I'm pretty sure that there's no hot spots on North Campus that can handle that type of bandwidth. So I'm guessing they have Wireless Modems. Right? Anyway...I want to better understand the hardware and software requirements for this configuration. It seems like much less work and more reliable than setting up The Dish.
I don't have a wireless modem for my laptop currently.
Can some of you experienced in these configurations explain it to me?
- How much bandwidth do I need to get a quality picture?
- How much bandwidth does a single day of tailgating suck down? (It looks like bandwidth is priced per gigabyte per month. Is that right?)
- What plans / providers work best on South Campus?
- What questions should I ask my wireless provider?
- What's a good wireless modem cost? What's a good rate for the plan?
- Which SlingBox do you use?
- Is HD even worth the effort? It seems like that would be a huge bandwidth burden?
- Are there any quality providers that don't require multi-year contracts?
- What is the picture quality like with SlingBox at your tailgate?
THANKS!
PWD
20 comments:
A topic after my own heart. We've been toying with the idea of how to add a TV to our tailgate. Slingbox was the way I was going to go (I don't want to spend an hour fideling around with a dish). I thought campus is all wi-fi so you should be able to pickup a signal anywhere. If you use the slingbox you just have to be able to connect wifi, I don't believe you need a wireless carrier (like having the usb card to insert into the computer). It should be just like going to a Starbucks - if your laptop is only a few years old, it should probably have the hardware for you to be able to connect wifi. Then with the slingbox (which is connected back at your house) be able to get your home cable signal. I've looked and looked at Slingbox. On eBay you can get cheaper, less upgraded versions. They are new, but just with less features. If you go to Best Buy, I think you are pretty much limited to the higher end boxes (about $220). But in terms of simply acquiring your signal from home, I think you can get away with the lower versions. HD would probably require the Best Buy version or if you just don't want to chance it and have the money, get the one from Best Buy and cover all bases.
Don't know if this helps. But I'd be interested to hear what direction you go.
On the side, where on south campus do you tailgate?
All of campus is not wireless. There are significant gaps in the PAWS system on much of south campus.
According to Slingbox your HOME computer needs a 1.5 Mbps upstream network speed for high definition
What service provider do you have? I do not believe that either Bellsouth/AT&T or Comcast offer any internet package that has a 1.5Mbps upload.
Also unless something has changed drastically the free WIFI on North Campus is not going to have nearly enough bandwidth to support an HD Slingbox signal.
Streaming true HD is VERY bandwidth intensive, and even if Slingbox uses a compressed signal it's still going to be practically impossible based upon the limitations of the wireless network on campus and the bandwidth limitations from you Home computer/service provider.
I thought to use PAWS you would needed your student ID and password? At least that's what I remember from my days in Athens
Yes Jared you have to have a UGA MyID to access PAWS
yeah, what I said? never mind.
(tucks head and shuffles away...)
Also if you are looking at getting a slingbox, check out amazon. i got mine there at the start of the season and they were running a special. you could get the hd version with the hd hook up for free. also you got free shipping with that. not a bad deal.
If using slingbox requires your home cable signal, then can I still use that if my home is 2 hours away from Athens? In other words, how far will that slingbox signal stretch?
Comcast does have a 2Mbps upstream speed on one of its offerings. I believe you have to have at least the 8Mbps download speed offering to get it. The 6Mbps has a 1Mbps upstream.
Slingbox is what we used to call the Tri-Delt winter date night.
A good time was had by all...
I know on Gameday I have a hard enough time getting a cell phone circuit to make a call.
I'd believe the wireless modem would have the same effect in town since they run off similar networks.
If it does start working now though I'd be surprised it would continue to work once more people figured this out.
Ahhhh....thank goodness my fraternal brothers saw fit to run cable outlets to the tailgating area and I don't have to worry about such mundane things.
Used slingbox at East Campus on Alabama weekend. First, at least at East Campus, you do need a user name and password for PAWS. I used my brother-in-law's info. Basically it is just like connecting to an web address. You hook the slingbox up at your house and then connect via a wireless connection (PAWS) to it. It is just like connecting to a web site.
I set the slingbox up at my house in Macon. The picture on the laptop was great but I also set up a monitor to the laptop to get a bigger screen. The picture on that was great.
I had some friends tailgating close to me that had a dish. My picture was just as good, if not better, than their picture. The only possible issue is their picture/sound was about 5 seconds ahead of mine. I am assuming that is because of they are getting a direct signal and I was getting it from the slingbox through the internet to the laptop.
I am not sure if my signal was strong because I was at East Campus. It may be diferrent at North/South Campus. I definitely would recommend the slingbox. One other issue. If you use the basic slingbox, which I have, you control your TV at home. If you change the channel it changes at home and vice versa. If you have someone at home that may change the channel that can be a problem. I just asked my wife to watch another TV.
I'm not certain, but it also could have been from the espn360.com streaming, especially if the people were leaching off the UGA wireless (any college IP range gets you access to it). I watched the Ga Southern game like that on a fairly low end DSL package with no issues at all. Very impressed.
So....if you have access to a MyID, I think most all the uga games have been on espn360 (maybe not the cbs games, now that I think about it.
P
Anon 2:51,
We use it in Hong Kong, so the other side of the world is your answer. My roommate, a tOSU fan, got it for this season. To be honest, I don't know all the specifics, just that he runs it on his HP laptop and I use a MacBook for it. Bandwidth is the big issue. Over here, the picture is NOT crystal clear, boxy or pixelated at times, and sometimes it will freeze up, but I am sure that is a bandwidth and distance issue. However, if you want to watch sports in America, it is the best option.
for wireless broadband, try Clearwire and see if they cover Athens...great service. They will be the ones rolling out the nationwide WiMax early next year. we stream live on-air radio remotes using their service. it would work perfect for a slingbox, if they cover the Athens area. around $30 a month. Slingbox is the greatest thing since jello puddin pops.
I believe that its against the terms of service to stream video using one of the wireless carriers. Their unlimited plans are around $50 a month, but are really not unlimited. If you go over the cap, then you may have to pay quire a bit of money. Streaming all day while tailgating will use quite a bit of bandwidth.
Best bet is to get someone to sign you in to the campus wireless system.
If you get a minute and don't mind the work; post a recpat of what you've learned and if you decide to this route. The sat dish last week was a pain in the ass.
Russell,
Verdict is:
1. Slingbox isn't something you do with a Wireless Computing plan. It's something you do sniffing local high speed WIFI. In other words, you need a student with access to PAWS. Slingbox hogs way too much bandwidth for most wireless plans to make it worth it.
2. Slingbox is a magnificent invention per those that use it. However, the quality reviews are mixed. Some folks told me it's Youtube quality at their tailgate. Others said, it was near Dish quality.
3. The cheaper / easier way to go might be ESPN360.com over SlingBox for tailgating. You'd still need to sniff a wireless hotspot though.
That's the gist of what I've learned. We're going to stick with our Dish for now.
PWD
Can someone please explain how they are getting dish quality images through slingbox over wireless connections? even the new Pro-HD slingbox doesn't even have an HDMI connection, how is is supposed to be the same quality?
Oh, and ESPN.360 barely works on a T1 line during high traffic times like Sat. How are y'all getting that to work without skipping etc?
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