WV Property-Search thread:

budman93 · Jan 23, 2022

I'm looking at a house in hedgesville that I don't think has cable available. So I think it's DSL or satellite for internet. I don't know much about the quality of either but I need good internet for work so it's a deal breaker if I can't get it. Does anyone have experience with these options in that area or elsewhere?

According to the listing agent DSL is available from frontier.

Occam · Jan 24, 2022

budman93 said:
I'm looking at a house in hedgesville that I don't think has cable available. So I think it's DSL or satellite for internet. I don't know much about the quality of either but I need good internet for work so it's a deal breaker if I can't get it. Does anyone have experience with these options in that area or elsewhere?

According to the listing agent DSL is available from frontier.

That's unfortunate. Satellite (like Hughes) is going to kill you. High latency, low bandwidth, very shallow data caps before they throttle you way down. And expensive. It's a last resort kinda thing.

DSL ... depends. Frontier is a notorious company to deal with, support-wise. DSL is at the mercy of the laws of physics, since it's travelling along old-school copper phone lines and relies on an out-of-band carrier signal that just can't make it very far from the nearest Frontier hardware. The farther you go, the slower it gets, until you're far enough that it's starts acting like old-school dial up. At its best, its also going to be kinda pokey if you're used to "in town" kinds of speeds.

Your best bet, and we're all waiting on it to expand capacity and for more ground station hardware to be available, is Elon Musk's Starlink system. Yes, it's also satellite, but it's more like having a very fast series of cell towers flying over your house 24x7. Bandwidth and latency look pretty good. It's just about being on the waiting list while they keep launching thousands more satellites. But for rural folks needing decent speeds, it's going to save the day. Otherwise, you need to find out how fast that local DSL is (talk to some neighbors).

It's possible that one of the traditional carriers will string up fiber nearby some fine day, but don't bank on it in the sticks. Another possibility: someone may put up a 5G cell tower within line of site, and then you can work with that carrier to put up a cellular modem. If the signal's there, that will be fast (but for unlimited data, could also get expensive).

motorcoachdoug · Jan 24, 2022

Also take a look at installing a mini cell tower as well. I have read about people who moved out in the boondocks and the only way they could get it is by having a mini cell. Is there any cell tower near you? If I remember right, while reading I thought I read that WVA is providing internet service thru cell towers but how much they charge or what is used i do not know. Do a google search Mini Cell Tower and see if any if any of the results might help you as well.

budman93 · Jan 24, 2022

Occam said:
That's unfortunate. Satellite (like Hughes) is going to kill you. High latency, low bandwidth, very shallow data caps before they throttle you way down. And expensive. It's a last resort kinda thing.

DSL ... depends. Frontier is a notorious company to deal with, support-wise. DSL is at the mercy of the laws of physics, since it's travelling along old-school copper phone lines and relies on an out-of-band carrier signal that just can't make it very far from the nearest Frontier hardware. The farther you go, the slower it gets, until you're far enough that it's starts acting like old-school dial up. At its best, its also going to be kinda pokey if you're used to "in town" kinds of speeds.

Your best bet, and we're all waiting on it to expand capacity and for more ground station hardware to be available, is Elon Musk's Starlink system. Yes, it's also satellite, but it's more like having a very fast series of cell towers flying over your house 24x7. Bandwidth and latency look pretty good. It's just about being on the waiting list while they keep launching thousands more satellites. But for rural folks needing decent speeds, it's going to save the day. Otherwise, you need to find out how fast that local DSL is (talk to some neighbors).

It's possible that one of the traditional carriers will string up fiber nearby some fine day, but don't bank on it in the sticks. Another possibility: someone may put up a 5G cell tower within line of site, and then you can work with that carrier to put up a cellular modem. If the signal's there, that will be fast (but for unlimited data, could also get expensive).

That's what I'm worried about. This looks like the best house we have found after almost 3 years of looking but it looks like internet may make it a no go. I know some people have gotten starlink around there but they don't have the capacity yet. Who knows when we would be able to get it.

budman93 · Jan 24, 2022

budman93 said:
That's what I'm worried about. This looks like the best house we have found after almost 3 years of looking but it looks like internet may make it a no go. I know some people have gotten starlink around there but they don't have the capacity yet. Who knows when we would be able to get it.

Went to see it today. Nice place, great garages and mountain views. Trying to find out more information about their current DSL service. Cell service was pretty good. There is a tower in sight on the top of the mountain not far away. 1.36 miles on the map.

Checking the address for availability of cellular internet indicates none of the providers have it for that area. Starlink says they expect to be available late 2022- early 2023 but who knows if that will happen. Even if it does I can't wait year/s for decent internet that I need for my job. This is very frustrating. We like the house a lot but good internet is essential.

steves1911 · Jan 24, 2022

budman93 said:
I'm looking at a house in hedgesville that I don't think has cable available. So I think it's DSL or satellite for internet. I don't know much about the quality of either but I need good internet for work so it's a deal breaker if I can't get it. Does anyone have experience with these options in that area or elsewhere?

According to the listing agent DSL is available from frontier.

Frontier sucks...dropped them awhile ago and now use hotspot from our phones and we have a hotspot box through sprint with 100gig month i believe. The hotspot works fine to stream roku and even for the kids to play xbox online. Morgan county or Berkeley county Hedgesville? Im right on the county line near sleepy creek.

budman93 · Jan 24, 2022

steves1911 said:
Frontier sucks...dropped them awhile ago and now use hotspot from our phones and we have a hotspot box through sprint with 100gig month i believe. The hotspot works fine to stream roku and even for the kids to play xbox online. Morgan county or Berkeley county Hedgesville? Im right on the county line near sleepy creek.

