Internet Access "out in the sticks"

What solutions are there for Internet access in absence of a land line? I was going to post this in the "outdoor" hippy forum, but I'm thinking more of a permanent Internet access where the costs are rather more important than something temporary when you're just camping for a while. I guess this might be country-specific, but here are my findings for the UK:

The best I have found so far is mobile Internet card, that is essentially a mobile phone but dedicated for computer use. It's a bit slow using GPRS - but if you want broadband you simply travel to a "3G" area (this may not be that simple if you've abandoned the car).

Like all non-land line solutions it's a bit pricey - 60 UKP/month but you can have unlimited data transfer. There are cheaper rates if you use it less, but with transfer limits. Costs are based on KB transferred rather than time online. The downside is you need to be in range of a mobile phone signal, and have line of sight (mobile phone coverage in the UK is good, but the hills where I live tend to make the more remote areas a bit lacking even though they are in range).

Other options include 2-way satellite, a similar price, broadband performance although it suffers from poor latency and you have to have an engineer come to align it properly (you're not legally allowed to do it yourself with a 2-way device in case you aim it at the wrong satellite and interfere with it!). This obviously is unsuitable for a nomadic or semi-travelling commune.

Wireless networking was another choice, but of course WIFI hot-spots are really only a thing that exists in towns. There is talk of a long range wireless system, but even that seems to be only 6 miles or so. Staying with WIFI - if you're not that far from civilization, you could get friendly with your neighbour (who has a landline) and then use a direction wifi antennae to borrow their Internet.

Just some random thoughts and research really - I guess there will be those that insist on "no Internet" ! For me thought it's an invaluable research tool - indeed much of what I have learnt about communal living has been from the Internet and websites such as this!

 

What we have going right now has a corrupted landline that wends up the big hills and down into the hollow - about a mile - too corrupted to use now but could be fixed.
We use cell phone with a data transfer cable - pretty slow, but for a bit more you can go pretty good. Basically you get a family plan and dedicate 1 phone to data transfer and pay more for that 1 phone - the rest you can call back and forth free - kinda like walkie talkies. Pretty much free LD - And big downside for some - talking U.S. - cell towers going up every where and fewere and fewer dead areas.
Still like the idea of satelite phones and data transfer - can be used anywhere in the world - cept when to far underground or a real thick rock overcrop blocking the sky. A bit too pricey yet - but so were cell phones back when.

So peeps in other lands - how does it stack out there - can your cell phones be a data transfer and LD carrier - can they keep it open to interacting without isolation.

I know some like isolation - but usually stagnation and strange inbred ideologies come forth to rule the mind bandwidths in a not too cool manner when you restrict and try to shut downfree movemant and interactions with new ideas and possible new technologies. We prefer to stay focused - But Open allowing each to find their own dreams and the community really makes it when we help each one make their own visions and dreams become real enough to find out whether that is what they really want or not by experience.
Even while the focus and likemindedness is met in Seeeking to learn and Grow and Become More as we all travel into the unknown Beyond.
Life should alwyas be an experience that asks you to be all that you can be aye ?
Sorry - a bit off topic but still bout community - ... Love the concept that you can get the info about most anything from the net. _you can tap into most Univ. & Co-operative extensions and even some pretty specific out of normal research data over the net. Communication has always been a good thing - how can more be not good unless you forget to take time to get to know yourSelf in the process ?

Hey Jules - you ever get stateside and have the time, come find a spot to sit and watch the fire and look at the stars and be with some friends. Course we work a lot too esp. during start up times - so during daylight you gotta learn to work when ya talk LOL -
communication is on of the most important things that Must happen in community - or it does not happen.

Blessings to all along their Way.

 

i know some folks who live way out in the forest... they get internet through a satellite, it costs about $120 but they all split it so its not so bad..

 

oops...

($120 per month)

 

Who needs the friggin internet if you move so far away to get rid of civilization?

 

We have satellite wireless network way out here on the range in eastern Montana where the wires won't reach. Works good for us. The internet is good for connecting with people when you live in a physically isolated area such as the big empty of eastern Montana, it's hundreds upon hundreds of miles of nothing in between groups of people out here.

 

Just as a current example, the satellite wireless network customers of Critical Networking where the only ones in eastern Montana with internet access during the recent freak blizzard that shut down everything, except 11 people's internet access, including mine...

 

Is the satellite wireless network something you can hook up your self or do you need a pro to do it? What I am getting at is I am looking for something that is mobile and (I hope) affordable. There must be a way to do it. People who travel in RV’s and boats can have phone, TV and internet connections.

 

If it's a 2-way satellite connection you need a pro to do it, otherwise there is the risk you can interfere with other satellites. Personally, I'm not so sure - but that's the regulation in our country... may be different in others!

1-way satellite dishes (receiving) are fine though - but for stuff like Internet you then need some kind of dial-up connection to make the requests so perhaps not practical for remote locations.

 

Any suggestions on something that would allow remote (no phone line access) but would also be mobile?

 

you can use the 2-way satelite systems and aim them yourself....check out the website that talks about it...

http://rv-anywhere.org/howto.htm


and you can buy the equipment used on ebay.....

 

hmm, interesting - thanks!