Satellite Forum FAQ | DSLReports.com, ISP Information

What sort of download speed can I expect?

Most satellite broadband companies advertise speeds of "up to" 400-500kbs down. Actual download speeds very widely. Your results will depend upon your provider, transponder and gateway assignment, and your registry tweaks, among other things. But the good news is nearly everyone gets better than the advertised download speeds. One-way systems usually average in the 500-1,300kbs range and two way systems in the 600-2,000kbs range. Starband systems seem more stable in their download speeds, and DirecPC based systems seem to have more speed potential. Many DirecPC based two-way systems when fully tweaked have attained speeds in excess of 3,000kbs and average 1,500kbs - 2,500kbs. You should note however, that depending upon transponder assignment, many users with identical systems can only get download speeds in the 600-1,300kbs range.

Broadband Reports.com speed test archive

What sort of upload speed can I expect?

Generally consumer grade satellite broadband systems are advertised with upload speeds of "up to" 128kbs. One way systems come with no upload speed predictions.

In actual use, at least at this time, none of the consumer grade two-way satellite systems get upload speeds near the 128kbs suggestion. There is a wide variance in actual upload speeds from moment to moment. You can expect that most of the time the upload speed of a two way system will be in the 30kbs-80kbs range. Due to latency issues with satellite connections, most upload speed tests will show speeds lower than actual FTP uploads.

Upload speeds for one-way systems are limited by your connection to your dial-up ISP, but generally run in the 18kbs-28kbs range. No one seems to get the full upload speed available to a dial-up connection once the satellite protocol overhead is added.

Broadband Reports.com speed test archive

What are the average ping times for satellite?

Latency for satellite connections is very high due to the distance the satellites are from earth. One-way systems typically get pings in the 400-500ms range with 450ms about average and two-way systems in the 690-1150ms range, with 850ms about average.

Who provides these services?

There are many companies that offer satellite services. You will get a very comprehensive list by clicking on the link to "Google's list of Satellite Access Providers" at the top of the forum. But there are basically two major providers that provide the vast majority of consumer satellite broadband services. They are Hughes Network Systems which provides the DirecPC/DirecWay services and Gilat that provides Starband. Hughes uses "Powered By" partners (AKA "VAR" or "value added reseller") to re-sell their services. Examples of those would be Earthlink, LinCsat (in Canada), Ground Control and Skycasters. While systems purchased from a "powered by" partner may be assigned a transponder and gateway that are unique to that partner, the service is provided by Hughes. Technical support for the product, at least at the lower tiers, is provided by the partner.

The list of providers below was compiled by Satellite Forum Users

It is not necessarily complete nor does it imply a preference for any particular provider. The prices listed should be taken as ballpark figures as prices and offers vary by provider and are constantly changing.

Provider name: DirecWay Standard

•FAP Limit: 169 MB (4 hours)•Monthly Cost: $59.99•Installation Cost:•ACTIVATION FEE: WAIVED•Hardware Cost: $599.98•Term Commitment (contract): 12 months•Early Termination Penalty: $399.99
Provider name: DirecWay Professional

•FAP Limit: 350 MB (4 hours)•Monthly Cost: $89.99•Installation Cost:•ACTIVATION FEE: $100 •Hardware Cost: $599.98•Term Commitment (contract): 12 months•Early Termination Penalty: $399.99•* Public IP included
Provider name: Earthlink

•FAP Limit: 169 MB (4 hours)•Monthly Cost: $69.95•Installation Cost: $249.95•Hardware Cost: $649.95•Term Commitment (contract): 12 months•Early Termination Penalty: $399.99•* 20 hours/mo backup dialup included•* 8 mailboxes
Provider name: Skycasters - DW4020

•FAP Limit: (information not available on website)•Monthly Cost: $119•Installation Cost: $200•Hardware Cost: $999 (on sale)•Term Commitment (contract): (information not available on website)•Early Termination Penalty: $500 •*Public IP available for an extra $10/month.
Provider name: Ground Control

•No FAP - DW4020 (does not appear to be available any longer) •FAP Limit: 500 Mb - DW4000;•800 & 1000 Mb FAP available too•Monthly Cost: $115 - DW4020; •Monthly Cost: $99 - DW4000•Installation Cost:•Hardware Cost:•Term Commitment (contract):•Early Termination Penalty: (information not available on website)•*Public IP included at no extra charge.
Provider name: Optistreams - 4020

•FAP Limit: 500 mb (in 4 hours)•Monthly Cost: $99•Installation Cost: $200•Hardware Cost: $1395•Term Commitment (contract):•Early Termination Penalty: •*Public IP available for an extra $10/month.
Provider name: net2dish

Provider name: Starband

•FAP Limit: Starband does not seem to have a FAP policy, but may have a Reasonable Use Policy•Monthly Cost: $39.99 to $169.99 (depending on equipment, level of service and term of contract)•Installation Cost: set by the installer•Hardware Cost: Starband 360 - $199.99 + S/H (3-year contract) - $699.99 + S/H (with no contract)•Hardware Cost: Starband 480 - $599.99 + S/H (3-year contract) - $899.99 + S/H (no contract)•Term Commitment (contract): 0 to 3 years)•Early Termination Penalty: Up to $599 for cancelling within the first year, to $99 for cancelling in the third year of a three-year contract•*Public IP included with small office plans.
Provider name: Internet Satellite Platform (Isat)
(resellers, Cband, IWC, Isomedia, and others) - one-way satellite service

•FAP Limit: incredibly restrictive Reasonable Use Policy (read the fine print)•Monthly Cost: varies by plan, but is roughly $30 - $50•Installation Cost: ?•Hardware Cost: $125•Term Commitment (contract): ?•Early Termination Penalty: ?

Other Providers
WildBlue - now providing service
LinCsat - Canada
C-Com - Canada (also offers mobile satellite Internet)
GeoStar Satellite - DW4020 and mobile systems
MotoSat - mobile satellite systems (including Internet)
Galaxy Broadband Communications - Canada
Today's Television - Puerto Rico
O'Rourke Distributing - Puerto Rico
AgriStar - geared towards agricultural users
National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative - offers DirecWay and Starband (geared towards rural customers)
World Communication Center - Offers DW 4000 & 4020, Starband 360 and 480 and mobile Satellite Internet

[DW4000] Can the connection be shared?

Yes. Actually it is very easy to share the satellite connection across your local area network. You won't be able to use a hardware router like you might use for a cable modem or dsl modem. Mainly, this because there is software that must be running on a "host" computer directly connected to the satellite modem for the system to work at all. So you will need to have a computer connected to the satellite modem that is on whenever anyone on the network wants to access the Internet. You will also need some kind of Internet connection sharing software. The Internet Connections Sharing (ICS) software built into all Microsoft Windows platforms from Windows 98SE up, works just fine. There are also various third party software solutions available.

For an in depth look at sharing your DW4000 Satellite connection using Internet Connection Sharing on Win98, Click HERE.

WinXP users sharing a DW4000 system go here: /faq/8237

DW6000/4020 users scroll down to the section on Self-Hosted systems. Your connection-sharing methods are different.

What does KBps and Kbps mean and how do they reflect transfer speeds?

Kilobyte (KB or K) = 1024 bytes (2 ^ 10) "binary kilobyte"
kilobyte (kB) = 1000 bytes (10 ^ 3) "decimal kilobyte"

Kilobit (Kb) = 1024 bits (2 ^ 10) "binary kilobit"
kilobit (kb) = 1000 bits (10 ^ 3) "decimal kilobit"

KBps = Kilobytes (1024 bytes) per second (binary)
kBps = kilobytes (1000 bytes) per second (decimal)

Kbps = Kilobits (1024 bits) per second (binary)
kbps = kilobits (1000 bits) per second (decimal)

bps = bits per second

Most browsers and a lot of FTP programs show transfer rates in KBps (kilobytes per second). So in order to get the approximate number of Kbps (kilobits per second) you need to know that there are 8 Kb (kilobits) in every KB (kilobyte). Thus if your browser is showing that you are downloading a file at 176 KBps you would then multiply 176 times 8 which would translate to 1,408 Kbps. The reverse can be used if your transfer rate is in Kbps then you divide that number by 8 to get your rate in KBps. Example:1400 Kbps divided by 8 equals 176 KBps transfer rate.

If you wanted to know how many bps (bits per second) you are transferring, all you need to do is a straight decimal conversion. Example: 1,408 Kbps would translate to 1,408,000 bps.

What is FAP & How does it work?

On 4/18/07 a more strict 24 hr. FAP has been implemented. We are still trying to determine the scope of the limits so until further results are clear, be aware that a FAP trip may limit your connection for approximately 24 hours.

update: the 24 hour FAP depends on your plan. Some users suggest a 170mb daily FAP, others report a 300mb FAP. It isn't clear yet how to determine the FAP and whether faster or more expensive plans give you more per day than others.

Here is the "official" Hughes Explanation:

Fair Access Policy

To ensure fair Internet access for all HughesNetTM subscribers, HUGHES� maintains a Fair Access Policy (FAP). This policy establishes an equitable balance in Internet access for HughesNet subscribers. Hughes assigns a download threshold to each service plan that limits the amount of data that may be downloaded during a typical day. A small percentage of subscribers who exceed this limit will experience a temporary reduction of speed.

Explanation:
The Fair Access Policy is straightforward. Based on an analysis of customer usage data, Hughes has established a download threshold for each of the HughesNet service plans that is well above the typical usage rates. Subscribers who exceed that threshold will experience reduced download speeds for approximately 24 hours.

During this recovery period, the HughesNet service may still be used, but speeds will be slower. Web browsing, for example, will be significantly slower than subscribers� normal browsing experience. Subscribers will return to normal download speeds after the recovery period as long as they minimize their bandwidth-intensive activities. If they continue these activities during this recovery period, reduced download speeds may continue beyond 24 hours.

FAP Threshold

OLD Bucket analogy still under investigation:

For the Home Edition, think of a bucket full of 200 MB of data, no matter how fast you drain it, once the 200 MB is gone, it's empty. Period.
It fills at a trickle rate, 50 kbps for the Home Edition so it takes approx. 8 hours to refill if you empty it.
If it fills for an hour or so, you can download another few megs until it's near empty again. The Pro & ProPlus plans have a slightly higher refill rate of 56 kbps and provide 375 or 425 megs in a full bucket.

The Small Office & Business Internet plans refill at a higher rate of 150 kbps and have a bigger bucket of 500 or 1250 meg but the same analogy applies.

Tests to date show the bucket analogy is still viable but if you reach the FAP limit for your plan, you are kept to sub dialup speeds for approximately 24 hours.

How do I find out what satellite and transponder I'm on?

For Direcway 3000/4000 Users
a. Start/Programs/DirecWay (or DirecPC)
b. right click Antenna pointing
c. select Properties
d. find the line that says Target
e. place your cursor immediately after the last letter (G)
f. push your spacebar once
g. type /manual
h. click OK

Return to Start/Programs/DirecWay (or DirecPC) and
a. launch the Antenna Pointing utility.
b. Put in your ZIP code (manual latitude/longitude is more accurate - if you know it)
c. depending on which version of software you have report the info on the next screen, or
d. report the info found on the Satellite and Transponder tabs.

There is a shorter way to do this, but because of bugs in several versions of the software, it's not always as accurate as the above technique. To see if you have the buggy software, do this:
a. find the icon down by the clock that represents your satellite connection; it's usually a DW or a NAV.
b. right click it and select About
c. select System Info
d. compare Satellite Information and Transponder information to that which you found using the Antenna Pointing utility.

For DirecWay or HughesNet 4020/6000/7000 Users
To find your satellite on a DW6000 or a DW4020 you need to open the user interface.

1. If you have your browser set to use the DW6000/4020 proxy, you need to list the user interface as an exception first. In IE go to Tools => Internet Options => Connections => Lan Settings. If "Use a Proxy Server for your LAN" is checked, then click on "Advanced". In the "Exceptions" Box, enter 192.168.0.1 Press "OK" three times.

2. In your browser enter "http://192.168.0.1" (without the quotes) as the URL. This should open the interface. Click on the "System Information" button. You will find the satellite longitude and frequency on that page.

Satellite locations, transponders & frequencies in use

In the Direcway satellite forum you see many posts about a certain transponder and optimum settings.
The frequencies we refer to in our posts are actually the down-converted (IF) frequencies coming down our coax after being converted in the LNB at the dish. The satellite frequencies transmitted and received are much higher and not easily routed to and from your sat modems.

You will find many DSLR members have added the down-converted frequencies to their signatures as well for ease of passing along our setup information.

A partial list of the satellites in use are:
AMC9 (83�)
AMC3 (87�)
IA8 or Galaxy 28 (89�)
Galaxy 11 (91�)
IA6 or Galaxy 26 (93�)
Galaxy 3C (95�)
Galaxy 16 (99�)
Satmex 6 (113�)
Satmex 5 (117�)
Galaxy 10R (123�)
Horizons 1 (127�)

Your system is set up to use 1 of these during the installation and configuration. You have no control over which one your system uses. The determination of which transponder and satellite you use is based upon your provider. Your installer can get your system moved at commissioning if there is a problem with the line of sight or signal from a certain bird.

A pdf file for reference of all satellites & transponders in use can be downloaded here:

Satellite_An···1008.pdf 87,616 bytes

10/12/08

Want to add Directv to your DirecWay System?

Directv can be added to your DiRECWAY system, by adding a DUO Kit. Choose the right kit(s) for your DiRECWAY system, based on your satellite location. Note: If using multiple Duo Kits, a multiswich will be required.

Directv Satellites

101- Primary Directv Programming
110- Local Channels (In some markets) & High Definition Programming.
119- Local Channels (In some markets) & High Definition Programming & Spanish Programming.

Duo Kits for Satellite G11 (91)

101- Duo Kit C
110- N/A
119- N/A

Duo Kits for Satellite G4R (99)

101- Duo Kit A
110- 110 LNB "Used with Duo Kit B"
119- Duo Kit B

Duo Kits for Satellite Satmex 5 (117)

101- Duo Kit B
110- 110 LNB "Used with Duo Kit B"
119- Duo Kit A

[DW4000] What Software should I use to commission my account?

On a new install, it is specifically necessary to activate your account using the software that was supplied by your Satellite Service Provider / Value Added Reseller. DirecWay is a Satellite Service Provider. Earthlink, Optistreams and MotoSat are some examples of VARs.

Failure to follow this exact path could lead to billing issues that could take months to resolve. The software installation sets up key parameters for your system including credit card numbers or a billing ID that is linked to your system.

What is the Direcway Satellite forum FTP site directory?

BroadbandReports.com supports an FTP server with a directory structure based on the different forums that are on this site. The Hosts of each forum can create and maintain a directory of useful program and\or tools associated with their topic.

The Direcway Satellite directory (sat) is primarily for BBR members who are willing to offer their applications to the world but may not have space of their own. Additionally, other applications and utilities will be added that may prove useful in your computing environment. All applications in the Direcway Satellite directory are free to use.

To access the FTP directory, you must first click on the following link provided below.

Click This Link for access!

After waiting the prescribed time, use your favorite FTP application to browse the system. You will have to login with your BBR name and password. Entries to login are case sensitive and spaces in your name (if any) should be replaced with an underscore. ( _ )

If you have a program you wish to submit, contact one of your forum hosts.

[DW4000] SRS Satellite Networking & Tweaking Guide for WinXP

This guide is designed to assist setting up ICS (Internet Connection Sharing) and tweaking a Direcway SRS 4000 Satellite connection for Windows XP users. Windows 2000 users will find this guide useful but should bear in mind that the screenshots are from Windows XP machines. If you have a Windows 98SE/ME system you will find this networking guide more useful.
NOTE: This guide assumes you have a functioning network.

Most of the information here was gathered from the Broadbandreports.com Satellite Forum and the accompanying Broadbandreports.com Satellite Forum FAQ. I take no credit for it's contents, I've simply tried to organize it into a single guide. Thanks to all in the satellite forum who have contributed to this guide!

By TweakHound

Contributors: snowman, Red Baron, wolfpac, Sat_Man, Rfsjr2, DominoKat

Setting up the Host Machine

(Thanks to snowman and DominoKat for providing the pics for this section!)

Definition: The Host machine is the computer which is connected directly to the Direcway satellite modems.

Open your Control Panel and double-click Network and Internet Connections => in the resulting window, right-click on the icon that says Direcway Satellite Connection => choose Properties => a new screen will appear, Click the Advanced tab.

in the section titled Internet Connection Sharing, check the box next to Allow other network users to connect through this computer's Internet connection.

For those without a firewall, under the section titled Internet Connection Firewall, check the box next to Protect my computer and network.

NOTE: XP's firewall, while better than nothing, is not the best. It only blocks incoming traffic, and isn't very tweakable.

A box may pop-up saying your computer will now be using a fixed IP address of 192.168.0.1 and are you sure you want to enable ICS, click Yes.

