Anyone using SkyWay USA? How is it?

[Timewave]

Exploring all options for satellite internet service.

All input welcome.

Thanks

 

[Stargazer]

They have tried to get me to sell for them recently but I didn't call them back because the speed in the cheaper package was not all that great (like 200-400k) for $30 and it required a dialup return. Their higher priced packages were about the same as WildBlue so it wasn't competitive. The hardware I thought was a little cheaper but when I read things a little closer the dish was not included for $200 so it was not really much cheaper on the hardware side either especially if you get the free WildBlue installation.

One advantage would be that you could take your dish with you wherever you go as long as you have a dialup return or have some sort of cellphone kit that allows you to connect your home phone to it.

 

[Timewave]

Thanks for the reply.

I went with Wildblue.

 

[bw21157]

I have been a skyway USA customer for about a year now. I live in a
rural location, putting me out of reach for cable and DSL. I am behind
a SLICK, so I only have 28.8 dialup service for the outbound
connection.


I am on the skyway USA bronze plan, 200 kbps for 29.99 a month.


I have an SW-10 Satellite modem, using a 10 MB network link to my lan
(wired and wireless)


Here are my observations:


1) skyway Tech Support is not that knowledgeable. They have a variety
of canned responses to technical questions. I am having difficulty
connecting to pop servers on the standard port. skyway's response:
reboot your computer and restart the satellite modem.


2) There is latency in loading web pages through the SW-10
In the pci card based version (used before they switched from ISAT to
PAS-1R), there was not as much latency.


3) The socks port offers limited access to non-http requests. iTunes
will time out, often rebuffering 6 or 7 times in a 30 minute span.


4) The SW-10 is based on linux, and I think it is running apache. I
have been able to remotely connect and disconnect using some shell
scripts on OS X and Linux machines.


5) The SW-10 has a built-in DHCP server and a fixed ip of 192.168.30.1
If the network is not configured to retrieve ip addresses dynamically,
even if you set the subnet to allow access to the 192.168.30.x ip
address range, the SW-10 will not respond to any network not on it's
range. The subnet is set to 255.255.255.0 and unless you plead with
skyway Tech Support to give you the magic password to the hidden
network config page, you are out of luck.


Overall, it does what it advertises...provides BASIC broadband web site
access. Don't think for a minute it will allow you to: ftp, run a ptp
file client, access standard pop ports (even to skyway's servers!), or
anything that relies on a name server to resolve a host name.
The SW-10 just doesn't cut the mustard for those types of requests.


Why am I ranting? Because I spent a lot of money on a system that is
advertised to do more than it can and I want to persuade others to not
be lured by it's low price, only to be frustrated.


caveat emptor -- buyer beware

 

[jott311]

Exploring all options for satellite internet service.

All input welcome.

Thanks

Wish I could say I have the knowledge of the other posters to this Skyway user forum, but I do not. I can only state what works and what does not and Skyway is a waste of time.

I have used many different providers and various connection throughout the United States while working as a computer specialist with an National Interagency Incident management team. Some satellite services (business) have became the foundation of satellite service to Incident support such a Lineman Bros of Utah.

I unfortunately thought that the dial up uplink and satellite download would work for my need, basic banking and other small secure service needs. I did not consider the latency. I am not sure if that is the cause of Skyways poor service, but my belief was that my poor phone conection had a lot to due with the termination problems I would have with Skyway when connected to a secure service.

I made the switch to MyBlueDish (wild blue) 5 moths before my contract was to terminate with Skyway. Skyway was in the process of changing to another sattelite again. I received an email from the company telling me to apply the attached zip file patch to their modem to make the upgrade and switch to the new AMC15 sattelite. After this was done, I was to call them and complete what ever other changes they needed to make.

I had already removed my Skyway dish and modem and was connected to WIld Blue so I figured it would be a good time to connect with Skyway and let them know I was no longer using there service. I knew I would have to pay four more months of their service to fulfill the contract I had with them. After a few emails with no responce (Skyway USA never replied to one email of the many I had sent them over the duration of 9 months) I started calling. Since they were making this transition to the new satellite and their customers had to call in to complete the conversion, it was near impossible to get through to them. After a couple of days I connected with David at Skyway, explained to him about the service not meeting my needs and I would not not be converting to AMC15.

To shorten this story, I ended up having to call Skyway back the next week and talk to thier billing person Patricia Arnold (parnold@skywayusa.com). She explained since I was ending my contract I would have to pay the remaining four months and an additional $50 early termination fee. I told her this early termination fee was not in any contract I ever agreed to. I later email Patricia (a few times) told her rather than charging this fee to just let my contrat run out.

A month later my bank account was charged for four moths of service and then a seperate $50 fee.

I have appealed this charge with my bank and Skyway........it will probably go no where because of the minamal amount and the company is not in California where I live............but they are wrong by doing this. Unless they have reciently changed their web site this is what they post on early termination:
"What if I decide to cancel my contract? SkyWay USA customers are required to sign a one year contract when initiating service. If you disconnect from SkyWay USA or cancel your contract prematurely, we charge a cancellation fee equal to the monthly price of your service multiplied by the number of months remaining on your contract."


