We've always had cable TV and internet. Now we're moving to an area that has no cable and no DSL. A local resident gets a signal from a cable company on a nearby island and broadcasts it to the other residents. It's high speed, so that would be good.

We have to go to satellite TV, so we're wondering about satellite internet service. Is it dependable? As fast as cable? I'd really be interested to hear from someone who's used both satellite and cable, to compare the two.

Thanks.

I haven't used satellite-based internet, so I cannot attest to it's reliability. We use Dish Network for our satellite TV service, and the signal only fades during a thunderstorm. Chances are you'll see the same tendancy with satellite internet.

In terms of speed, satellite internet is faster than dialup. For casual browsing and email it should be just fine, though more expensive than similar Cable/DSL offerings. ( HughesNet charges $60/mo. for 700up/128down)

If you like to play multiplayer online games such as World of Warcraft or Second Life, you may find that there is a significant delay/lag as your data requests are beamed into space and back.

If you decide that you can do without high-speed, theres always plenty of decent dialup providers out there for under $10/mo. Whatever works for you.

Hope this was helpful!