–is so much faster!!!! Like Shortcake when she doesn’t want me to catch her. I’m satellite internet. She’s DSL. NOW I KNOW WHAT TO NAME HER! DSL!! (I’m just kidding! Her name is Shortcake, I give up.)
I had HughesNet satellite internet for years. It got more reliable over time, though when I started this website, I had to use dial-up half the time because the satellite wasn’t working OR the kids exceeded our limitations and we were cut off (until later when they started letting you “buy out” exceeding your limitations, which was really just another way to make money for them, of course). I switched to WildBlue when I moved to Sassafras Farm, just to try something else. I had come to loathe HughesNet and their overseas, incomprehensible technical support. I upgraded to WildBlue’s ViaSat Exede when it became available. (That was a disappointment–I never noticed any bump in speed for the extra cost.) WildBlue has been randomly unreliable and their technical service has been no better. Of course, if you live in the country, satellite internet is often your only option. Looking back now on my experiences, if I had to make a begrudging recommendation, it would be for HughesNet. But that would be a very begrudging recommendation, based mostly on the fact that WildBlue will not allow you to “buy out” exceeding your limitations and HughesNet will. If you have teenagers, you’d better get HughesNet.
My DSL was installed here yesterday. What I love about DSL already is I don’t have to use a router. I don’t have to have a modem connected to a desktop computer (which I never use). It’s ALL wireless. There are no upload/download restrictions, which are the plague of satellite internet. It’s a whole lot cheaper. AND IT’S FASTER. Will see how it goes from here, but so far, I’m happy!
I’ve been telling satellite internet technical support people for years, “You just wait till I can get DSL.” Well, you there, you little technical support guy in India who I can’t understand a word you say, THAT DAY IS HERE.
Ha.
(I might need some post-satellite-internet-traumatic-disorder therapy.)
bonita says:
Welcome to the land of DSL! I’m a tad jealous of your configuration–I just upgraded to 12 MBS download, and expect great things!
On August 29, 2012 at 2:19 am
SarahGrace says:
Yay! Happy dance for you! :woof: :woof: I’m still waiting, waiting, and waiting for dsl. For the last six months they’ve been telling us, “six weeks to a month….” yet we still don’t have it.
On August 29, 2012 at 7:09 am
rasely says:
Had to laugh at your title as I waited…and waited…for Hughesnet to load the page. We just moved from rural NY where we had dsl to rural Indiana where satellite is the only option. It’s like going back 20 years!
On August 29, 2012 at 7:09 am
twiggityNDgoats says:
I’m very glad your DSL is working well. There seems to be a lot of differences in satellite experiences. I have Excede and it is soooo much better than dial up which I lived with for years. No DSL here in eastern Roane County. My download speeds are in the 16 Mbps range so I have no complaints. I do experience satellite latency but then the pages load really fast. At least I can see your video clips now 🙂 I have yet to use my allotment (7.5 GB on the lowest plan) but I don’t have a teenager either! I’m sure I’ll try DSL if it ever arrives “out in the sticks”.
On August 29, 2012 at 7:21 am
CindyP says:
Movin’ on up :woof: Wait till cable comes to your area! 30 mbs!
On August 29, 2012 at 7:41 am
sperrypat says:
Living in rural Michigan we have experienced much the same with HughesNet. I laughed when I read your comment about the guys from India. Soooo true. My husband gleefully cancelled HughesNet when we found a local service that our neighbors used which meant no limits on downloads. We had too many trees for that service so we had to eat crow and get HughesNet back. There is no DSL or cable available still. LOL We are now on the fringes of Verizon 4G and can use our droid phones for free internet service. It is a program call FoxFi. And it is free. This has been a joy to us. We are still on unlimited data with Verizon so it is wonderful.
On August 29, 2012 at 7:57 am
jeannieq says:
So happy for you Suzanne. I’ve had DSL for years and I really do love it. I remember dial up too well! Fortunately I’ve not had to deal with satelitte yet and hope that doesn’t happen just from comments I’ve heard people make or seen. Hope you have a wonderful day on the farm. Looking for some rain here in the south.
On August 29, 2012 at 8:13 am
lattelady says:
I had been told, and it does work for me, that when you get that guy in India, or the Philippines…. if you say “I want to speak to someone in the United States” they must immediately transfer you.
I do not know if it is a law, or what; it does work for me.
That said, love reading about your problems with the companies.
