Satellite service, the high-speed broadband service available to those who aren't within DSL range.

Rockbridge Global Village RGVSAT high-speed satellite Internet service is available to almost anyone with a PC and a view of the southeastern sky. It’s fast, reliable and affordable.

Now you can get the latest technology in high-speed Internet service in your home or business even if you aren't within range for DSL.

This service provides blazing fast speeds of 400K. Its time you get out of the slow lane and shift that computer of yours into high gear. Go ahead, treat yourself.

Current Satellite customers, go to the site listed below and login. There you can see your usage, speed, upcoming features, facts and local weather conditions.

http://rockbridge.satnow.net/

Features:

A small satellite dish is either self or professionally installed at your home or business so it faces the southeastern sky. A cable is run from the dish to an internal satellite receiver card that is easily installed in your computer.

RGVSAT works by giving you a 400K high-speed connection when you are retrieving files from the Internet.

Your computer is connected to the Internet via 56k modem. This is to send out the request for the information that you want. Request are very small packets so the modem will not be a factor here. In fact this is actually faster then a two-way satellite (see F.A.Q for a full explanation.) Then the information that you have requested is pumped back down to your computer via satellite, at blazing fast speeds.

Speed Comparison:

Information:

RGVSAT satellite service is a "one-way" service, which means that we use your phone line and modem to connect for "upstream" data, and we send data to your computer by way of the satellite and a dish on your roof. Other systems are "two-way", meaning that the satellite dish is used to receive as well as send data to the satellite.

A common misconception about two-way is that it's better than one-way because it's faster (the upstream connection is advertised as a 400Kbps link, just like the downstream). However, when you actually use the service, you'll find that the surfing speed of a two-way satellite connection actually moves more slowly than one-way!

Satellites were not originally designed for two-way communication. The original intent for a satellite is one-way broadcasting, not uploading or accepting a transmitted signal. Two-way communications force the satellite to do something counter to its fundamental design. Because of this, there are delays in accepting and forwarding information (such as web page requests), resulting in a slower two-way surfing experience.

Using satellite to transmit both ways (the process of sending and receiving signal) can take from 700 to 1300 milliseconds (as reported by Hughes). After 700 milliseconds, the standard networking stack will generally consider the information packets "lost," and will automatically resubmit the request, sometimes several times. Although this process is invisible to you, you'll experience it as waiting time...not unline the waiting you experience on a dialup-only connection.

By way of comparison, the transmission time for one-way satellite (telephone line plus satellite) is approximately 400 milliseconds; well below the 700 milliseconds required by the two-way system, and below the threshold where most networking systems will give up and try again. As a result, page requests make it to their destination immediately, and the satellite broadcasts the results immediately to you. The result is a FASTER surfing experience with one-way satellite connections.

Starband says on their website that "when sending e-mails with large attachments or uploading large files to the Internet, you may experience speeds closer to that of dial-up service." (Starband website 10/29/2002 http://www.starband.com/faq/benefits.htm)

Earthlink says (and this also applies to DirecWay) that their data uploads via satellite are "similar to a dial-up modem" (Earthlink website 10/29/2002 http://register.earthlink.net/cgi-bin/wsisa.dll/broadband/satellite/faq.html - select FAQ link)

As if better performance weren't reason enough, our one-way system is actually less expensive (by a fair margin) than any of the two-way alternatives!

FAQs:

What is high-speed broadband?
   High-speed broadband access to the internet typically refers to speeds that meet or exceed 300kbps. As a comparison, typical dial-up speeds are in the range of 28.8k or 56k. High-speed broadband access, therefore, is a timesaving tool that allows you to work faster while you are using the Internet."

   Satellite broadband allows you to get what you want, when you want, without the long wait in between. By upgrading to our Satellite Broadband service, the Internet isn’t just composed of text and images anymore. Almost all of the most popular (and even the smaller sites) are offering audio and video downloads and streams today. Many people are surfing the Internet for their entertainment (sports, movies, mature, etc.) and spending a lot less time with cable and satellite TV because it’s available On-Demand. Our Satellite Broadband allows you to download your favorite music, video clips, television shows, and even movies which you can pause and rewind just like a VCR.

Is this via satellite?
   Yes. Because you would have to run new fiber optic and phone lines to each home that wants broadband, the costs of setting up cable and DSL technology throughout the country are in the billions of dollars. Satellite is a lot quicker and less expensive to hook up because it is a wireless connection and available today. The download of information from the Internet to your computer goes from the satellite direct to your PC. The upload of information from your computer to the Internet goes first via a phone line to your current Internet Service Provider and then is uploaded to the satellite.

Is it 2 way Satellite access?
   No, A dialup is required for the upload part of your connection. We provide the dialup connection.

