(Just kidding.)

Have you really exhausted all satellite network options? My uncle who lives out in the sticks swears by it. He says his upload speed is real slow, but for most downloading streaming services it runs fine (YouTube, Netflix, etc.)

Of course, service doesn't come cheap...

so satellite is not an option unless I want to spend $1,000's on a gyroscope mounted satellite dish.

Have you tried DSL?

What part of the country do you live? I do this for a living and can probably find you a different solution.

Do you know of any other solutions?

Wifi should have fairly decent range over water with a little planning on hardware..

There is some DSL access in the little town, but it is 1/4 mile away over land and we can't see it.

I have never been able to figure out a solution other than the cell phone option, that's why I am so frustrated.

With a repeater on the shore you could have a high gain directional antenna on shore end to pick up the Wifi from the further away unit and then broadcast it to your boat..

I have a similar problem, I'm a long way away from my Wifi access point and I use a repeater, I just have a long cord to power it and sits under a five gallon bucket as a weather shield.

Without repeater I get a very spotty signal, with the repeater it's solid 99% of the time or better.

I think Verizon is purposefully blocking our access.

We have watched it slow down over time to what is now a just about nothing.

Same tower, same distance from tower, same line of sight to the tower.

And it works fine for our neighbors who don't use it as much. We are definitely high users and very likely the heaviest users in this area. That's because we don't have any other way to get it, while others (living on land) do.

When we have visitors who are accessing through the internet, the difference between their speeds and our is markedly different. Again, same tower.

DSL > Wifi in town > Wifi solar repeater on shore > Wifi on your boat.

When you say you don't stay in the same place how far are you moving, miles?

You'd be surprised how long a range you can get on Wifi if you have directional antenna on either end, the town > shore link could be a quarter mile fairly easily.

We move very far distances and then stay in one place for a month or so. Some areas have land based wi-fi available and some don't.

I'm wondering if we put a repeated up the mast whether we could see the wifi connection in town. We have a TV antennae up there, but the hills block it in this particular location, so I'm not sure whether we would see it or not.

This unit gives you two watts and a high gain omnidirectional antenna..

http://www.amazon.com/Alfa-Waterproof-Outdoor-wireless-Integrated/dp/B003ILWRLI/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1336245216&sr=1-1

before I look into purchasing anything.

This would be an experiment to see whether a stronger signal increases our access.

I'm not optimistic, but it's worth a try.

Thanks for the information, Fumesucker!

I was wondering if you used wifi whenever you could and the 3G connection only when you had to could the throttling be eased off some by cutting your overall use?

replay them at home, I guess.

That would cut down on our use.

There is no doubt that we are very heavy users, but it stills seems like they are breaching their unlimited contract.

I saw one story about a successful legal case in California. Maybe there is a class action going on. I am going to look for it.

It doesn't seem that your situation is unique and there are probably solutions out there that someone has already figured out.

There are a number. I haven't frequented them for awhile, but it's sure worth a try.

Thanks, again.

Sprint has unlimited data plan. I use Sprint and their 4G, and often FoxFi for my wireless access.

and probably won't be for a long time.

Check your Sprint service area - they won't throttle you at all, and their 3G is very good.

and negotiate with them before calling Verizon.

I think the threat to change carriers may do the trick. This is a company owned plan that has about 7 phones and two data cards. It's a relatively big account.

Wish me luck!

Hope you'll find what you are looking for!

Netflix and Hulu are a scam selling you a service they do not provide. We will stream this stuff to you for peanuts!

But they do not own any telecom infrastructure to deliver the streaming they are charging you for. If they actually delivered the content they sell their prices would be much higher.

Netflix pricing is too good to be true for a reason. It is, in fact, too good to be true. They relied on the existence of unlimited data plans (over which they had no control) to shift their costs onto the telecoms. The telecoms then rebelled.

It was bound to happen.

I think streaming services have sold a product they can't support in the long run.

OTOH, Verizon is also sold me a product that they are choosing not to support. They have plenty of bandwidth available. I know this because before they started throttling me, I could stream without any problem at all. Their decision to cut my bandwidth access is entirely financially motivated and not because they can't service the plan. Also, they advertise using access to Netflix as a selling point.

If they advertise that you can get Netflix then they have to provide it.

And if they call a thing unlimited then it should be unlimited.

I finally just cancelled it and got broadband connection... Ironically I'm paying $30/month less, with some minimal level of tv.

But, I put up with it for a long time, believing they were working on the promised upgrade for my area when I moved.