Next, open Internet Explorer => On the top menu choose Tools => Internet Options => Click on the Advanced tab => scroll down until you see HTTP 1.1 settings => insure the box next to Use HTTP 1.1 through proxy connections is UNCHECKED and close all open windows.

Although not technically necessary, I highly recommend you reboot this computer at this point.

Setting up the Client Machine(s)

Definition: A client machine is any computer on your network that you wish to access the internet through the host computer's DirecWay connection.

Open your Control Panel and double-click Network Connections => in the resulting window, right-click on the icon that says Local Area Connection => choose Properties => under the General tab click (once) on Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and choose Properties.

Option 1: Using DHCP

Under the General tab, insure that the button that says Obtain IP address automatically is highlighted => click the button next to Use the following DNS server addresses => in the Preferred DNS server box type 192.168.0.1 => in the Alternate DNS server box type 198.77.116.8

Option 2: Using Static IP addressing.

Another way of assigning IP addresses is to use a static IP addresses. This allows for a faster startup and dispenses with DHCP service from the host PC. The IP address you use must be between 192.168.0.2 and 192.168.0.254 with a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0.

NOTE: No two devices on your network can have the same IP address (and this includes any router, WAP or gateway you might be using) so it's a good idea to write them down as you set them up.

Option 1: Using DHCP (Obtain an IP address automatically)
(see image below)

Option 2: Using a Static IP Address (Use the following IP address)
(see image below)

Now click the Advanced tab => In the IP Settings window and under the section that says Default gateways, click the Add button...

type 192.168.0.1 and click Add =>

Now go back to the top and click the DNS tab => towards the bottom, in the box that says DNS suffix for this connection, type direcway.com , insure that the box next to Register this connection's address in DNS is checked Click OK to exit out of all windows. We aren't done yet!

Open Internet Explorer. In the toolbar choose Tools => Internet Options => in the resulting window, click the Connections tab => click LAN Settings

Under Proxy server, check both boxes => click on the Advanced button

In the HTTP box, under Proxy address to use type 192.168.0.1 => still in the HTTP box and under Port type 83 => in the Exceptions section, in the box labeled Do not use proxy server for addresses beginning with: copy and paste the following:

https; ftp; »Windowsupdate.microsoft.com; »V4.Windowsupdate.microsoft.com; »v4.Windowsupdate.microsoft.com; »Download.Windowsupdate.com

Click OK to exit out of all screens and exit out of Internet Explorer. Reboot your computer.

Open Internet Explorer => On the top menu choose Tools => Internet Options= > Click on the Advanced tab => scroll down until you see HTTP 1.1 settings => insure the box next to Use HTTP 1.1 through proxy connections is UNCHECKED and close all open windows.

Tweaks

First, download DrTCP Tweak Utility.

Next BACKUP EVERY COMPUTER YOU ARE GOING TO TWEAK. There is no excuse for not backing up.

Now the caveat. These settings ARE NOT what will work for everyone. You will have to play around with the settings to find what will work best for you. If your connection is working to your satisfaction, I suggest you leave it alone.

Open Dr. TCP. Make sure that what shows in the Adapter Settings box is the connection you connect to the internet with. For the Host PC it will be something like Satellite USB Device. For a Client machine it will be your NIC card. The settings in the picture below are what I use. See THIS FAQ article for more information about the tweak numbers and how they were arrived at.

The Settings

Choose the settings you desire and click Save and then Exit.
You should start with:

TCP Receive Window: 224360
Window Scaling: Yes
Time Stamping: No
Selective Acks: Yes
Path MTU Discovery: Yes
Black Hole Detection:No
Max Duplicate Acks: 3
TTL: 64
MTU: 1460

Optional numbers: (numbers others reported using with success)
TCP Receive Window: 224360, 256920, 474280, 513920
Max Duplicate Acks: 2, 3
TTL: 64, 128
MTU: 1460, 1500

More tweaks...

Increase the number of connections you can make: (primarily for the client machines as the DirecWay software installation has already performed this tweak on the Host PC.)

Click Start => Run => type regedit => navigate to the following keys and change the settings as listed below:
HKEY_USERS\DEFAULT\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings AND HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings
"MaxConnectionsPer1_0Server"=DWORD:00000015
"MaxConnectionsPerServer"=DWORD:00000015

Default Send/Receive Window Tweak

This tweak may or may not help your speeds. What is does is change the amount of info that is buffered before flow control kicks in. You will need to test various values to find which works best for you.

More info on this can be found in this forum thread. Please check it out before attempting this tweak. A lot of unselfish people have put in much effort to try and nail down this tweak. I am only passing on the info, this tweak is theirs and it has worked for me.

Start => Run => type regedit => Go to => HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE | SYSTEM | CurrentControlSet | Services | AFD => right-click on AFD and create a new KEY named Parameters => click Parameters => in the blank space on the right create a new DWORD value DefaultSendWindow => again in the blank space on the right create a new DWORD value DefaultReceiveWindow => Double click on these new values and enter 17a00 (hexadecimal value) to start. Both values should have the same value. Also, if you are on a home network or are part of an Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) network, all the machines on that network should have this tweak added. It will look like this:

Other values you may want to try: b000, 18000 (all values are Hex)

To undo this tweak, simply delete the Parameters key.

Browser Cache Tweak: Reduce your cache for better browsing - see THIS FAQ entry for more information.

[DW4000] SRS Satellite Networking & Tweaking Guide for Win98

The following is a step-by-step guide to create a small, home, computer network for the purpose of sharing the Hughes DW4000 2-Way Satellite Internet Connection via Microsoft's Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) software.

This guide is based on using Win98SE, a switch, as the hub, for networking the computers. The use of the new, Hughes DW4020 router or any other router application is not included in this article. The contributors include DSLReports, Satellite forum members, Watchman57, Seagreen and Amersat.

Click HERE to see the article.

WinXP users: /faq/8237

Where do the tweak numbers come from?

All of the recommended "optimal settings" were formulated by a combination of theory, long hours of testing, and results reported by DSLR members. The specifics of what the settings mean and why we set them a certain way for satellite connections follow.

By far, the most important setting is the TCP Receive Window or RWIN. The Tcp Receive Window is nothing more than a data buffer. Think of it as a bucket. Your RWIN setting determines how big the bucket is. Data is coming down from the satellite, filling the bucket. Your computer is emptying the bucket as it processes the contents. We can't let the bucket overflow, or we would have to ask the sender to re-send what got spilled on the floor. That's inefficient.

If the bucket gets empty, your computer is doing nothing, just waiting for the stream to start again, also inefficient.

The other problem is there is a lag between the time your computer says "Send more, my bucket is almost empty" or "My bucket is almost full, please stop" and the time the sender gets that message. And another lag between when the sender starts sending again or stops, and the result hits your computer. That's latency.

If the bucket is the perfect size, it is never completely full nor completely empty until there is no more stuff to send. The perfect size bucket allows your computer to send the messages at the right time such that the data stops just before the bucket fills and starts just before the bucket empties. Now you can have too large a bucket, because the sender expects to hear those messages now and then. If it doesn't hear from you, it thinks your bucket isn't getting anything at all so it keeps sending the same stuff, over and over, until it gives up on you and stops sending anything. Very inefficient!

RWIN is determined mathematically. The required variables for the equation are Maximum Potential Speed (MPS) of the line, Maximum Segment Size (MSS) of the packet and Return Trip Time (RTT)(which most people measure with "ping" tests). Depending on the type of connection, a multiplier is usually applied to RTT to account for bad ping days. But generally the simple construction of the equation would be (MPS * Average Worst RTT)/8. The result is then converted to the nearest multiple of MSS.

Selective Acks enables re-transmissions of data to consist only of lost packets, rather than entire receive windows. It is very important to enable selective acks when using large receive windows.

Window Scaling allows for RWIN values above 65535. Since Windows only allocates 2 bytes to represent the RWIN value, a value greater than 65535 cannot be represented. By turning Window Scaling on, a scaling factor is applied to the value found in the two bytes to represent larger numbers.

TTL is Time To Live and determines how many hops a packet is allowed to take before being declared lost. If the value is too small, unnecessary packet loss occurs as packets that just haven't reached their destination are lost. If it's too large, then too much time is spent waiting on packets that are truly lost.

Time Stamping: Time stamping adds timing header information to each packet so that Windows can calculate RTT on the fly and use this information to estimate the best points in the empty/full cycle of the receive window to send AKS. Logic would say that would have to make a Long Fat Pipe (meaning high latency, high speed) connection such as satellite more efficient. The reality is that with DirecPC/DirecWay based systems, while it slightly but measurably increases speed, it also prevents certain web sites from loading correctly and can make some email attachments cause email to hang. So the recommendation is for it to be off for DPC, because a number of us have had problems with it turned on.

Path MTU Discovery: This setting changes your MTU on the fly to match the smallest MTU on your path to the server you are communicating with. Testing has shown that tunring it on can, in some cases significantly improve upload speed on two-way systems. Please note that you may notice little or no difference in upload speed "tests" as the file size used on test sites (about 50KBS) is just too small to measure the speed without being skewed by the high latency of a satellite system. To more accurately measure your results, use an FTP client and do an FTP upload to a server of a 750KB file or larger.

Black Hole Detection: Does absolutely nothing if Path MTU Discovery is disabled, may cause problems even when it is enabled...leave it off

Max Dup Acks: Valid values are 1, 2 or 3. Win2k defaults to 2, 98 and ME default to 3. Probably makes absolutely no difference one way or another which value is chosen. It defines the number of duplicate AKS that are allowed to be sent before Windows invokes Fast Re-Transmission. This would occur in a packet loss situation. Windows gets an out of sequence ACK. It figures some packets must have been lost. It sends an ACK back for the lost packet. When the receiver sees the first ACK for a packet, then either 1, 2 or 3 more for the same packet, depending upon how max dup acks is set, it re-sends the whole segment again figuring that it must be lost...that's fast re-transmission.

Why is the latency so high?

The way a satellite stays in orbit, without using any type of engine or rocket to correct its orbit, is to gain a balance between gravity and centrifugal force. The closer to earth, the greater the gravity pulling the bird toward earth. The faster it moves, the greater the force pulling it away from the earth. It turns out that there is a spot, about 22,300 miles above the equator, where the speed an object must travel to gain equilibrium against gravity is exactly the same as the speed the earth is turning. By placing a satellite in this spot, its relative position above the earth stays constant. Satellites used for broadband internet and TV must stay in one place in the sky so that you can point your dish in one spot and get the signal. The only other alternative would be to have a constellation of satellites in a lower orbit, that would rise and fall like the sun and stars. There would need to be enough of these flying that there was always one overhead, which requires a lot of satellites, a lot of infrastructure ,and therefore a lot of money.

In the case of a two-way satellite system, when you request something by clicking on a link, or any other way, that message travels 44,600 miles just to get to the NOC. The stuff coming back to you must travel the reverse route, so the round trip is 89,200 miles. The speed of light is 186,000 miles per second in a VACUUM,slower through the atmosphere. But even if you assumed 186,000 mps then the total time taken in space travel is about 480ms. Given the atmosphere problem, it is actually more like 500ms. Add to that the terrestrial internet latency, which should be about 100ms. Also you can add delays through transponders, gateways, proxies, etc.

Software and protocols can reduce the effect of latency for certain applications, but they can't change the physics...the latency remains. For instance, by increasing the number of simultaneous TCP connections, web pages can load faster after they get started, but they will always take the same amount of time to get started. Better yet, by replacing the protocol between the NOC and the user from TCP/IP - which doesn't handle high latency well at all - to another protocol designed for long fat pipes, even more could be done to reduce the effects of high latency. No doubt, that is the future of these systems. But still, there will be a delay of somewhere around 625+ms between any interactive activities. The latency of one-way systems is obviously less, with the space travel being cut in half.

Can I tweak something to reduce latency?

No.

What do I need to know to self install my Dial-Return system?

You can save money up front by purchasing the basic Dial Return (one way) system WITHOUT installation hardware. If you pay somebody to put it up for you, get a fixed price right up front and insist they include at least one free call back in the first 30 days following installation. In the long run it's cheaper to buy the system WITH installation hardware, and do it yourself. If you don't have an ISP, you should chose one NOW. Either elect to use DirecPC (easiest installation), or a local ISP (more benefits) that supports IP tunneling. Doing this now avoids complications later in the setup.

The contents of the installation kit are pretty basic. Plan on going to Radio Shack to make up the difference between what you want - and what they provide. A curved mounting pole and bracket should be included; for rooftop or outside wall mounting. I never used mine, favoring instead an section of 2 3/8" (OD) steel pipe. Get a piece long enough to have six feet above ground, and the other end buried a foot below local frost level. Anchor it with at least one bag of Quikrete or Sacrete mix. No water, just pour it straight out of the bag, and top off the hole with dirt. Nothing wrong with mounting it up on your tall house, but remember that - where ever you park it - a couple of times a year you might have to repoint the dish after a big wind. And in many areas, cleaning off snow and ice is a constant concern. Bottom line: plan your mounting location with accessibility in mind. Even if you're not in a windy area, consider guywires. They will definitely make fine tuning the AZ/EL/POL (that comes later) much easier.

A carpenter's level at least 24" long - 48" is better if you do the steel pipe - will help ensure the mount is plumb and level BEFORE you permanently fasten it down. If you start off with a crooked mount, the Azimuth/Elevation/Polarization gradients on the antenna brackets won't do you any good. Directions for selecting the antenna site, and ultimately mounting/pointing the antenna, are included with the installation kit. But there's an inconvenient Catch-22 here - about pointing angles. The installation instructions say to install the antenna, then install the software. Only problem with that is - the antenna pointing angles are provided to you by the software. To get around that, download SatFinder (free) from here. Use the calculated azimuth and elevation numbers as starting points, and use a polarization start point of zero. A lensatic compass is also really handy - to find the starting azimith angle, and a carpenter's rafter square works real good to find the starting elevation angle.

The coaxial cable and connectors provided are cheap interior grade stuff. But having said that, there's nothing wrong with using THAT stuff - inside. Hughes is considerate enough to include a tube of silicone sealant. Use that generously outside, or consider buying exterior data grade. They also provide only about 9' of ground wire. DO NOT be tempted just to put a ground stake out by the antenna. Even if it means buying more ground wire, it's important to bring all grounds back to common HOUSE GROUND - normally right under your electric meter.

Instructions for installing the modem (they call it an IRU, or receive adapter) and the software are pretty good. Something they don't tell you - is how HOT the IRU can get. Set it on its side - skinny side up - in a place where there is GOOD AIRFLOW. Hook everything up EXCEPT the USB cable behind the IRU - then install the software. During the installation there will be a screen prompt, at which time you can then plug the USB cable into the rear of the IRU.

When the installation software gets to WebSetup, you'll see how good your initial antenna pointing job was. This is where the AZ/EL/POL fine tuning starts. At this point it's REALLY handy to have somebody at the computer telling you colors and numbers, as you're out at the antenna moving it around. Remember SLOW IS BEST, no more than one degree at a time. First thing you want is to get a signal "in the green". Don't waste time chasing any red ones or yellow ones - they're probably the wrong satellite. Once you "go green" - and begin fine tuning - BE PATIENT. You're trying to home in on a pencil beam. Move it too fast, and the computer software can't keep up. Fine tune AZ first, and partially tighten it down. Fine tune the EL next, same thing. Fine tune the POL last, WebSetup will tell you to rotate to the positive or negative side of the scale - then LOCK POL down. Go back to AZ and see if you can peak one last time - LOCK AZ down. Go back to EL and see if you can peak one last time - LOCK EL down. There's no one set value of what number to strive for. Just get the best you can to get yourself up and running, then come back here to the forum. Compare note with others that share the transponder with you, and see how good you did. We're all more than willing to share advice on how to make it better.

When the WebSetup, registration, and software installation ends - your Dial up Networking should already be set correctly in your computer. If you already had your local ISP/email account info set up, you should be ready to go. If you elected DirecPC as your ISP - AND filled out the web registration correctly - your TCP/IP settings should already be set in your computer. And your email account at the direcpc.com server should be ready to use. You probably don't have to do anything more complicated than setting up the direcpc account in your email client.

How do I prepare for the arrival of my Two-Way installer?

Don't expect the installer to know anything about computers. Actually the customer is suppose to install the software on his own computer. The Installer is only suppose to get a signal to your computer and there ends the official responsibility of the Installer. However, you should encourage the installer to stick around until you have finished installing your software and running Websetup. This way the installer can verify that your system is indeed up and running. The installer can show you how to check your signal strength as well as do a couple of speed tests at DSLReports.

I recommend that you do not install your software until the Installer has your indoor adapters (Indoor Transmit Unit and Indoor Receive Unit - ITU & IRU) installed in your house and connected to the satellite antenna. Make sure you have a modem in your computer and it is connected to an active phone line.

