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By , March 20, 2012 5:14 am

Satellite Broadband Myths

Internet service can be hard to come by in some rural regions.  Too far away for cable or DSL, the only choice left for many individuals is satellite broadband service.  While at least 10% of the country has access to this service, there are several myths about satellite broadband.  Here is a look at those myths and the actual truths behind them.

One myth is that those who sign up for satellite broadband service will wind up having to pay two internet bills.  In truth, the only way that this would happen is if an individual happens to have two different service providers.  In actually, you should only have the satellite internet provider who will come out and set up all the necessary equipment and get you up and running.  If you had some other service before, it will be up to you to cancel that and only go with one provider who will send just one bill. 

Another myth regarding satellite broadband internet is that the only place to put the dish is on the roof.  In reality, the dish can go anywhere on your house or in your yard as long as it has a view to the southern sky.  This is because all geosynchronous satellites are located above the equator at an approximate altitude of 22,300 miles.  At this height, the satellite will stay in the same position relative to the earth as the earth spins below it.  As a result, the satellite dish can be positioned either on the roof, under an eave or on the side of the house as long as there are no trees or other obstacles blocking the southern view.  It can even be mounted on a pole in the front or back yard. 

Next, you don’t have to have a phone line in order to have satellite service.  In years past, this was actually the case, but it is no longer so.  In today’s world, you can talk on the phone and be on the internet at the same time.  In addition, if you only rely on cellular service for your phone, you won’t have to have a line put in just for internet service.

You can also still have wireless service with satellite broadband. All an individual has to do is use a networking wireless modem and you can connect wirelessly to any computer in your home. 

In addition, while bad weather such as heavy rain and snow will affect the satellite’s signal, this problem is not as big of a problem as it has been made out to be. 

There is also a theory that satellite broadband service is just as slow or slower than dial-up.  Again, this is simply just not the case.  In many cases, satellite broadband is 30x faster than dial-up.  This is plenty fast enough for basic web surfing and many other activities such as emailing. 

Finally, broadband internet service does indeed have several different speeds.  Of course, increasing your speed will also increase the overall bill, but this is the exact same as what one will find with just about any regular internet provider. 

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By , February 5, 2012 6:14 am

Expanding Satellite Broadband Service

For many in rural regions, broadband internet service is nothing more than a dream.  Even some people don’t have to be way out in the middle of nowhere to be cut off from the internet superhighway.  All it takes in some cases is a high mountain or valley separating one city from another to cause the internet to pass by a small community.  As a result the only option for these residents is to get their internet service from satellite broadband. 

When using broadband satellite service there are both positives and even a few drawbacks.  For most users, satellite broadband is fast enough considering the signal has to endure a 44,600 mile round trip.  This is because the satellite is located in geosynchronous orbit above the equator at an altitude of 22,300 miles.  At this height, the satellite stays in the same relative earth position all of the time.  The equipment needed for satellite broadband also only includes a small satellite dish and modem.  However, some users also complain that satellite broadband is too slow for today’s graphic rich websites.  This can be especially true when compared to cable or DSL service.  In addition, satellite broadband can cost between and 0 dollars a month which is too much for some rural residents. 

However, satellite broadband companies still do plenty of business.  In fact, it is the only choice for some 10% of the households in the United States.  Despite a few drawbacks, when individuals start realizing the advantages of having internet service, more people are expected to sign up.  As a result, the two largest satellite internet providers, WildBlue Communications and HughesNet are doubling their capacity by adding two new satellites within the next year.  This is good news to anyone from farmers to long distance commuters or even those with a second home away from an urban area, but still need and relies on the internet.  Until now, both companies have either been leasing space on other satellites or using spare bandwidth on others.  New, dedicated satellites will allow these companies to potentially add up to a million new subscribers.  Currently, there are too many subscribers for the space that is available.  This is slowing down service, but this problem should be remedied at least somewhat when the new dedicated satellites come on line. 

Companies such as WildBlue and HughesNet may also start improving the speed of service, rather than just capacity.  This means that companies won’t have to throttle back on speed when they sign up more customers which takes up more available bandwidth.  Of course, slower service is always going to be a part of satellite broadband simply because of the distance.  However, the more people that are using the service, the slower it is going to be.  There is not a huge lag, typically just two to four seconds, but that can make playing online games or participating in instant messaging harder to do than just regular internet surfing.  Still, though it is worth it for some people to continue to live where they want to and make a living.