Wildblue - impressed so far (for out-of-town Internet)
Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2005 6:15 am
Midwest Energy (www.wild-blue.coop) just finished my wildblue install on Monday. After using starband for 3 1/2 years, I'm extremely impressed so far. It's not as good as wireless in town due to the extreme distance from the dish to satellite to NOC, but it's the best Internet connection I've had out of town on the Island. And the Midwest Energy installers/technicians really knew what they were doing and were great people to deal with. I tend to be pretty critical, but I'm extremely happy with this system so far -- even though I've only had the system for a couple days, I thought I'd post in case anyone else is thinking about faster Internet where they can't get a line of sight to the school's roof.
Wildblue equipment costs $299. Monthly fees are $49, (~500 kbps down, ~100 kbps up), $69 (1000 kbps down, 200 kbps up), or $79 (1500 kbps down, 256 kbps up). Note that the quoted numbers are "up to" as with the other satellie offerings which have fallen short in the past. Right now Wildblue is totally new and unloaded so the speeds are GREATER than advertised, but as it's a new venture using spot beam ka-band instead of ku-band like starband and direcway, no one knows yet how it will perform once the system is fully loaded, so no gaurantees. But I'm definitely very impressed so far and the people at Midwest Energy, the NRTC, and wildblue have been extremely proficient, friendly, and have really gone above and beyond to help.
(I'm not sure why GLE isn't offering wildblue as they stopped mentioning direcway a while back, but I got no response on when they might be offering wildblue when I asked twice -- it's still early but I wanted to get it done while the weather is great. Midwest, though somewhat far away, really came through with the wildblue install for me, and I could not have hoped for better installers! Very very impressed with them!)
:::.. Upload Stats ..:::
Connection is:: 250 Kbps about 0.2 Mbps (tested with 2992 kB)
Upload Speed is:: 30 kB/s
Tested From:: http://testmy.net/ (server2)
Test Time:: Wed Sep 14 2005 01:35:56 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)
Bottom Line:: 4X faster than 56K 1MB upload in 34.13 sec
Diagnosis: Looks Great : 6.38 % faster than the average for host (123.151)
Validation Link:: http://testmy.net/stats/id-L92AXES68
:::.. Download Stats ..:::
Connection is:: 1544 Kbps about 1.5 Mbps (tested with 2992 kB)
Download Speed is:: 188 kB/s
Tested From:: http://testmy.net/ (server2)
Test Time:: Wed Sep 14 2005 01:33:35 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)
Bottom Line:: 28X faster than 56K 1MB download in 5.45 sec
Diagnosis: Awesome! 20% + : 119.94 % faster than the average for host (123.151)
Validation Link:: http://testmy.net/stats/id-5ORWUG4KQ
:::.. Upload Stats ..:::
Connection is:: 239 Kbps about 0.2 Mbps (tested with 1496 kB)
Upload Speed is:: 29 kB/s
Tested From:: http://testmy.net/ (server2)
Test Time:: Wed Sep 14 2005 01:40:58 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)
Bottom Line:: 4X faster than 56K 1MB upload in 35.31 sec
Diagnosis: Looks Great : 3.02 % faster than the average for host (123.151)
Validation Link:: http://testmy.net/stats/id-7UYOAKH5E
:::.. Download Stats ..:::
Connection is:: 1544 Kbps about 1.5 Mbps (tested with 1496 kB)
Download Speed is:: 188 kB/s
Tested From:: http://testmy.net/ (server2)
Test Time:: Wed Sep 14 2005 01:41:53 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)
Bottom Line:: 28X faster than 56K 1MB download in 5.45 sec
Diagnosis: Awesome! 20% + : 101.3 % faster than the average for host (123.151)
Validation Link:: http://testmy.net/stats/id-0NZGXI819
Real-world FTP download speed - 9 MB in under a minute
Real-world FTP upload speed - 9 MB in about 5 minutes vs. an hour on dialup
For $79 a month, it blows my previous staband $69/month system out of the water which was delivering 500 down and 50 up. it's still not cheap by any means, but the $49 plan offers a nice entry-level always-on connection and you can bump it up as needed too.
Also three things that I always had great trouble with on starband: ssh, ftp, and secure https:// sites, are working very well so far on wildblue, much better than I would have expected they could work on any satellite connection.