I have now read post about problems with Skyway here and on other sites. I hope this post will aide others in thinking twice about signing up with this company.

Too bad there service did not work. I'm a pretty loyal person and would have stayed with them four years, or at least until DSL or other choices came to my area. The conversion to MyBlueDish-Wild Blue was equal to their upgraded cost and had both up and down via satellite, works great as it should!

 

[Stargazer]

They charge the extra $50 because they know they can get away with it and that it will cost more to sue than what it is worth. They want to get whatever they can from you because they know that you will never be a customer ever again.

 

[NCSouthernBelle]

Trouble cancelling SKYWAY USA crappy service. Cancel issues

I, too, called and emailed SEVERAL times to try and cancel this crap! I started calling in Dec. when my 1 yr contract ended. If anyone did answer, they'd send me to "Trish's" voicemail. I left repeated messages. NONE WERE RETURNED!! Emails were NEVER returned!!
THEY DO THIS BECAUSE IF YOU CANT CONTACT THEM, YOU CANT CANCEL!
Why are they allowed to do this??? This should be stopped!!!
After the holidays, I started calling again...no luck. Finally, in Feb. I had had it. I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. Amazingly, someone with Skyway had time to call me!! Imagine that! She left me a msg. I called back, but no one ever called me then! A BBB rep has been working on this. They FINALLY cancelled my account, HOWEVER, get this... they won't refund any charges, and told the BBB rep that I had 2mths left on my contract!! Ok, I signed up 12/07 and they JUST canceled the account 3/09. That's MORE than 1 year of service. They can't add! They also told the BBB that they had no record of me calling to cancel back in Dec. Of course they're going to say that.

My advice: Do not waste time on this mess!! If you are trying to cancel it, after a few calls, and no one answers or returns your calls, go ahead and file a complaint! Don't wait! Keep records of EVERYTHING!!! If there's any way to record voice mail and you leaving a msg...do it! I wish I had of!! Those people have made me out to be lying about calling, yet all the complaints online show that Im not the only one who has been treated this way.

 

[Stargazer]

Attorney General / BBB does no good with some businesses. A recent report to Attorney General done me no good when it came to reporting some wrong-doing. They lied to the AG and the AG told me I had to sue to get anything from them. That's how it goes.

So the service was bad all the way up to Feb? They are supposed to have new service on a new satellite now which was supposed to improve things.

 

[Stargazer]

It has been over three years ago since I made that post about the $200.

 

[grohgreg]

StarGazer, SkyWay USA sells the system sells for $149

Why do you keep using that number? The PDF you yourself posted http://skywayusa.com/docs/DealerAdvantages.pdf cites an unoptioned and pre-tax figure of $253.90 (self-install) or $353.90 (professional install) for the Bronze plan. To be fair, that currently is before the $100 mail-in rebate. But then again, rebates are often here today - gone tomorrow.

I also quoted to you SkyWay's own website pricing:
Bronze - 256K - 12 Month Plan - Monthly Rate $29.95
SkyWay USA Home Equipment - $149 ($49 after mail-in rebate)
Nationwide Dial-Up Internet Access Included
$25 Service Activation Fee
Shipping and Handling - $49.95
Catch-A-Call - $49.95
Professional Installation - $100.00

Fully optioned, their slowest plan costs the online customer $403.85 up front (not including tax, and before $100 mail-in rebate). So to what source do you attribute the $149 figure you keep on using?

//greg//

 

[grohgreg]

Wow, I just noticed a lot of these posts are 3+ years old.

Not the part where you still claim Skyway only costs $149. I cited verifiable Skyway documents when posting the earlier up front dollar figures. I'm still waiting for you to back up that $149 boast

You may try to rationalize that I'm just here to stir things up. Quite the contrary sir, I am busy enough just keeping guys like you honest

//greg//

 

[iwc5893]

And eventually, WISP's will make their way into those areas where you forsee the 15-17 million customers and take a huge chunk of your potential customer base.

Seriously, who would want a system that requires a phone line AND a satellite dish, mediocre speeds, and the throttling associated with a FAP/RUP?

As far as bandwidth goes, we have a few users that routinely go over 1TB/month bandwidth...let's see any satellite system NOT throttle a user with that much bandwidth. And FWIW, we don't have a FAP/RUP at my ISP...we control the connection speed based upon a plan, and allow the customers to use it 24/7 at max speed if they want.

 

[grohgreg]

... is you don't listen to or read/understand the FACTS here Greg. ...The system costs $149, you even listed this FACT in the copy and paste job you did from SkyWay USA's web site.

I understand perfectly, it's you who's misrepresenting the total cost here. The $149 I posted was only one of up to six charges on that SkyWay webpage - charges when totaled represent a fully optioned up front price of $403.85 (+ any tax) that a new Skyway customer can expect to see charged to his/her credit card for the slowest plan available. It's $353.90+ without the Catch-a-Call gimmick, professionally installed. It's $303.85+ with the Catch-a-Call gimmick and a self-install. Self-install with no Catch-a-Call is $253.90+

You're not doing Skyway any favors by promoting this $149 price. All it will do is piss people off when they see what actually gets charged to their credit cards. And then only after the customer forks over the full price up front, does he/she ever get to see that $100 mail-in rebate. And I've been told that it's sometimes akin to pulling teeth to get that back too. To be fair, that rebate complaint is only word of mouth. I cannot at this time substantiate it with empirical evidence.

