So I've just spent several hours searching for the "perfect" Internet solution for my RV, and have come to the conclusion that it doesn't exist. So now begins my search for a "crappy, but I can get by with it" solution.We are working age full-timers, and I just discovered that the place we are wintering doesn't have wifi service available, so it's time to invest in something a little more self-contained. Cellular is out due to the crazy-low data caps (yes, 20GB is too low).Exede would be perfect, with their unmetered overnight access, however I can't find any good information on whether it's feasible to aim the dish myself. We do change sites 2 or 3 times a year, but will be staying well within the confines of the spot beam (at least for the next few years). Obviously aiming the dish myself is by far the preferable solution. Anyone have any experience with this? Or is there some other reason that Exede won't work for me, assuming I don't plan to move it outside of the spot beam?

Having had a Hugh's net dish on a surveyor's tripod, YES you can aim it yourself. Once you set the tilt (if any) and the angle up you point it in the right direction and once you have a signal you fine tune it. On trick is to have one leg of the tripod 180 from the sat so instead of changing the angle up, you change the length of the rear leg of the tripod.

I thought dish internet was way too slow. And if you think 20G is too low, you're probably in for sticker shock.After saying that I went to their site. 'Up to' 12mps down.. not bad IF you can get it. $130/mo, not TOO bad depending on your budget.More Exede posts in this forum

2oldman wrote:I thought dish internet was way too slow. And if you think 20G is too low, you're probably in for sticker shock.After saying that I went to their site. 'Up to' 12mps down.. not bad IF you can get it. $130/mo, not TOO bad depending on your budget.More Exede posts in this forumThe 12 Mb/s is better than I'm going to get through any other solution. 20 gig is definitely far lower than what I'm going to be needing once a project I'm on moves into the next phase. With Exede's overnight unmetered access, I can automate a lot of the data load and have it happen during those hours. With that done, and supplementing with the 20 gig from Millenicom, I think I can squeak in just under the caps and avoid massive overage charges.I've looked into the other satellite offerings, and so far Exede is the only one I've found that will work. Dish's data cap is as bad as cellular, and the old-school Hughes that is the "recommended" solution for RV use suffers from both low data caps and slow speeds.Going to call around and talk to a few Exede installers tomorrow and see what info I can glean. Really hoping to avoid having to rent a sticks & bricks for a year just to get cable Internet.....I know from my DirecTV experiences that what customer service will tell you can be done, and what the actual installer is willing to do are generally VERY different things, with the installer being the guy you want to talk to. I had one DTV rep go so far as to tell me it was *impossible* for a home user to aim the 5-lnb slimline. This was difficult to believe given the dozens of times I've aimed the thing.My big concern is that Exede might have it locked down in some way. I've seen mention of only the installers having access to "keys" to set it up, but I'm unclear on if these are necessary for a short distance move, or just when moving between beams. Thought I could get clarification online easy enough, but most info is of the "I heard through the grapevine that it can't be done, therefore it can't be done" variety.....

ITguy wrote:So I've just spent several hours searching for the "perfect" Internet solution for my RV, and have come to the conclusion that it doesn't exist. So now begins my search for a "crappy, but I can get by with it" solution.We are working age full-timers, and I just discovered that the place we are wintering doesn't have wifi service available, so it's time to invest in something a little more self-contained. Cellular is out due to the crazy-low data caps (yes, 20GB is too low).Exede would be perfect, with their unmetered overnight access, however I can't find any good information on whether it's feasible to aim the dish myself. We do change sites 2 or 3 times a year, but will be staying well within the confines of the spot beam (at least for the next few years). Obviously aiming the dish myself is by far the preferable solution. Anyone have any experience with this? Or is there some other reason that Exede won't work for me, assuming I don't plan to move it outside of the spot beam?No, you cannot point the antenna yourself and you cannot move from one location to another without having an installer come out and do it professionally. There are special tools required but the real kicker is that you must be in contact with the NOC to make the final adjustments to the antenna and verify the proper connection.The service is spot beamed so a move from one location to another requires a complete change to your account settings and only an installer can get that done as well.

Bill.Satellite wrote:The service is spot beamed so a move from one location to another requires a complete change to your account settings and only an installer can get that done as well.I was almost believing you until you threw this in.Or are you really telling me that the country is covered by many millions of tiny spot beams each covering only a few square feet of ground area? If I pick up and move my RV 100 yards down to the other end of the park, you want me to believe that I'm under a different beam? Nope, not buying it.I've looked at Exede's spot beam map. Any moving around I'll be doing in the next several years will all be well within the same beam. I'm not talking about Oregon to Florida location change, I'm talking about a 20 mile radius, max. I'm looking forward to the day when I'm travelling longer distances more often, but for now my job has me pretty well anchored to this area.I'm perfectly willing to believe that they've built in artificial roadblocks to prevent end-users from aiming the dish, but the spot beam is a non-issue.Special tools? Non-issue. No satellite installer I've ever met is wealthy. If they can afford the tools, so can I.Needing to be in contact with the NOC? If that is indeed the case, then it's simply because the system was designed specifically to be user-hostile.

