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SniperHill Internet Service provides poor quality service to US service member who are deployed to Iraq. SniperHill charges $85.00 a month from US service members for 128K internet connection.

Most of the time you can only get about 68K. There are very frequent service interuptions. SniperHill guarentees that service members can use "Skype" and other services to call home, but the bandwidth has difficulty supporting it and the calls are frequently dropped.

SniperHill should be forced to drop thier high prices or improve the quality of thier service.

Our US Service members and the civilians who support them are deployed in harm's way. They deserve better internet service than an $85.00 rip off.

Monetary Loss: $85.

Location: Chicago, Illinois

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Guest

Actually snipperhill is worse than anything, every time i need to do something the net is down, i have paid for Delta and its way too bad i don't actually know the times it work coz anytime i log in its either down or too low to perform, i wish i had bought some biscuits instead, its a complete waste of money

Guest

It is horrible how they take advantage of the Soldier's condition (deployed, away from family and friends) and make a ridiculous amount of profit from it. They are completely heartless and do Zero for the Soldier.

They have the monopoly because they managed to get contracted by AAFES. I am not sure who's hands these people shook to get the contract, or who on the inside they may know, but they need to lose this contract. I have received better service from local national contractors and better prices while serving in smaller FOBs.

It is my only hope that we are in a position that we are no longer in conflict OCONUS.

I would take a trip to Houston just to watch them go out of business.

Guest

No compete contract is just begging for quality of service to go down; no matter what part of the world your in. Tech.

is tech. It's all decent, but when you have no competition it reduces the pressure or need to improve the quality of your service. When SniperHill decides to install a system on a base, it forces us competitors to shut down all of our networks and loose all of our customers. SniperHill blows.

Anyone that says otherwise probably forgot what it was like when there were multiple service providers on each of the large FOBs.

No Compete Contracts should be illegal!

:)

Guest

@james .. in BAF you can buy both at the cell shop at the PX ..

ensure you activate the sim for 3G service... Roshan also has 3G in BAF as well

Guest

mike where do you get the sim and usb connector!

Guest

I am at BAF, and have used both IO GLOBAL & Sniper Hill paying $85-$90 a month. I now use Etisilat through a SIM and USB connector.

USB connector was about $100 and the service is $35 for 5GB. Works great!

Much faster than my hard wired IO Global at $90 a month.nly downside is that it's not unlimited, so downloading a lot will make it go very fast. Skype workes great!

Dariah Qpm

I am on a small FOB here in Afghanistan. SniperHill is not an option.

I ended up getting my own system (two 1.6m dishes and all the equipment to make a WiFi hotspot area about 1000m by 500m. I have spent over $4000.00 doing so. After paying for everything, and doing my best to keep people on here and paying their fair share ($75 for contractors and $50 for active duty) I give 170kps for contractors and 156kps for active duty. The monthly bill is $2800.00 for 2140kps down and 512kps up.

I end up loosing money every month since I am only willing to put the number of people on the system that it is designed to support. I get complaints from people all the time about "can I get a deal". "The bandwidth is too slow".... I mean seriously I am out all this money trying to make life on this little hole in the wall FOB better (my system is the only one here like this) and people are still ungrateful.

I know how hard it is to set up and maintain this system and how much it cost just for one back-haul capable wireless router ($750.00 for a cheap one).

What I am saying in a long winded way is I would love to have SniperHill here then I would only have to pay $120.00 a month for "ok" bandwidth not what I have to do here at this FOB every month. Just saying it could be worse and you could have to do what I am doing just to talk to the family back home.

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Dariah Qpm

I am sorry that your experience was not a positive one. However, I believe there are many VSAT services that are much less expensive than the one you purchased.

I constructed an ISP network on FOB Salerno, which directly competed with Sniper Hill's service. I had to turn people away because there were so many frustrated Sniper Hill customers. I used a Bentley Walker service as my nework backhaul and I would call it satisfactory. I setup a TS2 Idirect Infinity system(which is considered an older technology by VSAT standards) in Iraq a few years back and the network was very fast.

I had luck with DD-WRT for added funtionality on my routers/APs. It also saved me significantly on costs.

Based on the economy of scale that Sniper Hill enjoys, I just can't understand why they have such poor service. Again, I am sorry that your experience was bad, but I don't think that Sniper Hill should be given a bye because of the dificulties that you encountered.

Guest

We are in a 3rd world country in a war zone. I am just happy to internet at all.

