I'll add just a bit to the link Bill provided.

Datastorm is an automatic rooftop satellite dish brand name from the manufacturer Motosat.  Typically, the satellite internet service is through Hughes.net.

Once the installation of the Datastorm equipment is done, the "subscription" is for Hughes.net satellite internet service.

Pros:

1. Internet anywhere in the continental United States as long as you have a clear view of the southern sky - this is by far the main reason to have satellite internet, to be as rural as you want to be and still have internet where there are no other options

2. Push a button and the Datastorm controller puts the satellite dish in motion where it finds the satellite automatically

3. Can use the same dish for satellite TV with inexpensive "bird on a wire" attachment (However, single LNB and Standard Definition only and still must have clear view of southern sky)

Cons:

1. Upfront cost of the equipment - Datastorm dish, Hughes.net modem, Datastorm controller and installation - $5,000 range for new or $3,500 range for refurbished

2.  Must have clear view of southern sky - restricts campsite selection options in wooded campgrounds

3. Slower speeds than a solid cellular or Wi-Fi connection (Although faster than a 2g cellular connection or poor Wi-Fi)

4. Monthly cost is $10 - $20 more than cellular broadband

5. Hughes.net does not support mobile users, so you must have a good VAR (value added reseller) to do installation and provide troubleshooting support

6. Technology isn't even close to keeping up with new developments in cellular broadband

7. Must be parked with the dish raised to get internet


We love our Datastorm when we're out in the middle of nowhere and there is no cell service or only 2g cell service.  However, when in 3g service areas which are ever-expanding, cellular broadband is faster and easier.

If you have to absolutely have internet connection anywhere you might go and you like remote places, consider satellite internet.  But probably 90% of the time (more if you rarely get outside cellular coverage areas), cellular internet will get the job done especially if you have additional cellular signal boosting equipment.

I'm not sure satellite internet for RVers will remain a cost-effective option for much longer unless there are radical improvements in technology and price reductions in equipment and service.

Just my opinion. 

P.S.  If you do go with satellite internet, your VAR is extremeley important and we can suggest a couple of installers that provide excellent service.

This is a letter Motosat just sent to their VAR Datastorm customers as posted to the forum on datastormusers.com:
Dear MotoSAT Customer,
We are in the process of evaluating the HughesNet services we provide and
are seeking input from a cross section of our customer base. We would like
to ask your opinion.
HughesNet has changes coming that will substantially improve their service.
To benefit from these improvements customers will be required to upgrade
their systems to be compatible with the new Hughes delivery system. The
benefits of this upgrade include:
A. Increased system stability
B. Plans that deliver faster speeds
C. Improvements in the FAP (Fair Access Policy) that enable reset to avoid
hitting maximum levels
While moving to the new HughesNet platform would be optional today, there is
likely to be a point in the future where continued access to the Hughes
service will require a move to the new system.
As a customer, you would have several options going forward and we are
interested in your reaction to the options, which include:
1. Select the new service from Hughes and proceed with a system upgrade now
that will cost approximately $600
2. Stay on the current service, knowing that there is a better service
available and that at some point you may be required to move to the new
service.
3. Move now to a service offered by another provider such as i-Direct, which
would require an equipment change at the cost of $2,395 (oval feed) to
$2,795 (rectangle feed) and an increased monthly charge (approximately
$170).
4. Continue your current service, but cancel the service at the time you
were required to upgrade.
Which of these would most interest you or are you likely to choose?
What factors would have the greatest impact on your decision?
Thank you for your input. We appreciate your business and look forward to
speaking with you in the future.

Here is a followup:
Here are some additional questions answered by MotoSAT.

Thanks for the opportunity to comment and ask some questions. There really is not enough information included in your email to make decisions or intelligent comments. If you could provide several additional informational items, I would try to answer from my personal standpoint.

1- What specific new equipment would be required?
(A) HX-50 MODEM

2- What would the new, faster speed be?
(A) 1024 KBPS DOWNLOAD / 128 KBPS UPLOAD (BUT WITH LOWER CONTENTION RATIO THAN CURRENT SERVICE, ALLOWING MORE CONSISTENT SPEEDS)

3- Would the new Hughes service be the same price we are now paying?
(A)OUR GOAL IS TO KEEP THE PRICING AS CLOSE TO CURRENT PRICING AS POSSIBLE

4- Would I be able to install the new equipment, or would a professional be required, and at what cost, if so?
(A)YOU COULD DO THE MODEM CHANGE AND CONTROLLER CONFIGURATION

5- Assuming that costs for the new service plans is not an increase in price, I might be interested sometime in the future. My internet service is working pretty good now.