Berkeley just over the mountain west of Martinsburg. I looked at TMobile/Sprint and it said their home internet cell plan wasn't available there. I guess that doesn't matter if it's a mobile hotspot as long as it gets service where you need it.

bcr229 · Jan 24, 2022

I just dumped Frontier DSL for Xfinity GIG service after finding out Frontier isn't going to be supporting customers in south Berkeley or west of I-81 after July 1 according to what their customer service rep told us when we called about static on the landline. So glad I did and I am spending $20/month less.

If cable internet isn't available go to Frontier's web site, enter the address, and see if they will even serve that location. They're no longer taking on new customers in those areas and cutting off everyone else this summer.

traveller · Jan 24, 2022

An acquaintance of mine in MS wanted internet at his ranch. He owned a patch of dirt in a commercial strip in town so he put up a lattice tower there and installed a directional private link to a antenna on a high point at the ranch. It's all off the shelf ubiquity gear, not even professional.

budman93 · Jan 24, 2022

bcr229 said:
I just dumped Frontier DSL for Xfinity GIG service after finding out Frontier isn't going to be supporting customers in south Berkeley or west of I-81 after July 1 according to what their customer service rep told us when we called about static on the landline. So glad I did and I am spending $20/month less.

If cable internet isn't available go to Frontier's web site, enter the address, and see if they will even serve that location. They're no longer taking on new customers in those areas and cutting off everyone else this summer.

Checking availability on frontiers website it doesn't say anything about cutting service there but it does list only the 9Mbps plan for that location and everything I have read has said usually it isn't even as good as they claim so that would definitely not work for us.

steves1911 · Jan 24, 2022

budman93 said:
Berkeley just over the mountain west of Martinsburg. I looked at TMobile/Sprint and it said their home internet cell plan wasn't available there. I guess that doesn't matter if it's a mobile hotspot as long as it gets service where you need it.

Cell service is key west of Martinsburg. Sprint is pretty good Boost works as well. Lots of homes being built on rt9 sooner or later someone will offer hi speed internet . Probably wont extend far from town or even rt 9 for that matter.

davsco · Jan 25, 2022

steves1911 said:
we have a hotspot box through sprint with 100gig month i believe. The hotspot works fine to stream roku and even for the kids to play xbox online.

can you please expand on this!? upfront cost (phone, tablet etc) and monthly cost? we're using our at&t cell phones as wifi hotspots (no cable, dsl sat, etc) but data plan is lacking in bandwidth, and it's expensive esp for what we (don't) get.

i tried chatting with them last nite but seems they're all caught up in spring/tmobile merger...

tallen702 · Jan 25, 2022

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/46-N-Star-Dr-Upper-Tract-WV-26866/2069328920_zpid/

Someone buy this so I don't have to.

steves1911 · Jan 25, 2022

davsco said:
can you please expand on this!? upfront cost (phone, tablet etc) and monthly cost? we're using our at&t cell phones as wifi hotspots (no cable, dsl sat, etc) but data plan is lacking in bandwidth, and it's expensive esp for what we (don't) get.

i tried chatting with them last nite but seems they're all caught up in spring/tmobile merger...

Upfront cost was nothing the box itself was free with a contract on a 1yr plan? According to my bill im paying $53 month for the " alcatel" box.

davsco · Jan 25, 2022

steves1911 said:
Upfront cost was nothing the box itself was free with a contract on a 1yr plan? According to my bill im paying $53 month for the " alcatel" box.

just chatted with sprint/tmobile, looks like this technology isn't available in my area, despite being just outside of leesburg, va. lucky me... supposedly biden's infrastructure $$$$$$$$$ is supposed to partially go towards expanding landlines in nw virginia so maybe a few years from now i'll have decent internet...

bcr229 · Jan 25, 2022

budman93 said:
Checking availability on frontiers website it doesn't say anything about cutting service there but it does list only the 9Mbps plan for that location and everything I have read has said usually it isn't even as good as they claim so that would definitely not work for us.

The cutting service announcement isn't public yet. Current customers are supposed to be told in early March according to the rep we spoke with on the phone.

steves1911 · Jan 25, 2022

davsco said:
just chatted with sprint/tmobile, looks like this technology isn't available in my area, despite being just outside of leesburg, va. lucky me... supposedly biden's infrastructure $$$$$$$$$ is supposed to partially go towards expanding landlines in nw virginia so maybe a few years from now i'll have decent internet...

Interesting...the folks at the sprint store in Berkeley Springs WV set me up with mine. If cell service is available cant see why the box wouldnt work. We have taken it on trips to TN and Morgantown WV and it worked.

Sealion · Jan 25, 2022

tallen702 said:
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/46-N-Star-Dr-Upper-Tract-WV-26866/2069328920_zpid/

Someone buy this so I don't have to.

Is there a better address? I'm trying to see how far this is from Baltimore.

tallen702 · Jan 25, 2022

Sealion said:
Is there a better address? I'm trying to see how far this is from Baltimore.

38.781627, -79.181441

Roughly 3.5hrs from the central post office north of the Inner Harbor depending on traffic. (That's where Google maps sets the starting point when you type "Baltimore" in the "from" section).

Sealion · Jan 25, 2022

tallen702 said:
38.781627, -79.181441

Roughly 3.5hrs from the central post office north of the Inner Harbor depending on traffic. (That's where Google maps sets the starting point when you type "Baltimore" in the "from" section).

Thanks T! Now I have to get the wife on board.

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