Possible alternative to local ISPs (if available here???)

Mell- I inquired about this very thing about a month ago with Cingular. The network is not capable yet of anything interesting, but the fellow in PR I spoke with said it will be ready by Jan 1, 2007. He also said the original date of install was Jan 1, 2006, but things got delayed. As far as I know, it is not yet functional beyond 28.8 dialup speeds yet. They are in process of propagating through the VI, but it is not online yet. If anyone is actually using it, we'd love to hear about your experience.

Hi Jnrhome,

Thank you for the information :)!

If and when we are able to utilize this new technology it sounds like a great option for island residents -- especially since it also seems so convenient for traveling in the mainland.

Hi,

Update:

I talked to the people at the local Sprint Outlet at Tutu Park Mall on STT and was told that the Sprint, 3G Broadband Data Cards work really well here.

Sometime within the next few days I am going to visit the kiosk at the mall where these cards are sold. The manager, David has one installed on his laptop and told me that I am welcome to try it out. Once I do so I will post an update.

The service is only $50 per month for unlimited usage. It can be used here on island or anywhere in the US. This sounds very promising :)!

The phone number for the outlet at Tutu Park Mall is 777.1515, if anyone else is interested in checking this out.

we have one of these through Cingular and it was a Godsend while on the sailboat the past couple of weeks. We should continue to have service through it during at least part of the Mexico/Central America portion of the sailboat relocation. Speeds are pretty good, too, even when you're 20 miles offshore!

Alexandra,

Thanks for the feedback -- it is good to hear from someone who is using one of these!

🙂

Do you have to be concerned that people can tap into your computer and personal info while online, like they were supposedly doing in Wifi areas?

Hi Shawn,

I don't know the answer to your question about security, but I will find out.

I did sign up for the service today and will post some feedback once I have everything up and running.

Hi,

Update:

I received my card in the mail today (card is free with rebate when you order directly from Sprint, with free shipping so I never bothered to take it for a "test drive" at the local outlet as I had originally planned to).

I have installed it, am using it, and this service is ABSOLUTELY AWESOME so far.

It works wonderfully and the download speed is countless light years faster than dial up.

Thus far, I am giving this thumbs up -- Way, Way up. I will update if I have any problems. All I can say is that it feels wonderful to be back in the 21 Century again :)!

Highly recommended!!!!

Hey mell:

regarding your new, nifty card, I am not a technically inclined person. Am I correct that the card is supposed to work whereever you can get Sprint access? So, if I can get Sprint at my home, i should be able to use the card?

Please let me know.

Am excited to have more options than dial-up!

Hi Onika,

You can use this card anywhere that you have a mobile signal (which I thought would make this wonderful for traveling too).

Thus far, the card is working better than my cell phone. I frequently lose my cell phone signal in the house but have not yet has this problem with my wireless connection while using the card.

The installation is very easy, you A) install some software B) Insert card into your PC Card slot C) Call Sprint to activate service.

🙂

Hi,

Me again. You would swear that I am earning a commission from Sprint, but I assure you I am not :)!

Just ran a quick test on my speed:

443 Kbps Down

222 Kbps Up

I am not a "techie" person so these numbers don't mean a whole lot to me, but all I can tell you is this:

I don't feel like I am moving as quickly as I was when I lived in the states, but I am "absolutely smokin" when I compare this to the dial-up I was using just a few short days ago :)!!!

Hi Mell:
Thanks for the update. I am now going to spend time comparing the 3G card with Innovative's DSL.
Any thoughts there?

BTW, which card on the site did you buy? There were three on the site last I checked.

Thanks again!

Hi Onika,

I bought the Pantech PX-500 card. I don't really understand the differences between the three types of cards, but the PX-500 is free with rebate -- which works for me ;)!

As far as a comparison between the Broadband Card and Innovative DSL, I can't really say. I never bothered to try Innovative DSL because I hadn't read very many positive things about it on this board.

I was planning to try one of the other local wireless services once I moved, but then I found out about the Broadband Card.

I chose to go with the Broadband Card because it seemed so convenient and because I travel a lot. Considering that the monthly service fee is for unlimited usage and that the service can be used anywhere in the US, it seemed like a very good deal to me.

Does anyone else out there have any feedback regarding Innovative DSL, speed, service, reliability etc., etc?

I can address your safety needs. It is much safer than wifi. It operates very much like your cell phone...but harder. The same technologies used to intercept a cell phone call would have to be used. However when your computer sends out information it breaks it up into packets and the computer on the other end has to put it back together again at the other end. So after collecting the "call" the person would then have to have a way to put these back together again. Also, depending on what you are doing, this information is encrypted, making life even harder on a hacker. Now if you use one of these cards to configure a wireless network for multiple computers at your house to connect to the internet (which is possible, just more difficult than with a local high speed internet provider), then the dangers are exactly the same as wifi. However, these dangers are greatly exaggerated. The biggest dangers are if you have sensitive information on your computer(s) shared out AND no wifi security configured.

