Wooooo! I’m ready to let out a Howard Dean scream like my favorite jacked Gingah!

Finally. I have high speed internet again.

I have been relying on an aircard that goes into the USB port. My Compass 597 Aircard from Telus works pretty good in town. Out here in the sticks, I was getting only one bar. According to their customer service, that is “plenty for full speed downloads”. It isn’t, unless they were refering to the blistering full speeds of dialup. The signal would drop right at the most inopportune times as well, such as just after typing in a post and pushing the publish button, or right after typing in an email reply and hitting the send button. And after about half an hour, the aircard starts getting pretty warm. Then nothing works anymore.

I was forced to sign a one year contract for this aircard. I’m glad it wasn’t a three year deal.

I also had a Rogers Rocketstick aircard before the Compass, and it was even worse.Fortunately, I was able to return that one for free. You really can’t beat Rogers customer service, I’ll give them that.

Yesterday, a helpful young guy named Robert came by and installed a Galaxy Broadband satellite dish. So far, it seems to be working pretty well. Satellite internet isn’t super fast, but it’s faster than my aircard is in a full service area. In other words, compared to what I’ve been using, it is da bomb, baby.

I actually watched a Youtube video! I know! Amazing. Later, I think I’m gonna dowload a couple of those pesky updates that have been stacking up. With pages loading faster, I might visit a few sites that were downloading too slow for me to bother with.

The only thing I have to watch out for, is on the plan we are on, there is a maximum 300MB per day download policy. That’s right, the dowwnload police could shut me down for a few hours. I’m sure the kids will set that one off eventually.

29 Responses to “Rural Internet Woes: Stupid Aircards!”

  1. Bill from Rocky T-Shirts says:

    nice post, i feel your pain, i was at the parents’ house for turkey time yesterday and it is internet darkness and i can’t bring myself to use an aircard.

  2. cardiogirl from Jacked Gingah says:

    Man I love these keywords! I’m trapped relaxing at my in-laws’ house this weekend 300 miles north of my own house and they’ve been fighting with their DSL modem to get internet access.

    Oy. To. The. VEY! Um, but they got it and I feel like I’ve been released on a short-term parole to say hi to my peeps. But I can hear the sirens blowing, so it’s time to get back in my cell.

    p.s. I got paininthebutt as my anti-spam word. Not sure when I’ll be able to come back (before Monday) to pull the slot handle one more time.

    Come on Sweep the Leg, momma needs a new pair of shoes!
    cardiogirl @ Jacked Gingah´s last blog ..The book of questions, Volume 69 My ComLuv Profile

  3. Chuggin from Commercial Coffee Makers says:

    Don’t you miss watching YouTube videos that are all slow and delayed? I have to tell you that I would have a serious issue with that download limit because I am a download fiend who needs more than 300 MB!

  4. ed from promotionalclothing says:

    here in the uk i used a mobile dongle for some time from BT ( british crappy telecom )
    all was well for some time, good speeds and good dowloand transfers, UNTIL
    got this huge bill, so i rang them to ask wtf is this bill all about as it supposed to be free as it is tied in with my normal business broadband package
    OH NOOOOOOOO they say you have a 1gb limit per month!
    not according to my contract says i, but oh no they say that all changed some time ago, yet our admin didnt send out the updated contracts
    try as i might, they would have none of it and as such have had to seek new suppliers of mobile freeness to be able to keep up with business when away from base
    thanks talktalk even though you use the same backbone at least now i can roam freely without fear of enormous bills ;)

  5. Benji says:

    Yeah, one bar is the pits. I lived in rural Minnesota for awhile and got between one and zero bars. Almost through the PC through the wall a couple times.
    Benji´s last blog ..Art Deco Mirrors — The Best of Art Deco My ComLuv Profile

  6. Steve from trade show displays guru says:

    Tim,
    Glad you got your (high speed) internet back.
    I vaguely remember the days of “dial up”, but now can’t imagine living without high speed access. That’s like life without coffee… or beer… it just ain’t life!
    Steve, the addicted-to-my-internet-and-make-it-fast trade show displays guru
    Steve@trade show displays guru´s last blog ..Are Trade Shows Obsolete? My ComLuv Profile

  7. Ben from Real Time Manager Blog says:

    Hey cardiogirl,

    You’re already ranking well for Jacked Gingah. Your site is ranked number 4 for it in Google. But guess what? This post is ranked number 1!
    Ben@Real Time Manager Blog´s last blog ..How to add a new “Sub Employee” to the Real Time Manager System. My ComLuv Profile

  8. Marvin says:

    Ow, a built-in governor on your aircard? Ick. That would be a dealbreaker for me.
    Marvin´s last blog ..Inching toward friendship My ComLuv Profile

  9. Matt from Roswell GA Foreclosures says:

    You’ve got to love those cell companies that lock you into a contract for crappy service. But, hey, it’s much better than “dial-up”…Ewww

  10. Kris from Gift Basket Blog says:

    A 300 meg limit! I could not get by with that. Hopefully some day cable will be available in your area! =)
    Kris @ Gift Basket Blog´s last blog ..Are you planning a birthday party? My ComLuv Profile

  11. mike from San Diego Movers says:

    I wouldn’t be able to get by with a 300mb limit either, but if it’s a big improvement in speed and reliability I’d take it anyway! What’s the point of having unlimited bandwidth if it’s dial-up speed?