Now, open up the huge box that your system came in. Take out the White box. It contains the ITU and IRU. Get a note pad and write down the serial numbers for the ITU and IRU. The number for the ITU is going to be something like this: T1AB459395-00000000. You will also see the serial number written on another sticker close by. The difference will be that the other number will be identical but may have one extra digit on the end and there will be no zeros. Now look on the back of the IRU and get that serial number. It will be something like this: R1CF18004-00703215. Although all digits are important, the last 6 digits, following the two zeros is the number the NOC wants during the cross polarization operation. Put the ITU and IRU back in the white box, if you want to, so that you do not loose anything. You actually could assemble the ITU & IRU by putting on the clamps, jumper cable, connecting the USB cable and Power Supply cable.

Next, take out the long cardboard box that is 24.5 inches long by 9.5 inches by 8.5 inches. It will have a sticker on the end of the box with RADIO ASSY, HNS-TCP printed on it. It will have a Serial number, also printed on it. That is the serial number of your entire outdoor assembly, which includes your LNB, Transmitter, waveguide and antenna. It is often referred to, by the NOC, as your antenna serial number. Write down that number. Also open the box and verify that the number on the outside of the box is the same as the number on the waveguide. On the bottom of the huge box, your system came in, will also be the serial numbers for your ITU and IRU. I would still open them up to verify the numbers. These numbers are critical and will be registered in your name, with the NOC.

Take these numbers and print them out on a piece of paper, in large 24pt. type. Have it ready to give to the Installer. It will just save him some time and he might really appreciate it. He will need these numbers when calling in for the cross pol. He will also need some other numbers that he will write down on that same piece of paper. Place that paper on a clip board, so the wind does not blow it away. IF you really want to impress the Installer, with your knowledge, print the words, Azimuth, Elevation and Polarization. Leave a blank space next to each of them for the Installer to fill in the information. Also, print your Name, Address with zip code, and telephone number with area code on that same paper. He will have to give all this information to the Cross Pol person.

Now just before your installer arrives, arrange so that a table (card table, picnic table, etc.) is close by where you plan on installing the antenna. This gives the installer a work area and makes life so much more pleasant. Have an extension cord with power strip so that it will reach up to where the antenna will be installed. If you are installing during the daylight hours, have a large box for the installer to put his laptop in, to shield the screen from sunlight. He will have to place his laptop as well as your ITU and IRU, USB cable, power supply, etc. next to the antenna during the installation process.

PLEASE HAVE A CORDLESS PHONE OR A PHONE WITH A LONG EXTENSION AVAILABLE. The installer will need it, at the antenna, during the cross pol process. If it is a cordless phone, make sure the batteries are fully charged. The cross pol MAY take as long as an hour, or more.

Make sure the installer grounds the transmit and receive cables, using a grounding block, to your house or building ground. You can drive a ground rod close to the antenna, but that ground rod must have a wire going directly to your whole house electrical ground. If not, you may end up with ground loop problems, which will never go away.

Next, make sure the installer uses the brace support rods that should have come with your system. If they were not included in the box, with your system, then call the installer immediately and have him bring some. They are white in color, made of square, steel tubing and come in a cardboard box about 24 inches long and 1 inch by 2 inches. They were mainly intended to be used when installing the antenna on a wood surface. However, because of the weight, of the RF head assembly, I strongly suggest they be used, even if you are installing on a concrete wall, roof etc. They help in keeping the mask from sagging or moving, during any kind of winds.

Now, if the Installer shows up with a spectrum analyzer amongst his tools, you may be in luck. He may be a better than the average installer. However, this is where you may want to be paying close attention. When he gets the antenna aligned with the satellite he will try to peak it to maximum signal strength. It used to be that 70 was the minimum acceptable by the NOC. Now, the NOC really does not seem to care. You need to have a minimum of 30 or 31 for the system to work. Of course the more you have, the more of a buffer you will have during stormy weather or rain fade occurrences. The signal strength will not affect your speeds or ability to browse, as long as your system is 31 or above. In other words, a signal strength of 35 will work just as good as a signal strength of 65.

Now, as I said before, the Installer will peak your antenna for maximum signal strength. When he calls in for a cross pol, chances are he will not have good enough isolation, unless he used a spectrum analyzer. The minimum accepted by the NOC is a cross pole of 10 giving you an isolation between vertical and horizontal of 30, on Galaxy 11. A cross pol of 4, with 36 as your isolation is a super good figure. I suppose a perfect cross pol would be 0 with an isolation of 40. However, a cross pol of 8 or 9 with isolation of 32 or 31, is fine. On the SatMEX 5 satellite, the minimum isolation accepted by the NOC is 39, with some NOC engineers requiring a 40.

During the cross pol operation, the installer will have to make further adjustments to the antenna. When he does this, the signal may very well drop. For example he might have gotten a maximum strength 57 to 60 during original peaking, but after the cross pol is completed it may have dropped to 47 to 50. If this happens, I would ask the dealer to stay on the line, with the cross pol engineer and re-peak the antenna for maximum signal, while the cross pol engineer is keeping an eye on the isolation. As long as the installer does not mess with the polarization and only with the azimuth and elevation adjustments then the cross pol should not change.

Okay, now you have a good cross pol and signal level. It is time to move inside to connect the adapters (ITU & IRU) to your computer, load the software and run websetup. However, it is not time to drink beer yet!

Do not have your computer networked, yet. Have it as bare bones as possible. Later, you can experiment with what ever else you want to.

Turn off any Firewalls, Anti-Virus protection software and go into your "Device Manager" and disable any and all "Network Adapters" you may have enabled. However, don't disable your "Dial-up Adapter" because then your modem won't work. Also it is a good idea to clean up your System Tray so that you don't have a bunch of software running while you are loading the Direcpc software. After the software is installed and you have run websetup, go back and enable any Network Adapters you really need. You can also turn your Anti-virus program back on.

It is a good idea to install your ITU & IRU so that you can see the idiot lights on the front of them. Stand them in a vertical position versus laying them down flat. Some users even prefer to not even use the clips and separate them for circulation of air. Also, I would recommend that you plug the IRU power supply into some sort of surge protector and have it being the only device plugged into it. There may be times, in the future, when you will need to power cycle your adapters (ITU & IRU) and it is a lot easier to turn off a switch then it is to unplug and plug in an electrical cable. Never, plug and unplug the power cable where it is attached to the back of the IRU. You always run the risk of bending those prongs.

Now, you are ready to pop the software CD into your CD drive. Make sure the USB cable is not connected to the back of your computer, yet. However your ITU and IRU must be on and connected to the satellite antenna. It will tell you, during software installation, when to plug in the USB cable. The rest is a normal step by step installation of software. Make sure you have your credit card handy. By the way, if you happen to have internet access, already, via a dial-up modem, then it is better to run websetup via the Internet. All you do is after installing the software it will ask you to restart your computer, if using 98SE. With Win2000 or XP, it doesn't do that. Go ahead and restart your computer. Then the websetup screen should appear. If it does, close it. If it doesn't, don't worry about it. Get online with your dial-up access, but do not open any browser. Go to Start, Programs, DirecPC, Websetup and then the window will open. Run websetup.

Why is my upload speed so low on my DirecPC/DirecWAY/ Earthlink 2-Way

Hughes uses a proprietary piece of equipment to accept the radio signals called BCD (Burst Channel De-modulator). There is another device called a DNCC that converts the radio signal into an Ethernet packet. The BCD is a shared medium device in the fact that several people will share one BCD for their in route. Each BCD has a max of 128 Kbps and with overhead it is about 113. With that in mind even if you were the only person on a BCD you would still not get 128 Kbps.

You may find, however, that your upload speed appears higher than 128Kbs. There are a couple of reasons. First of all, Direcway uses compression techniques to compress the data before it is sent so that there is less data to send and then uncompresses it at the other end. So if you are transmitting highly compressible data you will find that the upload will occur faster. If, on the other hand the data you are sending is already highly compressed, the upload will take longer.

Also when using the java based speed tests like the ones here at BBR and elsewhere, you must be using the Microsoft version of java (msvm) in order to get accurate upload readings. Using Sun Java will give you completely bogus upload speed results. Since this phenomenon does not occur with other types of connections, we can only assume that Sun Java is either not handling the latency of the connection well, or is confused by the compression taking place.

I have a TX or a RX error code. What can I do?

The definitions for the error codes were researched by installguy. Thanks installguy!

TX Code 0 ITUST_NONE: The transmitter is not connected to the receiver.

If this state persists over at least 10 seconds, then the system is not properly functioning. If an ITU is present on the system but this message appears, first check the LEDs on the ITU. If neither is flashing, then one of the following is likely the cause.

� IRU-ITU cable not properly connected to the IRU or ITU.
In this situation, the ITU does not receive power or does not have the communication link established. Please check that the cable is properly connected and secured.
� ITU/ IRU version mismatch.
If operating software prior to 4.0.0.40, the ITU version must be less than or equal to 3
� ITU Failure.
In this case, the ITU might need to be swapped out.

TX Code 1 ITUST_DISABLED: The transmitter has been disabled by the Network Operations Center.

This status appears when a unit is disabled. If the NOC does not support automated cross-polarization, the unit is disabled when first installed onto the network and must be manually enabled by the network operations center once the installer has met the cross-polarization and installation specs and requests that the NOC enable the unit. A unit may be disabled for short periods of time by the NOC for service troubleshooting. It may also be enabled if the user discontinues 2-way service. Contacting the networks operations center and requesting that the unit be enabled can only correct a persistence of this condition.

TX Code 2 ITUST_TEST: The transmitter has been placed in test mode by the Network Operations Center.

This state occurs when the NOC staff places the unit into special transmission modes to measure the performance of a user�s unit. One example is that cross-polarization requires that a special continuous carrier by transmitted by the unit. When in this mode, the unit is unable to transmit user traffic to the NOC. If the unit is not expected to be in test mode, the network operations center must be contacted to remove the unit from test mode.

TX Code 3 ITUST_NOLOCK: The transmitter is locking to the receive carrier.

This status should correlate to one of the following issues: Upon initial startup or locking to the receive carrier, this is a normal state for up to 10 seconds. If this persists for more than 10 seconds, try disconnecting and reconnecting the IFL and wait 10 seconds to check for recovery. If the situation persists, then the ITU and IRU must be replaced.

TX Code 4 ITUST_BADIF: The transmitter is not responding to commands set from the receiver.

This indicates that there is something not properly operating in the IRU/ITU configuration. The expected actions to attempt to recover are as follows:

� Perform Activate ITU from the Adapter Diagnostic Utility to see if the system recovers
� Perform a reset of the IRU (power-cycle the unit) which will reset the IRU and ITU
� Check the IRU/ITU cable to ensure it is connected and secure
� If it cannot be resolved via resets, replace the power support, IRU/ITU cable, and the ITU
� This could also be caused if the power supply is faulty.

TX Code 5 ITUST_NOTIME: The transmitter is not locked to network timing.

No action is necessary if this occurs from time to time and quickly resolves itself. If this issue persists, it is likely due to a NOC-related service issue. If this problem is occurring on a user unit while it is not occurring on other units in the network, then it could be caused by one of the following:

Marginal Receive power: If the receive signal strength is in the 30''s, then this is causing sufficient dropped packets to lead to loss of network timing information. Use standard approaches to peak the receive power or re-point the antenna.
ITU Failure: Swap out the ITU.

TX Code 6 ITUST_NORX: The transmitter is not available because the receiver is not detecting a signal or is not locked to the correct network.

This status should correlate to the receive status indicating a problem.

Refer to the receive status messages to deal with this issue.

TX Code 7 ITUST_RXMODE: The transmitter is not available because the receiver is not tuned for normal operation.

When the unit is placed into special modes like antenna pointing mode, then the unit cannot transmit. By exiting the antenna pointing function, this should be resolved. In the worse case, a PC reboot (or restart of the navigator) should resolve this.

TX Code 8 ITUST_OK: The transmitter is available.

This is the normal operational state of the transmitter if it is installed.

TX Code 9 ITUST_RANGE: The transmitter is adjusting for optimal network timing.

The unit is currently in a special mode where it measures its power and timing and is adjusting both to properly operate in the network. When in this mode, the transmitter is able to send small amounts of data (~1-2kbps). It will enter this mode at installation until it succeeds. It may enter this mode at NOC operator command or when the dish is installed into a different location and re-pointed using the antenna pointing program. This is a normal state for a unit when it is first installed.

TX Code 10 ITUST_RTX: The transmitter is unable to communicate with the Network Operations Center.

This state indicates that the unit has stopped attempting to transmit user data because of a large number of packets unable to be received by the NOC. This could be a result of weather conditions causing lost packets or NOC equipment failure on the return channel equipment. Also, verify that the cable connecting the ITU to the ODU is in place, secure, and not damaged. Replace cable if necessary.

TX Code 11 ITUST_BADVER: The transmitter is not available because the receiver software is out of date.

This state indicates that the client software is not recent enough to operate on the network. New client software will be required from time to time due to network infrastructure and capability upgrades. The system will always back-support software for a period of time, but may at times obsolete software to ensure maximum network efficiency. If this message appears, new software is needed on the client machine.

TX Code 12 ITUST_BADDNCC: The transmitter is not receiving network control messages from the Network Operations Center.

This state indicates a NOC equipment outage on the server that controls return channel bandwidth (the DNCC). This problem should be reported to the NOC for service recovery.

TX Code 13 ITUST_RRTX: The transmitter is unable to range because it cannot communicate with the Network Operations Center.

This state may indicate many root causes. It occurs when the NOC does not receive ranging information from the unit. This could occur because the unit is unable to achieve enough transmit power for the NOC to receive. It could also occur because timing is incorrect due to entering the improper zip code or latitude/longitude information. It could also occur if the transmit ODU is not properly operating or is not properly cabled to the ITU. Severe weather conditions may also cause this to occur.

TX Code 14 ITUST_RBAD: The transmitter is not available because ranging has failed.

This state indicates that the NOC was unable to complete ranging if a user. The NOC needs to re-enable ranging to ensure successful ranging by users. This likely indicates that ranging capability is not currently operating correctly in the NOC.

TX Code 15 ITUST_RBUSY: The transmitter is waiting for a ranging request to be processed by the Network Operations Center.

This state occurs if the system is busy with adjusting power and timing for other users. This can be resolved by the NOC by adding more ranging capacity. Otherwise, the user must wait for a turn ranging.

TX Code 16 ITUST_ABUSY: The transmitter is waiting for a transmit request to be processed by the Network Operations Center.

This state occurs if the system is overloaded with users going active and is unable to provide bandwidth to a user going active. This indicates an overloading of the network with users. NOC operations should be contacted about increasing capacity.

TX Code 17 ITUST_NORATE: The transmitter is unable to obtain an available transmission rate.

This occurs if the unit cannot successfully range at any of the available inroute rates.

The possible causes are:

First generation ITU is used on a system that does not have 128K inroutes. In this case, the ITU must be replaced.
Unit could not achieve enough power to transmit on the lowest available inroute rate. This is likely caused by an installation/transmit power problem.

TX Code 18 ITUST_XREQ: The transmitter is requesting a transmit pointing test.

(Automatic CrossPol (ACP) Only) The unit is in this state when the antenna pointing program on the PC requests that the unit perform a transmit pointing test. The unit remains in this state until the NOC responds that the unit is either performing the test or queued to perform the test.

This is a normal state for installation. The unit may also periodically go into this state for short periods of time (<5 seconds) for periodic system checks that are performed on the antenna pointing to ensure that it continues to meet the cross-polarization requirements.

TX Code 19 ITUST_XQUE: The transmitter is queued for a transmit pointing test.

(Automatic CrossPol (ACP) Only) The unit is in this state when the antenna pointing program on the PC requests that the unit perform a transmit pointing test and the NOC has responded that the unit is queued. It also may occur periodically when the system is rechecking the pointing of the antenna. This occurs when other users have requested transmit pointing. This is a normal state for installation.

TX Code 20 ITUST_XTEST: The transmitter is performing a transmit pointing test.

(Automatic CrossPol (ACP) Only) The unit is in this state when either the antenna pointing program on the PC requests that the unit perform a transmit pointing test or the periodic system check is performing the antenna pointing test. This occurs once the NOC has provided the resources to initiate the test. If this is a PC pointing function, the unit remains in this state until the user exits pointing mode or the NOC times out the pointing. If this is the periodic test, it should exit this state within 5 seconds.

TX Code 21 ITUST_XFAIL: The transmitter is disabled because a transmit pointing test failed.

(Automatic CrossPol (ACP) Only) The unit failed the transmit pointing test, which means that it did not meet the specifications required by the satellite provider for cross-pol versus co-pol. This is likely due to an installation problem. The installer needs to fine-point the antenna to improve the cross-pol result and then re-execute the transmit pointing. The unit will not transmit until the cross-pol passes.

TX Code 22 ITUST_XPEND: The transmitter is disabled pending a transmit pointing test.

