Satellite Internet is widely available now around the world however just like most other broadband technologies there are certain requirements that must be met before satellite Internet can be used, one of these being line of sight as just like any other satellite technologies is essential.

Line of Sight

This concept is best described as being the ability to draw a straight line between two objects without any other objects interfering or getting in the way. If this can be done then line of sight exists and it this theory that is required by satellite technology. To illustrate this imagine a dish placed on top of a building or in field which points into the sky at an orbiting satellite. The satellite is placed in what is termed a geosynchronous orbit which basically means that it moves at the same speed that the earth rotates and as remains at the same point in space relative to the earth. The precise positioning of satellite and dish enable a direct line of sight to be achieved and hence a link can be established.

What Would I Need?

You will need a PC running Microsoft Windows95 or later with a processor of at least a 200mhz accompanied with a minimum of 32MB RAM and enough hard drive space to store the software that your ISP will provide. These specs are not official, and will vary from different ISP requirements. In most cases the satellite ISP will provide the rest, these are:

The amount of bandwidth that satellite Internet can handle is changing over time. The ISP determines the amount of bandwidth that is to be allocated to their customers and some offer up to 4Mbit/sec bandwidth, where as others may only offer 2Mbit/sec of bandwidth. Usually satellite Internet service provider’s charge per amount of bandwidth that they allocate to you, offering different bandwidth options at different prices to suit individual needs.

Delays

Satellite Internet is very fast and does have plenty of bandwidth however the actual time required to establish a connection can be quite lengthy. This is due to the sheer distance between the satellite dish, the satellite in space and the subsequent receiver on earth. For example, you request a download through Internet explorer and it realistically takes around 750ms (3/4 of a second) for that request to be answered however once that contact is made then the information flows at a very nice speed. A small inconvenience you may think however for online gaming this initial time is simply too much to enjoy a fast responsive game on the Internet.

Satellite Internet and Uploading

Until recently satellite Internet had one major disadvantage, this was that the satellite could only download information and not upload. In otherwords it was a half-duplex connection. To get around this a feedback to the Internet was provided using a standard telephone connection however this was slow and meant that only download speeds were improved. Thankfully however the issues are all in the past as two-way satellite now exists with the need for telephone line.

Cost

Satellite Internet tends to be more expensive than other types of broadband Internet. You will find that the installation cost is high with most satellite ISP’s. This is because of two main reasons, the first being that satellites are not cheap amd some satellite ISP’s insist that customers supply their own satellite dish - however we recommend allowing your ISP to choose and setup all of the equipment.

When the Weatherman says its Rainin’….

Satellite Internet (and TV) is much less prone to interference from poor weather quality due to the digital transmissions now being used however it is still important to consider that interference can and most likely will occur.