Subscribing to Satellite Internet

January 25, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Everyone is always looking for the best when it comes to the Internet. Many people don’t know a lot about satellite and while it’s used mostly for people who work from remote places, it can be a great way to get Internet if high speed isn’t available in your area. Here are a few tips on subscribing to satellite Internet.

You’d be surprised at the amount of satellite plans available to you so having some sort of a budget will be very beneficial to you. When you’re thinking about how much to spend, think about whether or not you’re looking for just the Internet or Internet and phone service. A great way to save money is by purchasing a bundle with your Internet and television provider.

With satellite Internet it’s important to make sure that your house or business has a perfect a clear of the sky and facing the south. This will give your satellite the best connection. Not having this clear view can create problems with your satellite Internet service.

One quick way to know if you can have satellite Internet is based on whether or not you’re able to get satellite television in your area. If you answer no to this question than you won’t be able to get satellite Internet.

Before choosing an Internet satellite company, do your research online. Find out what people are saying about the company. You want a provider that’s reliable and won’t have any issues with.

Consider what plans the companies are offering in your price range before signing a contract. Once a contract has been purchased a technician in your area will come to your house or office to install your satellite dish as well as your modem for the Internet.

Getting your satellite dish can be a really simple task if you know exactly what you’re looking for. Do your research and make sure that satellite Internet is available in your area beforehand.

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How Satellite Internet Works

January 18, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Satellite Internet is basically using satellite technology in order to get the Internet. With satellite there are three parts, first is the satellite itself, then there are two modems and coaxial cables, which runs to the modem from your satellite. The hub is where the Internet signal will begin. This signal then gets sent to the satellite dish that’s currently orbiting the Earth from you dish. Your coaxial cables will be connected into your dish, which is used to run your Internet signal to your router. From there it goes to the computer.

Most of the time Internet companies using satellite will use IP multitasking technology. The problem many people had with dial-up was that it couldn’t handle a ton of bandwidth all at once. With multitasking technology the satellite can actually have 5,000 users at the same time on one satellite. Another plus is that it will compress information files, which will let even more data be sent at the same time.

To have satellite Internet all that’s needed is the correct equipment. Another important requirement is having perfect view of the southern sky. Having a clear line between both the dish and the orbiting satellite is important because that strong, clear shot will give you the best Internet connection since you’re relying on that signal in order to connect to the Internet.

There are some benefits of using satellite Internet. It’s great for active people who are always on the move or in areas where cable Internet isn’t available just yet. Satellite Internet is also will also give you 10 times more speed than dial-up.

Even though satellite is faster than dial-up, it’s still slower than cable. It’s more limited to the amount of traffic that the dish can handle at once, causing the Internet to be slow during the time when the Internet is the busiest.

It’s always best to do some research before deciding if satellite Internet is right for you.

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Hooking Up Your Satellite Internet Service

January 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment

There are many different Internet options out there for people to choose from. While many people choose between DSL and cable, there is another option available to you. Your third option would be using a satellite to connect to the Internet.

There is some good news about setting up a satellite Internet connection… it’s super easy! Switching over to satellite and setting up the connection is no different than setting up your DSL or cable Internet. For those looking to make the switch to satellite, here are a few simple steps to follow.

First decide which satellite provider you want to go with. Find out which service providers are available for you and choose a few you feel have the best coverage at the most affordable price. Keep in mind that prices could vary depending on your location. Majority of the satellite television service providers will offer Internet service. If you’re with the Dish Network or Direct TV, give them a call to see if they offer satellite Internet and for how much. They might even offer a great deal since you have satellite TV.

Now you’ll want to set up your account. You will need to set up an appointment for a technician from the company to install and set up the satellite Internet in your home. The technician will install, calibrate and wire the satellite modem to the dish, which will allow you to connect your computer to the dish.

Next take a router and connect it to your satellite Internet. The router is used for those with multiple computers sharing the Internet. If there’s just one computer in the home, the router won’t be necessary. In that case, just run your Ethernet cable to the satellite modem and you’re good to go!

Setting up satellite Internet is not much different than setting up your DSL or cable. Just know there are many different options for you when it comes to the Internet.

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Understanding the Disadvantages of Satellite Internet

October 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Tooway satellite antenna photo.
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Satellite internet is a great option for those that are unable to get internet through other methods. Usually, these are people that live out in the country where internet providers are unable to go. However, before you decide to get satellite internet, it is important that you understand the disadvantages in advance to save yourself a lot of frustration later on.