Units will only enter this mode on systems that support automated cross-polarization periodic rechecks. The unit is expected to be in this mode for up to 2 minutes at periodic intervals. This is also likely to occur upon power up after the unit has been turned off for more than a day. If the unit remains in this state for more than 2 minutes, then the auto-cross-polarization system in the Network Operations Center is likely experiencing an outage.

TX Code 23 ITUST_XNONE: The transmitter is disabled because a transmit pointing test cannot be performed.

A unit is placed into this mode when it cannot perform transmit pointing upon initial setup on the network or when the unit is required to re-range. This mode indicates that the NOC components that perform the automated cross-polarization pointing function are not operational.

IRU State Message Strings:

RxCode 0 IRUST_SUSPEND: The receiver is in USB suspend.

This should be a transient state at startup or after a suspend. A customer should never see this message. If they do, shutdown and restart the PC to clear this state and check TCP/IP settings if the condition persists.

RxCode 1 IRUST_POINT: The receiver is in pointing mode.

This status indicates that the user is performing antenna pointing. In this mode, the transmitter is disabled for safety reasons since the installer is working near the dish.

RxCode 2 IRUST_RXMODE: The receiver is in factory or NOC mode.

This status is for testing purpose only and will not been seen by users.

RxCode 3 IRUST_NOLOCK: The receiver is not locked to a signal.

This status indicates that the IRU is unable to receive the signal from the NOC. This is also associated with a signal level less than 30. This occurs if there is a weather outage for the user, a complete NOC outage, a mis-pointed antenna, or if the LNB is not operating correctly (either due to the connection via cable to the IRU or an LNB failure). This is likely a pointing issue or a temporary NOC outage.

RxCode 4 IRUST_BADNET: The receiver is locked to the wrong network.

This status appears if the receiver locked to a signal, which does not match that which the user was assigned to at web-setup time. This is likely due to the user changing pointing to the wrong satellite or changing the tuning frequency to not match that which was provided during the commissioning process. If the user has been reassigned to a different transponder or satellite, then the user should use web-setup to get the proper configuration parameters.

RxCode 5 IRUST_OK: The receiver is operational.

This is a normal operating state where the receiver is receiving data from the NOC.

This is the only state when the transmitter will operate normally.

RxCode 6 IRUST_SATAGC: The receiver is not detecting any signal (check connections).

This indicates that the LNB to IRU connections are either faulty or the IRU itself is faulty. The cables and connectors should be checked.

RxCode 7 IRUST_NONET: The receiver is locked to a unknown network.

This status appears if the receiver locked to a signal that does not have DirecWay identification. This is likely to occur if part of the DirecWay NOC is not operational. It is also likely if the user is pointed to the incorrect satellite or a frequency other than that provided during the commissioning process. To ensure it is not a local issue, reset the IRU to see if this condition persists.

Other strings that appear on status dialog:
Idle (Not connected in version 4.0.1)

This is the normal status when a 1-way unit is not connected to the internet via a phone line. This is also the normal status for a 2-way unit configured to use terrestrial rather than satellite return channel when it is not connected to the internet via a phone line. It is also possible to be in this state if the return channel mode is set to "Use satellite as primary ... fall back to terrestrial..." and the satellite is not available

Connecting

This is the status during the time when a unit is dialing the phone line and connecting for internet access.

Connected via Satellite

This is the normal mode for a 2-way unit. A 2-way Unit is connected all of the time when it is properly operating (whether data is being transmitted or not).

Connected via Modem

This is the normal status once the phone line is connected.

Connected via Satellite - Modem connection to Internet Service Provider (ISP) is still active The connection to your Internet Service Provider (ISP) is no longer required. - Press the ''Disconnect'' button to disconnect your modem.

This set of messages appears when DIRECWAY is configured for satellite return channel as primary and modem as fallback and: The satellite return channel was considered non-operational some time in the past. The modem is connected to the internet as the backup to the satellite return channel. The satellite return channel is now considered operational. The modem is still connected to the internet even though the satellite return channel is now being used. The user should disconnect the phone line since it is not being used.

DIRECWAY needs to establish a connection to the Internet. Press the "Connect" button to establish the connection or "Cancel" to close this dialog.

This message indicates that access to the internet is needed because a user requested connection to a website that is not in the PC cache. This occurs on a 1-way system where auto-connect is not enabled.

How to install a pole mount for one-way or two-way.

What follows is a step by step, detailed description of how one particular satellite dealer would advise a do-it-your customer on how to perform a standard pole mount installation of a Hughes, two-way system (SRS).

I am going on the assumption that one plans on installing a one-way Hughes System with the intention of upgrading to a two-way, at a later date. However, this installation will work for both one-way and two-way.

Step 1: Figure out where you are going to install your pole and take all measurements for the length of conduit you will need to run your cable underground. Determine how many elbows you will need and couplings. Also figure on putting a junction box at the entrance of your home. If you are running the conduit on the outside of your wall, up to the roof overhang and then into the attic, I would suggest two junction boxes. One will be about 12 inches up from ground level and the other will be under the eve of the house. The junction box should be large enough to mount your cable grounding blocks on the inside of the box that is close to ground level.

Step 2: Head to the nearest electrical supply store and purchase an adequate amount of 1 and 1/2 inch or preferably 2-inch electrical PVC conduit. Try to avoid the flexible type. Get the gray colored rigid type. Also make sure you get enough sweep 90-degree elbows, couplings and 45 degree elbows, if you need them. Do not substitute with the PVC elbows used for water. If you do not have any pull string (for pulling cable through conduit) then get some of that also. Don't forget the PVC cement and 5/8 inch by 8-foot long ground rod and ground clamp for that rod. Also some #8 or larger, solid copper grounding wire. Don't waste your money on the aluminum grounding wire.

Step 3: Go to the local supply store where you can purchase a 3-inch, schedule 40 steel pipe. The pipe will be 3 inches inside diameter (ID) and 3.5 inches outside diameter (OD). It should be a minimum of 8 feet, 2 inches long. It can be galvanized or black painted, depending on your environment. If you have sprinklers that spray water containing chlorine or if you mount it close to a swimming pool, then I would suggest the galvanized. However, cleaning the pipe, with a power brush, and painting it with Rust-Oleum Rusty Metal primer followed by two coats of Rust-Oleum paint (color of your choice) will give you many years of service. While at the pipe supply store purchase a short piece of schedule 40 pipe that is 10 inches long and having an OD of 2 and 3/8 inches. If you can't find this short piece in schedule 40, as a last resort, you can substitute by buying a piece of Chainlink fence post. It is usually 2 and 3/8 inch outside diameter.

Step 4: Head to the nearest welding shop and have them weld a piece of 1/4 or 3/8 inch steel plate to the end of your 3 inch schedule 40 pipe. Have them cut a round 2-inch hole in the center of that top plate. You are going to run cable through that hole. Now, have them weld the piece of 2 and 3/8 OD pipe to the plate. Make sure everything is perfectly straight and centered. Also it would be nice if the top plate was cut so that it is round and the outside diameter is 3 and 1/2 inches. You should now have a pipe that is 9 feet long including the 2 and 3/8-inch by 10-inch extension. While at the welding shop, have them cut a 45-degree angle cut on the bottom of the pole. However, instead of the angle cut they could cut a couple of ears (I prefer three staggered ears) near the bottom of the pole and bend them out. This keeps the pole from turning in the concrete. I prefer the ear method versus the 45-degree angle method. It keeps the pipe from raising vertically as well as turning. Don't leave the welding shop yet. There is more. Consider that your pole is going to be buried 36 inches into the soil. Figure at what depth you want to place your conduit. Take a sweep 90 elbow, place it next to the pole and have the welder cut a hole so the elbow fits nicely into the pipe. You want to make sure that one end of the elbow fits completely into the pipe and the other end is at a 90-degree angle to the pipe. You are going to run the cable through the center of the pipe and out through this elbow which will then be connected to the underground conduit. There will be no unsightly conduit or cables strapped to the outside of your pole to be cut with "Weed-eaters" or to deteriorate from sunrays. Last, have them weld a 1/2 inch by 1 inch long, bolt to the pipe about 6 inches up from where you think the pipe is going to meet ground level. For example, if you bury the pipe 36 inches in the ground then your would weld the bolt at 42 inches from the bottom of the pipe. You will want to weld the head of the bolt to the pipe. Then make sure you get a 1/2 nut. This is going to be your ground wire attachment point for the pole. There is no need to purchase a ground bracket for the pole. Put a piece of tape on the threads of this bolt, to protect the threads, for now.

Step 5: On your way home pick up about 5 to 8 bags of concrete "Ready Mix." I never use that quick set stuff. You can use it if you want to. The "Ready Mix" usually comes in 80-pound bags and has the gravel, sand and cement already mixed in. All you do is add water and mix it up and throw it in the hole. Depending on your soil will depend on how much "Ready Mix" you will need and the diameter of hole you will need to dig. For example, if you have a very sandy soil, I would recommend the full 8 bags. If you have a hard, solid type of clay soil then you could probably get by with the 5 bags. Of course if you have solid rock then you could probably get by with just a couple of bags. Good luck on drilling or blasting a hole in solid rock. I have been there and done that.

Step 6: This is the hole digging section. The dimensions are for sandy or a sandy loom soil. Get out the "Post Hole Digger" and some gloves, if you have delicate hands. Dig a hole 36 inches deep. You might want to dig the first 12 to 15 inches with a shovel. Make the hole 14 inches in diameter. Dig it down to 30 inches using the "Post Hole Digger." Now, cave in the sides of the hole to form a "Bell Shaped" hole and take out the dirt. The bottom of the hole should be about 20 to 24 inches in diameter. Next, using the "Post Hole Digger" dig down to the 36-inch depth but only making a 10-inch diameter hole. Remember, because of your hole in the pipe to attach your conduit and the bolt welded on for the ground wire attachment, it is critical your hole is exactly at the right depth and not an inch or two more or less. Try to have all angles of the hole as sharp angles versus rounded. Don't forget to dig the trench for the conduit. Have the conduit trench go all the way to the pole.

Step 7: Now it is time to mix the concrete and set the pole. You can do it however you want to but I am going to tell you how I have found is the easiest, most efficient way with the best water to concrete mixture and the least about of work and clean-up. Of course if you have one of those small, electric or gas powered concrete mixers, then you might want to use it. However, I have found that you have to put too much water into the mixture to get the concrete to flow out of the mixer. If you want to, try this method. I call it the water injection method. Get a piece of � inch or thicker, plywood or some large piece of material about 4 feet by 4 feet. Lay it next to the hole with it hanging over the edge of the hole about an inch. Hook a hose to the water faucet with a hand sprayer connected to the end. Take a bag of "Ready Mix," lay it in the middle of the plywood and split it in half with a shovel. Empty the contents. Take another bag and gently lay it on top of the "Ready Mix" you have on the board. Split that bag and empty it. Now you have a small hill of "Ready Mix." Spread out the "Ready Mix" so as to make it look like you would imagine the top of a volcano would look like. Turn on the water, grab the hand sprayer and shove it down into the "Ready Mix" so just the tip of the sprayer is in the "Ready Mix" and no water sprays any where except that being injected into the "Ready Mix." Don�t leave the spraying nozzle in one place too long. Move all around the inside wall of your volcano until there is water about an inch to an inch and a half deep, inside the volcano. Take the shovel and start from the outside wall of the volcano and gently shovel the "Ready Mix" into the center of the volcano until all the water has been absorbed by the "Ready Mix." Now start mixing, with the shovel. You do not want it too wet. You want it wet enough so that the concrete will be smooth if you happen to run the shovel across the top of it. You want the concrete to maintain its shape and not end up like a soupy mixture. Have a 9-inch magnetic, torpedo level handy that you can stick on the side of the pipe. The pipe should already be in the hole. Don't worry about it being level at this point. No need for rocks and such to keep the pole level. That is a waste of time and energy. Now, throw your first mixture of wet concrete into the hole. Level the pipe with the torpedo level. Level two sides of the pipe at 90 degrees apart. For example, level the North side and the East side. Don't worry if it does not stay perfectly level, when you let go to mix some more concrete. Mix two more bags of "Ready Mix" and throw it into the hole. Repeat mixing and throwing until you have reached the point where the 90-degree sweep elbow is to be inserted into the pipe. Make sure the pipe is now perfectly level. Tie a nut to the end of a piece of pull string and drop it into the pipe, from the top. Reach in through the hole in the pipe where the elbow is going to be inserted and pull out the string. Run it though the elbow. Glue a coupling to the end of the elbow and have about a foot or two of PVC glued to the other end of the coupling. Pull the string all the way through so that it extends at least three feet out of the top of the pipe and 3 feet out the end of the short piece of PVC, that is now in your trench. Tape the string to the outside of the top of the pipe so you don�t loose that end. Insert the elbow into the pipe and continue to mix and throw concrete. From time to time you will want to poke the shovel into the concrete, that is already in the hole, to make sure it fills all air pockets. Don't forget to dam up the trench where it enters the hole, with dirt, so that you do not have concrete running into your trench, from the hole. Stuff some newspaper or paper towels into the end of the short piece of PVC that is in the trench, so you don�t fill the PVC with dirt. Once you have concrete all the way to the top of he hole, put some more on top of that. Check two sides of the pipe to make sure the pipe is still perfectly straight, using the level. Form like a dome or ant hill around the base of the pipe. Go a head and use your hands. Be creative and see how smooth and pretty you can make this dome. Form the dome with your hands and then pat the concrete to smooth it out. The reason for the dome is you don�t want soil to come in contact with the metal pipe and cause it to rust. Also, when it rains you will not have water standing next to the pipe; and last when you use the �Weed-eater� you won�t need to get so close to the pipe that you start knocking paint off of the pipe and give it a chance to rust, at the base. Now, before you leave the job site to let the concrete setup for 24 hours, drive your grounding rod in, next to your concrete. It is best to drive the rod next to and on the outside of your concrete, but I have also driven the rod in, next to the pole and buried the top 3 feet of the rod in concrete. Of course if you put the rod next to the pole, make sure you drive in the rod before you start mixing and throwing concrete. Now you can rest or start running cable on the inside of your house.

Step 8: Gather together all of your conduit, elbows, couplings, glue, pull string and junction boxes. Run the pull string through all of your PVC, couplings and elbows. Glue all PVC and its components together except for gluing the junction boxes to the PVC. I normally never glue junction boxes to PVC. You can if you want to, after the junction boxes have been installed or just before you install the boxes. Make sure you have at least one pull string installed. I usually install two and leave at least one, after all cable has been pulled through. You never know when you might want to run more cable. Make sure you pull all cable through the conduit before you fill in your trench. Remember that you are going to pull the cable through the center of your antenna pole. Let about 6-feet extend out from the top of your pole. It is easier to cut off extra than to have to add some. Don�t forget to pull that grounding wire through your conduit if you attached a ground wire to the grounding point on the �Radio� of a two-way system. Also, if you placed your coaxial grounding blocks, at the antenna. All electrical grounds need to be connected to your whole house ground. Check out the grounding FAQ . You might also want to consider gluing the conduit after you have pulled all of the cable. It gets a bit messy, by doing it this way and it is hard to keep the glue off of the coaxial cable but it is easier fixing a problem before the entire conduit is glued together. Once the cable is installed and the trench is filled, you should be ready to install and point your antenna. Refer to your antenna pointing manual of the one-way system or call the certified installer to install the two-way system. You could actually install the antenna before you run the cable, as long as you wait at least 18 hours for the concrete to setup. The end result you want is to run your cables so that they are neat as possible and with the least about of cable being exposed to the elements.

You might want to check out the Photos of Our Satellite Systems, click on Gallery, then click on Amersat. You will see several antenna installations where the cable can barely be seen.

What's a NAT?

If you use the consumer version of a DirecWay product, the IP address of your satellite adapter is not routable on the internet. It can only be used on private networks. Hughes uses a method of translating your IP address to a routable address called Network Address Translation. This is where "NAT" comes from. In a typical NAT configuration, your computer appears to every other computer on the internet to have the IP address of the machine that is performing the NAT services. All your traffic goes through that machine. It keeps a table (a NAT table, strangely enough)of entries of everything you have requested from the Internet so that when the response comes back, it knows who requested it and where the response should be sent.

NAT is used as a way to conserve IP addresses, as Internet routable IP addresses are neither free or readily available in huge quantities. It also provides a good level of initial security, as unless your computer requested it, it is very hard for an external computer to send you anything. It can cause issues for some applications that insist on knowing the exact IP address of the computer they are talking to. This can make being a VPN client difficult, and can make it impossible to connect to your machine as an FTP or PcAnywhere server.

Now the odd thing about the Hughes NAT is that sometimes it seems to work like every other NAT in that your public, routable IP address is shared with every other user going through the same NAT device. Other times, the translated address is unique to you alone. This is the phenomenon we around here call being "un-nated". It really is a misnomer, because your address is always a result of NAT. Even the unique one you get during the "un-nated" phases is still not the address of your adapter and has been translated for use on the Net. The difference is if your NAT'd public IP address is unique to you, then any security benefit of NAT is lost, and those applications that require you to have a unique public, routable IP start magically working.

