# Do I have any Broadband options? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 28, 2003, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-have-any-broadband-options/158202 "2003-02-28T19:00:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-have-any-broadband-options/158202/1 "2003-02-28T19:00:11Z")
I’n my house, in the heart of Queens, NYC, I am able to telecommute because I have a DSL line. Usually, during the summer, my family goes to the Catskill Mountains, and I’m hoping I can get a broadband connection there so I don’t have to do the city-to-country commute every week. However, the following options are not available to me: DSL - Our bungalow is too far from the switching station Cable - Ordinary, non-satellite cable is not available in this area Satellite dish using Dish network - Requires DSL for upload operations, not available to me Satellite dish using DirecWay - Web site says it should not be used on a VPN, and that’s exactly what I need in order to telecommute. I don’t know where else to look. Do any of you teeming millions know of any other Broadband alternatives I can explore? ---
**Author:** ![Berkut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a88e57/32.png) [@Berkut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Berkut)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-have-any-broadband-options/158202/2 "2003-02-28T20:04:01Z")
It doesn’t fit the definition of broadband, but I used ISDN for several years. It has two 64k B channels that can be bonded to act like a single 128k connection. It’s not as good as DSL or cable, but it’s a heck of a lot better than dialup. It’s also available virtually anywhere. Let me know if you have any questions about it. ---
**Author:** ![frankhoma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a698b9/32.png) [@frankhoma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/frankhoma)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-have-any-broadband-options/158202/3 "2003-02-28T21:57:59Z")
There’s another option: Fixed Wireless. It may not be available in your area, but it wouldn’t hurt to investigate. ---
**Author:** ![dietrologia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@dietrologia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dietrologia)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-have-any-broadband-options/158202/4 "2003-02-28T22:45:54Z")
Huh? I know several people who use satellite for broadband. None of them need DSL. Heck, you don’t even need a dial-up phone line anymore for uploads. That sounds like bunk to me. ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-have-any-broadband-options/158202/5 "2003-02-28T23:09:57Z")
??? How are uploads done then? My folks are in need of broadband but have piss poor phone lines though they do have a dish network TV setup. ---
**Author:** ![klas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a587f6/32.png) [@klas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/klas)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-have-any-broadband-options/158202/6 "2003-02-28T23:12:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by frankhoma \* > \*\*There’s another option: Fixed Wireless. It may not be available in your area, but it wouldn’t hurt to investigate. \*\* Be careful out there of wireless - just saw a report about how people “steal” your internet by sort of hitching a ride to your service, and possibly giving them access to your passwords, codes, etc… ---
**Author:** ![mblackwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5fc32e/32.png) [@mblackwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mblackwell)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-have-any-broadband-options/158202/7 "2003-02-28T23:17:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Padeye \* > ??? How are uploads done then? 2-way dish. This would be perfect, but the launch keeps getting pushed back a year every year… [http://www.wildblue.net/se/index.htm](http://www.wildblue.net/se/index.htm) There are companies currently offering similar, but slower, 2-way service. The equipments costs over $500 and the monthly bill is over $70. I can’t find a link for it right now. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-have-any-broadband-options/158202/8 "2003-02-28T23:41:10Z")
Have you done a search using [www.dslreports.com](http://www.dslreports.com), or a similiar Web page? A few years ago I was dying for Broadband, and the local phone companies gave me the same crap you got about being too far away from a switching station. I did a search on dslreports and found a company that serviced my house. I had never heard of them before, but I got their service and used it with no problems until I moved from the area. It was expensive ($100/month, plus $350 for the modem), and IIRC not “true” DSL - IDSL or some such thing that wasn’t as fast as normal DSL. But it was still plenty fast, and you could definitely do VPN on it - my husband used it to do just that. I also second the vote for looking into ISDN. It’s often available where nothing else is. ---
**Author:** ![Iteki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/eada6e/32.png) [@Iteki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iteki)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-have-any-broadband-options/158202/9 "2003-02-28T23:46:28Z")
Don’t know what it’s called in english, but you can get internet through your electrical sockets here. Might be something similar available where you are? ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2003, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-have-any-broadband-options/158202/10 "2003-03-01T00:45:38Z")
Check out this list of wireless providers: [http://www.onelasvegas.com/wireless/NY.html](http://www.onelasvegas.com/wireless/NY.html) Wireless is about as expensive as satellite, but there’s a lot less latency, so you should be able to use it for a VPN if one of those providers has service where you need it. ---
**Author:** ![Rex\_Fenestrarum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rex_fenestrarum/32/7265_2.png) [@Rex\_Fenestrarum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rex_Fenestrarum)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2003, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-have-any-broadband-options/158202/11 "2003-03-01T01:27:54Z")
Another vote for ISDN out in the boonies. IIRC, the phone company is _required_ to offer it to everyone, though they won’t want to. I know this because at my former job, one of the ladies there telecommuted and she lives in Lula, GA (read: up in the mountains, in the middle of nowhere). BellSouth gave her all kinds of grief, but ended up putting the ISDN in her place 'cos DSL and cable (that’s cable **TV** as well as Internet) were not available. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2003, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-have-any-broadband-options/158202/12 "2003-03-01T01:38:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Iteki \* > \*\*Don’t know what it’s called in english, but you can get internet through your electrical sockets here. Might be something similar available where you are? \*\* Power line communications. It’s actually a revamping of the ancient “carrier current” idea that used to be popular for campus radio stations. It’s taking hold in some parts of Europe, but I don’t think it’s getting much traction in the US at this point, except for home networks.