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Posted 3 years ago
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GabeU, Champion
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Brian, Champion
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Satellite serves a niche market. Primarily, people who don't live near hard wired ISPs. I live in a Washington, DC suburb. A place you'd think would have pretty universal access to high speed service. I get dial-up or satellite. If I had access to cable or even DSL I'd switch.
I wonder why you decided on satellite in the first place?
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Brian, Champion
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I think you'll find the same problems with any (the other?) satellite provider.
Best wishes with the alternatives.
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Diana, Viasat Employee
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A new install,l such as yours, might be the problem as well. I'm going through a sort-of re-install myself.
Some of the problems I've found in my initial installation that has given me no or sporadic service or, I believe, interference and slow service are:
1. The cable they used to install is 'copper clad steel' and not 'solid copper core'. The solid copper is more important on exede that Dish or DirectTv because of the voltage/amperage it uses.
2. Loose connection. The connection to the TRIA was only finger tight.
3. Water in an outside connection. One of my fittings had just a little bit of moisture inside, wiped it dry and between that and the loose connection my service was restored.
4. No grounding block on the cable. The going theory is that static can build up on the Dish, just with wind blowing across it, and without draining that static charge off it can effect the reception.
Can't do much about your cable, it is what it is.
If you feel comfortable with checking all the cable fittings you may want to do that and see if it helps, take them apart and make sure there is no water/moisture inside then put together wrench tight.
See if there is a grounding block on the line and if there is check to make sure the ground wire is actually going to a true ground source. (Funny story, the first time I got Dish Network the installer guy installed a ground block and it looked official and everything but the ground wire only stuck in the ground about an inch)
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If you using Apple stuff the iCloud syncing thing can use lot background bandwidth.
GabeU, Champion
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If it's compressed data it's even worse, as the MBs are so much smaller and can fit through smaller cracks and such.

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GabeU, Champion
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I think when it's installed in the home it needs to be under "one way" glass, as one time I put mine in a hermetically sealed greenhouse to keep the pressure even, but the MBs were bouncing off of the glass. I collected as many as I could, but I know many of them were still on the ground and got kicked up by the lawn mower, gone forever.
Satellite based internet is great for those of us that can't get a ground based alternative, but it sure is a lot of work.
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Gwalk900, Champion
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. "When he is not sitting at his computer, he puts it in hibernation."
And therein lays the issue.
It is not only Windows Update that uses data in the background. Your computer has 65.536 comm ports.
Windows, including Win7 and 8.1 now collect data from your system and are kind enough to share it with Microsoft in the form of "telemetry".
If you have a Nvidia graphic card or chip, that latest driver update shares a tremendous amount of data, again in the guise of telemetry. If by chance you are running AVG antivirus software they have changed their terms of service and not collect and upload a rather large amount of data ... your data.
Unless you have a router that reports data used per device, you really have no idea what device and what programs and background processes on the those computers and devices are connecting and using data.
Let me give you an example:
Wife's seldom used iPad. Deader than a doornail. I charged it up, entered the new wireless passkey so it could access the router I installed a few months back.
Once charged, it "shut down" ... black screen, never opened, never "turned on", never accessed ... just left dormant.
My router tracks data usage per defined date period, per device and includes times of connection, where it connected to and the amount of data used.
So lets look at the "hibernating" ... screen is black iPad:
(click on picture for larger image)
In this rolling 24 hour period this device NEVER totally dropped its connection .... it continued to use data as it performed a number of background functions.
Moral of this story?
You never really KNOW what is connected to your Network unless you monitor at the heart of your Network ... the Router.
I can think of three different kinds of "off" plus computer behavior that is the result of BOIS settings that include Wake On Ring and Wake on LAN ... and those would be from a totally powered off state.
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Gwalk900, Champion
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Don't power off the Router (or the Modem for that matter) , simply disconnect the Ethernet (LAN) (cable between the router and the modem) at the rear of the Modem.
When you dump the power to either device you will wipe out valuable internal logs that may actually HELP you in determining various issues.
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Gwalk900, Champion
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Hi JenniB15,
It can be a BEAST to find the root cause of a "data leak" and I mean that!
I have very limited experience with a Mac's .. so that is real downside for me. There is the built-in Activity Monitor app but it is soooo limited.
I build and repair computers (my main self-built machine has 10 internal hard drives and 5 different selectable operating systems) and I have to say that some programs are hard to tame. Example: Garmin Express .. the updater software for my GPS ... you can't MAKE that thing behave .. I could show you the settings screenshots. Software does not always do as its told.
Usually I would recommend the free version of Glasswire to track usage on a given computer but ... that is Windows only so far. They plan on a Mac release but it hasn't happened yet.
But even that only measures data used at a single point.. and if you have a router installed you have many more than a "single point" of potential connectivity.
Routers are ... somewhat complex devices and manufactures make choices of internal default settings that tend to favor the majority ... that is ground based broadband unmetered connections such as Cable, FIOS a good DSL connection and perhaps extend to WISP and some Cellular connections.