ping -n 10 yahoo.com
Pinging yahoo.com [66.94.234.13] with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 66.94.234.13: bytes=32 time=648ms TTL=48
Reply from 66.94.234.13: bytes=32 time=727ms TTL=48
Reply from 66.94.234.13: bytes=32 time=730ms TTL=48
Reply from 66.94.234.13: bytes=32 time=726ms TTL=48
Reply from 66.94.234.13: bytes=32 time=723ms TTL=48
Reply from 66.94.234.13: bytes=32 time=723ms TTL=48
Reply from 66.94.234.13: bytes=32 time=641ms TTL=48
Reply from 66.94.234.13: bytes=32 time=642ms TTL=48
Reply from 66.94.234.13: bytes=32 time=654ms TTL=48
Reply from 66.94.234.13: bytes=32 time=643ms TTL=48
Ping statistics for 66.94.234.13:
Packets: Sent = 10, Received = 10, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 641ms, Maximum = 730ms, Average = 685ms
ping -n 10 google.com
Pinging google.com [216.239.37.99] with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 216.239.37.99: bytes=32 time=682ms TTL=238
Reply from 216.239.37.99: bytes=32 time=600ms TTL=238
Reply from 216.239.37.99: bytes=32 time=600ms TTL=238
Reply from 216.239.37.99: bytes=32 time=695ms TTL=238
Reply from 216.239.37.99: bytes=32 time=680ms TTL=238
Reply from 216.239.37.99: bytes=32 time=679ms TTL=238
Reply from 216.239.37.99: bytes=32 time=678ms TTL=238
Reply from 216.239.37.99: bytes=32 time=645ms TTL=238
Reply from 216.239.37.99: bytes=32 time=644ms TTL=238
Reply from 216.239.37.99: bytes=32 time=603ms TTL=238
Ping statistics for 216.239.37.99:
Packets: Sent = 10, Received = 10, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 600ms, Maximum = 695ms, Average = 650ms
ping -n 10 boatdesign.net
Pinging boatdesign.net [67.19.227.229] with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 67.19.227.229: bytes=32 time=642ms TTL=48
Reply from 67.19.227.229: bytes=32 time=606ms TTL=48
Reply from 67.19.227.229: bytes=32 time=603ms TTL=48
Reply from 67.19.227.229: bytes=32 time=644ms TTL=48
Reply from 67.19.227.229: bytes=32 time=646ms TTL=48
Reply from 67.19.227.229: bytes=32 time=604ms TTL=48
Reply from 67.19.227.229: bytes=32 time=605ms TTL=48
Reply from 67.19.227.229: bytes=32 time=615ms TTL=48
Reply from 67.19.227.229: bytes=32 time=654ms TTL=48
Reply from 67.19.227.229: bytes=32 time=646ms TTL=48
Ping statistics for 67.19.227.229:
Packets: Sent = 10, Received = 10, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 603ms, Maximum = 654ms, Average = 626ms
Latency is in the 625-750 ms range which is very respectable for consumer satellite; while there is obviously a little lag, it's been very consistent for me and much better than my previous starband system. It still takes a minute to kick in, especially for dns lookups, but after a few seconds, pages -- small or loaded with large pictures, etc. -- load very very fast.
Thanks to Wildblue and to Midwest Energy for a great system, great install, and great service!!
If anyone has any questions or wants to see for yourself, feel free to ask and I'll do my best to answer.
My contact is Nicole McQuade at Midwest Energy (269) 445-1112 or www.wild-blue.coop
P.S. and special thanks to Richie for last minute help with the steel so I could get the pole set in time!
Wildblue equipment costs $299. Monthly fees are $49, (~500 kbps down, ~100 kbps up), $69 (1000 kbps down, 200 kbps up), or $79 (1500 kbps down, 256 kbps up). Note that the quoted numbers are "up to" as with the other satellie offerings which have fallen short in the past. Right now Wildblue is totally new and unloaded so the speeds are GREATER than advertised, but as it's a new venture using spot beam ka-band instead of ku-band like starband and direcway, no one knows yet how it will perform once the system is fully loaded, so no gaurantees. But I'm definitely very impressed so far and the people at Midwest Energy, the NRTC, and wildblue have been extremely proficient, friendly, and have really gone above and beyond to help.
(I'm not sure why GLE isn't offering wildblue as they stopped mentioning direcway a while back, but I got no response on when they might be offering wildblue when I asked twice -- it's still early but I wanted to get it done while the weather is great. Midwest, though somewhat far away, really came through with the wildblue install for me, and I could not have hoped for better installers! Very very impressed with them!)