Some of our fellow Soldiers don't even have internet outside the wire. If you are here just for internet you need to reevaluate yourselves.

Guest

Hi it's march 2013. Sniper hill still sucks in camp MARMAL don't pay 90$.

Buy the cheap service. It seems to be just as fast.

(Fast is used very loosely ) or get a haji SMS card other than ROSHAN and use that as your Internet. I do believe a congressional inquiry is needed for this blatant rip off, but as with all military contracts a congressman is involved and pulling strings to make themselves and their buddies rich.

Guest

The worst (paid for) internet service Ive ever seen. At $90 a month, you would think they would want to keep customers happy. Sniperhill SUKS!

Guest

can someone pls explain what sfc douglas is talking about? i think he was drunk when he wrote that.fool let me tell u what the problem is now.

i am in afghanistan as i write this. i pay $100 a month for a poor service. the internet is slow most of the time and not working 2 days out of the week.

now having to said that edgecity is not much better probably worst. all i am saying for what we pay and the government pays them we should be getting a better service.

Guest

I love all these guys on here trying to be hard saying I didn't go overseas to be on the internet blah blah blah. If you have it you want it to work, even more so when you pay 150 dollars a month.

If I am on a fob for a month I'd like to be able to talk to my family for that month especially having paid 150 dollars. Don't get the point of a company ripping off the troops, quit trying to sound hardcore.

Guest

War Is ***.

Guest

AAFES (Another American *** Every Second) Its not just Sniper Hill; AAFES has been stealing from the U.S. Soldiers in every possible transaction for years.

$100 dollars to watch a 3 minute youtube video over a 2 hour time span for internet. Pizza Hut charging $10 dollars, for a pizza that is the size of one slice in the AAFES food court. Rounding Up to the next highest dollar on every purchase and keeping your change while passing out worthless pogs.

Double normal price on just about everything in the BX/PX. All of this, and alot more, is AAFES.

Guest

I want Sniper Hill...sounds better than nothing...which I am used to but want to change. Where do I sign up?

Tired of writing on MRE boxes that don't get home for weeks at a time.

Suck it up buttercups....and thank you MWR for your FREE use! I salute you....

Guest

Unfortunately, Sniper Hill uses Satellite terminology to mask what it really happening. Here in Bagram, the main source of connection was through an Indian Company named IO Global.

Their contract ends in March 2012, thus making SH the only game in town. The other option is to purchase satellite time through vendors who sell time and dishes. Much too expensive for the average service member, and even civilians. The crux of the complaints should not be directed here, but to the exchange system who is authorizing SH to do business here.

So I recommend you visit your PX/BX and complain to management.

You can also write your representative in Congress and complain to them. I am still trying to research SH but if I were to guess, I would say the management are retired military who saw a chance to make a lot of money off the service members and civilians with this service.

Guest

I am in Afghanistan and have SniperHill and have no problems what so ever. Yes it is slow sometimes and skype can be fuzzy at times as well but it works and it is better than the MWR.

I understand some of the complaints but there are a lot of service members at COPS in Afghanistan that have nothing at all. I ask that you be thankful for what you have and enjoy it while you have it.

What would you do without SniperHill. All I am saying is it could be worse ladies and gentlemen, god forbid life without the internet for a year.

Guest

As the bases are closing out in Iraq, Sniper Hill has decided to take advantage of the situation. At my location Sniper Hill is currently only offering daily packages at $12.50 for 512kb connection.

No more weekly or monthly packages. I have no other way of contacting family and friends back home as MWR services are closed. I have already heard that Sniper Hill is doing the same thing at other locations.

The *** part is the authentication works from base to base. So in effect if I "was" able to get a weekly plan, I could have used the code at the next location.

Guest

My husband is currently paying $110.00 a month for SH in IRAQ. His ISP is so bad there are times I can't hear him, or he freezes or, all I can make out is a blur and a shape, without any facial features....now he can't get them to recognize his sign on or pass word!

With the drawdown coming soon, this is all we have as a way of keeping in touch. It means so much to us...to be able to see and talk to each other, and it helps both of us deal with day to day life....I expected so much more...sign me up to the class action!

I understand about Satallite delays and all but, this is really pitiful..I worked for a few years helping Field Engineers by downloading and sending information from a NOC, so, I know what should be done and what's not happening...Don't leave the ones left behind that will be there until the end without a way of communicating... :eek

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