Recommended Posts

I live in the RURAL part of the southern United States and of course we cannot get DSL, much less cable, our only options are Satellite or dial up. I did have HughesNet satellite Internet service from 2005- summer 2008. However, I had to cancel it because it is WAY too expensive. I'm talking $80 (not to mention the HUNDREDS of dollars just to get it installed!) a month for 1.5mbps DOWN. I'm currently on dial up. Sigh.

Now there appears to be a "new" technology out for rural areas. It's called WiMAX. It uses the towers very similar to cellular towers (that our mobile phones use) to transmit broadband internet speeds (1.5-2.0mbps, but can be up to 70 megabits per second.) MUCH cheaper to just about anyone. It can pick up within a 4-to-6 mile radius to a max of 30 MILES from the main tower. Much better than Wi-Fi, obviously.

Unfortunately, it's currently only available in select number of states (from what I've read, it's really popular in Europe). Yup, my luck it's not available here, yet. They promise within the next year or two, it will increase "DRASTICALLY" across rural America.

One company you can get it from is called Clearwire. Other popular companies, like Sprint will or already have it.

My question is ? does ANYBODY here use this service? If so, can you please share what you know, and how you like the service?

I just can't take dial up any longer then I 'have' too. Files are getting larger now, and dial up just can't handle it anymore.

I mean jesus a nvidia driver is around 70-100MB.

More info:

http://www.howstuffworks.com/wimax1.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WiMAX

Edited by Myke
Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/716666-wimax/
Share on other sites

I am curious, where the heck do you live?!

As for your internet troubles, i would find out if you get 3G coverage in your are from AT&T, Sprint, or Verizon and get yourself a data card. It is kinda like WiMax, but its not. It will use the same data network as a 3G cell phone, but you have a special card that is made just for data. So for example, if you get 3G cell phone reception from AT&T in your area, then the data card would be great for you.

Great thing about data cards is that it will work almost everywhere.

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/716666-wimax/#findComment-590354208
Share on other sites

I'm using WiMAX 5 to 10 Mbps & it works great,

there's two kind of WiMAX service point 2 point & Radius based,

Radius based is failed service I guess, too much distortion & problems,

but I am not from USA, so have no idea, how they deal with it !

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/716666-wimax/#findComment-590354232
Share on other sites

Hey Myke, I feel your pain as I have Hughesnet. I live east of Marshall, Texas and it's either satellilte or dial-up out here in the sticks, and the wireless 5GB cap won't cut it for me. And I don't want dial-up so I don't really have a choice. Anyway, I am still with Hughesnet and I'm not sure if you've heard but they have increased the FAP (Fair Access Policy) free time from 1AM - 6AM Central (two more hours). I get about 2GB's worth during that time, but it's really inconvenient how they give us a certain amount (300MB here) a day to use, and punish us by giving us slower-than-dialup speeds for the next 24 hours if we use more than 300MB (easy when shared with the family). I'm sure you've got hit by the FAP before. They used to "punish" us for a few hours but now a whole day. Hughesnet will surely die soon as other alternatives become available out there in the middle of nowhere's.

I am definitely looking for alternatives but as for now there's nothing but satellite or dial-up available. And I'd rather have satellite.

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/716666-wimax/#findComment-590355432
Share on other sites

I am curious, where the heck do you live?!

As for your internet troubles, i would find out if you get 3G coverage in your are from AT&T, Sprint, or Verizon and get yourself a data card. It is kinda like WiMax, but its not. It will use the same data network as a 3G cell phone, but you have a special card that is made just for data. So for example, if you get 3G cell phone reception from AT&T in your area, then the data card would be great for you.

Great thing about data cards is that it will work almost everywhere.

In southern Mississippi.

I called BellSouth, our local land line phone service (which is now AT&T) asking WHYYYY DSL is not available here yet. I was like I've only been waiting 4 years. See, people can get DSL about 10 miles down the road, but they are also close to the main hwy (and school). I asked how much could it POSSIBLY cost to build a CO close here. I would just HATE for them to have to spend money. He was really nice, and said he understand and it wasn't 'economically' possible.

So that tells me never. lol. He then starting saying something wireless internet is avail here.. but didn't go into much detail. I really didn't understand it (after I already hung up). I called him back, and he was gone. So I am definitely going to check back with him. We don't use AT&T cell phones (we did when it was Cingular Wireless, then AT&T, then Cingular, and now AT&T) and it does NOT get good service here. So I don't know.. I'm hoping that I can get whatever he said it was.. it is 6mbps up and like $58 which includes long-distant phone - and I HOPE he didn't mean cell phone.

