I’ve had a DataStorm satellite dish system for quite some time now. In all, I’m pretty pleased with it (I’m posting this article from it, now), although it has had its trying moments.

The last came when my VAR (Optistreams) decided they didn’t want to be in the business, anymore. So, they dropped me. Then, I discovered my modems were old and I had to upgrade – no satellite would accept a commission on my old modems.

Well, fine. I needed an upgrade, anyway.

So, a new modem, a new VAR, and I’m talking again.

How Good Is It?

Well, it won’t replace your home land line. I find things tend to come down in bursts, and you have to get used to that. There is a built in latency that is governed by physics: The satellite is 25,000 miles out in space. A signal has to go up to the satellite, back to the ground station, and make the round trip back for any return data.

At the speed of light, that can take a quarter to a half a second. And, you can’t get past that barrier, with the physics we know, today.

Surprising, no?

Given the headache, though, it is great to be able to pop the dish up, anywhere, and have internet service. For me, it’s somewhat crucial, since I’m on the road a lot. I’ve had it as far north as Washington, and as far south as Mazatlan, and been able to put in productive work, wherever I happen to be.

Systems installed are around $4000 (mine was around $6500 – the cost of an early adopter…) You can find out more from the company: Motosat.com. Look for their DataStorm product.

rickb