I hope this helps

Chris

Hey Chris!

Great! Now we have an expert on board to answer questions :)!

Thanks -- good to know. I was wondering about the safety issue too.

Any thoughts about how the Broadband Card compares to Innovative DSL?

Mell

Mell,

I am stateside, so I do not know much , if anything about Innovative DSL, except for generalities. But let me relate those to you....

1. If you are looking to install a home network and do not consider yourself a computer tech, than DSL is probably the way to go. For DSL and cable internet connections, broadband "routers" are an out of the box solution. In fact, i talked my mother through an installation over the phone and she may be the least technology savvy person that i know.

2. As far as Sprint goes, if you want to turn it into a home network, it will be considerably more difficult, and probably require a tech to setup (not that it can't be done). If you do it that way you are also most likely "grounding" a wonderfully mobile device. Also, the Sprint card is not tied to the electricity problems that you have (assuming you are using a laptop) so you feasibly could surf the net in the dark.

3. As far as speed goes, it really depends on what you are using it for. kbps (kilobitspersecond is what that stands for, not that that is really important) is the way speed is measured. For the average user, download (from them to you) is much more important than upload speed (from you to them). If you download a lot of stuff (music, movies, computer programs...piracy) than you want your speed to be as high as possible. if you just surf the internet and check your email than big speed numbers aren't so important. A dialup connection can theoretically reach 56kbps, depending on the quality of your phone lines. From all that i have read, you are probably not getting very close to that. I have a 384 download speed and 128 upload and it is more than I need (this is also shared out to three computers. For a few dollars more i could upgrade to 3mb or 5mb connections (3000kbs or 5000kbps) but to me, these are only necessary for people downloading lots of stuff (usually illegal) or for techs to find a new way to measure their penis.
I know these are generalities, but I hope it helps. If I left anything in too technical of terms for you, I apologize. just ask and i will attempt to clarify.

Thanks,

Chris

You've lost me. I thought that the island had wireless internet available through subscription. The assumption I made was that this was provided as a local service. What are the options for internet service (other than dial-up) with STX? My laptop's a little older and only has a wireless B card.

The "Infrastructure" page implies that wireless internet is the best way to go. Is this other service an alternative to local wireless? Is local wireless really bad?

Jen C.

Yes there is wireless internet on the island. Choice, VI Broadband and Innovative are the 3 suppliers that spring to mind. They have different coverage areas and in some locations you have more than one option while other areas aren't covered by anyone yet. Check into this before signing a lease on a specific long-term rental property to be sure you are in a coverage zone. I've had great connectivity and service through Choice. I tried Innovative, but that was a disaster. It's been another year since then, so they might have resolved the issue by now.... but I don't know for certain. I've heard good feedback about VI Broadband from several users.

Hi Jen,

Read the article that I linked to at the beginning of this thread and this might clear up your confusion regarding the Broadband Card and what type of service it is.

By the way (to anyone interested) my experience thus far, has been great. The card and service is working fabulously and with absolutely no problems whatsoever.

I love it :)!!!

BI Broadband on STX is a good provider, when it's up and running. I have it at my office downtown (C'std) and for the last week and a half have either slow service or no service. It felt like I was back on dial up for a while. Have been told repeatedly by the provider of VI Broadband when everyone is using it, your speed will slow down. I have satellite internet at home and LOVE it! No phone required, always on line (even in the terrible weather we had last week-no outages) and it's very fast. I would recommend satellite internet to anyone who is sick and/or tired of all the other choices.

To help clear up the confusion:

With Broadband VI you need a radio unit that mounts on your roof and has line of site to one of Broadband VI's towers You then plug an eternet cable into this radio unit. I have had the service since last December. The cost is $49.95 per month on a yearly basis or $59.95 for snow birds. Their service is 10- 14 times faster than dial up but not nearly as fast as a cable modem stateside. Ackley and Choice also offer a similar type wireless service.

Sprint and maybe Cingular offer another type of wireless service. It uses a special card that slips into your laptop. Is is a special type 0of cell service, I have never tried this service so you will have to read what others have said about it. No line of site or WiFi hot spot is needed.

What you are thinking of is WiFi and hotspots. There are a few hot spots on STX where your card would work either for free of for a daily fee.

Hope this helps.

Jim

Jen,
The wireless service offered by the local ISPs is not 802.11 - the standard supported by wireless "home" networks. The ISPs provide a wireless box that connects to the PC via USB or an Ethernet connection, and this box connects to their wide-area wireless network. Your 802.11b internal wireless interface won't connect to their network.

Jim Queen

Say it ain't so Jim!!!!

Ack! I've gotten so spoiled with wireless DSL that I may start throwing DTs when I get down there. Of course, I should probably panic more about being homeless than the internet, but I've never done what I was supposed to.

Looks like I'll have to look into this whole satellite thing!

Jen

What company does broadband satellite internet?