Price: First, the price of satellite internet can be considerably more than what other internet providers offer. This is because you have to pay for special equipment to be installed. You are also paying for the actual internet service, which is a special convenience since no other internet provider is able to service you.

Time Delay: While satellite internet is much better than dial-up internet service, there is still a bit of a time delay with it. This is natural because of the distance the satellite waves have to travel in order to bring you the information you’re searching for. Generally, the delay is only a few seconds, which isn’t much at all. However, for those that enjoy playing online games, this can be huge. So, be sure you understand the time delay issue if you expect to play an internet game that requires high-speed internet service.

Interference: While any internet service can experience temporary interference, satellite internet is just a little more susceptible to it. This is because it’s a satellite and the satellite has to send waves of information thousands of miles to the satellite home base and back before the website is viewable on your computer screen. So, understand that when you are experiencing bad weather it is quite possible your internet service may be unavailable.

Fair Access Policy: Satellite internet service is subject to the Fair Access Policy, which means that you are limited to the amount of internet bandwidth you can use a day. This is set up to give each satellite internet user the same amount of time online. Therefore, the satellite company can restrict your internet usage. Just be sure you read and understand the Fair Access Policy before subscribing.

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The Benefits of Wireless Internet

October 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Bigpond Satellite internet dish.
Image via Wikipedia

As of 2010, the world is a technological planet full of people that rely on the internet to connect with others all over the globe for both their personal and business needs. Not only does the internet help us perform basic functions and job tasks, but it now also helps us get from point A to point B with GPS, play online video games a host of other things as well. Thus, we need the internet to be fast. Wireless internet service does just that.

At first, dial-up internet service was great because it was the only thing we knew. However, times have changed, and thankfully, so has our internet services. We now have the option to get internet through satellite, DSL, cable and also through wireless internet too. Out of the previous four options, wireless internet has some great benefits that the others don’t offer.

Affordability: For the service you are getting, wireless internet is the best option to go with as it costs a lot less than satellite internet. When you compare it to DSL and cable, wireless internet connections have the ability to bring in more information at a faster speed. Usually with DSL, and sometimes even through cable internet providers, you have to pay more for faster broadband speeds.

Speed: Wireless internet service has the ability to provide users with extremely fast service. In fact, wireless internet can bring close to 2 megabytes of data within a second! This is a major deal for those that use the internet for business purposes such as video conferences. It’s also a much needed feature for online gamers as well.

Mobility: The most obvious benefit of wireless internet service is the fact that it allows you to move around and still access it. Some people don’t see the need to be mobile while online, but it is actually a really nice feature to have. It gives you the freedom to take your computer to any room in the house, or even out on the patio!

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The Benefits of Satellite Internet

September 14, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Bigpond Satellite internet dish.
Image via Wikipedia

The most common ways of accessing the internet are through DSL or cable access. Both DSL and cable internet access are great, but there are some remote locations that neither DSL nor cable internet access can reach. Usually these are in rural areas that aren’t highly populated, and normally, the people living in these areas aren’t able to get cable television either. However, they are able to watch television with the help of a satellite dish. Now, they can also use a satellite dish to access the internet too!

The way satellite internet access works is through the installation of a satellite dish on your home and a satellite modem which is hooked up to your computer. When you click on the internet icon to access the internet, a signal is sent from your computer to the modem which then sends it to the satellite. The satellite has to send a signal to the satellite internet provider’s operation center which, in turn, transmits the webpage information back to you. You may not realize it because the transmission all happens within a few seconds, but the satellite is sending signals out to space and back in order to provide you with internet access!

Many people aren’t aware that satellite internet access even exists. This is something that needs to change because satellite internet service has several things to offer people. In fact, there are several benefits provided by satellite internet that other internet providers aren’t able to offer. These are listed below.

-Satellite internet access doesn’t interfere with your cable television service.

-Satellite internet access doesn’t interfere with your telephone service.

-Your cable and telephone lines won’t interfere with the internet connection speed because the connection is brought via satellite and not through the cable or phone lines.

-Satellite internet allows everyone access to the internet, even those in remote locations.

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What Can and Can’t Satellite Do?

August 18, 2010 By Leave a Comment
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It is undeniable that Satellite internet is faster than dial-up in essentially every way. Satellite is also more accessible in remote locations, including in rural portions of the world that have no chance of DSL or Broadband deals, and even on RVs. However, it is also undeniable that not every internet based utility will work appropriately with Satellite. So, what does work on Satellite, and what doesn’t?

