A few words about satellite Internet

Satellite Internet is a good alternative to standard Internet, especially when it comes to places where cable access is impossible, or for places that are in constant or frequent movement. And this is perhaps the most important advantage of satellite Internet – it can be available anywhere, even at sea on a ship or on land vehicles.

There are basically three major types of satellite internet, and they are: one-way, two-way, and portable satellite internet. One way is also divided into unidirectional multicast and one way with terrestrial return.

The only way with the multicast internet service is mainly used for Internet Protocol based data and also for video and audio distribution. The disadvantage of one-way multicast is that it will not offer the usual interactivity. Although web pages can be loaded and viewed, full interactivity is not possible. This is very much like a radio or television station in nature.

On the other hand, a route with terrestrial return is mainly used with your standard dial-up Internet access. Outgoing data is sent via a telephone modem, while downloads are made via satellite, at speeds very close to broadband Internet.

Now let’s talk a little bit about two-way satellite internet. This type of service will send the data via satellite to a specific hub, which in turn will send the data to the Internet. Satellite dishes that are placed in a specific location must be placed very precisely so that they avoid possible interference with other satellites. Additionally, power management is crucial in each of these locations. The amount of power transmitted should be adjusted according to outdoor conditions, such as fading rain.

Finally, portable satellite Internet comes in two basic forms: with a portable satellite modem or through a satellite phone. Satellite modems come in a box that is rectangular in shape. This should point in a general direction towards where the satellite is, but it doesn’t have to be very exact.

However, this technology is not cheap. If you’re using a satellite modem, your bandwidth will cost you $5-$7 per megabyte. The modems themselves are also quite expensive, anywhere from $1000 to $4000.

Finally, Internet via satellite phone has been around for quite some time and is nothing new. Although you will have much less bandwidth at your disposal, it can be useful on various occasions, especially when you are on vacation and do not have immediate access to the Internet.

Now, whether you should go for satellite internet or not, that is your own choice. If you live in a remote area, that may be your only option, but there are also other advantages that services like Dish Network and Directv provide when buying a satellite internet package.