I'm using WiMAX 5 to 10 Mbps & it works great,

there's two kind of WiMAX service point 2 point & Radius based,

Radius based is failed service I guess, too much distortion & problems,

but I am not from USA, so have no idea, how they deal with it !

Yeah, I see it's way more popular in Europe and Korea. lol

Hey Myke, I feel your pain as I have Hughesnet. I live east of Marshall, Texas and it's either satellilte or dial-up out here in the sticks, and the wireless 5GB cap won't cut it for me. And I don't want dial-up so I don't really have a choice. Anyway, I am still with Hughesnet and I'm not sure if you've heard but they have increased the FAP (Fair Access Policy) free time from 1AM - 6AM Central (two more hours). I get about 2GB's worth during that time, but it's really inconvenient how they give us a certain amount (300MB here) a day to use, and punish us by giving us slower-than-dialup speeds for the next 24 hours if we use more than 300MB (easy when shared with the family). I'm sure you've got hit by the FAP before. They used to "punish" us for a few hours but now a whole day. Hughesnet will surely die soon as other alternatives become available out there in the middle of nowhere's.

I am definitely looking for alternatives but as for now there's nothing but satellite or dial-up available. And I'd rather have satellite.

That's how it went with me. They just plain suck. Their tech support and all. Every time a new modem would come out, I would get it. I would also spend hours on the phone with tech support, because it would NEVER install right. Tech support sucks and they are RUDE.

I started out with the home plan, then went to the pro, and pro plus. That was $80 a MONTH. I think it was like 1.5mbps? Each plan was a higher threshold, but not by much. Wildbule's FAP goes by a month.. but they are also higher. I ALWAYS got fapped - A L W A Y S

They just launched new sats in the air, and they now have "Elite" plans. The highest is $349 for 5.0 Mbps/300 Kbps. Yeah, ok. I just couldn't see my self paying them any longer. It's like they are stealing money. Do they not know that most people that live in a rural area are poor? LOL $400 to get a sat dish installed?? I wished I had that $400 now!

What do you mean by "a wireless 5GB cap won't cut it for me"?

Read above, alternatives should be avail soon. :)

You can check your address here: http://www.clearwire.com/store/service_areas.php

I see Texas is on the list.

Edited by Myke
Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/716666-wimax/#findComment-590355762
Share on other sites

That's how it went with me. They just plain suck. Their tech support and all. Every time a new modem would come out, I would get it. I would also spend hours on the phone with tech support, because it would NEVER install right. Tech support sucks and they are RUDE.

I started out with the home plan, then went to the pro, and pro plus. That was $80 a MONTH. I think it was like 1.5mbps? Each plan was a higher threshold, but not by much. Wildbule's FAP goes by a month.. but they are also higher. I ALWAYS got fapped - A L W A Y S

They just launched new sats in the air, and they now have "Elite" plans. The highest is $349 for 5.0 Mbps/300 Kbps. Yeah, ok. I just couldn't see my self paying them any longer. It's like they are stealing money. Do they not know that most people that live in a rural area are poor? LOL $400 to get a sat dish installed?? I wished I had that $400 now!

What do you mean by "a wireless 5GB cap won't cut it for me"?

Read above, alternatives should be avail soon. :)

You can check your address here: http://www.clearwire.com/store/service_areas.php

I see Texas is on the list.

Yeah, tell me about it. Customer service is a joke. They tried to send a technician over just to register my new HN7000s modem, because -- get this -- they had no idea what registration step I was talking about. I referred them to the page number and they were scratching their heads over it. The 'advanced' tech support guy said that the installation CD was unnecessary and the instructions in the book was not the correct way to register -- uh, right. We eventually got through using another method and it took over 2 hours just to register the dang thing.

Anyway, I was talking about the 3G wireless Internet services and the 5GB cap on each one (except Alltel, but they merged with Verizon or something, so who knows what'll happen). Clearwire looks interesting, but still out of my range by about 45 miles. Don't know if the hillbillies here would be of any attraction to them. :p Besides, a larger neighborhood like 10 miles away have wireless Internet service provided by a local ISP here.

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/716666-wimax/#findComment-590356176
Share on other sites

Yes, I had HELL with the registration, each time I upgraded. I started with the DW6000. My last one was the HN7000S. That was like 3 upgrades.

I'm hoping that AT&T offers that 3G wireless Internet here, and that was what he was talking about. I also hope we don't have to be on their mobile plans (for cell phones). :s

My uncle just moved to Houston and he has Verizon. He came here for Christmas and brought his laptop and with a USB wireless stick hooked up to it (I think it was because the laptop is old and didn't have a WiFi card built in or something).

