About Satellite Internet

Satellite internet is available almost everywhere in the United States and to virtually 100% of the population. With stats like that, you almost certainly have a satellite internet provider in your area. Unlike traditional internet that relies on cords and cables, satellite internet works by sending a wireless signal from the dish mounted on your house to a geosynchronous satellite in space. By always maintaining the same position in the sky, the satellite can beam your signal back to the provider’s network access point. Because this wireless method makes internet available anywhere you set up a dish, satellite internet is ideal for rural communities that lack landlines for DSL, cable, or fiber internet.

Although data sent via satellite happens at a very high speed, the 44,000-mile round trip to outer space and back will understandably cause some latency. Latency, or lag, is the time it takes for data to travel. This differs from bandwidth, regularly called internet speed, which is the amount of data that can be transferred in a second. Satellite internet companies have greatly improved their bandwidth, which will help download speeds, but activities that require sending a lot of data back and forth, like online gaming, will still show notable latency.

Pros

Availability
You can’t beat satellite Internet for availability. It is available almost everywhere. You just need a clear view of the sky and the property rights to have a satellite mounted.

Cons

Speed
While satellite Internet is faster than dial-up, it is not as fast as cable or fiber.

Latency
The long delay in signal makes it almost impossible to play online games or stream. Browsing is also delayed as each page takes a few seconds to begin loading.

Final Analysis

Satellite Internet is widely available, and the set-up is minimal. The relatively low speeds and high latency can be frustrating, so it would be a good idea to first check for wired Internet options. Satellite is still a good alternative to dial-up Internet and sometimes the best choice for rural areas