Cable Modem Service to 90% of Town
We recently complete the Keene Town-Wide Broadband Access Project. Click on the report file at the bottom of this page to learn more about this successful community project.
You can use this NY State Broadband Map. Put in your street address and it will tell you what service is available.
KVVI offers broadband service in Town. It can reach 97% of full-time homes and 80% of part-time homes. 75% of full-time residents subscribe including every home with a student in the school. Look here for their current service offerings. Seasonal homes are offered a 6 month on/off package. Call KVVI at 518-576-4510 to find out if your home is in a location they can reach. KVVI can also be reached via email at info@kvvi.net
Using your internet connection for voice telephone service can save you enough to almost pay for your whole internet connection - even better for seasonal residents who cannot suspend their Verizon phone service over the winter any more. You can also use your net connection to establish cell phone service in your house if you cannot get a signal or want service from, for example, AT&T which does not have a tower in the area.
Five Fast WIFI Hotspots
Speeds up to 3mbps are also available via KVVI's KeeneLink Direct WIFI service.
A credit card charge of $2.50 per hour or unlimited usage for $25/week gets you online immediately. The service is available 24x7 at or near 5 locations: Rooster Comb hiker parking, the Great Range restaurant, the Gourmet shop, The Community Center and Baxter Mountain Tavern. Go to one of these locations, turn on your machine, and connect it to the KeeneLink network. Start up your browser and you'll get a screen asking you to select a service (hour or week) and asking for your credit card information. (A day pass on the Verizon Wireless network is half the speed and costs $15)
Cell Phone Based Internet Access
The Verizon Wireless mobile data plan that is a alternative to KVVI for net access for some parts of Town. Read the fine print regarding how the plan pricing works. Advertised speeds are often not as advertised and there are caps of the amount of data you can use per month. You can also buy a "day pass" from Verizon Wireless for $15 which is more expensive than KVVI's Keene Link service (see above) and the speeds are slower by half.
This is only available in the Keene hamlet and up Rt 73 to Lake Placid. Pockets in other areas get some coverage. For seasonal residents, with homes in this area, who already subscribe to this Verizon service, this is a free solution. It would be expensive compared to KVVI's 6 month on/off seasonal service and KVVI's service is faster. If you cannot get KVVI service, then try Verizon Wireless - it is better and cheaper than satellite.
The tower in KV is expected to be operational in 2011 (Fall, last time I heard)
Satellite Internet Access
Satellite internet access is also available and it still beats dial-up service, which is rapidly becomming unusable. You need to have an unobstructed view of the southern sky. Wet weather can interfere with the performance of the service. The advertised speeds may look the same as a gound service, but they don't include what is called latency - the time it takes for the signal to travel to and from the satellite which is 22,000 miles away - so even with the same speed of service your experience will be slower with a satellite. It will not support VoIP voice service or VPNs well.
Read the fine print carefully to understand the various limits on the service and extra charges you may incurr for usage beyond a certain level of usage. In general this type of service is expensive relative to other options.
Having said all that, it is better than dial-up if you have no other alternative. Locally WildBlue, HughesNet are what I hear used most often. For seasonal homes that can get to KVVI, it offers a six month service that satellite prices can't even come close to.
Keene Broadband Project Report keene_ny_broadband_project_report.pdf (505.64 KB) |
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