It has been the experience of DirecWay users that when they are NOT using the proxy AND they have a public IP address ending in a single digit, they are "nated" or are sharing the address with many other users. If that address when not using the proxy ends in some other multi digit octet, they are "un-nated" and have a unique IP. During these times you will see many hits on your firewall as your computer is completely exposed to the Internet, and all the port scanning traffic.

[DW4000] Can I run Websetup without connecting to the registration server?

I have seen many posts on this forum with people having trouble running Websetup. There is a way to run Websetup without connecting to the registration server, that is without having a modem and a phone line installed on your computer.

When you normally run websetup it downloads the following three files from the registration server into your Direcway\BIN Folder:
1. authrsp.acm
2. eemkrsp.acm
3. paramrsp.acm
4. paramrsp.dpcrsp (NOTE: this file is downloaded only if you run websetup from the 4.0.0.36 or 4.0.0.40 software version. 4.0.1.28 downloads only the first three files. File #3 and #4 contain the exact same information, the only difference is the file extension.)

The three files contain all the info that Websetup uses while it configures your computer (IP Address, Gateway, DNS address, etc). No matter how many times you run websetup (with same satellite modems) it will always download these three files with the same exact information on your BIN folder.

In order to avoid to have a modem installed every time you run websetup you can do the following:
Assuming that DW is already installed in your computer and you are able to access internet do the following:
1. Backup these three (or four) files that are located in the BIN Folder into a different folder in your computer (create a new folder in your computer and name it: Activation files. Copy these three files into the new folder you�ve just created.)
2. Uninstall DW.
3. Re-install DW as you normally do until the Websetup window pops up. When you see the Websetup window, click EXIT. At the �Are you sure you want to exit� prompt click YES.
4. Manually copy and paste the three files that you have backed up in step #1 into the BIN Folder (usually c:\program files\direcway\bin.)
5. Open MS-DOS prompt by clicking START>RUN and type COMMAND [ENTER]
6. At the MS-DOS prompt navigate to the BIN Folder
- Type: CD\ [ENTER]
- Type: CD PROGRA~1\DIRECWAY\BIN [ENTER]
- Type: WEBSETUP.EXE /CONFIG [ENTER] (make sure you leave a space between websetup.exe and /config
7. At this point Websetup will start past the point when it searches for modem. It will automatically start configuring your computer.

In case you are having trouble following step #6 do the following:
Open NotePad and paste the following line to it:
C:\PROGRA~1\DIRECWAY\BIN\WEBSETUP.EXE /CONFIG

Click FILE>SAVE AS. At the �Save as Type� box select ALL FILES. In the 'File Name' box type: Activate.bat and click Save.
Now all you have to do when you get to step #5 is to double-click on the Activate.bat file that you have created and websetup will automatically start configuring your computer.

From now on, you can install DW in any computer, without having a modem installed, as long as you have those three (four) files backed up in step #1. I suggest you copy the three files into a floppy disk so you can easily install your DW system in any other machine without the need to have a modem and a phone line.

Posted originally in the sat forum by Booyakasha.

What is the best way to find the DRS signal? (Pointing the Antenna)

This section was copied from the DirecPc 2.1 help files but is the best method users have found to find the satellite signal. I will stress that the mount has to be secure and the mast plumb.

Pointing the Antenna

This section describes how to accurately point the antenna reflector at the satellite. Alignment is critical to the operation of the DirecPC� system. When the reflector is pointed directly at the satellite, the adapter receives a strong signal. If the reflector is not positioned properly, the signal may be weak, resulting in data transmission errors.

Preparing the Antenna for Alignment

Loosen the four polarization nuts and set the polarization to the value calculated during AutoSetup (Websetup). Tighten the polarization nuts.
On the Azimuth capmount assembly that secures it to the mast tube, loosen the clamp bolts just enough to allow the antenna to move smoothly on the mast.
Loosen the two elevation pivot bolts to allow smooth movement of the mount assembly during the elevation adjustment.

Pointing Using the Box Method

The easiest way to find the satellite signal is by scanning the sky in the general direction that the satellite is located. While you could possibly achieve this by trial and error, you should be able to find the signal in a few minutes using the "box" method. What you are effectively doing is scanning the sky in a pattern similar to the way a farmer plows a field.

Pointing Procedure

Set the elevation to the elevation value calculated during AutoSetup (Websetup). Mark this point and then mark 5 degrees below and 5 degrees above this mark. Tighten the elevation nuts.
Set the azimuth to the azimuth value calculated during AutoSetup. Mark this point and then mark 5 degrees to the left and 5 degrees to the right of this mark.
If you are receiving a signal, go to step 6. Otherwise, grasp the antenna reflector and adjust the azimuth by slowly rotating the antenna from the -5 (leftmost) azimuth mark to +5 (rightmost) azimuth mark. As you slowly rotate the antenna reflector, pause at each degree for at least 10 seconds to determine if the signal is acquired.
If signal is still not acquired, loosen the elevation nuts and increase elevation by 1 degree. Tighten the elevation nuts and then repeat step 3. If signal is still not acquired, continue increasing the elevation one degree at a time and re-sweeping the azimuth until you increased the elevation by 5 degrees.
If signal is still not acquired, loosen the elevation nuts and decrease the elevation by 1 degree (from the initial elevation value), tighten the elevation nuts, and repeat step 3. If signal is still not acquired, continue decreasing the elevation one degree at a time and re-sweeping the azimuth until you decreased the elevation by 5 degrees.
Once a signal is acquired, you should fine-tune the disk orientation (azimuth and elevation) for maximum signal strength. To fine-tune, make small adjustments to the azimuth and elevation to maximize signal strength.
Once the maximum signal strength is obtained by adjusting the azimuth and elevation, try fine-tuning the polarization value to maximize signal strength.

What can I try if websetup.exe will not start?

Condition: Websetup.exe will not run. It may appear to start and then disappear after a few seconds. You may not get an error message, or there may be an error message stating that websetup.exe is not a valid Win32 program.

Probable Cause: Websetup.exe depends on components of the Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) Dynamic Link Libraries and Active X controls of Inet Control (MSINET.OCX). This symptom can occur if the registry information regarding MSInet.ocx is missing or corrupted or if websetup.exe is unable to self-register MSInet.ocx (see note below).

Solution:

Click on "Start" from your Windows desktop. Click on "run"
Type: regsvr32.exe msinet.ocx
Click on "OK"

This will load msinet.ocx and all of its dependencies and correct the entries in your registry. Websetup.exe should now run correctly.

NOTE: If you have trouble running RegSvr32.exe in Windows XP, or if websetup runs but stops with:

Unable to register ActiveX control C:\WINDOWS\system32\msinet.ocx
Websetup cannot continue. Please press OK to end ...

then locate the file c:\winnt\system32\regsvr32.exe (or c:\windows\system32\regsvr32.exe on Windows XP Home or a system that was upgraded from Windows 9x). Right click on the file, select "properties" and make sure that "hidden" and "read-only" are NOT checked. If you are running Windows XP Pro, also select the "Security" tab and make sure that Administrators have "full control" permissions. Try running regsvr32.exe again.

RegSvr32.exe depends on the Kernel32.dll, User32.dll, and Ole32.dll files (and the Msvcrt.dll and Advapi32.dll files in Windows NT). Regsvr32.exe loads the file you are trying to register or un-register, along with all of its dependencies. The process may be unsuccessful if a required file is missing or damaged.

Fix for Norton Internet Security blocking the Mydirecway Usage Page.

Here is what you need to do to stop Norton Internet Security from blocking the direcway usage page from loading. This will prevent the loop effect you get and the page will load properly. So here it is!

1) Go to the NIS (Norton Internet Security) main page.

2) Click the options tab up near the top of the main page.

3) Next choose Internet Security > The Norton Internet Security Options Window will come up.

4) Now click on the Advanced Options page > The Norton Internet Security Advanced window will come up.

5) Now you will click on Add Site near the bottom left hand corner.

A) New Site/Domain window will come up

B) Type in the bar www.mydirecway.com then click okay

6) Next click on and highlight www.mydirecway.com in the left hand pane

A) Move to the right hand side and click on the tab above the right hand pane that says Privacy

B) Now check mark the box by use these rules for mydirecway.com

C) Now choose (PERMIT) cookies, (PERMIT)Referer, (PERMIT) Browser and (BLOCK) email then click apply

Now you want to repeat Step 5 and 6 but type in www.direcpc.com this time. After you complete these steps again, then click OK until you are back at the main window.

Then disable NIS and then restart NIS.

Now go to mydirecway and click on the Check My Usage Link and it should work now.

[DW4000] Direcway Software Removal Update

Q: How do I perform a "clean install" of the Direcway software, or just get rid of a service pack?
A: Tips on how to FINISH uninstalling DirecWay software/service packs.

Beginning with v4.0.3.9, the native Direcway uninstall does a much better job of cleaning up after itself than the previous versions. To finish the job, use the procedure below - especially for vers. 4.0.1.28 and earlier. But getting rid of a service pack still involves employing the clean install procedure (Note 1).

The native DirecPC/DirecWay uninstall application unfortunately leaves many leftovers - in both the directory tree, and in the registry. Many have solved their problems following this procedure (Note 2). The only way to get a 100% Direcway-free computer, is to completely reformat - everything. Second best would have been to employ a software monitoring and removal utility at installation time, but hindsight is 20/20. Short of that, you may resort to the following MANUAL procedure:

1. Uninstall all the DirecPC/DirecWay/Earthlink/AOL+ software (Note 3) from the Add/Remove Programs window or from the applicable folder in your Programs menu. Shut down the computer, unplug the USB modems and restart Windows.

2. From the directory tree delete the entire folder(s) in which the satellite connection software was/were installed

3. Search files and folders for
a) all occasions of DPC*.* and delete everything found. It's VERY important to use the *.* wildcard qualifier, or you'll end up removing stuff that has nothing to do with Direcway/DirecPC.
b) all occasions of OEM*.*NF , opening each one with Notepad. Delete all that say "Hughes Network Systems" inside.

4. Back up your registry. Start=>Run=>type in "regedit" click OK, File=>Export... & save the file to a location of your choice.

5. Restart Windows

6. Run a competent registry cleanup utility. Repeat this until the utility says there is nothing left to cleanup (Note 4)

7. Manually remove all residuals
a) launch REGEDIT from the RUN line and select FIND
b) type in HUGHES NETWORK SYSTEMS, click OK, delete the entire folder when found
c) Repeat search/delete for all occasions of Hughes, DirecPC, Direcway, and DPCNET5* (again, don't forget the *)

8. repeat step 6

9. Restart Windows, and reinstall the latest version of your software. Follow all on-screen instructions, plugging the USB cable back in at the appropriate time.

10. Reapply any tweaks you feel necessary

11. When you're sure the new configuration is operating to your satisfaction, it's safe to delete the registry copy saved in step 4.

Note (1) Beginning with v4.0.1.28, Direcway began silently and arbitrarily editing your Windows registry with their SERVINFO.INI file. This "clean install" procedure will not remove 100% of the registry changes made by Direcway's SERVINFO. To date, no significant problems have manifested themselves should these entries remain in the registry.

NOTE (2) this procedure applies to ALL hard drives and ALL partitions on your computer. A complete uninstall MEANS a complete housecleaning of EVERYTHING related to the sat connection software. Even mismatched USB drivers on physically separate HDDs can conflict at Windows startup.

NOTE (3) this procedure has NOT been tested on an AOL+ configuration, so it's possible that AOL-branded residuals may still exist.

NOTE (4) if you don't HAVE a registry utility, consider getting one. Otherwise this step is optional. The critical stuff can be still be found with Step 7, it will just take longer.

Dr.TCP shows more than one Satellite Adapter, how do I get rid of the extras?

You must have installed your Direcway software at least twice. That's how you got more than one satellite adapter registered on your computer. Dr.TCP detects 'extra' adapters even though they are not functional.

Removing them from your system involves editing your registry. It is prudent to back up your registry before making changes so you can restore it if you make a mistake. After you have successfully cleaned out any 'extra' adapters and rebooted your system, you can delete the registry backup if your computer functions normally.

To get rid of the unnecessary adapters(s) do this...

Open Network Connections. Write down the name of your satellite adapter so you will know for sure what to look for later.

Right click on your Satellite Adapter and rename it. Give it a unique name that you can recognize like 'KeepMe' or something. Hit Enter.

Click Start, click Run, type in regedit click OK.

If your operating system is a Win9X system (Win98, Win98 Second Edition, or WinME) go to SECTION A.

If you are running Win 2000 or Win XP, scroll down to SECTION B.

******************************************************************************

SECTION A (For Win9X systems only)

Step 1:
Click on HKEY_Local_Machine.
Click Edit and click Find.
Type in the name of your satellite adapter before you renamed it.
Put a check in the DATA box, uncheck the other three.
Click Find Next

Step 2:
The results you are viewing are in a folder which you can see in the left pane. It is shown as 'open' and is highlighted.

The folder immediately above the one which is open is the one you want to delete. It is the 'parent' of the one you are viewing.

Right-click on the 'parent' folder, identified with an alpha-numeric string that begins with VID. Click Delete and click Yes

Press F3 to find more duplicate satellite adapters. Remove all that you find using the method described above.

When the Find function has finished searching your registry, close regedit.

Open Network Connections and rename your satellite adapter back to what it was originally, if you so desire. (It's name can be anything you want it to be.)

Reboot your computer and you are done.

*** Credit to Rfsjr2 for his help in testing these steps for Win9X ***

******************************************************************************

SECTION B (For W2K and XP)

Step 1:
Click on HKEY_Local_Machine.
Click Edit and click Find.
Type in Connection then check KEYS and Match whole string only.
The DATA and VALUE boxes should be empty.
Click Find Next.

The first result found will be a subkey (in the left pane) called Connection. In the right pane you will see a VALUE called Name and the DATA will say Satellite USB Device (or DIRECWAY Satellite Connection in later versions of software) if it is the adapter you are trying to remove.

If the DATA does not say Satellite USB Device or DIRECWAY Satellite Connection, DO NOT MAKE ANY CHANGES!
Hit F3 to move to the next Connection subkey.
Once you have found a Connection subkey that matches the VALUE and DATA described above, proceed to Step 2.

Step 2:
You want to delete the parent key for the Connection subkey.
That is the key, in the left pane, just above the one named Connection that you are currently viewing.
It has a minus sign beside it and is identified by a long string of numbers and letters.
Right-click on the parent key and select Delete then click Yes.

Press F3 to search for more instances of 'extra' satellite adapters and repeat Step 2 for each one that you find.

When the Find function is finished searching your registry, close regedit.

Then go back to Network Connections and rename your active adapter to whatever it was to start with.

Reboot your computer and you are done.

[DW4000] Help! I can't get POP Email on LAN client machines

There are a few more settings that need to be added to the client machine's NIC Network properties.

Add the Host's IP address (192.168.0.1) as the Default Gateway and as the preferred DNS server. Add a Hughes DNS server (usually 198.77.116.8) to the DNS servers list as an alternate after the Host machine's IP address. Adding these helps speed up the client machine's Domain Name Resolution and consequently, browsing. It also enables the client machine get email from POP accounts.

Follow the instructions below for your particular OS:

Windows 98:

Start => Settings => Control Panel => click on the Network icon or right-click on the Network Neighborhood icon and choose 'Properties'. Either way gets you into the Network configuration screens.
From the list of installed clients, protocols and services, locate TCP/IP bound to the NIC It will look something like this: TCP/IP -> your network card. The arrow indicates the protocol is bound to that adapter. Highlight that and then click the Properties button. This gets you into the TCP/IP configuration screens. Click the DNS Configuration tab. Put as dot in the 'Enable DNS' radio button.
Then add the DNS servers, starting with the Host machine's IP address (192.168.0.1). Add the Hughes' DNS servers' IP addresses (198.77.116.8) in after that. For domain, enter "direcway.com."
Next click the Gateway tab and enter 192.168.0.1 as an installed gateway. 'OK' your way out, you'll be asked for the Windows 98 CD if the CAB files are not on your HD and you'll be asked to reboot.

Windows ME:

Start => Settings => Control Panel => click on Network icon, or right-click on My Network Places icon on desktop, and choose 'Properties'. Either way gets you into Network Configuration screens. From the list of installed clients, protocols and services, locate TCP/IP bound to the NIC It will look something like this: TCP/IP -> your network card. The arrow indicates the protocol is bound to that adapter. Highlight that and then click the Properties button. This gets you into the TCP/IP configuration screens. Click the DNS Configuration tab. Put a dot in the 'Enable DNS' radio button.
Then add the DNS servers, starting with the Host machine's IP address (192.168.0.1). Add the Hughes' DNS servers' IP addresses (198.77.116.8) in after that. For domain, enter "direcway.com."
Next click the Gateway tab and enter 192.168.0.1 as an installed gateway. 'OK' your way out. You'll be asked for the Windows ME CD if the CAB files are not on your HD and you'll be asked to reboot.

