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[Mogrits <mogrits AT gmail.com>]

Bev,

We are in a similar situation as yours, and I got hughesnet finally,
when I was running my business out of my home. It has it's limitations
as most here have pointed out, but overall it delivers on it's modest
promises. We rarely hit our download limit except when the kids are
all home with their laptops. Hughes also recently released some tools
that make it easier to schedule update and larger downloads for the
"free period" in the middle of the night.

Also, in lieu of skype, I highly recommend the magicjack
(www.magicjack.com). I know it sounds hokey to buy something touted in
an infomercial but it actually works well. the device is 20 bucks and
the service is 20 dollars a year for local and US and Canada long
distance. You plug the thing into a usb port and then plug any phone
into it. When we visited Costa Rica we took a laptop and the magicjack
and an 8.00 phone purchased at Big Lots. Whenever we were near a wifi
spot we could call back to our hometown, retrieve voicemails, stc at
no cost. Ditto when a friend went to europe- I just let him borrow the
magicjack.

It will work on the hughesnet but it is not as good on there as it is
on a cable modem.

I'm going to look into the skywave service as my hughesnet contract is
over and I can go month to month now..

Warren