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High speed ISP available in Leander/Liberty Hill ?

Welcome to DSLR, I would start here »/prequal
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Lightning Bolt Technologies

reply to Huntindad
LBDSL,

Thanx for the info, I did that earlier. I'm too far for DSL(from previous checks)
The link said I was in Williamson county, but I'm in Travis. May not be a big deal...
It did point me to Wildblue ISP. It looks to be a satelite based ISP like Directway. It also has high start up cost.

I'd rather find something besides the satelite if possible. May not be where I am at.

reply to Huntindad
you have 4 different types of broadband:

DSL
Cable
Satellite
Fixed Wireless (AKA WISP)
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Lightning Bolt Technologies

reply to Huntindad
Well,
It looks like it may be either satelite or WISP.
Cable don't come near my place and I'm too far for DSL. There aren't any Microwave towers close enough to provide service. Guess I need to read up on WISP.

thanx,

David

Looks like we are in the same boat. Our family is moving a little further out to Bertram. (See my ID 10 T and Rural Access in Bertram) Links.

I'm looking at the wireless configuration myself. I just can't see spending 500.00 plus on Sat hardware and then 50-60/month in fees. As a consumer, I simply cannot afford that luxury.

reply to Huntindad
Steve,

Check out pegasus broadband. They are a microwave based system. I believe they have a tower out in Bertram. You may be in luck. Me...I think I am S.O.L.

David

reply to Huntindad
I will be moving to an area between Jonestown and Leander, there is a small cable company out that way (not sure about the name of the company). I will research that information, but I was told if enough people in the area contact Timewarner Cable company they might buy the smaller cable company out.

reply to Huntindad
Pegasus, if you can get it, is the way to go. I just called Western Broadband, and they are trying to rip people off (in my opinion). I work in the IT industry, and like to have a server running at my home for personal websites, so basically, I like to know the bandwidth I getting and at least one static IP.
About the bandwidth from Western: According to the person I talked to, you are only 512kb/s,... but you can have a burst up to 1mb. The catch is, it will only run at 1mb for 10 minutes, then they have a throttle in place, that drops you back down to 256k after 10mins...... less than the guarranteed bandwidth. Western also charges a premium price for such limited service. I can only guess that they think they are the only provider in the area, and can get away with providing less for a higher cost.

Also, when I mentioned I would be running a server from my home, he kept questioning me about it, and trying to insist it was for commercial use. He obviously doesn't want the business.

To Sum it up......

So far I have used Pegasus, Zeecon, and DirecWay.

Pegasus: The service has been good, there were a few down times due to lightning striking the tower, but over all in rural areas, it's the best bet. The one thing that they really need to do, is build a couple more towers to expand service coverage. If you're in a low lying area,.. you'll probably need a 50ft pole to mount the dish. I suggest finding a tri-frame on your own, instead of the the tele-scoping pole you can buy from them. The tri-frame will be more secure, and can give you the ability to extend it higher than 50ft if needed.

Zeecon: has a decent product, but when I had them, they lacked the professionalism, and skill needed to run and maintain the service they provided. Also, I don't think they provide in Liberty Hill yet,... Just as far as Bertram.

DirecWay (Satellite): The service, well,... sucks. When you watch the commercials for it, the make it sound great. But You pay a rediculous install fee ($450), a rediculous monthly fee ($79), for a service that doesn't perform. The claim to have the bandwidth, but the latency is so high, it is slower than dial-up. If you play games,... you can't with this. If you tele-commute, this barely works, you can't keep a VPN connection, and RDP is extremely slow.
Don't waste you time and money.

Just my thoughts! :-D

reply to Huntindad
I found out that there is another company that services the Liberty Hill area. It is COBALT broadband. But again, where I live it will be hit and miss. I am gonna have them come out and see if I can get service.

Anyone use them?

reply to LizDuncan
Bet that is Cox Cable. Boy did I get an education.

Our family is living in Leander for a few months and I had SWB DSL at our last home. (Loved It)

I learned that SWB was not available at our new place in Leander so for the first time in my life I started shopping cable. I kept seeing the TV commercials, free installation, introductory rate for 6 months, no hidden costs etc...so I called them only to be told, "sorry we don't service your area. Cox Cable does." So I called Cox.

Good heavens...it was something along the lines of 40/month for service, plus a one time 70.00 in equipment costs, plus 100.00 for installation.

I told them no way and have a nice day. Sadly, by the time Timewarner gets out there, we will be moving into our permanent location in Bertram.

reply to Huntindad
I know I'm reviving an old post

Check into ISDN. It is more expensive (expect to pay around $60 for the line and $10-40 for an ISP= $70-100/month) , and the speeds are only 128K/128K. And since you live in Texas, they have to provide it to you (regardless of distance)

Great for surfing and gaming. So-so for downloading, but better than dial-up.

Head over to the ISDN forums here. LOTS of information there.

»ISDN

reply to Huntindad
I'm looking to Cobalt as well. The only thing with them, is that their install fee is $175. I'm calling them today to see if they will match Pegusas's install fee of $49, since they are a local competitor. You might want to do the same.