6- What time line would you estimate as the transition to the upgrade, that is when would you guess we would have to have it to use the internet?
(A)ESTIMATED SIX MONTHS IF WE DECIDE TO OFFER SERVICE

7- Would the same satellites be used, or would additional birds be available, and where would they be located?
(A)G16 99W AND HORIZONS1 127W TO BEGIN WITH

In other words, things are changing.

Trabuco wrote:

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Although not fulltiming yet expect to be next year. We have been researching satellite as well and at the beginning of the search I was going to go with datastorm.

After reading several forums on this site and comments from Howard, Fred and others over the months we have decided to go with an aircard.

It's the cheapest way to start and if it doesn't work for us we can always go satellite latter.

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Hello,

If you need any help getting setup with the service or equipment feel free to give 3Gstore a call at 866-347-8673. We'd be happy to go over the various providers options with you. We are a authorized Sprint, CLEAR, Verizon and AT&T dealer.  

 

You need a special dish to get internet from any provider. You can sometimes add TV to your internet dish as Howard said, but not the other way around.

To further add to the confusion, you can also get satellite internet with a manually pointed dish normally called a tripod dish. For this I would recommend getting service from Starband instead of Hughes.net since they will support you and Starband is more commited to the current technology. My friends Barb and Joe sell Starband systems these days as http://www.mobileinternetsatellite.com/ and have a budget system for just under $850 with the cheapest monthly service plan about $50 a month.

We have a Hughes.net tripod and have been using it since 2003. We go places where Verizon's internet service sucks and we can't stay in the 5GB limit, but we also have a Verizon aircard in a router with an external antenna and amplifier. We use about 8 to 12GB per month between the two of us. We are trying a Virgin Mobile aircard right now to cover some of the Verizon holes since it uses Sprints network and because it is unlimited. But Sprint coverage is worse than Verizon's overall. I have an antenna adapter coming from 3GStore.com that I hope will give us Virgin Mobile/Sprint service where we are camped now in Morgan Hill, CA. Verizon is working fine here, but we are using 300MB per day and can't keep it up. If we can't get Virgin Mobile here after getting the cable Monday I will set up the Hughes.net dish.

People who say "we get Verizon or Sprint everywhere we go" don't go places we do. Sprint is useless in much of New Mexico for example and only lets you use 300MB per month of "roaming". Verizon is useless in Long Beach, WA (family), Kingman/Lake Havasu City/Bullhead City, AZ (sometimes you can get a CA or NV Verizon tower, but not always), Forest City, IA (Winnebago) and Hagerstown, MD plus some other places we have camped.

PD CFK wrote:

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 I think I'm still confused since Direct TV offers satellite internet as one of their services. You think that would mean getting a different Direct TV antennae than the one I currently have that gets all five direct TV satellites?

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DirecTV is partnering wiht Qwest, Verizon and AT&T to get you DSL through a phone line for internet, http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/content/directv/internet.

 

NorCal Dan wrote:

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bjoyce wrote:

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People who say "we get Verizon or Sprint everywhere we go" don't go places we do. Sprint is useless in much of New Mexico for example and only lets you use 300MB per month of "roaming". Verizon is useless in Long Beach, WA (family), Kingman/Lake Havasu City/Bullhead City, AZ (sometimes you can get a CA or NV Verizon tower, but not always), Forest City, IA (Winnebago) and Hagerstown, MD plus some other places we have camped.

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We have the Sprint aircard...bought it in Bullhead City AZ...worked great there and in Mohave City.  It worked in Deming and Albuquerque NM. but at the slower 1xrtt speed.  I hooked it up to see if it would work here in Long Beach WA. but I can't remember if it went to roaming or not, but I did get a connection.  Wifi at the park works great so haven't had to use it.

We tend to rely on the RV Park wifi most of the time and only use our aircard as a backup plan.  If I cut back on my weather website updates I can stay under the Sprint 5GB limit.

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If you would have used more than 300MB in Deming and Albuquerque Sprint would have told you you exceeded the roaming limit, but maybe not the first month.  Sprint cut a friend off because of this and a long stay in Deming was part of the reason.  (He now uses Pda-net with a Verizon Droid, which works for him.)

I said Verizon had trouble in Long Beach and Bullhead City, that is why we are trying Virgin Mobile which is on Sprint, so we can get online with 3G in those areas.   For Verizon Bullhead City is 1X and very flaky, Long Beach is 1X and kind of works.