Anyway, the wireless internet was working here! I looked on Verizon's website and it said I couldn't get their service here. Only in Jackson, MS. That's like 80 miles north of me. Bunch of bs.

By 5GB cap, is that a month? I think with HughesNet you get like 9GB a month if you added all together.

Like I siad, I'm rather confused with all of this and waiting to talk back with AT&T.

PS. Sat internet really sucks in the south.. I mean we get thunderstorms/showers like every day during the summer. There goes the internet. lol

So in the conclusion, is WiFi still better?

WiFi and WiMAX are very different.

WiFi can only transmit/receive signals within a few hundred feet and you must already have a high-speed connection for it to 'use'. WiMAX can transmit/receive within miles. It also IS brodband internet and uses it's own technology.

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/716666-wimax/#findComment-590356264
Share on other sites

Yes, I had HELL with the registration, each time I upgraded. I started with the DW6000. My last one was the HN7000S. That was like 3 upgrades.

I'm hoping that AT&T offers that 3G wireless Internet here, and that was what he was talking about. I also hope we don't have to be on their mobile plans (for cell phones). :s

My uncle just moved to Houston and he has Verizon. He came here for Christmas and brought his laptop and with a USB wireless stick hooked up to it (I think it was because the laptop is old and didn't have a WiFi card built in or something).

Anyway, the wireless internet was working here! I looked on Verizon's website and it said I couldn't get their service here. Only in Jackson, MS. That's like 80 miles north of me. Bunch of bs.

By 5GB cap, is that a month? I think with HughesNet you get like 9GB a month if you added all together.

Like I siad, I'm rather confused with all of this and waiting to talk back with AT&T.

PS. Sat internet really sucks in the south.. I mean we get thunderstorms/showers like every day during the summer. There goes the internet. lol

Hmm, do they have separate plans for cell phone and actual laptop? I think both had a 5GB per month cap, but last time I read all about this was half a year ago. Perhaps they changed and realize that 5GB is pretty tiny, but then again, I'd assume most mobile consumers would probably use this mobile plan to check their email and browse the web, and nothing too bandwidth intensive.

Oh, and I can theoretically download about 65GB per month because of their wider FAP-free window that came into affect a month or two ago [1AM - 6AM Central Time] (where you can download anything you want and not be subject to FAP). I take advantage of this time with my download manager. I set my notebook to wake up at 1AM if I am not awake and have it automatically launch my download manager. Either that or have my router unlock its signal to the XBOX 360 so it starts downloading a demo.

What sucks even more is gaming on satellite. GTA IV actually works well, but that's about the only game that does so far. Test Drive Unlimited also works decently. And MMORPG's typically work well. Everything else -- forget about it!

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/716666-wimax/#findComment-590356336
Share on other sites

Hmm, do they have separate plans for cell phone and actual laptop? I think both had a 5GB per month cap, but last time I read all about this was half a year ago. Perhaps they changed and realize that 5GB is pretty tiny, but then again, I'd assume most mobile consumers would probably use this mobile plan to check their email and browse the web, and nothing too bandwidth intensive.

Oh, and I can theoretically download about 65GB per month because of their wider FAP-free window that came into affect a month or two ago [1AM - 6AM Central Time] (where you can download anything you want and not be subject to FAP). I take advantage of this time with my download manager. I set my notebook to wake up at 1AM if I am not awake and have it automatically launch my download manager. Either that or have my router unlock its signal to the XBOX 360 so it starts downloading a demo.

What sucks even more is gaming on satellite. GTA IV actually works well, but that's about the only game that does so far. Test Drive Unlimited also works decently. And MMORPG's typically work well. Everything else -- forget about it!

I'm hoping that dude calls like uh TODAY and explain (because their website sure doesn't). Every time I call he's not 'available' and I give them my name/number. Bah.

Good thing they changed that. It was 2am-5am (central). I like to watch youtube videos, etc and I just could not stay up that late just to watch videos.

Torrents are easy to schedule. But doing it like that, can take weeks for a big program to download. lol

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/716666-wimax/#findComment-590356438
Share on other sites

UPDATE.

Well AT&T's wireless service is not available where I live (not WiMAX btw). The 'coverage' that is. But the coverage area is only a few hundred feet down the road. Lol yup my luck. They said I could order the equipment ($100) and if it didn't work send it back. I already know it isn't going to work, so no need to waste time.

