On Sat, 9 Feb 2008 05:11:24 -0800 (PST), gaikokujinkyofusho@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
in
<bacdbfb4-7c9f-440f-97d4-3bee560bbf21@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>:
>We have a 64kbps satellite connection that costs us $300/mo (robbery
>if you ask me but hey)
If it were really robbery (a) you wouldn't be paying it and (b) there
would be some other better alternative.
>and the real kick in the pants is that this is
>shared between as many as 10 users (normally 3-4 though).
Ouch!
>One of the
>mobile phone providers here just started offering unlimited GPRS
>access for $20 a months, so that seems like a possible (cheaper)
>alternative.
Yep. If it's full speed, full Internet (not just WAP), and reliable.
But it won't be faster -- if it's not EGPRS(EDGE), figure about 50 Kbps
at best, less than your satellite link.
>I was thinking about setting up the higher level staff
>with their own GPRS service and then setting up our router with its
>own mobile phone for the rest of the staff (that don't need internet
>access but hey).
The most elegant solution is a wireless-wireless router that includes
GPRS.
>So, we have a linksys WRT54G router that is enabling
>us to share our satellite connection at the moment, would it be
>possible (and not too expensive in terms of adapters etc) to connect
>the router to an "always on phone" so the staff would still have net
>access?
Not to a phone, but reconfigured as a wireless access point (not router,
as described in the wiki below) and connected to a PC with GPRS access
that has ICS (Internet Connection Sharing) turned on. The PC will have
to be on for other computers to access the GPRS. The downside is that
sharing a GPRS connection on more than one computer will be as painful
as sharing your satellite connection.
>Also, since i have never played with GPRS before any
>recommendations, advice, pointing out of caveats (remember, we have an
>uber expensive satellite as the only other alternative at the moment).
Nothing special needed. Would suggest a GPRS PC Card rather than using
a cell phone -- the better cards have good antennas that can improve
speed.
>Also, would there be a way to say daisy-chain a few GPRS connections
>to get an even faster speed? (probably a pipedream but i just though
>I'd ask).
That's bonding. It's not practical from a faster pipe standpoint.
But it might well make sense to get different GPRS accounts for
different computers, or perhaps a smaller pool of GPRS adapters (3-5)
and accounts shared among a larger pool of computers, instead of trying
to share a single GPRS connection. "Can I have the wireless card now?"
--
Best regards, FAQ FOR AT&T/CINGULAR WIRELESS:
John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/AT&T_Wireless_FAQ>
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