What are the advantages of a "one-way" satellite system over a "two-way" satellite system?
   Since "two way" satellite systems are not standards based, FTP and POP e-mail is very unreliable.  Our "one way" satellite system is less expensive than a "two way" system.  Severe weather conditions can affect any satellite based system. In fact, the end-user of a "two way" satellite system can experience a complete loss of connection.  A "one way" satellite system uses both the satellite link and a redundant terrestrial telephone link to the internet. This means that the end-user connection may temporarily slow down in the case of very severe weather conditions.  Upload times on a "one way" satellite system are three to six times faster then on a "two way" satellite system.

Why should I go with your services while DirecWay and Starband are offering similar services?
   We believe one-way is better than two way for the individual subscriber, plus we are a customer focused ISP dedicated to superior customer service.

What is the difference between DSL and satellite high speed broadband?
   DSL operates over a special telephone cable, and is distance limited. DSL only covers approximately a three-mile radius from where the cable has been laid.  With satellite broadband, as long as you can point the satellite dish towards the geo-synchronous orbiting satellite you can receive the signal. The downstream comes into your computer through radio-waves, not back through your telephone line, which is severely limited.

Does this upgrade run faster than DSL?
   Not necessarily. Our Satellite Broadband is used mostly in places where DSL doesn’t run, thereby giving people who live in rural areas Internet access.

Why would I want to upgrade my dial-up Internet service?
   To perform research more quickly in support of schoolwork. The faster speed means less waiting time, increasing work efficiency making telecommuting or working from home a practical reality. To decrease the time it takes to download materials from the Internet. To significantly shorten your time spent waiting for downloads and to more effectively manage your time spent on the Internet.

Is the satellite dish the same as the one used for TV?
   No. The satellite dish is slightly larger. It is therefore more stable through storms,  wind and cloudy days/nights.

Can I use my existing DirecTV/DSS/Dish Network/Hughes/etc dish or IWC satellite service?
   No, but there’s a good reason: Television dishes do not provide the signal strength needed to sustain a high-speed internet connection.  Television signals do not need to maintain a constant connectivity rate as data signals require.

What is the cost?
   We offer two different plans; all plans require an up-front fee for the satellite equipment.  See our Price Plan Sheet for detailed information. 

Do I have to buy the equipment?
   Yes, we do not offer leasing options for equipment, but it is yours to keep.

How long will it take for the equipment to be installed?
   Depending on your location and schedules, usually 5-10 business days.

If I move can I take the equipment with me?
   Yes, but you will have to install it at your new location.

Can I use my existing telephone line?
   Yes.

What can I download?
   Music, photographs, video clips, movies - whatever you want.

What is the difference between my dial-up and satellite broadband?
   A tremendous time savings to you! Your dial up brings back information from websites into your computer at anywhere from 5 to 56K, while the satellite will bring the same information into your computer at 320-400K. The theoretical maximum speed over your telephone line back into your computer is 42K. What we are speaking of is a time saving increase of 5 to 20 Times, not unlike driving a car 25 MPH versus 125-500 MPH.

Shouldn’t I just wait for CABLE/DSL to come to the area?
   You could, but you may be waiting a few years. Since the late 90’s cable systems have been slow to upgrade their systems. Did you know that it costs over $100,000 a mile to run fiber optics? There are miles and miles of cable in your town today. If you do not have access today, it may take at least 3 to 5 years for it to come to this area. Why don’t you take our services today?"

Does your service work with Macs?
   Only Macs connected to a home network. We are looking into a Mac compatible solution and will let you know when it is available.

Isn’t Internet gaming over satellite connections slow and prone to lag?
   In reality, the lag experienced is no more than one would experience over a dial-up connection.  There is a widespread myth that games are rendered unplayable by satellite lag, those rumors are false.
   There are two main reasons for this latency:
   The time it takes for the data to be sent from our satellite provider, up into space and to the satellite, then back down to earth where it can be received by the dish.
   Line integrity in the upstream portion may be below average.

How can I check to see if satellite is available in my area?
   As long as you have a clear view of the southeast sky somewhere on your property and a working telephone line, you are eligible for IWC Satellite service.

NOTE: Some neighborhoods have restrictions on visible satellite dishes, please check with your community government.

Will I be able to connect more than one computer to my satellite connection?
   Yes!  Unlike some DSL companies, we do not place restrictions on the number of computers you can have networked to use your satellite link as an internet gateway.

Can I pay by check or credit card?
   Yes.  We accept both methods of payment.  We accept American Express, Visa/MasterCard and Discover.

How will weather impact my service?
   Severe weather can impact your service.  If this happens simply use your dialup connection until the weather passes.

Will I have a local number to dial?
   We have a national network of dialup numbers.  Chances are we have a local number for you.

When do I have to pay for my install?
   Payment for the equipment will need to be made before it is shipped to your location. Payment for your first month of service is due when your service is installed.

To find coordinates for your satellite dish installation, 
go to:

http://www.ses-americom.com/tools/lookangle/

Hardware:

Rockbridge Global Village, Inc.
312 S. Main Street
Lexington, VA 24450
540-463-4451
info@rockbridge.net
www.rockbridge.net

See our User Policies for full and detailed information
about guidelines for the use of RGV services.

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