Having lived in France for over ten years and in various properties with varying degrees of access to a usable connection, I am pleased to have finally installed a decent broadband system. In one property in which we lived broadband wasn't even an option; we had two phone lines, one dedicated to 56k dial-up access.
As I work online this was a nightmare and one of the reasons we left that village. The best I've ever managed is a two meg ADSL connection, perfectly usable for browsing the internet and checking your emails etc but it's on the limit for bandwidth intensive applications such as streaming films which we do a lot.
So in addition to my standard cable based broadband connection, I have installed a satellite connection. I know that sounds extravagant but if my internet access goes down for any reason, and it has previously done so for periods of up to three weeks, I have to find somewhere else to work (usually McDonalds car parks as they have free WiFi!) which is really impractical.
Now I get an 18 meg download speed, a 26gb data allowance and a UK based IP address which means that I can now stream films in high definition from sites such as www.netflix.com, www.blinkbox.com, www.lovefilm.com and even BBC's iPlayer without out the need for additional VPN setups like Expatshield etc.
I installed the equipment myself, it's pretty straightforward if you have some basic DIY skills. You can use this service anywhere as long as you have a clear line of sight to the satellite.
Hi, I’ve heard that Satellite internet can be affected by the weather - is that true? Also, do you actually get anywhere near the advertised down/upload speeds?
I use Tooway after James recommendation and I stream everything now. I use Amazon Prime for films (formerly Lovefilm) and Iplayer 4OD etc. No problems at all. Highly recommend it.
Not sure if this will help but you could try this link - http://192.168.100.1/?page=modemStatus. It shows your Tooway Modem/IFL Cable Status. All 4 circles in the Modem State should be green and the status should be showing as 'Online'. If not, then there is a problem. It may help if and when you contact Tooway. Jane
Sounds like it could be inaccurate alignment or a faulty cable or you are using the wrong beam (if the modem is ok). They should be able to determine what's up remotely. If your dish is slightly out then you'll get a slower download speed.
They don't offer support at the weekend I'm afraid.
This is what I am getting right now. The main benefit to this service is speedy downloads, if you are streaming tv for example. Web browsing isn't any faster unless you are looking at bandwidth intensive pages. The speed limitation is usually your browser or the server from which the page is loaded.
It is also worth noting that Tooway, or Europasat as they are now called have recently deployed traffic shaping methods which throttle bandwidth for certain types of downloads, peer to peer networking for example.
I would appreciate if you would tell them where you heard about the service from as they owe me a commission.
Run this test in Firefox and do a screen shot to show them tomorrow, either your installation or your modem is faulty, assuming you have line of sight to the satellite.
I suggest you call them rather than email +44(0)1869 356166
They have always been very helpful whenever I have called.
Oh dear, Nigel, sorry to hear that. I must admit that my experience with Tooway has been the exact opposite. The kit arrived with all the instructions needed for a DIY install which did take some time but was very clear to follow. Since then, I've needed to contact them a few times by phone for various matters and each time they have answered promptly and been more than helpful and polite to me. Maybe I've just been lucky........? What are other people's experiences, I wonder.
I did have a pretty comprehensive manual too, if you can get a copy from Jane you should be ok. Alternatively ask via their Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/EuropaSat?fref=ts
Hi. Jane,no the insructions we received were 3 pages on te dish and the rest was japanese! we think weve found a youtube video on what to do but I will message you as a friend so I can send you my email address thanks suz
Hi Suzanne, I assume Tooway provided you with their 24 page 'Tooway KA-SAT Installation Guide' manual when you got the kit? If so, the instructions as to when and where to enter the activation code are shown on Page 16. If it helps, I can send you a copy of this manual via email attachment...... please let me know. Many thanks. jane
Hi James & all other self installed Tooway dish SFNers
Wonder if you can help us, Darren has put the Tooway Dish up on our pole as per alignment instructions, plugged it all in, but the router is indicating that it is still trying to find the satellite. He's been sent an activation code but there are no instructions as to where/when he is to put this in. From your experience did you do this before the modem found the satellite? Any other useful hints in getting it working as we haven't been sent any documentation - Darren will contact them next week but just wondered if you had chance could you let me know how you did your installation?
They include i-player as part of their package, plus phone and internet.
We may need a normal landline too, I think, if the satellite phone is not brilliant - but we are hoping not to have to pay for that on top of everything else.
Sorry Debra, I have yet to try it with VoIP, can you send me a link to the UK Telecom packages that you are interested in please and I will have a look
Hi James. Following this subject up again. Does your satellite package include a VOIP phone and if so what is the quality like please? If so, does it include the hardware of VOIP box plus phone?
Also, what are the advantages of your package from Tooway as compared with UK Telecom, which we are looking closely at currently
Do you port forward (allow individual outside access to specific computers on your network), rely on excellent voip (not the poorer version I tried at Tooway's HQ) or use a Vodafone sure signal ? If that's 3 x no they why keep Orange?
