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Which Satellite Broadband company should I choose in Hampshire, UK?

I need to order satellite broadband shortly in Hampshire as the normal ADSL broadband is not good - and would be grateful for any feedback on the following companies as I've struggled to find any feedback/reviews on them.

If you have any feedback on other satellite broadband providers too I'd be very grateful.

http://www.ibub.co.uk
www.broadbandwherever.net/BDUK
www.primetech.co.uk/bduk-satellite-broadband-trial
http://www.digiweb.com/satellite/
www.corsat.co.uk
www.europsat.com/lp/bduk-national/
 
Every sat based system I have seen reviewed was poor value and heavily restricted. have you got a decent 4G signal? That might be a better option.
 
Every sat based system I have seen reviewed was poor value and heavily restricted. have you got a decent 4G signal? That might be a better option.

Thanks for responding. Do you mean 4G to use internet off a mobile phone? It is going to be installed to supply broadband by satellite as the ADSL is only 0.2 download speed sometimes. This will be for home use and business use so will need to use Macs in the house and other equipment. I can't seem to be able to find a single provider with good reviews unless that provider has put the glowing reviews on their own website, real reviews from consumers are hard to find for some reason?
 
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If you do opt for satellite you may be able to get a subsidy from the local authority.

http://www.hampshiresuperfastbroadband.com/residents/usc/

We're in Hampshire - near Alton - and use 4G as our home connection. This isn't using a mobile phone but with a special 4G modem.

Speeds upstream are generally in the region of 45Mbps to 50Mbps and downstream can drop as low as 23Mbps but is normally between around 37Mbps and 50Mbps. This is significantly faster than VDSL Fibre-to-the-Cabinet for this location.

It is expensive if you use it heavily (e.g. you want to stream high definition TV) but then so is satellite.

To see if this is an option for you - if your mobile has 4G, download an app and run a speed test in a few locations near a window to see how quick it is. And check coverage maps for the providers to see what options might be available.
 
I know Bentley-Walker are based in Hampshire, but I don't think they're currently part of the Government's USC broadband subsidy scheme so it might cost you a lot more to have their service installed.

http://www.bentley-walker.com/

You can find out if you're even eligible for the subsidy here:

http://gosuperfastchecker.culture.gov.uk/basicbroadbandchecker/

Also a few more details:

http://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.ph...idy-expanded-to-300000-rural-uk-premises.html

But as others have said, you might want to see if you're covered by any 4G mobile networks first as those are often still a better bet.
 
Thanks. Where the site is is not near the town, and very rural in a small area near Kings Somborne but more further into the countryside.

We would need the service to cut off at 25gb a month like satellite offers on a 30 day rolling contract so can get out of it easily. Can you recommend any companies?






If you do opt for satellite you may be able to get a subsidy from the local authority.

http://www.hampshiresuperfastbroadband.com/residents/usc/

We're in Hampshire - near Alton - and use 4G as our home connection. This isn't using a mobile phone but with a special 4G modem.

Speeds upstream are generally in the region of 45Mbps to 50Mbps and downstream can drop as low as 23Mbps but is normally between around 37Mbps and 50Mbps. This is significantly faster than VDSL Fibre-to-the-Cabinet for this location.

It is expensive if you use it heavily (e.g. you want to stream high definition TV) but then so is satellite.

To see if this is an option for you - if your mobile has 4G, download an app and run a speed test in a few locations near a window to see how quick it is. And check coverage maps for the providers to see what options might be available.
 
Hi thanks Mark, we won't be requesting a grant so very flexible about companies. I've looked at reviews and also noted that there is a Hampshire based company but the reviews were awful.
 
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My experience and opinion is DON'T DO IT.
Satellite from many different companies that I've had to look at or support has been awful. The best I remember is the long defunct Aramiska. Every other one has been next to unusable and slow dsl (512 or slower) had been preferred by the resident / end user. Every single one has exited their contract at the earliest possible opportunity.

Tom - www.mouselike.org
 
You can use 4G for home internet, but you have to buy the correct SIM and Data package. As for connecting, you dont need a phone, you buy (or get given) a router - similar to a normal ADSL router.