Windows 2000:

Start => Settings => Network and Dialup Connections. Highlight and right-click on your LAN listing (usually called Local Area Connection) and choose 'Properties.' Highlight TCP/IP and click 'Properties.'
On the following screen, enter the host's IP (192.168.0.1) address as the default gateway and as the Preferred DNS server. Add a Hughes DNS server (198.77.116.8) as an alternate.

Windows XP:

Right click on My Network Places icon on the desktop or Start => Settings => Network Connections. Select �properties�. Right click on the Local Area Connection icon and choose Properties. Highlight TCP/IP and click the 'Properties' button. If you are not configuring the IP address manually, but obtaining it from the Host machine, you will not be able to enter a default gateway on the initial screen. Add the DNS servers, starting with the Host's IP address (192.168.0.1) followed by a Hughes DNS server (198.77.116.8). Click the 'Advanced' button. On the IP Settings tab, add the host machine's IP address (192.168.0.1) as the default gateway. Click the DNS tab and add direcway.com as the DNS suffix for this connection. 'OK' your way out and close the network properties interface.

How do I unproxy the browser?

In Internet Explorer go to Tools => Internet Options => Connections => LAN Settings => In the section for 'Proxy Server' uncheck the box that says 'use a proxy server.'

For Netscape go to Edit => Preferences => Advanced. Double click on Proxies. Put a mark in the "Direct Connection to Internet" button. Press OK.

For Opera go to File => Preferences => Connections => Proxy Servers. Uncheck all check boxes. Press OK, then OK again.

For all Browsers, exit the browser after the change and re-start it. No re-boot is required.

Should you find that surfing with your browser unproxied seems slower, simply go back and put the check mark back in the box.

Why do I have system lockups, connection freezes and slow browsing in Win 98SE?

These symptoms may be attributed to a possible conflict with the NDIS Intermediate Driver and the Direcpc Software in Win 98SE.This issue appears to be unique to Win 98SE Only!

Here is a link to an article and the software you can download on the Microsoft Knowledge Base. If your symptoms meet the criteria this might be a viable solution to your problems.

Click here to go to the Microsoft article.

How do I get Windows Update to work with Direcway on XP?

This is apparently a frequent problem some people have after installing Windows XP, Home OR Pro edition. Additional installs may install differently, so reinstalling the whole operating may or may not fix the problem. This is the fix that was first found by "k-21" on direcpc-uncensored.

1. Start menu, then Run..
2. type "regedit", then press enter
3. navigate to this folder - hkey_local_machine/software/microsoft/windows/currentversion/windowsupdate
4. right-click on the windowsupdate folder in the left column, then click permissions...
5. put check marks in the "allow" boxes for both administrators & system
6. click ok, the exit the editor
7. Reboot the machine, and go back to the windows update page.

Now you should be able to update to your hearts content. Howie

[DW4000] Why does my Satellite Adapter Stop Responding in XP?

Some USB DSL/Cable/Satellite Adapters("Modems") may get disconnected after a little while. A possible reason that could cause this problem is that in Windows XP there is an option that allows the Computer to turn off a USB device to save power. To disable this option:
1: Right click My Computer, select properties
2: Click the Hardware Tab and press Device Manager button
3: Expand the universal Serial Bus Controllers
4: Double click on the USB Root Hub
5: Select the Power Management Tab and un-check the "allow the computer to turn off the device to Save Power

If you have more than one USB Root Hub, then you should apply the steps to each one of them. That's it, Reboot

SRS system reports transmitter not ready.

Any credit goes to Seagreen. One possibility is that the transmitter needs to be re-ranged. Enter a zip code in Antenna Pointing away from your true one, many use 90210, I just use the adjacent town from mine. The key seems to be rebooting once the wrong zip is entered. Then returning to Antenna Pointing and setting zip code to your correct location once again.

Another tip would be to shut down the computer, power down the ITU/IRU and wait a few minutes. Power up the ITU/IRU and reboot.

[DW4000] Is there a way to make DirecWay Navigator start faster at boot-up?

From the Start Menu, select Run and type in Regedit, click OK. Navigate to HKEY LOCAL MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Hughes Network Systems\DirecPC\DPCStart\0100DPCNav. Under Name in the left pane, look for StartDelay. The default value for this key is 10. To change to a lower value for quicker startup, right-click the Name and click Modify. Type in a number between 0 and 10. A value of 0 might cause Navigator to run too early for other components of your particular computer. Therefore, starting with a new setting of 5 will speed up Navigator and allow you to evaluate how this affects your system.
Backing up your registry before making changes is only prudent. Then, if the value you have chosen is too quick for your system, you can easily return to the default setting.

Why do I lose SRS internet access if software/hardware is functioning properly?

When all the systems appear to be working fine and all software and hardware appear to be in line but you cannot surf/browse/check email, there is the possibility that your ITU and IRU are not "talking to each other". The following steps have often worked when nothing else (e.g., uninstalling the DirecWay software, power cycling the modems, reformatting your hard drive, etc.,) will:

1. Right click on the DW icon in systray and click on "Turbo Internet Properties."

2. Click on the "Return Channel" tab.

3. Check the middle box, "Use only modem or other terrestrial link for return channel."

4. Click on the "Dialup" tab and enter your User Name for your local ISP service (or Hughes Dial-Up ISP service).

5. Click "Apply", then "OK".

6. Either Launch Internet Explorer (initiating your Internet connection) or connect in Dial Return mode by right clicking on the DW icon and then clicking on "Connect".

7. Once connected, you should be able to browse, so browse a few pages.

8. Open Turbo Internet Properties again, and on the "Return Channel" tab, check the box, "Use only satellite for return channel."

9. THEN, keeping the SAME Internet Explorer browser window(s) open, connect to a few more sites.

10. After this, right click on the DW icon and click on "Disconnect".

11. This will fix the non-communicating problem with the ITU and IRU.

Do I need to ground my Satellite Dish and Cable?

This is an absolute must no matter what the installation folks may think or what your local codes say. It is required by Direcway (Direcpc) and all flavors of the Powered By Partners to ground the dish and cables. This applies to the both the 2 way and 1 way systems. The main reason for grounding is the build up of static electricity! This can interfere with the signal and possibly cause damage your transmitter or receiver
.

These are the things you are going to need in respects to grounding at the very minimum #10 gauge solid copper wire for grounding, 8 foot grounding rod, grounding block with cable connectors for your cable, depending where your dish is located you may need some stand offs for your ground wire if the dish is mounted to your house.

There are different ways the dishes can be mounted which I am not going to attempt to cover in this. The main thing is you connect the Ground wire to the screw that will be usually marked GND or Ground on the arm for the satellite dish. Run the ground wire down from there and through your ground block, from that point all the way back to ground at the house electrical service. After you have done this you need to run your cable or cables from the dish to the cable connectors on the grounding block then run the other length of cable from the other side of the ground block connectors into your house to the IRU and ITU respectively.

In most homes the ground should run all the way to your ground where you electrical service is located. This should be one complete run from your dish to the ground at the house. If you do drive in another ground rod it should be also connected to your ground at the electrical service this will prevent a loop effect. There can be numerous variations on this theme depending on how old your house is.

Thanks to will1384 for the following diagram, and to watchman57 for his editing help!

Want to know the minimum ACP #'s for your transmitter?

Direcway Satellite ACP and Isolation values as of 5/24/2004 (Rev2)

ACP: Automatic Cross Poll. Value shown in the DW4000/Antenna Pointing utility, and the DW6000/4020 user interface.

Isolation: The transmitter isolation figure is a product derived from copol and crosspol values associated with your transmitter. This is not a user function, but is performed manually at the NOC - usually at the request of Advanced Tech Support. The isolation numbers postet are for reference only, to assist in those occasions if/when Advanced Tech Support assists you with upload problems. (see note #1),

AMC3:
ACP: 66
Isolation: 32

Galaxy 11:
ACP: 66
Isolation: 32

Satmex 5:
ACP: 81
Isolation: 34

Galaxy 4R:
ACP: 62
Isolation: 32

Galaxy 3C:
ACP: 64
Isolation: 30

These levels have to be met or exceeded for the NOC to keep your transmitter enabled. Limits may vary a few points depending on your location, transponder assignment, and weather conditions.

(Note #1) Not to be confused with the "isolation" number reported in the DW4000/Adapter Diagnostic Utility/Get System Status. If/when viewing the "Get System Status" use of the word "isolation", refer to the appropriate ACP number above.

Red X's Showing Up Instead Of Images?

There is a very easy fix to this, To do it just follow the easy steps listed below

In Internet Explorer go to (Tools>>Internet Options>>Click The Advanced Tab>>Scroll about Half way down>>Look For HTTP 1.1 Settings,UnCheck "Use HTTP 1.1 Through Proxy Connections)..

Click Ok, Close all of Your Browser Windows, And Re-Open Internet Explorer

All of the Images Should Load Correctly.

If the Images still will not load after you do that, try switch the proxy port to 83 or from 83 to 85. Heres How you do it..In Internet Explorer go to Tools => Internet Options => Connections => LAN Settings =>Advanced=> Change the Proxy port to 83 or from 83 to 85.

Sun Java vs. MS...Can I use both?

The answer is yes, you can.
You'll want to disable Sun Java in Internet Explorer and run your JAVA-based speed tests using IE. Unchecking the Sun Java box shown in the image below, will disable Sun Java in IE but leave it available for other applications.

To change your settings in Internet Explorer it's Tools => Internet Options => Advanced. Scroll down to find the Java settings. The Sun Java option will not be available if you do not have Sun Java installed.

Download Microsoft Java

---------
Credit goes to wpfranklin for the how-to.
Credit goes to Rfsjr2 for the FAQ submission.

Problems Connecting To AOL Instant Messenger?

If you are having problem connecting to AIM through Direcway, follow these directions...

Load up AIM.

Click Setup.

Click Connections.

Delete the Host address.

Input the address "64.12.161.153" then click "OK"

Click "OK" and you are done.

Are there alternative DNS servers that I can use?

[General] DNS - Open Root-Server Confederation
Since it seems that many issues related to email, inability to load certain pages, etc, eventually are traced to problems with DNS, I've started using free DNS services from the Open Root-Server Confederation. They seem to have less trouble, and include all the new TLD (Top Level Domain) listings that many of the other DNS servers don't yet include. I've replaced the more usual 198.77.116.8 with 204.57.55.100, and it works well. Here is a list of the servers available ... I chose the one I did because it appears to be the one closest to the NOC. For an explanation of how and why to use "alternative roots" go to �support.open-rsc.org/[?] and for complete information on DNS and the Open Root-Server confederation, go to �www.open-rsc.org/[?]

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can freely use any of these servers instead of your ISP's nameservers if you want to be able to see ALL the domain names on the net, not just the ones in the US Government controlled nameservers. You will, of course be able to see all the "old" domain names like .com, but you'll also be able to see all the ORSC new top level domains, too. If you need instructions on how to use these please see our instructions.
199.166.24.253 (PS0.NS1.VRX.NET) - Toronto, ON, Canada
199.166.27.253 (PS0.NS3.VRX.NET) - Richmond Hill, ON, Canada
199.166.28.10 (PS0.NS2.VRX.NET) - Apopka, Fl
199.166.29.3 (NL.PUBLIC.BASESERVERS.NET) - Nederlands
199.166.31.3 (NS1.QUASAR.NET) - Orlando, FL, USA
195.117.6.25 (ZOLIBORZ.ELEKTRON.PL) - Poland
38.113.2.100 (NS1.JERKY.NET) - Boston, MA, USA
213.196.2.97 (PAN.BIJT.NET) - The Netherlands
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[DW4000] How do I run an Auto Cross-Pol (ACP) test?

If you've received a TX21 code you might be able to re-acquire signal by running the auto cross-pol test.
DO NOT run this test for fun! You can easily turn a working system into a disabled system by running this test and failing. If you can't pass the test, you'll need an installer to repoint your dish. And by no means run this test when weather is an issue at your location, or at the NOC. Remember this should only be attempted as a last-gasp effort before calling technical support and getting an installer out to your location for a re-point.

Weather over the HNS NOC

These are the steps:

Start => Programs => Direcway => Antenna Pointing

click next

click OK

click next

Select Automatic => Start test

click Yes

click Exit

click Yes

Addendum to ACP FAQ entry.

Update: For users running software version 4.2.1.10 (DAK_P11) with DW4000 adapters, these are the steps to follow:

Start => Programs => Direcway
right-click Antenna Pointing
select Properties
locate the Target line
put your cursor at the end of the line - immediately after the G (in the word "POINTING")
push the space bar once
type /manual

the Target line should now say:
C:\Program Files\DIRECWAY\BIN\websetup.exe" /POINTING /manual
(see image below)

click OK and try the Antenna Pointing utility now.

Client can't browse Proxy ON if WinXP's Windows Firewall is enabled on the Host.

For DW4000 systems using ICS to share the connection.

When Windows Firewall (WinXP SP2) is enabled on your Host PC, it is enabled globally on all network interfaces. That includes your Host's LAN NIC. When you browse Proxy ON from your Client, it is trying to access the DIRECWAY Webcast Service (dpcproxy.exe) running on the Host. However, the firewall on the Host's LAN NIC won't allow the inbound traffic from the Client PC.

You have to poke a hole (open a port) in the Host's LAN NIC Firewall for the Proxy service. Go to Start => Settings => Control Panel and double-click Windows Firewall. Make sure Don't allow exceptions is not checked on the General Tab. Then, click the Advanced Tab, double-click on the Local Area Connection, and click the Add button on the Services Tab in the Advanced Settings Window. Fill out the info in the Service Settings Window as shown below and OK your way out. You can also use 192.168.0.1, port 83 (instead of port 85).

For more screenshots, see this forum thread: /forum/remark,12670906~mode=flat~days=9999

By Spinnaker and Satburn

General Information

These systems do not require a �host� computer running special software to communicate over satellite. The devices themselves run all the required software and communicate with your computer(s) via a standard Ethernet connection.

DW4020

The DW4020 consists of three separate components tied together with cabling and plastic clips. The components are an IRU (Inside Receive Unit), and ITU (Inside Transmit Unit) and a �gateway�. The IRU and the ITU are the same that make up a DW4000. The difference is that instead of being connected to your computer via a USB cable, they are attached to the �gateway� via a USB cable. The gateway runs all of the software required to control the IRU and ITU. In addition the gateway provides 4 �auto sensing/auto cascading� Ethernet ports.

Auto-sensing means that the port will accept either type of Ethernet cable (both straight-through and crossover cables will work).
Auto-cascading means that any of the ports can be attached to a hub, a switch or another router to expand your network.

At the time of this writing, the DW4020 does not take full advantage of the DirecWay �HPEP� proxy servers, and therefore does not provide browsing as �snappy� as other solutions. You can improve the browsing on a DW4020 through browser tweaks that are described in the �tweaks� portion of this section. However, even with browser tweaks, the DW4020 is not as good at browsing as solutions that use the �Proxy�.

You will have several choices as to level of service with the DW4020, but all are considered business level services. You can get from one up to 13 unique static IP�s and you can even get �FAP-Free� services�for a price.

DW6000 & DW7000, HN7000S

The DW6000/DW7000/HN7000s contain all components in a single unit, much like a cable or DSL modem. It has one auto-sensing, auto-cascading Ethernet port. You can connect the single port to a computer, or if you have a network it can be connected to an expansion device to allow connections to however many computers are on your network. Your choice of expansion device (hub, switch, router, or WAP) will depend upon which level of service you sign up for. There are currently two levels of service.

Consumer service comes with a non-unique IP that is the product of Network Address Translation (NAT). (See /faq/4052 for more information) This service will not be a good choice for anyone who intends to use Virtual Private Networking (VPN) or needs to access their computer or network externally from the Internet. It is a fine choice for the average Internet user who intends to use their connection for browsing, email, downloading or streaming media.
Professional service includes a single unique and Static IP. This service is best suited for those who have a need for an externally reachable IP address

If your question has not been addressed by this FAQ, please ask your question in the forum.

Can I Tweak My Self-Hosted System?

The short answer is, not much.
Explanation: The way your computer connects to the Internet when using a DW6000 or DW4020 is significantly different than it would with a non-self-hosted system like a DW4000. Instead of a direct connection to Internet servers, your computer connects through the appliance. The appliance itself maintains the connection to the external server and buffers both incoming and outgoing data. This precludes the use of the standard TCP �tweaks� that we use on other broadband connections and with the non-self hosted systems. All of those tweaks are used to improve conditions for data transmission based upon the latency and speed of the network a device is connected to. As far as your computer sees the connection, it is happening at LAN speed and latency, and therefore there is nothing to tweak. The defaults that are set up by your operating system will undoubtedly give you the best overall results, as they are already designed for LAN speed and latency. In fact, if you do attempt to employ the TCP tweaks described elsewhere in this FAQ for non-self-hosted systems, or broadband tweaks from other sites and software, you will quite likely make things worse. Perhaps much worse. The bottom line is that the only TCP parameters that matter to your Internet connection are those used by the appliance itself, and you have no control over those. This is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact testing shows that the TCP settings coded into these devices make them capable of speeds far in excess of what we would see on a fully tweaked non-self-hosted system. That doesn�t mean you will see such speeds. That means that even if you could tweak the thing, it likely would not go any faster.