WildBlue is having a good offer online ($99 instead of $400 for the equipment) and free installation ($179 value) and the basic plans are reasonable (compared to HughesNet anyway). So, I suppose I may get that next month.

http://www.mybluedish.com/speed-and-pricing.htm

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/716666-wimax/#findComment-590368186
Share on other sites

UPDATE.

Well AT&T's wireless service is not available where I live (not WiMAX btw). The 'coverage' that is. But the coverage area is only a few hundred feet down the road. Lol yup my luck. They said I could order the equipment ($100) and if it didn't work send it back. I already know it isn't going to work, so no need to waste time.

WildBlue is having a good offer online ($99 instead of $400 for the equipment) and free installation ($179 value) and the basic plans are reasonable (compared to HughesNet anyway). So, I suppose I may get that next month.

http://www.mybluedish.com/speed-and-pricing.htm

Glad to see you've found some alternatives. I can't see myself running dial up anymore.

Doesn't WildBlue have a monthly cap? Or maybe I'm thinking of the wrong ISP. Give it 10 years (more like ~5) and satellite will be obsolete for most of us home users. :)

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/716666-wimax/#findComment-590368372
Share on other sites

Glad to see you've found some alternatives. I can't see myself running dial up anymore.

Doesn't WildBlue have a monthly cap? Or maybe I'm thinking of the wrong ISP. Give it 10 years (more like ~5) and satellite will be obsolete for most of us home users. :)

7,500MB every 30 days, the the 'home' plan. It explains it better here: http://www.wildblue.com/legal/fair.jsp

You get knocked to 128kbps.

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/716666-wimax/#findComment-590368956
Share on other sites

Dial up needs to die. I have comcast cable internet and although comcast sucks, it is fast as can be !

Not when dial up is the only (cheap) option to get on the internet. Why would we want it to die?

ISPs need to offer Broadband EVERY WHERE, and not just satellite.

Maybe, one of these days Broadband will be a human RIGHT. We could only hope.

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/716666-wimax/#findComment-590373622
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...
UPDATE.

Well AT&T's wireless service is not available where I live (not WiMAX btw). The 'coverage' that is. But the coverage area is only a few hundred feet down the road. Lol yup my luck. They said I could order the equipment ($100) and if it didn't work send it back. I already know it isn't going to work, so no need to waste time.

WildBlue is having a good offer online ($99 instead of $400 for the equipment) and free installation ($179 value) and the basic plans are reasonable (compared to HughesNet anyway). So, I suppose I may get that next month.

http://www.mybluedish.com/speed-and-pricing.htm

How far down the road? if it is so close why not setup a ethernet cable, repeater, and a power table, lay it underground via a PVC pipe and have the antenna where you can get reception? I am assuming you're in a rural area? it would require a bit of work but it might end up working out :)

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/716666-wimax/#findComment-592180944
Share on other sites

How far down the road? if it is so close why not setup a ethernet cable, repeater, and a power table, lay it underground via a PVC pipe and have the antenna where you can get reception? I am assuming you're in a rural area? it would require a bit of work but it might end up working out :)

Not sure he's following this thread one year on.....! :)

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/716666-wimax/#findComment-592181626
Share on other sites