  12. Javier from Koboland says:

    dsl and other high speed internet is like a water connection now which everybody must have…

    good you have you internet back :)

  13. Colin says:

    “you’ve got to love those cell companies that lock you into a contract for crappy service. But, hey, it’s much better than “dial-up”…Ewww”
    OMG, I totally know what you mean. Furthermore, the other day my cell company went down and I lost all my service, and please don’t hate me for this, but I was so frustrated I started wishing I could go back to dial up! Ughh why can’t these things just be more awesome!?!? Such is life.

  14. Wow man 300MB per day? That’s pretty sad. D:

  15. greg from sleep apnea machine says:

    A friend was bragging about the speed of his new satellite internet service so I had to go see. Turned out it doesn’t work so well during a rain storm when heavy rain interfered with the signal!

    Luckily I had my laptop and usb wi-fi connector to save his day.
    greg@ sleep apnea machine´s last blog ..Sleep Apnea Mask My ComLuv Profile

  16. Retno from Household Insurance says:

    The first thing to decide is if you are going to use your aircard at a single location, or if you are going to roam. If it is at a single location, you can focus on that location to measure performance. If you can find neighbors in your area with 3.5 G phones, ask them to run a mobile speed test.r

  17. Sal Sidell from Stop Snoring Products says:

    I still experience slow times when I travel to Asia (Philippines) on business
    Sal Sidell@Stop Snoring Products´s last blog ..Snoring Cure CPAP My ComLuv Profile

  18. Jennifer from Natural Hair Restoration says:

    Down at the Lake of the Ozarks cell phones are finally pretty much fully functional. The same cannot be said for aircards. I love to get away, drink some beer, and catch some rays, but I still need to check up on things. Hopefully reception will be better by the spring.
    Jennifer @ Natural Hair Restoration´s last blog ..The Causes of Hair Loss in Women My ComLuv Profile

  19. Anton from gambling says:

    Many times I have experienced this problem, and for a webmaster is very frustrating. The software has advanced greatly, but the Internet connections are still weak.

  20. Jenn from Cumming real estate says:

    Those things never seem to work the way they are supposed to. Even on major highways they are poor. Until they make Satelite cards we are all screwed.

  21. Jean from Totes Handbags says:

    I am using usb Smartbro, and its good. I don’t see any problems when it comes n internet connections. Though it is a bit expensive. :(

  22. Melissa from Childrens Birthday Parties says:

    Rogers screwed me around for months with their aircard. Worst custoemr service I’ve ever come across

  23. Brian from Manual Juicer says:

    Tim, glad to hear you got some nice internet juice. I’m spoiled with high speed internet since 2000. Now at 16 Mbytes/sec and going to 50. Actually USA is one of the slower countries for HS internet behind Korea and Norway. I can’t imagine living off an air card. The dish is definitely the way to go for rural access.

    The 300 mbyte limit will go quickly after downloading one DVD off the internet. Good luck with that.
    Brian@Manual Juicer´s last blog ..Where I can buy the best orange juicer My ComLuv Profile

  24. jinnie from mobile banking credit union says:

    Thanks for this amazing informative article. I do like your website and love to read your writings. Do keep up your good work. And I do agree with you, I have undergone many such incidents like these, and it really suck

  25. Raymond F says:

    Your post just reminded me that I need to check with my satellite TV provider to see if I can get Internet at a reasonable price. I’m not in the U.S. and my “DSL” connection is barely dial-up. I know exactly how difficult it is to watch a video. Usually, I need an hour to watch 15 minutes.
    Raymond F´s last blog ..Technorati Blog Claim Code My ComLuv Profile

  26. sanarita from mobile banking credit union says:

    i always love to visit your blog since you always come with something new idea and i really enjoy all the reads. keep posting.

  27. Joseph Reed says:

    Yes now also in rural areas, there is internet with very slow speed. Some people are now also using dial up internet connection instead of Broadband.

  28. Joe from Puppy Chewing says:

    What happened to this administrations promise to bring the internet to all! Where is al gore when we need him.
    Joe@Puppy Chewing´s last blog ..Tips to Stop Puppy Chewing My ComLuv Profile

  29. sarika from mobile banking credit union says:

    i really enjoyed while reading your blog since you always come with something new which may not be find in other blog. keep posting

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