| I've never used DirecWay, so I couldn't comment on their service, but there are always some issues with Satellite:-
Latency:
Most satellite connections add 200-250ms worth of latency on the connection. If the service is uplinked via the satellite, it'll add another 200ms on to the uplink. After all, the signal has to travel 44,600miles to get from you to the internet, and that's just one way! If you're looking to play on-line games, then satellite is beaten hands down by 56K modems!
Weather:
Heavy rain and thick clouds make it harder for the microwaves to travel between the dish and the satellite. On the other hand, if the signal is strong enough where you are, it won't make a blind bit of difference. The installer should be able to give you more info on this one. Also, things like snow/ice on the dish will reduce the signal strength. Again, the installer should be able to provide guidance.
Solar Interference:
When the sun passes directly behind the satellite there is a tendancy for high levels of interference. This will happen twice a year! With a VSAT setup, that's probably a window of around 10minutes on 5 days during spring and again during autumn (fall).
DirecWay is a VSAT (Very Small Apature Terminal) system, so the technology is pretty well understood. Many news feeds (Reuters and others) use VSAT technology to provide news to their clients.
AidanII
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