Wireless Broadband In Mountain View, HI (Hilo, Hawaiian Acres: house, buy, contractors)

[kahuku]

Howzit,

I was wondering if anyone on this forum live around Mountain View. I'm looking into getting wireless internet from Coconut Wireless, Advanced, and Hawaii Broadband. Does anyone here use a service from any of these companies? If so, do you prefer one over the other?

Aloha!

[KD Hawaii]

Nope, Wireless Broadband won't work because of mountains blockage. Sorry.

[Jimbo's]

You can try satalite internet

[scirocco22]

I use internet off of a wireless data card using EVDO from a wireless phone carrier. When I was in Hilo, I had an excellent enhanced data signal.

I just put Mountain View into the coverage map of both Sprint and Verizon and both have strong enhanced EVDO signals (Rev A) in the area.

Service is about $50-60/mo. and the advantage of this type of internet is that you can carry it with you wherever you go. As long as you have a cell signal, you'll have internet. Most large and medium cities will have the enhanced service that will give you DSL-type speeds. If you are in a more remote area, the speeds will be slower but still faster than dial-up. You can put the card in your laptop or use it in a router. Again, the great thing about this is that you have your own internet connection with you while you travel.

[kahuku]

Just an update EDVO is a great option for the area, and AT&T has a tower right across the street. Advanced Net is also an option, and I'm waiting to hear from Coconut Wireless.

[tabzer]

Originally Posted by kahuku

Howzit,

I was wondering if anyone on this forum live around Mountain View. I'm looking into getting wireless internet from Coconut Wireless, Advanced, and Hawaii Broadband. Does anyone here use a service from any of these companies? If so, do you prefer one over the other?

Aloha!

Cannot specifically say how clear of a connection you can get in Mountain View. But what I can tell you is that Coconut Wireless hooked me up at $600 down, and then left me hanging a full month with a connection that simply didn't work. After tons of phone calls and complaints (over a month), they still didn't come and service my connection, and to make things worse, they still billed me a month's worth of service.

They are nice to me now, now that I've already switched to AWS. David (of AWS) did a really great job installing the Radio Receiver, and for a lot cheaper too. AWS is a bigger company, and has a lot more to offer. And instead of making you buy the equipment, it is offered as part of the service. And their internet connection?? GREAT!!! Obviously, my mind was made by personal experience. No offense to Ben (of Coconut Wireless), but he'd be much better off with a team; instead of subcontractors and poor customer support.

I hope this helps.

[kahuku]

After experiencing the customer service at AWS I would recommend them highly. I got a phone call from coconut, but never heard back from them after that. AWS actually has a physical location you can go to talk to someone, where Coconut Wireless has some mystery location that is or isn't in the record store. The EDVO option also works well.

[fahsky]

Howsit - I got Verizon Wireless Broadband recently. I live in Fern Acres, lower road. Land is clear of trees all around, so I have good access. However, they charge $50 for their cheapest modem (with a $50 mail-in rebate though), $40 set up fee, & it's $60 a month for only 5gigs access. If you plan on doing anything besides checking email & web browsing, that's incredibly frugal. If you go over that, it's an outrageous 49 cents per megabyte. The speed is hardly what I'd call highspeed - 115kpbs, which is barely twice that of dialup (56kpbs). You do however get a 30 day test run though, minus that $40 setup fee. I'm curious about AWS, I haven't heard of them before. Anyone have a website or local number? Tried googling AWS Hawaii, ect, can't find nothing. I'm pretty desperate for some kind of highspeed, I'm a university student, & with gas prices like they are, I can't afford to go into town for internet.

[kahuku]

Originally Posted by fahsky

Howsit - I got Verizon Wireless Broadband recently. I live in Fern Acres, lower road. Land is clear of trees all around, so I have good access. However, they charge $50 for their cheapest modem (with a $50 mail-in rebate though), $40 set up fee, & it's $60 a month for only 5gigs access. If you plan on doing anything besides checking email & web browsing, that's incredibly frugal. If you go over that, it's an outrageous 49 cents per megabyte. The speed is hardly what I'd call highspeed - 115kpbs, which is barely twice that of dialup (56kpbs). You do however get a 30 day test run though, minus that $40 setup fee. I'm curious about AWS, I haven't heard of them before. Anyone have a website or local number? Tried googling AWS Hawaii, ect, can't find nothing. I'm pretty desperate for some kind of highspeed, I'm a university student, & with gas prices like they are, I can't afford to go into town for internet.

AWS is for Advanced Wireless Services. Here is their web address: Advanced Wireless Systems, LLC. 2005

If you get setup, let me know what you think.

[mulepacker]

Hey everyone, I read the blogs on broadband for Fern Acres while looking for info on Hawaiian Acres. We are near corner of Road 7 & F & the Verizon Broadband SUCKS. It took me about 6 hours to read the BBC news, read two email mail adress letters & reply to only the most important ones such as my dear friend dying last Sunday. Because the Verizon is soooo slooww I was unable to read all my mail & did not know of my friends death until 5 days later. They tried to call but said my cell phone number didn't seem to work.
Broadband with Verizon at our house is just about totally useless. If you can't even read your mail & answers letters imagine what trying to run a business would be like. I will say the Tech Support at Verizon has been very good. They admit we live in a wide stretch between two towers & no soon plans to increase the range. They are even going to dismiss the early contract break due to their admittance of a problem in reception on our street-Road 7 & basically Road 8 (Moho). So I am searching for a new way to use the laptop. We are off grid. Wouldn't mind satellite with TV possibly & computer. Is there a waiting list for the satellite hook-ups?