Tooway ka-band
August 2011
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TEST SATELLITE Tooway Ka-band
Features No LNB inputs: 1 No LNB outputs: 0 DiSEqC: No Modulation: 8PSK and QPSK Symbol rate range: 5000-30000 FEC range: 1/2, 2/3, 3/4, 5/6, 8/9 Transmission power: 3W IP data throughput forward: Up to 10Mb/s IP IP data throughput return: Up to 4Mb/s ATM Encryption: 128-bit Latency protection: TCP-acceleration, HTTP pre-fetching
Tooway ka-band
Software upgrade: OTA download Data ports: RJ45 Ethernet 10/100 baseT, USB 2.0
This discreet, affordable package offers broadband at speed with consummate reliability
the opposition
IN THE UK, getting your connection to the internet via satellite is still a relative rarity. However, with the Tooway Ka-band service satellite broadband’s day may have arrived.
ASTRA2Connect n Similar system using Ku-band from 23.5°E but larger dish, more expensive, slower speeds – until Ka-band system starts in 2012 n http://bit.ly/omSHeR
Interface
Whereas terrestrial broadband is (reasonably) fast, efficient and easily available within cities, in small rural communities and isolated properties it is not, and only a dial-up internet connection – or none at all – is available. Tooway satellite broadband is available anywhere you can see the
sky; it needs no telephone connection and is fast, reliable, and not too expensive. We tested Ku-band Tooway in August 2009. That was good; this is better. Tooway has been reborn, thanks to Eutelsat’s new Ka-Sat satellite launched to 9°E last year, and dedicated to satellite broadband. It provides 82 tight Ka-band (26.5GHz-40.0GHz) 237MHz bandwidth spot beams across Europe (five over the UK) using four different frequencies and circular polarisation. Like the original Tooway, the
Ka-band service is operated by Eutelsat subsidiary Skylogic, which makes the connection to the internet through 10 interlinked teleports across Europe. Marketing and customers’ accounts are handled by local ISPs, such as the UK’s Avonline, which provided the test system.
Build The Tooway hardware – just a modem and a dish – is made by US company ViaSat and is based on the equipment used by 400,000 satellite broadband users in the US. The modem is in a plastic case
Subscription prices Package
Download speed
Upload speed
Monthly data volume
Subscription
Tooway 6
6Mb
1Mb
4GB
£25/month
Tooway 8
8Mb
2Mb
8GB
£40/month
Tooway 10
10Mb
2Mb
13GB
£50/month
Tooway 10 plus
10Mb
4Mb
25GB
£100/month
Equipment £200. Installation £100 (DIY kit £50). Activation £50 (zero with 36-month contract)
Your first test when installing the Tooway modem and dish is to choose the appropriate spot beam frequency, identified by colour
www.avonlinebroadband.co.uk • 0800 073 1102 • £ see table TEST SATELLITE
designed to stand upright, with connections on the rear for the LNB cable, network (a switch or direct to a PC) and the external power supply, and four large indicator lights on its curvy front. A great improvement on previous satellite broadband systems is that the two connections to the dish – for receiving and transmitting – are multiplexed onto one cable, making installation easier and the result more discreet. Once installed and set up, the modem can be stashed out of sight as it is automatic in operation. The dish is purpose designed, and rather nice. It has a 70cm x 75cm elliptical steel reflector with a double feedarm (for the heavy LNB) and a rear adjustable altazimuth mast bracket. The receive/transmit LNB is an all-in-one affair that is both bulky and heavy but includes the diplexer inside (and a dinky installation aid) and bolts onto a special bracket on the feedarm. The whole dish (except the LNB) is finished in cream and looks as attractive as a dish can. An offset LNB side-arm for the dish is coming soon, to enable reception from 13°E, 19°E or 28°E. The modem and dish package can be rented for £10/month or bought outright for a reasonable £200.
Setup Avonline can install the Tooway dish professionally for a flat fee of £100, or you can do it yourself. A £50 DIY installation kit includes everything needed down to the F-connectors and the fixing bolts. If you’ve some experience of satellite installation, fixing up the Tooway dish is not too difficult. The higher Ka-band frequencies make aiming this dish as critical as a 1.5m Ku-band antenna but the mounting bracket includes a very effective fine
‘With Tooway Ka-band, satellite internet has really come of age’ adjustment for elevation and azimuth, and the LNB includes a beeper that, driven by the modem analysing the signal, produces different beep patterns to indicate signal strength and a lock on the correct satellite. It’s a great system. The modem includes its own web interface, so it and the LNB can be put into installation mode, the account initiated with a code from Avonline, and the quality of the signal monitored, all under PC control. Establishing contact is automatic, with the power, receive, transmit and network lights showing progress and any errors. When it’s all up and running (a few minutes’ work) your PC, or PCs, will then treat the system as any ADSL modem and you should be on the internet immediately.
and even those used to the ludicrously exaggerated ‘up to’ speeds of most ADSL providers will find the lowest packages sufficient. We tested the Tooway 10 package and it lived up to its name. We measured a download speed close to 10Mb at various times of the day over many days (average 9.92Mb/s) and an upload speed of an amazing 1.8Mb/s (about the terrestrial ADSL download speed at the test site), and the monthly data allowances are generous. What’s more, the modem worked transparently direct to a PC, to a network switch, and to various receivers, including our Fetch TV SmartBox, and the service was reliable – not wavering, let alone failing – at any point. Whenever the PC was on, the internet connection was there n Malcolm Brown
Performance
With Tooway Ka-band, satellite internet has really come of age. This is a reasonably discreet, eminently affordable package that delivers broadband at better than most ADSL speeds with consummate reliability. Of course, if you have a digital phone exchange just down the road you’ll stick to terrestrial ADSL, but if you live far from the exchange, with substandard phone cable, or simply need an internet connection where there’s no phone Tooway delivers the goods. The initial cost is pretty low, the ongoing contracts reasonable, and the performance nothing short of excellent.
The Tooway service is ‘always on’. Disconnecting the network has no effect on the satellite link and after a power-down, the modem needs just a couple of minutes’ satellite handshaking to re-establish the internet connection. When running, Tooway is capable of blistering speed. Four Tooway packages offer different speed and data allowance combinations, reflected in the subscription prices (based on a two-year contract, with a £50 surcharge for one year and a waiver of the £50 activation fee for a three-year contract). While the lure of 10Mb is tempting, most current dial-up users
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VERDICT
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Ratings
PLUS
n Fast internet
connectivity via satellite n Simple to set up n No need for terrestrial connection
Minus
n More expensive than
(most) terrestrial services n Monthly throughput restriction Build hhhhhhhhhh Setup hhhhhhhhhh Performance hhhhhhhhhh Features hhhhhhhhhh Value hhhhhhhhhh Overall
86%
Connectivity Receive/transmit LNB 1 input 2 Ethernet connector 3 USB (not used) 4 Power input
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