind from day 1. Such a heat problem is a BIG problem.

 

[NALs]

I think Wind offers that service, but I'm not sure. Don't know anyone with them, but have seen their commercials on TV and on billboards. You should look into that.

 

[JD Jones]

I think Wind offers that service, but I'm not sure. Don't know anyone with them, but have seen their commercials on TV and on billboards. You should look into that.

Which service are you referring to NALs?

I'm ready to jump on any service that offers connectivity. One would think somebody here would have internet service via microwave. How hard how that be?

 

[NALs]

I think its called Wind Telecom.

 

[CristoRey]

I think Wind offers that service, but I'm not sure. Don't know anyone with them, but have seen their commercials on TV and on billboards. You should look into that.

I used Wind when living in SDE back in 2014. At the time they were the best option available. Worked without any issues aside from having to reset the modem after the occasional update.
For Santiago I think Claro fiber optic is the lesser of the two evils.

 

[XTraveller]

You should check your cell provider, wither Claro or Altice if you have a strong enough signal. You can buy data for 1 day upto 5 days unlimited (Claro for 1 day 50 pesos or 5 days 140 pesos). but you should check if you have 4g-LTE data available in your area. Then you can use your cell as a Hotspot. This should be good for back up when fiber goes down.

Easy and cheap to try let us know what available in your area?

 

[bachata]

You should check your cell provider, wither Claro or Altice if you have a strong enough signal. You can buy data for 1 day upto 5 days unlimited (Claro for 1 day 50 pesos or 5 days 140 pesos). but you should check if you have 4g-LTE data available in your area. Then you can use your cell as a Hotspot. This should be good for back up when fiber goes down.

Easy and cheap to try let us know what available in your area?

That's what I did during my vacations, bough a paquetico from Claro15 days unlimited.
Work just fine everywhere I was.
Santiago / Punta Caña / Sosua/ Jarabacoa etc.

JJ

 

[JD Jones]

They will have to improve the antennas first.

Starlink dishes go into “thermal shutdown” once they hit 122° Fahrenheit

This is going to be a big problem here. First you have to pay US$500 for the equipment plus shipping, plus whatever tax ADUANA wants to charge for it. Then when the dish breaks under warranty what are you going to do with it? Ship it back to the USA? How much? Then pay for shipping and ADUANA again? That's going to be an expensive toy.

I paid my $99 deposit to StarLink earlier in April, as well as several of my friends here did. After reading the above reports I am now thinking to cancel my order and get my deposit back, unless StarLink improves the current antennas.

Ask and ye shall receive:

SpaceX previews ruggedized Starlink dish for vehicles, ships, and aircraft

Dish built for extreme heat and cold with "improved snow/ice melt capabilities."

arstechnica.com

 

[windeguy]

Ask and ye shall receive:

SpaceX previews ruggedized Starlink dish for vehicles, ships, and aircraft

Dish built for extreme heat and cold with "improved snow/ice melt capabilities."

arstechnica.com

I guess if your house moves, that will work.

Or if you have a stationary house, can you still get the dish designed for vehicles?

 

[JD Jones]

I guess if your house moves, that will work.

Or if you have a stationary house, can you still get the dish designed for vehicles?

I know you're just joking, but this move is the first step towards not having to register a fixed address for a dish which you currently have to do.

On the Reddit Starlink sub, various persons have mentioned the problem with overheating and say they have fixed the problem by placing a sprinkler nearby.

Whatever works, I guess.

 

[windeguy]

I know you're just joking, but this move is the first step towards not having to register a fixed address for a dish which you currently have to do.

On the Reddit Starlink sub, various persons have mentioned the problem with overheating and say they have fixed the problem by placing a sprinkler nearby.

Whatever works, I guess.

Of course I was kidding.

Now, they just need to redesign the stationary dishes to survive the temperatures they need to work in.
Hopefully the technology to do that remains affordable and useful. Sprinkler option maybe? Sorry, just kidding about the sprinkler option.

 

[Sailor51]

I guess if your house moves, that will work.

Or if you have a stationary house, can you still get the dish designed for vehicles?

Receivers for vehicles are redily available now. One is a gimbled dome type for vessels. The other works pretty well on boats as it's flat to lay on deck OR the roof of the motor home. Quite pricey however.
as to heat/cold? Having it heated is a great idea in the frozen north. Pretecting it form to much? Yeah hose the thing down if you wish. But how many live in a desert?
p.s. now available in 51 countries.

 

[AlterEgo]

SpaceX Starlink customers who paid a $100 deposit 7 months ago are frustrated at being unable to contact customer service to see when their kits will arrive

SpaceX's Starlink told the customers that they'd get the kit between mid to late 2021, but they can't find a customer-support contact for an update.

www.businessinsider.com

 

[JD Jones]

SpaceX Starlink customers who paid a $100 deposit 7 months ago are frustrated at being unable to contact customer service to see when their kits will arrive

SpaceX's Starlink told the customers that they'd get the kit between mid to late 2021, but they can't find a customer-support contact for an update.

www.businessinsider.com

I bet that's because of the improvements they're making to the design of the original dish they've been posting about. When I did mine, they indicated it would be available at the beginning of 2022. I assume that to mean 1st quarter.

It can't come soon enough - the connection I have is atrocious.

 

[windeguy]

I bet that's because of the improvements they're making to the design of the original dish they've been posting about. When I did mine, they indicated it would be available at the beginning of 2022. I assume that to mean 1st quarter.

It can't come soon enough - the connection I have is atrocious.

Now you know why, as an electronics design engineer, I am a late adapter of new technology. The digital parts of that embedded technology of what is in those dishes is something like I would have worked on back in the day.. The analog parts would have been some other design teams job. The electromechanical issues and software being yet other teams responsibilities. Dealing with the temperature extremes such a disk must withstand is NOT s simple task for a commercial mass produced product.

But you are still paying for atrocious service, no? In the hopes the new dish design will fix the problem and actually last for a reasonable period of time.

Is the replacement dish free?