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • Waymo recalls self-driving software after cars enter closed freeway work zones by Paul Hill Waymo, the self-driving car maker owned by Alphabet – the parent company of Google –, has recalled some of its fifth-generation Automated Driving Systems (ADS). It did so after some of its cars drove through closed construction zones. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the affected vehicles were capable of driving through a closed freeway construction zone and continuing to drive at speed. The listing on the NHTSA website says that Waymo is currently developing a solution to fix this issue, but in the meantime, freeway driving is being restricted. Waymo will update its ADS software so that vehicles can detect when they can avoid entering construction zones. According to the Safety Recall Report, on April 20, 2026, Waymo’s Field Safety Committee began meetings reviewing an event from April 11, 2026, and five events from April 19, 2026, where Waymo’s autonomous vehicles didn’t recognize and drove past ramp closure signs into the pre-planned freeway construction zones. This took place in Phoenix, Arizona. Separately, on May 18, 2026, seven Waymo vehicles entered freeway lanes with active construction in the San Francisco Bay Area by driving between cones that were placed to show the lane was closed. On the back of both of these events, Waymo restricted freeway driving until it could address the issue. In June, Waymo’s Safety Board reviewed the issue and additional information related to ADS performances around construction zones; then, as a result, it decided to conduct a recall. This development is not good for Waymo as it adds to a growing list of technical hiccups its cars have experienced. Ultimately, it will lead to more scrutiny from lawmakers around the world who will be more cautious about letting autonomous vehicles on their roads without tighter regulation. For readers in areas where Waymo operates, does this news make you more wary about stepping into one of these vehicles?
    • I'm still on Windows 10 22H2 because I didn't want to deal with all the issues in Windows 11, so I waited almost a week before installing the latest Patch Tuesday update (KB5094127), I went ahead and did it, and it was a huge mistake—ever since then, my File Explorer has seen a performance drop of about 30% when transferring large files... Once again, Microsoft has outdone itself! This update cannot be uninstalled, either through the Control Panel (via Settings) or by accessing Advanced Startup Options. The only possible alternative would be to use system restore points, but I’d have to reinstall all app and driver updates (and there’s no guarantee it would work). Or there’s the “nuclear option” of a in-place repair without losing files or apps, but even then, all my customizations would be lost! Microsoft just can’t help but mess everything up! Way to go, Microsoft! But I still don’t want your c****y Windows 11!
    • Microsoft: Windows 11 could finally solve a major issue across AMD, Nvidia, and Intel GPUs by Sayan Sen While Microsoft has been trying to improve it, Windows 11 is definitely not flawless, as even today some issues are taking a year to publicly acknowledge. However, one area of trouble that may finally see much better results soon is graphics driver crashes. Work on graphics driver timeouts, also called Timeout and Detection Recovery (TDR), is not new as the latest WDDM 3.2 also has specific improvements regarding it. Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM) version 3.2 is supported on Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2. However, with the upcoming version 26H2, TDR crash diagnosis could go to the next level as Microsoft is introducing a new DirectX 12 API feature called "DirectX Dump Files". Similar to how system memory dump files work when a system crashes or freezes or encounters any such major issue, DirectX Dump Files (DDF) will essentially record a snapshot of the GPU execution right at the moment a graphics-related crash or hang or freeze occurs, so that developers can better understand and diagnoze these TDR and timeout detection errors. The dump will be available as a .dxdmp file for analysis and it will be a comprehensive dump file generated with detailed insights about the hardware, drivers, Windows, as well as the affected application. This should be another welcome change in this department. Earlier at GDC 2026, when the technology was first debuted, Microsoft had shared more details regarding it. The company had explained how DDF is designed to gather data from every layer of the graphics stack into a single file, eliminating the need for developers to manually correlate logs from multiple tools. As mentioned above, the dump can contain a lot of useful details like GPU hardware state information such as register values, shader program counters, page fault virtual addresses, shader memory data, and command buffers. Alongside that, it also captures DirectX runtime and kernel information, including D3D objects, pipeline state objects, device error data, adapter details, and CPU call stacks. Microsoft says the feature has been built around two primary use cases: retail device removals and local device removals. The former allows developers to collect crash information from end users' systems in the field, while the latter helps QA teams and developers investigate issues on test machines. Developers will also be able to include up to 2 MB of custom application data through new D3D12 APIs, providing additional context for troubleshooting. In addition, Microsoft is introducing three dump collection modes ranging from zero-overhead capture, which has no runtime performance impact on supported hardware, to higher-detail modes that collect more vendor-specific debugging data. On compatible Tier 2 hardware, zero-overhead dumps will be enabled by default, meaning developers may begin receiving useful crash diagnostics without making any code changes. The table below explains the three tiers: Tier Description NO_OVERHEAD Enables crash capture with no runtime cost and is suitable for broad deployment MEDIUM_OVERHEAD Provides a balance, capturing additional diagnostic data with moderate impact HIGH_OVERHEAD Collects the most detailed GPU and driver state available, enabling deeper investigation at the cost of higher runtime overhead In terms of availability, the company expects broader release to be around the fall of 2026, which should be right around the time when Windows 11 version 26H2 lands. Right now, DirectX Dump Files are available as a preview and currently, only AMD has the compatible AgilitySDK Developer Preview driver version 26.10.07.02. You can find the official announcement post here on Microsoft's website.
    • And with SO much better perf than the laggy mess that is Files.
  • Recent Achievements

    • First Post
      BizSAR earned a badge
      First Post
    • Week One Done
      Jordan Smith earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Reacting Well
      BizSAR earned a badge
      Reacting Well
    • First Post
      AndreaB earned a badge
      First Post
    • Week One Done
      Huge Trailer earned a badge
      Week One Done
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      598
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      190
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      80
    4. 4
      Michael Scrip
      76
    5. 5
      Steven P.
      69
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!