The Browser Tweak

There is a �tweak� for your browser that can significantly increase browsing performance. This is to increase the maximum number of TCP connections per server that your browser uses above the default. This tweak is especially significant for the DW4020, but will also help with the DW6000. How you implement the tweak depends on which browser you use. What number you use depends upon which device you use.

For the DW4020, since there is no HPEP proxy to help with browsing, we will set this value to a very high number, 64.
For the DW6000 the number can be much lower, in fact 21 is high enough to get the maximum benefit.

For Internet Explorer users: Internet Explorer requires two new registry keys to create this �tweak�. Note that if you have used the Lan Client Configuration Utility (LCCU) provided by Hughes, it will have already made these entries. You may still want to edit the entries and increase the values used by the LCCU, particularly for the DW4020.

You will make the registry keys manually using regedit. Start => Run => (type in) regedit

Below you will find where in the registry to put the keys and what to name the keys. Navigate to the locations specified in the left pane, then in the right pane, right click and choose to create a "New" Dword value. Name them exactly as shown. Once they are there, double click on each and insert the value 15 (HEX) for the DW6000 or 40 (HEX) for the DW4020. Once you've done that, exit regedit, re-boot. Your work is done.

WinXP and Win2k: All DWORD Values

HKEY_USERS - .DEFAULT - Software - Microsoft - Windows - CurrentVersion - Internet Settings

MaxConnectionsPerServer
MaxConnectionsPer1_0Server

HKEY_CURRENT_USER - Software - Microsoft - Windows - CurrentVersion - Internet Settings

MaxConnectionsPerServer
MaxConnectionsPer1_0Server

WINME / 98: All DWORD Values

HKEY_CURRENT_USER - Software - Microsoft - Windows - CurrentVersion - Internet Settings
MaxConnectionsPer1_0Server
MaxConnectionsPerServer

For users of Mozilla, Netscape, Firebird or any other Mozilla based browser:

Open your browser and enter �about:config� as the url, without the quotes.
1. Scroll down to Network.http.max-connections. For the DW4020 make the value 128. For the DW6000 try 64
2. Go to Network.http.max-connections-per-server. For the DW4020 make the value 64. For the DW6000 use 21.
3. Go to Network.http.max-persistent-connections-per-server. Make the value 8. (Increasing this value much above 8 will create problems. Be careful with this one.)
4. Exit and re-open the browser.

What browser proxy settings should I use with the DW6000?

Unlike the computer hosted systems like the DW4000, the DW6000 always uses the DirecWay "Turbo Page" proxy to enhance browsing performance, regardless of your browser proxy settings. However by enabling the proxy in your browser, you will gain the use of the DW6000's DNS caching capability that you would otherwise be missing. This capability can significantly improve the speed of browsing to sites you have visited previously. For this reason, we strongly recommend pointing your browser to the DW6000 proxy.

Notes:

1. In all cases, the only protocol that should use the proxy is HTTP. Pointing any other protocols to the proxy will disable those protocols.

2. DirecWay 6000 Pro users: The instructions below assume that the address you are using for the DW6000 is 192.168.0.1. This will work under the majority of circumstances unless you are using the "Pro" version of the DW6000 and the DW6000 is behind a router. Your router may not pass local addresses through the WAN port, in which case that address will not work. If that is the case, use the DirecWay IP of the DW6000. This IP address will be one less than the unique, static IP assigned to your network, and is the same address that your router is using for its default gateway. For example, if the static IP assigned to your network is 69.35.40.50, then the IP address for your DW6000 is 69.35.40.49. Use that address as the proxy address and in the proxy exceptions list, instead of 192.168.0.1.

For Internet Explorer:

In Internet Explorer, click on Tools => Internet Options => Connections => LAN Settings. See image below.

Click the LAN Settings button to open the LAN Settings screen. In the lower section, check the check box that says "use a proxy server for your LAN", and fill the check box for "bypass proxy server for local addresses". See image below.

Click the "Advanced" button which opens the "Proxy Settings" window. Under "HTTP:" enter 192.168.0.1 and Port 87. The rest of the fields in this area should be left blank.
In the Exceptions box, enter the following: www.direcwaysupport.com;192.168.0.*
Use a semicolon between the two entries. See image below.

That's it - close out of all the windows, and close your browser. When you open your browser again your new settings should be in effect.

For Firebird, Netscape or other Mozilla based browsers :

Each browser has a slightly different user interface to set up proxy connections. However this method will work with any and all of the Mozilla-based browsers like Firebird, Netscape or Mozilla.

Type in about:config as the URL in your browser's address window.
Scroll down to network.proxy.http. Enter the LAN IP of your DW6000.
Next, scroll to network.proxy.http_port and enter 87.
Finally go to network.proxy.no_proxies_on and enter 192.168.0.1,www.direcwaysupport.com
See image below:

I’m upgrading from a DW3000 or DW4000 to a self-hosted system. What do I d

1. If you were sharing your Direcway connection on a LAN before, you are going to need to first remove any software sharing solution you were using. If you were using Window's Internet Connections Sharing (ICS) for instance, this must be removed first!

2. You are going to want to delete the DAK software from your old �host� computer. Instructions can be found here: /faq/7396

3. Next remove all the previous DrTCP tweaks from your system. Open DrTCP and select your LAN adapter in the drop down box. For every selection, chose �default�. If no �default� is listed, then make the entry completely blank. Save and re-boot. Your computer�s TCP settings are now at the Windows default, which is best for the self-hosted systems.

4. If you did the �AFD� upload tweak and would like to remove it (you should) then go to Start => Run and enter �regedit� without the quotes. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE => SYSTEM => CurrentControlSet => Services => AFD Right click on the �Parameters� folder and choose �delete�.

How do I network my DW4020?

The DW4020 is available with several different service levels that provide from 1 to 13 unique static IP addresses. The first thing you need to know is the one address that is assigned to the DW4020 itself. You should have gotten this address at the time of installation. If you didn�t, then the easiest way to get it is to plug a computer into one of the Ethernet ports, and set up that computer to get its IP address �automatically�. Reboot that computer. When the computer is back up, open the browser and enter "http://192.168.0.1" as the URL, without the quotes. This should open the DW4020 user interface. You should see a �Welcome� message. In the text of that welcome is a �click here� link. Click on that link. That will take you to a screen that gives you all of the IP addressing information you need to set up your network. Copy down the range of IP addresses that you can use on your network along with the subnet mask and default gateway. The address listed as �default gateway� is the address of the DW4020 itself. This is the address you will use in the URL of your browser from now on to access the user interface.

The DW4020 does not have a �DHCP� server to hand out the WAN addresses for your computers to use. It will only give one address to one device for the purpose of initially getting into the user interface as you just did. This requires that you set up each computer with a static IP. Start with the computer you just connected to the user interface with.

Open the network properties for the computer and enter a static IP in the same range as what you just copied down from the user interface of IP addresses to use on your network. Enter the assigned subnet mask, default gateway you copied from the user interface and the DNS address given to you by your ISP. If you don�t know the DNS address you can use 198.77.116.8 and 198.77.116.12. Reboot your computer. Now you should be able to browse the Internet from that computer and access the DW4020 user interface by entering the same address you used as �default gateway� as the URL in your browser.
Do the same for each computer on your network, each time using a different IP address from the same range you wrote down earlier. The default gateway and DNS addresses will be the same on all the computers.

What if my DW4020 service plan doesn’t include enough IP addresses

In this case you will need to share one of the IP addresses you have (or the only one you have if you have a single IP DW4020) across as many computers as you need to using Network Address Translation (NAT). The preferred way to do this would be with a commercially available broadband router.

Attach the broadband router to one of the Ethernet ports of the DW4020. Following the instructions for your router, give it a static IP address in the range you wrote down for available IP�s for use on your LAN. Enter the subnet mask and default gateway you got from the user interface. Enter the DNS addresses given to you by your ISP, or you can use 198.77.116.8 and 198.77.116.12. Set up the DHCP server on your router to give out addresses on the private sub-net you wish to use on your LAN. A typical range would be 192.168.1.2 � 192.168.1.254. Depending upon your router, this might be entered as an IP of 192.168.1.0, subnet 255.255.255.0.

Now attach the computers that you want to share the IP address to the router via Cat5 cables. Set each computer�s network properties to get its IP address and DNS automatically. After re-booting each computer, you should be able to browse the Internet.

How do I network my DW6000 “Professional” level service?

Your professional service comes with a single unique, static IP. That�s a good thing, but it means you need to share that IP and it means you need to concern yourself with security. The preferred method to solve both issues is to use a commercially available broadband router. If you intend to have �wireless� connections to your LAN then use a wireless broadband router.

The DW6000 �Professional� also provides a DHCP server that will give your assigned public IP address to one device, making set-up very easy. Attach a standard Cat5 network cable between the WAN port of your router and the Ethernet port on the DW6000. Following the directions for your router, set it up to get its IP address and DNS information automatically. Once that is set up, turn off the power to the DW6000 and the router. Turn the DW6000 on first, and allow it time to �boot up�. Once all but the top blue light are lit, turn on the router. It should now have the unique, static WAN IP assigned by the DW6000.

Set up the DHCP server in your router per the instructions that came with it. For most people, simply enabling DHCP on the router and using the default values will work fine. Connect the computers to the LAN ports on the router using standard Cat5 network cable, set up your computers to get their IP and DNS information automatically and you should be up and running. An alternative is to use static IP addressing on your LAN. If you chose to do so, the default gateway for each of the computers should be the LAN address of your router, not the DW6000. The DW6000 is the default gateway for the router only.

If you have a wireless router, setting up the wireless clients is no different than with any other type of broadband connection. Please reference your router�s instructions and or visit our wireless networking forum for more information: »Wireless Networking

How do I network my Consumer version of the DW6000?

If you have the �Consumer� level service, your DW6000 acts as a router by itself. There is therefore no benefit to having a separate broadband router. In fact, a separate router will complicate your network unnecessarily. You will need a hub or switch and/or possibly a Wireless Access Point (WAP) in order to expand the single Ethernet port on the DW6000 to the number of computers on your LAN. Either a hub or a switch will work, but a switch is preferable from a performance standpoint.

Using any standard Cat5 network cable, attach the Ethernet port of the DW6000 to the any port on your switch. If your switch has an �Uplink� port, you can use that, but keep in mind that the uplink port shares circuitry with one of the standard ports on the switch; usually the one closest to it, or the last standard port on the switch. This means that you cannot use that �shared� port if you use the uplink port, and visa-versa.

Using any standard Cat5 network cables, connect each computer on your LAN to the remaining ports on the switch or hub.

The DW6000 has a built-in �DHCP� server so you can set up each computer to get its IP address and DNS information �automatically�. For Windows users this is the �default� if you run the Windows Networking Wizard, and is the simplest way to successfully get your network running.

If you want to set up static IP�s on your network, the easiest way would be to use IP addresses in the range of 192.168.0.2 � 192.168.0.254, subnet mask 255.255.255.0 and a DNS server of your choice. 198.77.116.8 is a valid DirecWay DNS server you can use.

For wireless networking see: /faq/8506

I already have a router. How do I use it with the DW6000 Consumer version?.

If you already own a router, and want to use it here are two methods.

1. This method is easy and will not add an extra layer of NAT to your network, but will eliminate all of your router's routing and firewall features:

Connect the DW6000 to a LAN port on the router. Connect all your computers and devices to LAN ports on the router. Leave the WAN port empty. Go into your router's configuration and disable its DHCP feature. Change the LAN IP of the router to be on the same sub-net the DW6000 is on so you can get back into the configuration screen again later if you need to. You will want to pick an IP that is not likely to be issued by the DW6000 to any other device on the network. 192.168.0.254 should work.

You router is now acting as a switch. All computers and devices on the network will get their IP's from the DW6000.

2. This method will preserve the router's routing and firewall features, but will add a second NAT layer to your network. Under most conditions, you will never notice a difference in performance anyway.

Connect the DW6000 to the WAN port of the router. Connect your network PC's and devices to the router's LAN ports. Go into the router configuration. Give the router a static WAN IP on the same subnet as the DW6000. 192.168.0.2 should work. Use 255.255.255.0 as the subnet mask. Enter 192.168.0.1 as the Default Gateway.

Now give the router an IP on a different sub-net for its LAN IP. 192.168.1.1 should work. Use 255.255.255.0 as the sub-net mask. If you are going to use your router to issue IP's on your network, set up its DHCP server to hand out IP's in the 192.168.1.2 - 192.168.1.254 range. The default gateway for LAN clients will be the router at 192.168.1.1. Use whatever DNS server(s) you like. 198.77.116.8 and 198.77.116.12 are two DirecWay DNS servers you can use. Set up each of your computers to obtain an IP address automatically.

If you are setting static IP's for the clients, put them in the 192.168.1.2 -192.168.1.254 range with the default gateway being 192.168.1.1 and an appropriate DNS server or two.
Or you can forego all of that and buy a switch. :-)

If your question has not been addressed in this FAQ, please ask your question in the forum.

How do I use wireless networking with my DW6000 Consumer Service?

By far, the easiest method is to use a Wireless Access Point (WAP) rather than a Wireless Router. The WAP can be connected to a port on your switch or hub or directly to the DW6000 just like any other device. You then follow the directions that come with the WAP to connect your wireless clients.

If you must use a Wireless router, you can use one of the two connection and addressing methods described here: /faq/8505 As far as connecting the wireless clients, it is no different than any other broadband connection. Follow the instructions that came with your router or and/or get more detailed information in our wireless networking forum: »Wireless Networking

I can’t access the user interface on my DW6000, what should I do?

Normally you can get to the user interface by entering "http://192.168.0.1" or �www.direcwaysupport.com� (without the quotes) as the URL in your browser. If this doesn�t work there are two possible reasons.

1. If your browser is set up to use the DW6000 proxy, then the user interface must be listed as an exception to the proxy in your browser. For instance, in Internet Explorer, go to Tools->Internet Options->Connections->LAN Settings. If �Use a proxy server for your LAN� is checked, then press the �Advanced� button. In the �Exceptions� box enter �192.168.0.1;www.direcwaysupport.com� without the quotes. Press �OK� three times.

2. If you have the "Pro" service and are using a router, your router might not pass local addresses through the WAN port. If that is the case, you can access your user interface by using the DirecWay IP of your DW6000 as the URL. This IP address is one less than the static IP you have for use on your network. So if the static IP assigned to your router is 69.35.20.50, then the address of your DW6000 is 69.35.20.49, exactly one less than your assigned static IP. You will also need to enter this IP address as an "exception" for your browser proxy as described in #1, above.

How do I enter my location in Lat/Lon with a DW6000 after commissioning?

If you would like to tell your DW6000 where it is in the world for ranging in a more accurate way then entering your zip code, here is the procedure. In order to do this you will need to know the latitude and longitude of your dish location in degrees and minutes.

Note: In the example below we are using 192.168.0.1 as the address to connect to the DW6000. For some Pro service users with a static IP and using a router that can't reach their DW6000 using the 192.168.0.1 address, you will need to use the address that is one less than your static IP. This would be the same address your router is using as its default gateway. If your static IP is 69.35.46.10 then the address you would use to connect to the DW6000 is 69.35.46.9.

Please keep in mind that you are writing a complete new parameter set to the DW6000 when you do this. If you change something you shouldn't, like something not listed here, your DW6000 will no longer work, although you should be able to get it back the way it was by re-running Satellite Based Commissioning. That being said, this does work and won't break anything if you follow the instructions.

From a command prompt, type "telnet 192.168.0.1 1953" without the quotes. At the telnet prompt, enter the following keystrokes, where [enter] means hit your return or enter key and [\] means hit the backslash key, etc.

1. [enter]

2. [a] [enter]

3. [enter] 3 times

4. Enter your longitude degrees then [enter]

5. Enter your longitude minutes then [enter]

6. Enter [1] for western hemisphere then [enter]

7. Enter your latitude degrees then [enter]

8. Enter your latitude minutes then [enter]

9. Enter [2] for northern hemisphere then [enter]

10. [\] [enter]

11. [pw] [enter] [y] [enter](If you are sure!)

12. [i] [enter]

13. [enter] 2 times

14. [d] [enter]

Wait for ranging to finish. When ranging is done, you will see the message "[NORANGE_REQD] Transmitter ready. TX code 8"

15. [enter]

16. [z] [enter] [z] [enter]

Can't access myDIRECWAY page or email accts after upgrade from DW4000 to DW6000?

The DW4000 t0 DW6000 upgrade is supposed to happen without a need to change your Site ID. If all goes smoothly, you will keep the same Site ID and your old email addresses will still work.

