Ross, there is a lag time in the relay of the signal from the ground gateways to a satellite some 22,000 miles high and back to earth again. This is why if you have two TVs side by side and one is receiving a signal from an off-air antenna and the other one by satellite, you'll see a visible lag in the one served by satellite. Also, this method for Internet service is very expensive to operate, so if you want service the equivalent of dsl or cable, you'd have to pay at least $399 per month and up.

I've had Dish for several years and any time they told me the problem required a home visit I was charged around $100. When I complained, I was told I could purchase a plan in which I paid a monthly fee and then, if they had to come out, it would cost me only $XX. I feel very strongly that because my reception is so much poorer than my neighbor's (his dish is about 300 feet away and we both built on previous farmland so there are no trees anywhere near our houses) there has to be a problem somewhere in their equipment. A while ago I raised enough hell that they did send someone without charging me and the technician told me I had the wrong dish! He installed a different one and my problems did diminish for a while. It was quite a session with a poor guy with a wicked accent that I could hardly understand that got me any help. I kept telling the man on the phone that their service had been substandard from day one and I refused to pay for anyone to come out, but I did expect to have the problem resolved. I didn't abuse the poor man but after every scripted apology he gave me I repeated that I wanted to talk to his supervisor. He put me on hold three or four times and each time he returned and read me the responses the company uses to stonewall customers. I persisted and he finally returned and said an exception would be made and indeed, a tech person would arrive at my house the next day. That is when the man changed the dish and the reception improved for a while. I became too angry to use this technique last night and I just decided to end the conversation. I can't remember the last time I have become so angry. Besides considering their service to be extremely poor, I refuse to pay them to come and correct a problem I did not create. There is no foliage blocking the signal, there is no ice buildup on the dish, there is no snow on the dish. The weather (I checked local radar) was light snow. Because the signal was gone for at least 7 hours I believe something really was wrong with their signal. Still, I recall that in the past and very occasionally, when my phone service went out, the telephone company credited my bill for time lost. My biggest beef with Dish is that they expect me to pay for repairs that I have done nothing to cause. I havenÂt called TDS regarding the slow DSL service because I want to get someone out here, and I will pay him, to go over my computer and make sure the PC isnÂt the reason for the loss in speed. Thanks for the responses and suggestions. Nancy

I have enjoyed the disucssions here. I am on the quest to find what I will be able to do in my new RV. The main issue will of course be first getting a wifi signal from something. I do have an ATT air card which has a 5GB cap, I have my cell phone but have the minimum data plan on it currently and they do not offer an unlimited. I have a zyxel portable router that can make a hotspot from a wifi signal. 11n-compatible Wi-Fi router supports DSL/Cable and 3G connectivity, and a unique failover capability; should your wired connection be interrupted for any reason, the MWR222 will automatically switch to a 3G/4G wireless signal via the users Mobile Broadband Adapter modem. So now I have the ability to have enough wifi in the RV to use any of the devices I want to use. but I need to search out other cheap(ha!) sources to obtain an internet signal on the road. I know some places we will stay do provide free wifi and using my own portable router will make that wifi secure, but for those places out in the boondocks that don't provide wifi, I will need some kind of access. My ATT air card at 5GB cap sure won't allow much streaming of anything. Any thoughts? I have been looking at Roku and other boxes and with the usb port I definitely could download plenty of my own content to have available to view for the times I am not able to gain decent access to anything. The RV does have a roof top antenna and it is wired for cable for when we are at a site with cable. I do have direct tv at home and I know they do offer an on the road version to be able to use you current direct tv account with RV direct tv equipment, no idea of additional costs. the zyxel I have MWR222

Another thing to consider is a wireless internet provider (WISP). After suffering with dial up for years waiting on cable or DSL to reach me, a WISP finally started service in my area. Although I've only had my wireless service for a few days, so far I am very impressed. I appear to get faster service than the LAN at my employer. WISPs use a radio signal to send the data to a small antenna at your house. The WISP will provide a modem and from there is very similar to cable or DSL. WISPs are generally cheaper and more reliable than satellite internet (no rain fade)and can be much faster. For TV, satellite might be your only option, but both DirecTV and DishNetwork offer competitive plans that should work as long as you have an unobstructed view to the satellite. There are usually plenty of good first time subscriber offers available from both companies in which you can get receivers for up to 4 rooms for free or with one DVR for around $50. The link below has a lot of good info on WISPs and a link to a list of WISPs. Here is a link that might be useful: Wireless ISP Users Chat