On August 29, 2012 at 8:30 am
fowlers says:
Whelp, good for all of you:: we have RoadRunner with Time Warner Cable:::we do the BUNDLE thing, phone’s, cable, internet::::supposed to be great??? Well who ever the idiot was that came up with the idea; that this was better?? OMG< they need a good kick in the head! it sucks to say the least!! I hope you all have much better luck with the DSL, we have went thru 2 routers in the past 6 months,, phone is constantly going out & our cable box's just, well I was yelling at the TV last night !! trying to watch a show while canning off a batch of potatoes:::DH was watching the Reds game on one, me; my favorite (WEEDS) on another and my son was watching Adventure Time on his::: yeah I know, were just a big bunch of TV junkies:: but if your going to sell a product to me::make sure it works:::or my head might just start spinning:::does that a lot here lately! Lol the DH, said last night “looks like me are heading towards going to the “DISH” sure can’t be any worse:::
On August 29, 2012 at 8:46 am
FujiQ says:
lol! Every once in a while we get a glimpse of why our grandparents and great grandparents said “ENOUGH” with country living and made their way to the big cities with their modern bathrooms and gas burning stoves. Slowly the amenities are coming to the country – and then everyone will want to move back out of the cities. You’re very forward thinking m’am.
On August 29, 2012 at 8:51 am
nursemary says:
I want DSL, or Cable, or anything but HughesNet! :hissyfit: Just a jealous hissyfit. I’ll get over it. 😥
On August 29, 2012 at 10:41 am
RosieJo says:
Somethings are just better than a birthday present! Hope this works for you.
On August 29, 2012 at 11:05 am
Momcat says:
A few years ago I had to call for service on my dryer. We had an extended service agreement through Lowes. Sounds simple? NO! I clled the number on the contract and was finally connected with someone in India named “Chuck,” who was obviously not named “Chuck.” He supposedly was going to contact someone here in the US who would call us to set up an appointment. Of course, no one called, so I had to call the original number again and go through the same process. This time I got a number that I could call myself, so I was finally able to call someone locally to get an appointment. At a later date the dryer needed servicing again, but the extended warranty had expired and I was actually happy because I was dreading having to deal with the offshore experience once again! I have nothing against India or its people (my DIL is from India)
On August 29, 2012 at 11:21 am
Joell says:
:happyflower:
We have our phone, internet and cable through Timewarner. A few weeks ago I had a problem and was connected to a “tech” named Steve, a very popuar name in India?? I coun not undersatand one word this person was saying, there is nothing worse to have a problem and then be connected to someone that is supposed to help you resolve it, and you cannot understand them. I told this “tech” that I could not understand him, his answer “call back and maybe you can get someone else”–this is customer service!!!???
Are there no jobs available in this country for customer service?
When I signed up for “high speed” internet, is was faster, no so much now, now there have a much faster internet which, of course, costs more.
I want DSL.
On August 29, 2012 at 12:27 pm
jodiezoeller says:
Customer service from overseas… don’t get me started. I work with many Indian citizens here in Texas, so I sort of understand their accent most of the time. It’s harder when it’s just over the phone. I guess that’s the price we have to pay for cheaper goods and services… having our friends and neighbors laid off so that their jobs can be done at half the price by someone in India or the Philippines. My dear husband can’t understand a word when talking to someone from India so I have to do the talking to customer support for him if it’s outsourced.
On August 29, 2012 at 12:29 pm
MousE says:
The last time I had to call customer support about some tech gear issues, I got a woman in India. She was very nice, but you could hear the rustling of the script she was reading from, and her attempts to solve my issue were way too basic – I had already done all the troubleshooting I could on my end. I could hear the background cacophony, call reps fielding calls, phones ringing…. so I started asking HER questions. What time is it where you are? 3 am, she said. Is this your only job? OH no I work 2 other jobs. When do you sleep? Between them, she said. I said, I know you are trying your best and you have done a great job and been very helpful but…. I really need to speak to a different department. So she switched me to someone more technical, and I was eventually able to fix my issue. But it took a loooooong time. I felt bad for this woman as she was working so hard for so little money – about 200 dollars a month. Can you imagine? After that experience I have avoided calling tech support and I just email them instead.
Anyway it’s great you have working internet Suzanne! And no limits! :snoopy:
On August 29, 2012 at 3:04 pm
MousE says:
ps of course if your internet is down, you can’t email…. d’oh.
That’s when you call the local teenager to come fix it. 😆
On August 29, 2012 at 3:08 pm
twiggityNDgoats says:
Have to say my wild blue tech guy was in the U.S., was very patient and walked me through troubleshooting step by step. Maybe I was just lucky. Oh and he did solve my caching issue.
On August 29, 2012 at 7:02 pm
KarenAnne says:
I had to deal with Honeywell recently, and first I tried phoning. I got the usual American fake name Indian person who had no idea what I was asking (do these people get no training whatsoever?) and I was about to give up. But I tried emailing, and that reached a knowledgeable competent obviously native speaker of English.
I’ve never succeeded in getting a supervisor or someone in the US when I’ve asked India tech support for either. They seem to just transfer you to someone else at their level or put you on infinite hold until you give up.
I’ve begun to pick companies I buy stuff from by Is their customer support in the US? Are their products made in the US? And more and more, that is the case.
On August 30, 2012 at 12:52 am
VAfarmer says:
Someone may have said this already, but you should have named your new horse SASSY (short for Sassafras, of course!)!!! Seems fitting since she’s not interested in coming when you want her to 😉
On August 30, 2012 at 4:33 am