:::.. Upload Stats ..:::
Connection is:: 250 Kbps about 0.2 Mbps (tested with 2992 kB)
Upload Speed is:: 30 kB/s
Tested From:: http://testmy.net/ (server2)
Test Time:: Wed Sep 14 2005 01:35:56 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)
Bottom Line:: 4X faster than 56K 1MB upload in 34.13 sec
Diagnosis: Looks Great : 6.38 % faster than the average for host (123.151)
Validation Link:: http://testmy.net/stats/id-L92AXES68
:::.. Download Stats ..:::
Connection is:: 1544 Kbps about 1.5 Mbps (tested with 2992 kB)
Download Speed is:: 188 kB/s
Tested From:: http://testmy.net/ (server2)
Test Time:: Wed Sep 14 2005 01:33:35 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)
Bottom Line:: 28X faster than 56K 1MB download in 5.45 sec
Diagnosis: Awesome! 20% + : 119.94 % faster than the average for host (123.151)
Validation Link:: http://testmy.net/stats/id-5ORWUG4KQ
:::.. Upload Stats ..:::
Connection is:: 239 Kbps about 0.2 Mbps (tested with 1496 kB)
Upload Speed is:: 29 kB/s
Tested From:: http://testmy.net/ (server2)
Test Time:: Wed Sep 14 2005 01:40:58 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)
Bottom Line:: 4X faster than 56K 1MB upload in 35.31 sec
Diagnosis: Looks Great : 3.02 % faster than the average for host (123.151)
Validation Link:: http://testmy.net/stats/id-7UYOAKH5E
:::.. Download Stats ..:::
Connection is:: 1544 Kbps about 1.5 Mbps (tested with 1496 kB)
Download Speed is:: 188 kB/s
Tested From:: http://testmy.net/ (server2)
Test Time:: Wed Sep 14 2005 01:41:53 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)
Bottom Line:: 28X faster than 56K 1MB download in 5.45 sec
Diagnosis: Awesome! 20% + : 101.3 % faster than the average for host (123.151)
Validation Link:: http://testmy.net/stats/id-0NZGXI819
Real-world FTP download speed - 9 MB in under a minute
Real-world FTP upload speed - 9 MB in about 5 minutes vs. an hour on dialup
For $79 a month, it blows my previous staband $69/month system out of the water which was delivering 500 down and 50 up. it's still not cheap by any means, but the $49 plan offers a nice entry-level always-on connection and you can bump it up as needed too.
Also three things that I always had great trouble with on starband: ssh, ftp, and secure https:// sites, are working very well so far on wildblue, much better than I would have expected they could work on any satellite connection.
ping -n 10 yahoo.com
Pinging yahoo.com [66.94.234.13] with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 66.94.234.13: bytes=32 time=648ms TTL=48
Reply from 66.94.234.13: bytes=32 time=727ms TTL=48
Reply from 66.94.234.13: bytes=32 time=730ms TTL=48
Reply from 66.94.234.13: bytes=32 time=726ms TTL=48
Reply from 66.94.234.13: bytes=32 time=723ms TTL=48
Reply from 66.94.234.13: bytes=32 time=723ms TTL=48
Reply from 66.94.234.13: bytes=32 time=641ms TTL=48
Reply from 66.94.234.13: bytes=32 time=642ms TTL=48
Reply from 66.94.234.13: bytes=32 time=654ms TTL=48
Reply from 66.94.234.13: bytes=32 time=643ms TTL=48
Ping statistics for 66.94.234.13:
Packets: Sent = 10, Received = 10, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 641ms, Maximum = 730ms, Average = 685ms
ping -n 10 google.com
Pinging google.com [216.239.37.99] with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 216.239.37.99: bytes=32 time=682ms TTL=238
Reply from 216.239.37.99: bytes=32 time=600ms TTL=238
Reply from 216.239.37.99: bytes=32 time=600ms TTL=238
Reply from 216.239.37.99: bytes=32 time=695ms TTL=238
Reply from 216.239.37.99: bytes=32 time=680ms TTL=238
Reply from 216.239.37.99: bytes=32 time=679ms TTL=238
Reply from 216.239.37.99: bytes=32 time=678ms TTL=238
Reply from 216.239.37.99: bytes=32 time=645ms TTL=238
Reply from 216.239.37.99: bytes=32 time=644ms TTL=238
Reply from 216.239.37.99: bytes=32 time=603ms TTL=238
Ping statistics for 216.239.37.99:
Packets: Sent = 10, Received = 10, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 600ms, Maximum = 695ms, Average = 650ms
ping -n 10 boatdesign.net
Pinging boatdesign.net [67.19.227.229] with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 67.19.227.229: bytes=32 time=642ms TTL=48
Reply from 67.19.227.229: bytes=32 time=606ms TTL=48
Reply from 67.19.227.229: bytes=32 time=603ms TTL=48
Reply from 67.19.227.229: bytes=32 time=644ms TTL=48
Reply from 67.19.227.229: bytes=32 time=646ms TTL=48
Reply from 67.19.227.229: bytes=32 time=604ms TTL=48
Reply from 67.19.227.229: bytes=32 time=605ms TTL=48
Reply from 67.19.227.229: bytes=32 time=615ms TTL=48
Reply from 67.19.227.229: bytes=32 time=654ms TTL=48
Reply from 67.19.227.229: bytes=32 time=646ms TTL=48
Ping statistics for 67.19.227.229:
Packets: Sent = 10, Received = 10, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 603ms, Maximum = 654ms, Average = 626ms
Latency is in the 625-750 ms range which is very respectable for consumer satellite; while there is obviously a little lag, it's been very consistent for me and much better than my previous starband system. It still takes a minute to kick in, especially for dns lookups, but after a few seconds, pages -- small or loaded with large pictures, etc. -- load very very fast.
Thanks to Wildblue and to Midwest Energy for a great system, great install, and great service!!
If anyone has any questions or wants to see for yourself, feel free to ask and I'll do my best to answer.
My contact is Nicole McQuade at Midwest Energy (269) 445-1112 or www.wild-blue.coop
P.S. and special thanks to Richie for last minute help with the steel so I could get the pole set in time!