If for some reason, your Site ID changes in the upgrade process and you old Site ID is cancelled, your email will become inaccessable. This procedure will get your email back on line.

1) ACCESSING THE myDIRECWAY PAGE:

In order for you get your emails working again at direcway.com you will have to get setup so you can access the myDIRECWAY webpage. If you have already gotten setup so that you can access the myDIRECWAY webpage you can skip this section and move on to section 2 on getting your email up and running again.

A) So the first thing you will need to do is follow this link to the myDIRECWAY webpage. »dssweb01.mydirecway.com/mydw/com···ndex.jsp

B) Next you will need to click on please join, then another page will come up and you need to click on the DW6000 box.

C) On the next page you will need to enter the Site ID and your modems serial number. If don�t already have this information I have provided a way for you get it.

a. You can get your site ID by accessing your DW6000�s web interface. You can do this by typing in 192.168.0.1 in your browsers address bar. Once you have accessed the web interface you need to click on the SYSTEM INFO tab at the top of the window on the right hand side. You will find the Site ID listed in the left hand box at the top of the list.

b. You can get the serial number from the same page as in the above paragraph; it will be in the same box third from the top. Make sure the serial number you use is only 7 characters. Don�t use the complete serial number from the back of the modem, it won�t work.

c. Now you just need to enter this info in the site id and serial number boxes on the registration page with the boxes for the site id and serial number.

d. If everything works like it supposed to the next page that will come up will ask you to enter a login name and password.

D)
a. Now type in your login name and your password; once you have done this you need to move down to the box labeled E-MAIL.

b. What you need to do here at the email box, is to enter any email address that you have that is currently active but it can�t end in direcway.com! Use an email address like joe@hotmail.com or bob@dlsr.net that you have and is currently active. The reason you can�t use your direcway.com email is because it isn�t working at this point.

E) If everything takes like it should it will tell you your registration has been successful. Now all you have to do is go back to the myDIRECWAY link »dssweb01.mydirecway.com/mydw/com···ndex.jsp and you should be able to go to the myDIRECWAY page. You may have to login again, so make sure you save your login name and password!

2) GETTING YOUR EMAIL ACCOUNTS BACK UP AND RUNNING:

A) Now that you can access the myDIRECWAY page. Your next step will be to setup your email accounts again. Now according to way I understand this you will be able to setup your accounts just the way they where before with the same email account names and passwords. Evidently your old email account names and passwords can�t be used by anyone else for 4 to 6 months. This appears to be correct because I didn�t have any problems setting up the email accounts again with the same account name and passwords that I had before.

B) You will need to go to the myDIRCEWAY page and click on email options in the HELP CENTER.

C) Next you will look for Email Accounts and click on Email Options.

D) Then Click on Create New Email Account.

E) Now you can enter in your previous (old) account name and your previous (old) password and do these steps for each of your previous email accounts.

F) Now you should be able to access your original email accounts that you had with your old DW4000 modems.

Cheers!

[Mac & PC] How can I remotely reboot the DW6000 over my LAN?

For Windows users:

Here are two ways to connect to the DW6000 over a LAN to access the config screen and reboot the terminal:

1. On PC Network Connected to DW6000 open a DOS command window.
At DOS command prompt enter "telnet 192.168.0.1 1953"(minus the quotes).
You will be presented with a configuration menu (be real careful in this menu and also anything typed will not echo).
At the Main Menu prompt enter "rr" and hit enter. This will reboot your DW6000. You must be very careful because the "rd" and "rf" command will de-configure your DW6000.

2. A simpler way to set this up is to use HyperTerminal.
Launch HyperTerminal and for new connection. Call it "DW6000" and click OK.
For the "Connect To" window click on the drop down for "Connect Using" and choose "TCP/IP(Winsock)".
For host address type "192.168.0.1", for port type "1953".
When you click on "OK" you will see the Main Menu.
On the tool bar of HyperTerminal click on "File" the "Properties" from the drop down menu.
Click on the "Settings" tab then click on the "ASCII Setup" button
Click on the box next to "Echo typed characters locally" to check the box.
Click on "OK" then "OK" again to close the DW6000 Properties window.
Your typing will now show locally.
Please remember this will only work on a Windows based PC. Again, be careful which commands you execute. You may render your DW6000 unusable if you make a mistake.

PC information submitted by dmp

Windows Reset Utility: /forum/remark,10759372~mode=flat

Application written by dbirdman

For Apple Users with OS 10.2.7 or later:

Download 'Satstat', a 'Menu Bar Extra' either from HERE (»www.versiontracker.com/dyn/morei···sx/24867)
or HERE (»www.vortimac.com/products.html)
To install Satstat drag the application icon to your Application folder.
Go to System Preferences-->Accounts-->Startup Item Tab. Click the '+' box and select Satstat from your Application folder.
Restart the Mac or load Satstat from the Application Folder.
A satellite dish icon will show in the Menu Bar. Click on it and choose Preferences/Display Style/Number and the Update Frequency.
Your signal strength will now show in the menu bar and update at the chosen interval. (one second interval makes the most sense)
Click the 'Signal Strength Number' in the Menu Bar and choose 'Reset DW6000' whenever you need to re-boot the modem.

Apple information submitted by Mikofox

I have a Linksys BEFSR81/BESFX41 router and can't update Windows or send e-mail

[Comment: This is a revised edition of the "Linksys Router MTU Setting" entry that I submitted for consideration for inclusion into the FAQ. It reflects tim's (hhkr's) recent experience with up-grading the firmware on his BESF41! router (See »[DW6000] Could DWay prevent Windows Update from working? ]

You should first try Windows Update and sending e-mail after checking that your firewall software is not blocking access to the internet, and that your e-mail client is configured correctly. However, many DW6000 Pro and CE users who use Linksys BEFSR81/BESFX41 routers as a router have reported problems accessing Windows Update and sending e-mail using their DW6000 units, but they are able to browse to web sites on the internet. If you experience this problem, access the router configuration setup and change the Linksys router MTU from it's default setting of 1500 to 1460. Then, try using Windows Update and/or sending email. This "quirk" may be related to the firmware version that is installed on the above routers, but it is not clearly understood at this time.

Note: If you have recently upgraded your router firmware, you may notice there is a different setup screen in the router configuration than what you had with your previous firmware version. Setting the MTU at 1460 does not not allow Windows Update to work (it comes up with an error). Of course, it doesn't work with 1500 either. If you put a mark in the disable blank to disable the MTU setting in the router, Windows Update works. If you have a BESFX41 router, you can upgrade your firmware to version 1.51.00. It will allow you to access Windows Update and upload files by email with the router MTU set at 1500. Version 1.51.00 is Beta software as of this writing, so use it at your own risk. There is a bug in this version that causes long URL strings to crash the router. It is mentioned in this rather long thread--/forum/remark,10339478~mode=flat~days=9999).

Received First Heartbeat - What does this mean?

The Direcway NOC stores a database of all users. When new firmware is developed a message stating that a new download is available is sent to all DW6000's or DW4020's as appropriate. Your modem acknowledges the message and tells the NOC to send it. The firmware is sent, received, a checksum is performed and then the modem sends a message back saying it received the firmware. The message then initiates an update to the database for your modem's record. As you can imagine if you do this for 100,000 or more remotes and they all send back the acknowledgement at the same time this could cause a severe system overload. To avoid this, there is a delayed acknowledgement feature. When the firmware is downloaded to your modem a configuration file is also sent to turn on a timer and specify a specific time. This time will be several hours and is different for every remote the firmware is sent to. After the �back off timer� has reached its time then the message will be sent to the NOC from your modem stating it has received the firmware and the database will be updated. After this the "First Heartbeat" message will be cleared. The �Received First Heart Beat� message is not an indicator of a problem or that you have not received all the update. It will be in that state until your remote has acknowledged the firmware download from the NOC.

Can the system be set to not use the Web Acceleration Proxy at the NOC?

Yes, there is a method to set up the present DW6000/DW7000/HN7x00S software to force the unit to bypass the Web Acceleration (Turbo Page) Proxy at the NOC. The following discussion is geared toward the DW7000 & HN7x00S, but the bypass method works equally well on the DW6000. The only difference between the units is that the Event Logs feature as discussed below is disabled in the present DW6000 software.

Why would you want to? The most common reason is to browse to Web sites that are not accessible for some reason through the HughesNet proxy. It can also be a troubleshooting technique to see if that's why Web sites are not loading. There are times when a particular Web Acceleration Server may be having problems, or the modems link to the Web Acceleration servers at the NOC is unstable. Bypassing the Web Acceleration server at the NOC during these periods will allow you to browse when you otherwise cannot.

Why would you not want to? Browsing to a Web site without the Web Accelerator is slow. You will also experience browser hesitation (explained below) and more frequent "Red Xs" on Web pages.

To set up Turbo Page Server (TPS) bypass mode: You need to statically assign either (1) an invalid IP address as the Turbo Page server in the modem software, or (2) an invalid port. The valid port for HughesNet web accelerators is 86, all others are believed to be invalid. Since using a valid IP but an invalid port can be disruptive to the IP you choose, the method of assigning an invalid IP address is the one described here. Browse to the "HN7x00S Advanced Configuration and Statistics" page and click on the Turbo Page Configuration link on the left side. In the HN7x00S modem click on the "Advanced Cfg" page on the left side. The page says that the "Turbo Page Advanced Configuration is disabled", but you'll still be able to set up bypass mode. Put a dot next to "Use Turbo Page Server configured below", enter a "bogus" server IP address such as 10.10.10.10 (any address in the Private IP address range will do), port 86, and press the "Teardown TurboPage Connection" button. The unit will try to connect to the bogus server the next time you start browsing to sites on the internet. The Event Logs accessible on the "DW7000 Advanced Configuration and Statistics" page will show that the DW7000 attempts to connect 3 times, fails 3 times, and then goes into bypass mode (a straight TCP connection). This takes about 35 - 45 seconds from the first connection attempt to finally going into bypass mode, so there's a 35 - 45 second lag on the initial browsing attempt to a Web site on the internet. Subsequent browsing to sites will have no lag ... for a while. The DW7000 unit will try to reconnect to the Turbo Page server at the NOC periodically, and a lag in any browsing to a Web site during the reconnect attempt will be noticeable (and annoying).

To get the HN7x00S out of bypass mode: Browse to the "HN7x00S System Control Center" and press the Restart HN7x00S link. The HN7x00S will reboot and will connect to a Web acceleration proxy the next time you attempt to browse.

We've found that using the Web Accelerator Keep Alive program for the Direcway 6000 Modem (the 6000WAKA utility) available from the DatastormUsers.com Web site helps when operating in bypass mode. When the 6000WAKA utility is running on a PC, the utility causes the DW7000 to attempt the reconnection to the bogus server "in the background", largely un-noticeable to the user. Users will only experience the annoying lag in browsing when they are unfortunate enough to browse while the DW7000 is going through the reconnection procedure. However, the overall browsing experience to the user is smoother (fewer noticeable hesitation intervals) when using the 6000WAKA utility than when operating without it. An explanation of how to use the program and a download link is provided HERE. Set the program's "Fetch interval" to 1 minute. If you have a LAN with more than one PC, the program only needs to be running on one PC, and the program expects to find a very small web page. You must have a site on the internet to host such a page, one that won't mind getting hit once every minute by the program running on your computer. If you have a dialup ISP as a backup connection to the internet, the ISP may offer personal Web space that could be used for this purpose.

Will the 7x00 in bypass mode be like turning the proxy off with a DW4000 modem? No. The 7x00 user who sets up his unit in TPS bypass mode should never expect to get the same experience that DW4000 users have when browsing Proxy OFF (with the proxy disabled in the browser). The experience is similar, but the 7x00 user will have the hesitations when browsing. The hesitations can be made less obvious to the user by using the 6000WAKA utility but, in general, bypass mode should be used for troubleshooting and as a mode of "last resort".

Other considerations: When the 7x00 is in TPS bypass mode, browsing to a Web site on the internet via the HTTP protocol is established via a straight-through TCP connection. This means that if you have a 7x00 on a service plan that has NAT enabled, the public IP address of the 7x00 unit is exposed to the Web host, not the address of a Direcway Web proxy server. If you have a 7x00 with a static IP address assigned to your PC or router, the static IP address is exposed to the Web host. If you use an IP reflector site such as www.whatismyip.com or the IP reflector in BBR "Tools", it will show the IP address of a 7x00 unit that has NAT enabled, or the address of the PC or router connected to a DW7000 unit with a static IP address.

We wish to thank Red Baron for testing out the bypass mode procedure on his DW6000 unit and the newer HN7000S. The references to HN7x00S and 7x00 Modems above apply to the DW7000 as well as the HN7700S.

By Spinnaker and dbirdman.

Updated 11/12/06 to include the HN7x00S systems.

I have a DW7x00 account with a static IP. How do I use it?

Unlike the DW6000, the DW7x00 modems on accounts that come with static IPs do not automatically provide that static IP to a device. There is a separate full 192.168.0.x block of dynamic IPs assigned via the modem's DHCP service to a device configured to obtain it's addresses automatically (see Note below). To use the static IP, you will have to assign it manually to the device.

If you have a static IP, the System Info page in the System Control Center will look like this:

LAN1 IP Address: 6x.xx.xx.xx4

LAN1 Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.252

NPR IP Address: 192.168.0.1

NPR Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0

The LAN1 IP Address: shown above is the public, or global, IP address assigned to your DW7x000 modem by Direcway and the x's in will be some number from 0 - 9. The 4 at the end is not intended to represent your actual number, it is there to provide an example to use in the instructions below. You will need to look at your modem's System Info to retrieve your own full modem IP.

DW7700 users will also have a LAN2 section which is not present in the DW7000.

You can (1) attach a single computer to the modem and assign the IP to the network adapter on the computer, or (2) you can attach a router to the modem, assign the static IP to the WAN/Internet port of the router, and let the router provide private addressing to any computers on your local network. The first method creates a computer that is directly connected to the internet, which significantly increases security concerns, so it is highly recommended to have a firewall running on the computer. The second method provides a router with a configurable "firewall" where you can forward ports as needed.

In either case, the IP address you must provide to the modem-connected device is 1 higher than the LAN1 IP address assigned to the modem and the Subnet Mask ends in 252. Using the example addressing scheme shown above, the IP address assigned to the device would be:

IP Address: 6x.x.xx.xx5 (Same number as the modem except last digit)

Mask: 255.255.255.252 (Same subnet mask as the modem)

Gateway Address: 6x.xx.xx.xx4 (The IP of the modem)

You will also need to assign DNS servers manually when you configure this way. The Direcway standards would be:

66.82.4.8

66.82.4.12

As mentioned above, if you do not perform the manual configuration as shown, and instead have your router or modem-connected computer set to obtain an IP automatically, you will end up with a private 192.168.0.x address, with 192.168.0.1 as the gateway.

Note: For reasons known only to Direcway, the private (192.168.0.x)
addressing on DW7x00 modems with accounts that come with static IPs is not
called NAT. It is called NPR.

By dbirdman with review by Spinnaker.

1. Forum Posting Info

What are the posting Rules of this Forum?

How do I start a new topic?

How do I submit a news article?

What is your configuration?

Are updates to the FAQ permitted by anonymous users

2. General Information

What sort of download speed can I expect?

What sort of upload speed can I expect?

What are the average ping times for satellite?

Who provides these services?

The list of providers below was compiled by Satellite Forum Users

[DW4000] Can the connection be shared?

What does KBps and Kbps mean and how do they reflect transfer speeds?

What is FAP & How does it work?

How do I find out what satellite and transponder I'm on?

Satellite locations, transponders & frequencies in use

Want to add Directv to your DirecWay System?

[DW4000] What Software should I use to commission my account?

What is the Direcway Satellite forum FTP site directory?

3. What applications work with Satellite

Can I play internet games over Satellite Internet?

Can I use Instant Messaging with Satellite?

What about Usenet/Newsgroups..Do they work?

[DW4000] Does Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) work with Satellite?

Can I use VPN to communicate to my work through my satellite connection?

Can I use FTP with Satellite?

4. Speed Tweaks

DW6000/DW4020 Users Please Read!!

What is DrTCP and how do I use it?

Important Info for WIN2K SP1 users using DrTCP!!

Optimal Settings for Dial Return, White Dish Systems

Optimal Settings for DW4000 (Two-Way) Systems

Optimal Settings for DirecPC Classic, Gray Dish, One-Way Systems

Is there something I can do to improve my upload speeds with SRS?

Is there anything I can do to improve the performance of the DW4000 proxy server

Reduce your cache for better browsing

Can I tweak my Starband system with DrTCP?

Should I try speed patches I see at other sites?

I Tweaked with DrTCP but the Tweak Tester doesn't report the changes.

[DW4000] I'm sharing my connection on a LAN. Do I need to do more?

Can I Tweak FireFox/Mozilla?

5. In-Depth Info