A novice user is likely to use the "connection genie" application in their router to set up their network connection and that "genie" is not very good at making "setting" decisions on a high latency data capped satellite connection.
You also have a added issue being off grid an powering off your modem and it has to do with the "accuracy" of the ISP's usage meter.
There is a .... communications "loop" that exists in a satellite connection that has no counter-part in ground based Internet connections.
That "Loop" consists of the Modem> the ODU (Out Door Unit)> The satellite and finally the groundside Gateway:
The Modem, when powered up, is in constant communication with the Gateway ... on two levels....
One level will be your connection to the Internet ...
The second level can be thought of as "command and control".
To do that second job, command and control, the modem needs to be in constant communication with the Gateway. Part of that communication is an exchange of usage information.
The usage meter is not ... real time .. it is not instantaneous.
The modem will store information on data you have used .. and upload that info to the Gateway where it is then recorded, the "usage meter" updated and the now ...."current" usage level is then downloaded to the Modem for you to see your usage status ... and there is a "delay" ...
If you have some background processes running and they are using data .... that data is noted by the Modem and it will be uploaded to the Gateway on the next "Command and Control" duty cycle.
If you pull the power plug from the modem before it has a chance to upload data for the duty cycle ... the Gateway will report a usage level that is not accurate.
It will not become accurate until the Modem is again powered up ... the command and control cycle is ran and the Modem and Gateway once again are in "Sync".
It is not done in Real Time and breaking sync will make it appear that data was used while disconnected.
Main points are: Synchronization (maintaining a timely report cycle) and understanding that a single computer has the ability to access a network connection on unseen level.
Your ISP measures the data used at the modem, accurate to the successful completion of the latest Command and Control duty cycle.
Power off the modem, you break the Loop, and the accuracy of the usage meter is shot until "sync" is reestablished.
Your ISP is going to measure data used at the point of the Modem.
With no other evidence ... you have to accept that usage .. what devices were connected and how much data was used.
If you have a "loss", that is to say unidentified usage, you need to have counterpoint to your ISP's claim.
The only real reliable place to use as a alternative measuring point is at the other end of the Ethernet cable ... your Router.
Every bit and byte of data that goes through your Modem, other than Command and Control (not counted against your allowance) and "retransmission" errors (counted against your data) have to travel thorough your Router.
Your Router is the place to get the very best comparison to your ISP's usage claims.
Again, Routers are very complex devices ... and they have a wide range of Bells &Whistles.
They, depending on internal settings can use a considerable amount of data all on their own!.
Check you Routers settings .. mine has "features" than can use upwards of 500 MB (1/2 GB) per day in its efforts to ... protect my network and its devices.
Really nice ... if I didn't have data caps.
Unless I review my Router internal settings, I have no clue as to what is using the data.
If you are really going to see what is using your data and you have a Router, then you need one that has a Traffic Analyzer function.
Read you Router manual and see if this feature can be added through a Router firmware update. If not and the source of data usage is important, the purchase a Router that has the features that give you the information that you need to manage and oversee your network.
The screenshot I posted above was a built-in utility within my Router.
It is an Asus RT-AC3100.
It is frankly a little pricey .. but .. there are other Asus models that are considerably less expensive and offer the same Traffic Analyzer function
Some of the models can even be found as Factory Refurbs with full factory warranty form places like newegg.com among others.
The statistics page readout looks like this:
Daily usage read-out per device looks like this:
Like I said, the 3100 is a bit pricey but other models have that same Traffic Analyzer function.
These are the list of Models that I know that do:
I'm sure that there are other brands out there available by this is the one that I have personal
GabeU, Champion
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OK, so trolling asideI apologize if my posts came off as trolling. I was only trying to add a little levity to a thread discussing a problem that can cause people considerable frustration.
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exede is a joke they keep turning my internet off when my bill isn't even due yet so they keep pissing me off then they wont get paid at all
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BTW, I actually do have access to Time Warner cable (now Spectrum). But I would have to pay them $10,400 to extend the service from my next door neighbor to my house, a total distance of about 200 yards. And, I would have to sign a three year contract.
Brian, Champion
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Your governing entity (council or board of supervisors) should have entered into an agreement with the provider giving them a monopoly in the area. Part of that monopoly agreement might include certain installation requirements (like a max amount the can charge for installation).
BTW, I'm in a similar situation. I don't have cable or DSL. The only services I can get are satellite or dial-up.
That said, I've been with Excede/Wild Blue for more than five years and always had great service. Would I prefer 150Mbs and unlimited bandwidth? Sure! But that's not the nature of where I live.
GabeU, Champion
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But I would have to pay them $10,400 to extend the service from my next door neighbor to my house, a total distance of about 200 yards.Now that's a bargain! They wanted to charge me 14K. LOL.
Gwalk900, Champion
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At least they gave you a price. They told me "not in your lifetime".
GabeU, Champion
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