When you say you get limited TV, what do you mean?

I don't really watch tv so I didn't want it, but the special would have cost me the same regardless. So i got the faster internet connection ("blast" package) and the most minimal tv package for the same price.

When we are in certain areas, we can get up to 100 stations over the air. However, in other locations, we get zero.

And that still doesn't solve my streaming problem.

Comcast is pretty widely available. You should be able to check and see for your area: www.comcast.com


The throttling issue is occurring because your cellular provider is not allotting enough capacity to data. Probably have been selling lots of cellular voice packages but not bothered to maintain the capacity for pure data.

The throttling is occurring because we have been tagged as heavy users.

Bottom line - we pay for an unlimited plan, but we are not getting unlimited service. The tower and capacity work just fine for lower level users and those in tiered plans.

Then I moved and the area I'm in has only gotten voice capacity upgrades so while I could access the internet, the speeds were so slow (and I'd get bumped off so much), it became only marginally better than dial up.

It doesn't sound like you have many options, except cellular type access. But, I can't believe I was paying a premium for nearly 10 extra months, believing they were actually working on the problem. It was all a lie.

If perchance, though, you want to try sprint where you are, I have a plan-free overdrive Pro 3g/4g device with a new battery I'm going to put up on ebay. Even have the optional charging base with it that gives a little extra antenna power. Like I said, it (and its predecessor device) worked great for me all around Colorado for nearly two years until I moved to this particular location.

Good luck.

I think I am going to try playing them off each other for the best unlimited deal.

Thanks for all your help here.

He's being throttled by AT&T.

Not exactly the same issue but he uses his phone for everything - no online access at his home anymore so he uses his phone exclusively.

It showed no throttling at this time.

We are having most of our problems in the evening, so we are going to run them again later.

Maybe there is just a bad tower out here.

Frustrating as all get out.

They've put all their eggs in the wireless business and have sold their wire-line businesses wherever possible. Up heah in New England they've sold the wireline businesses in Maine, New Hampshire Vermont and parts of Connecticut in attempts to a) get rid of the unions and b) 'come into the 21^st century'.

I'd suggest finding another provider but they are all more or less the same.

They have made gazillions off of their tiered plans and are desperate to make more by screwing those who still have unlimited plans.

One of the nicest things about being off the grid is not having to deal with many corporations at all. This is the one place where I really have no other options.

I guess I could give up TV and streaming, but these are my favorite things to do after the sun goes down. Daily Show, Colbert Report then a documentary or other movie.

If you are being throttled you will see NO MORE than 200kbps on your download/upload speeds. I was throttled on my plan and that is what happened to me.

It is more likely that you are experiencing the crap service provided by Verizon. I have had Verizon 3G service for about three years, it is the only service available in my area other than satellite.

I KNOW it is capable of at least 1400kbps because I have seen it at one point when they had the network and tower working properly. I have a Yagi Antenna setup with amp aimed directly at the tower, I have a steady -67dbm and a low ec/lo. If ANYTHING I should only be seeing slight speed variations due to tower loading.

From my experience Verizon is incapable of providing the service they claim to offer. I RARELY see anything close to the 600kbps they promise 3G users should expect. I am "happy" when I see 300kbps and I see far too many days when 150kbps is the best I can get.

Verizon sucks, they do not deliver but they do not have to. For many people they are "the only game in town" and they know it.

Don't look for things to improve- they announced they will no longer be investing in 3G instead concentrating on 4G. Guess what? I am not going to make the move to 4G; I am already being screwed on the crap 3G service so I have no expectations 4G would be any better. ON TOP OF THAT 10GB of data for 80 bucks is just hilarious.....

Other Verizon users are streaming with no problem, but I'm pretty sure I am being throttled.

This island probably won't get a 4g tower for a long time. But I have been perfectly satisfied with the 3g service until the past few week.

AT&T has a tower here as well, but I probably can't get an unlimited plan at this point.

Mine was right in that area when I was throttled. One easy way to confirm is if you upload stays below 200kbps. I noticed when I get crap service from Verizon the upload will always be higher than DL, when you are throttled it will stay close to the dl speed.

Verizon. Sucks. Hard.

I am about to install a T1 line at my house for business use. Verizon 3G isn't dependable enough to even THINK about trying to use for even the simplest WebeX meetings.

I've downloaded it and will use the tools suggested later today.

I'm getting all my facts together for that phone call that is going to start the process here and I really appreciate this.