Anyone have experience aiming an Exede dish? | Good Sam Community

TechWriter
Explorer
Nov 06, 2013
ITguy wrote:
Here's my question: Why?

Have you tried contacting Exede?
ITguy
Explorer
Nov 06, 2013
Maybe it would help if I rephrase my question.

First, I know they use spot beams, and I understand what spot beams are. I've seen the map of their beams, and believe it or not, I'm capable of determining where on that map I am located.

My question is what technical measures are in place that would prevent someone from relocating the dish within the same spot beam? I've checked and the proper tools are available, and not even expensive.

Let's assume a move from the exact center of the beam to a location 2 miles away. You're all saying it's not possible. Fine, I'm perfectly willing to accept that. Here's my question: Why?
TechWriter
Explorer
Nov 05, 2013
W4RLR wrote:
That being said. Exede DOES offer a auto acquiring system, all you need is cash. Imagine one of these dishes on your RV rooftop

Exede also offers a 75 cm roof-mounted auto-acquire dish.
LittleBill
Explorer
Nov 05, 2013
It guy, if your primarily in ssh, why not just spin up a server in the cloud and work via ssh with that server, it will be cheaper in the long run then the huge bandwidth pipe your paying for? and it will be a ton faster.
W4RLR
Explorer
Nov 05, 2013
Sorry that the OP did not like the answer that BillSatellite gave, but he was spot on. Exede DOES NOT ALLOW self installs, and I don't blame them. All it would take to really gum up the works for everyone is to have some yahoo with zero experience just trying to point at the right bird, setting the proper polarity and skew to the dish, and doing that with a TRANSMITTER. A receive only dish such as DISH Network or DirecTV can't do damage to the network if you improperly aim it.
I'm an Exede customer, and I am extremely happy with the service. The installer had the system commissioned in about an hour. But he did have knowledge of where to initially point the dish, and he did have to call the Network Operations Center to ensure the system was sending a suitable signal to the satellite and back to the NOC. One thing to remember is the spot beams aren't as big as the OP thinks they are. When my Excede system sends a signal, it goes from Tennessee to Sanderson, Texas where there is a Network Access Point at the downlink. If I move 50 miles, that scenario changes completely. I live in the corner of Tennessee that is adjacent to the Alabama/Georgia/Tennessee border. Check the map:

I can be on one of three spot beams, depending on how far I move from my current location.

That being said. Exede DOES offer a auto acquiring system, all you need is cash. Imagine one of these dishes on your RV rooftop
ITguy
Explorer
Nov 05, 2013
wa8yxm wrote:
I know a few folks using Exceed and it's a great service if you have one FIXED LOACTION, but due to the Spot Beam technology, If you move about, it is not a service for you.. Sorry.

I'm still confused as to why people equate "Spot Beam" with "Fixed Location". Look at the map, the spot I'd be in covers over half of the state.
ITguy
Explorer
Nov 05, 2013
sh410 wrote:
With Excede uploading files you can expect about 0.6 to 1.0MB/sec. Download speed can be as high as 12 MB/s. with a significant latency. VPN is almost as good as dial-up

Latency, not an issue. Don't need a VPN since I don't use a GUI environment for work. Mosh makes ssh sessions over high latency links perfectly usable. Upload speed does matter, but a megabit is still significantly better than what I'm getting now.
sh410
Explorer
Nov 05, 2013
With Excede uploading files you can expect about 0.6 to 1.0MB/sec. Download speed can be as high as 12 MB/s. with a significant latency. VPN is almost as good as dial-up
wa8yxm
Explorer III
Nov 05, 2013
I know a few folks using Exceed and it's a great service if you have one FIXED LOACTION, but due to the Spot Beam technology, If you move about, it is not a service for you.. Sorry.

If you would like to see how good it is go to this URL http://www.twit.tv/hn and download most any episode.

Bob Heil uses Exceed to stream video, Multiple streams incoming and one outgooing LIVE during the show.. What you see (when he is on) is his live stream, (He Sees several of the other principles on his monitors)

If you are into 2-way radio... One of the other principles on this show (George Thomas, who does the "Smoke and Solder" segment) won the Special Acheivement award this last spring at the Dayton HamVention....

I wish I could say I had something to do with that.. (Oh, I can, It was my nomination form they read at the presentation).
ITguy
Explorer
Nov 05, 2013
greenrvgreen wrote:
While it certainly sounds like the OP knew all the answers to his questions before he asked them, I would like to ask a question: If the OP is moving only 2-3 times a year, has he considered landline DSL to his RV?

Regarding the overnight unmetered Sat periods, it may shock the OP to learn that other people have thought of this also. When I was researching Sat internet (about a decade ago when it was still a viable option), I read a considerable number of comments to the effect that the free periods were even slower than the pay periods.

I'd love to do DSL. If I find a park around here where that's an option, I'll be all over that. I understand that's commonplace in many parts of the country, but I've never seen nor heard of a campground around here with phone or cable tv lines to the campsite. I'm fortunate just to have a site at all for the winter. Around here the overwhelming majority of campgrounds are state and federal parks, which will be locking the gates until spring any day now.