In fact some ADSL routers can also be used with a 4G dongle to give internet via 4G.

My new TPLink VR200 does all 3, ADSL, VDSL and 4G (with dongle), so you just connect to it with your PC, the same as you do to your current ADSL router. Useful if there is any hope of fibre in your area.
 
Thanks. Where the site is is not near the town, and very rural in a small area near Kings Somborne but more further into the countryside.

We would need the service to cut off at 25gb a month like satellite offers on a 30 day rolling contract so can get out of it easily. Can you recommend any companies?

It's less a case of recommending companies and more a case of seeing what, if anything, is available from EE, Vodafone, O2, Three.

Have a look at the coverage maps on their websites and see if you can get a 3G or preferably 4G service and what it tells you about the signal strength you're likely to see.

Assuming that identifies at least one potential candidate, then the simplest way to see if this would provide a workable connection is using a phone that is equipped with 4G. Order a free PAYG SIM card from the provider(s) and put it in your phone (assumes it is not network locked), register on the network, put e.g. £5 on it, and then try some speed tests from your upstairs windows to see how it performs and what speeds you get.

If you can't use your phone, can you use a neighbour's or a friend's one? What networks are your neighbours on? Do they get 4G? How does it perform?

The next stage beyond that is to then look at buying a 3G/4G modem and if the signal is borderline then an antenna to go on the roof to boost it.

It does not make sense to buy any equipment until you can clarify whether the signal is decent, and if it is, if the speeds are decent. If there's only one 3G transmitter somewhere near you and a dozen people have had the same idea then the speeds may be poor thanks to congestion.

Our EE SIM is a PAYG one, so we can simply take it out of the modem and put in a Vodafone or Three one to swap networks in about 30 seconds with no commitment to any. Contract arrangements sometimes offer more generous data allowances.
 
Hi thanks Mark, we won't be requesting a grant so very flexible about companies. I've looked at reviews and also noted that there is a Hampshire based company but the reviews were awful.

I'm guessing that you may be talking about a wireless network provider.

Technology similar to but not the same as 3G/4G, provides broadband only e.g. it's not a phone services provider.

Kijoma may well be in your area; done well, wireless providers can supply very good speeds and install the thing without you having to make any effort yourself.

Is that the one you read about ;)
 
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"We would need the service to cut off at 25gb a month like satellite offers on a 30 day rolling contract so can get out of it easily."
That's exactly what I have with EE, it's £30 for 25GB, and if you use it up you then have the option of either buying an add-on or doing without the internet for a few days - they don't let you just carry on regardless and charge a horrendous excess without warning, it's your decision as to what to do.
If, like me, you just want the SIM card, to stick in your own device (e.g. the Huawei router that DTMark uses), the relevant page on their (usually malfunctioning) website is:
http://shop.ee.co.uk/sim-only/pay-monthly-data

Three (who I intend switching to now that the BT/EE merger has been approved, because I refuse to be a BT customer) have, I think, historically worked on a "we won't cut you off, we'll charge you an arm and a leg instead" basis, but on investigating the current situation with them I found...
"...you have the ability to control your spend if you’re worried about going over your monthly data allowance. You can switch on a “block” in your My3 account, which will prevent you from using data outside of your allowance, for which you’d normally be charged."
Three don't do a 25GB option though - their largest is 20GB. If that's enough for you...
http://store.three.co.uk/view/searc...wanceInMB&includedInternetAllowanceInMB=>15GB
On a one month contract rather than a twelve month one, £23 as long as you pay by a "recurring method", e.g. direct debit, add a fiver if you don't.
 
Hi DTMark been reading your post on 4G sim and 4G Modem, which is all new to me so excuse any daft questions.
Question: Can I run VOIP phones off this set up also Work in the Google Cloud and Google Print?? There are three of us in an office could 4 G work in this type of environment ?
 
Our "landline" is VOIP, it even has a "geographically correct" STD dialling code. Works flawlessly.

I see no reason why the things you mention wouldn't work.

On your last question: it's all about the speed it attains. If it's 20Mbps in both directions it should suffice for three of you plus VOIP. If it's 3Mbps then probably not.
 
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