Things that Don’t Work

Satellite internet has a one word problem. “Latency.” Gamers are likely to know this term by the slang version, “lag.” This latency is the delay between the receiver requesting data and the satellite sending it down, across those twenty-three thousand miles between the two. The delay is really very minor, ranging from about 520 milliseconds to 840 milliseconds. In other words, it never even reaches a full second of delay. However, even this fraction of a second prevent certain activities.

Voice chatting and video chatting programs simply won’t work in this way, since the delay causes overlap issues that prevent the real time processing from functioning. Any real time program that requires real time internet access to function will be similarly hindered. Video games often fall into this category, especially if it is a multi player shooter, or any other game which requires real time response. Certain video games, such as MMORPGs, can be played with some effectiveness, although certain areas of the game will become either frustrating or impossible.

Things that Work

So, latency provides a major issue, but what happens outside the latency? Once the connection is established and the data is sent, the internet speed is comparable to broadband. This means that page load times will be low, but extended by the fraction of a second delay mentioned above, and that long downloads will be completed just as fast as they would be on broadband. Anything that doesn’t require a real time connection will function just fine, with that small delay being the only disadvantage of satellite when compared to broadband.

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Filed Under: Information Tech., Internet, Satellite, Wireless Technology Tagged With: , ,

Advantages and Disadvantages of Satellite Internet

June 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Bigpond Satellite internet dish.

Image via Wikipedia

People are becoming more and more aware of Satellite internet. There are many reasons for this. Large companies, such as Hughes Net, have launched aggressive advertising campaigns on the radio and television. Major satellite web providers have also been able to reduce their prices significantly while simultaneously increasing their speed. And many people no longer use programs like Ares Galaxy from open source provider Ares to share music files.  All of this has meant that satellite is more visible and more appealing. Still, satellite internet isn’t the best option for everyone. Here are the major advantages and disadvantages of satellite internet connection:

On the Plus Side

Satellite internet is fast, with download and upload speeds up to five times faster than dial-up, and only marginally slower than many standard DSL and Cable connections.

Unlike dial-up, satellite doesn’t disrupt your phone service or require an extra phone line. In addition, unlike some cable internet, satellite won’t cause any potential problems with your cable connection.

Satellite internet isn’t impacted by wiring problems, so it is often more reliable than other internet sources.

Satellite is available almost everywhere. Even recluses hiding in a cabin in the Wyoming wilderness will be able to get a solid satellite connection – something that is absolutely not possible to do with DSL or Cable.

On the Down Side

While the prices of Satellite internet are currently comparable to DSL and Cable internet, that still makes it more expensive than dial-up.

Satellite internet has higher setup fees than other forms of internet, since you need to purchase the appropriate hardware and have it installed by a certified technician.

There is a small amount of latency with the connection. Latency, the delay between taking an action and getting a result, will not be a problem for most. However, for people using the internet for gaming, voice chats, or video conferences, the latency will cause a very real disruption.

FAP, or the “fair access policy,” creates some limitations for heavy internet users. This policy, implemented by most satellite companies, makes sure that all users have equal access to the satellite’s data transmission power, and can create significant slow-down to especially large downloads.

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South Carolina Nabs Satellite Internet through Hughes

April 23, 2010 By Leave a Comment
The USS Yorktown in South Carolina
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The question of whether satellite internet is a competitive option in today’s world is a very real one. The State Government of South Carolina has provided its resounding “yes,” however, by accepting the Hughes Net bid for statewide broadband satellite. The bid covers satellite internet, provided by Hughes Net, to all the government offices throughout the state. The contract was officially awarded by the states DSIT, or Division of State Information Technology, on June 30, 2010.

South Carolina, a rural region, has much less access to DSL and Cable Broadband connections, the standard being used in most other states. Due to the high cost of establishing DSL or Cable connections in non-urban areas, the exact price of which can reach into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, South Carolina looked seriously into less common alternatives. This included multiple satellite web providers.

While the contract did not specify the precise way that the internet would be provided or the exact quantity of data that would be allotted, it specified that the internet would fall into the “Lot 4″ connection category – a broadband speed satellite connection. The contract will last until mid 2017. Beyond being the primary provider for all the Government offices in South Carolina, services and availability are being extended to small business and home offices. As a result, the contract is expanding possibilities for businesses and the self-employed in South Carolina.

This contract is the first satellite internet contract to be rewarded in the United States, and represents a major benchmark in satellite internet. While satellite internet has become an increasingly popular option for private users, especially in rural areas, the Hughes net contract shows a greater official acceptance of this alternative. Users of this new internet option in South Carolina are likely to see significantly faster speeds than with previous dial-up connections, as well as greater reliability. This contract also shows a commitment from South Carolina’s government to lowering their overall spending.

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