I question if you are actually this naive or just playing a part to continue the misinformation that this forum has had on it for years and years until I joined it.

:river One of us is naive, that's for sure. Insulting a public forum from home-made soapbox isn't going to do much to expand a support base here. But then again, it's one of the many reasons salesmen seldom fare well in technical environments. On the other hand, the reasons for my own membership should be self-evident; I'm a technical guy - this is a technical forum.

I'd like to hear TRUE testimonials from customers of 2-Way providers and see if that type of resolution is possible within their Usage Policies? Or have they completely LOST their connections due to consumption?

I can relate WildBlue policy, but haven't any personal experience with their procedure. They have a standard 30 day rolling FAP that throttles you to dialup speeds after exceeding plan thresholds (which start at 9.8GB).

But the HughesNet FAP has only affected me a few of times over the years - usually when I had to get updates required when you change operating systems, and once while getting all the updates for a new laptop. I think SP1 for VISTA is big enough to trigger the FAP in the two slowest plans. But all that was before they initiated the FAP-free hours. Unlimited uploading and downloading is now permitted between 0200 and 0700 Eastern time. Data moved during those hours doesn't count toward the FAP threshold. During the other 19 hours, my mid-price plan permits ~425MB before the throttle kicks in. In case you need help with the numbers, that represents nearly 13GB/month. Speed is capped for at least 16 hours - but not more than 24 - before getting normal 1500/200 speeds back. The actual duration of the cap depends upon how much you continue to consume when throttled. This has to do with the refill rate - which also varies with plans.

But I don't know where you got the idea that two-way satellite subscribers "completely LOST their connections due to consumption". Disabling a connection for cause is usually only executed due to non-payment, or to violations of one or more of the Prohibited Activities identified in the respective subscriber agreements - with which you should familiarize yourself. A good salesman knows the competition. And in that respect, you'renot there yet.

//greg//

 

[grohgreg]

No problem. I'm dumbfounded that you haven't done this already yourself - if for no other reason than to avoid the inevitable embarrassment. But I have no problem whatsoever with a little intervention. How 'bout if a moderator goes to the Skyway website, and simulates a new customer ordering the Bronze plan online. Bare bones or optioned out, pro-install or self-install, doesn't matter. Then we'll see from a 3rd party how much getting hooked up with SkyWay actually costs up front.

//greg//

 

[apsc]

Skyway cost

The system without professional installation is $253.90 tax and all.
then you get a one hundred dollar rebate that was quoted for the basic plan
which is $29.95 a month. Once you get the rebate which probably does'nt get to you until 30 days has passed you will have $153.90 in the equipment.
sorry i'm not a moderator but i did just make the phone call to find out.

 

[grohgreg]

I stand behind everything I have stated.

By now, I'm sure no one expects less. But please point out to us where APSC mentions a $149 cost figure.

It's clear what you're doing; I just can't get you to own up to it. You've taken one of the up-front costs (hardware) - and the current rebate - and are dangling them on a stick; $149 - $100 mail in rebate = a $49 satellite system. Sounds good - if that in fact was the only up front cost.

But you're very conveniently avoiding the fact that new customers are simultaneously liable for $49.95 shipping and handling, a $25 activation fee, and the first month's service charge - all due up front.

$149+$49.95+$25+$29.95 (Bronze) = $253.90 at time of purchase. And I don't know about you, but I never count on rebates against the purchase price - unless and until the check actually arrives AND doesn't bounce when deposited.

//greg//

 

[Stargazer]

At one time I may have read that it was $200 without the dish as some people may have been using their own dishes but that would have been before rebate as well. I remember it being advertised as $150 after $100 rebate in the past if you done your own install and I think you got a free install kit too if you ordered online. If it is only $50 after rebate then that is a pretty good deal and should get a lot of customers since people are watching their money close these days, if someone dont mind their phone being tied up.

 

[grohgreg]

I need to add that SkyWay USA does charge an additional $49 for S&H, $25-activation fee and you need to pay your 1st month service fee ($29.95 minimum which includes a dial up account) for a total of $253.90

Wow, finally. Now was that so hard? Just think of all the hair you could have saved, if you'd have "added" that - up front.

//greg//

 

[broadbandinabox]

It warms my heart to know that you now know that their lowest upfront cost is $253.90 for the complete system including Self Installation kit, S&H, activation fee and 1st month's service) and not $400+. Nice!

We are getting somewhere and as I've mentioned before , I do appreciate and learn from talking business with you in a civil manner. Its all that drama, accusations, fabrications etc. that I can do without.

IMO both of us are hardheaded & unwilling to give the other the last word.

Regards

 

[grohgreg]

and not $400+.

Again with the reading problem. That figure was clearly specified as the amount charged to a new customer's credit care for the online order of a fully optioned Bronze plan (meaning with the call box gimmick and professional installation).

//greg//