I’ve also looked into cellular service, but, unfortunately most of those packages seem to top out at a 5 gig/month bandwidth limit (which is 1/3 of my current limit).

Regarding the storms, my satellite connection will sometimes work without any problems during a heavy storm; but other times will drop out for an hour or two with just a heavy cloud cover. It’s very unpredictable.

My neighbor has one of those wireless broadband cards, through Verizon I think. He says his speeds are about the same as mine, and it’s cheaper. I may give that a try. If it’s comparable or better, I’ll get rid of the satellite. It’s working for now though.

I wish.. I live in a little valley, DSL half way up the valley.. Wireless all around in other towns, but nothing for me.. The neighbour and I made sure everyone in the area replied to a survey by a wireless company. I think my only hope is something cellular based. I’m not holding my breath..

However, I have a wireless broadband provider and get 10Mbps Downloads & 2.5Mbps Upload. That’s better than most people with DSL. Wireless broadband requires a small box or rectangle shaped transceiver on the roof of your house. It is pointed to a local radio tower, water tower, etc. To get a strong signal, they may sometimes put a parabola dish behind the receiver. It works flawlessly and is not affected by the weather.

You really should look into this option. It was a life saver for me. I used to have to drive to a friends house to “work from home” as my job is 100% telecommute.

1. Torrents – Hughesnet is FAP free from 2am to 7am. I regularly download ~1gig a night while not hitting my daily 420mb cap. (TV shows as streaming is a no go)

4. Storms – I live far up north and my sat. is behind the house and tall trees. The only time I have a problem is with heavy wet snow on the dish itself. It works fine in the middle of a blizzard.. Only when the sun comes out and starts to melt the snow on the dish does it become a problem.

You forgot online gaming…