Satellite Internet Explained: Is Satellite Broadband Any Good?

It's not unlikely for mountainous or rural areas to have poor internet access or lack it completely. And if you own a home in such places, it's understandable you'd want a stable internet connection for video streaming, browsing social media, or checking your email.

This is where satellite internet comes in. Although it has shortcomings, such as high latency and storm-related interruptions, it's still a good option that allows you to go online anywhere.

But what is satellite internet? In this article, we'll talk about the quality of a satellite internet connection, its pros and cons, and if it's the option for you.

What Is Satellite Internet?

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Satellite internet is a type of connection that uses low Earth orbit satellites to provide an internet signal to areas where a terrestrial connection like cable internet is unavailable (or subpar).

And although satellite internet has a bad reputation for being mediocre, this isn't the case anymore since numerous satellite internet providers offer faster speeds and higher data caps nowadays.

Equipment Needed for Satellite Internet

Even if you live in a secluded area, a good remote area provider can bring most of the needed equipment to your door.

The most obvious piece of equipment you need is a satellite dish, which is relatively easy to set up. It needs to point towards the southern sky and ideally be unobstructed by things like trees, mountains, or buildings.

You'll also need a modem to translate the signal into a working internet service and an optional router for Wi-Fi.

Do Satellite Internet Speeds Compare to Regular Internet?

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Satellite internet speed can range anywhere from 10-150 Mbps, and on average, it's 31 Mbps. This is still sufficient for web browsing and streaming TV shows.

On the other hand, considering that a cable connection in New Zealand can reach speeds of over 900 Mbps, it's always the better choice to go for when possible.

Advantages of Satellite Internet

• Doesn’t Require a Phone Line: If you live in an area where DSL connections are old and slow, you can go independent and switch to a satellite internet provider. The process is as easy as installing a modem and satellite dish.
• Satellite Internet Handles High Bandwidth Usage: Cable connections can only handle a certain bandwidth before offering slower speeds for users at peak use hours. This isn't the case with satellite internet services. Therefore, you can expect consistent download speeds at all hours of the day.
• Availability: No matter how isolated you are, and regardless of a lack of cellular data or a terrestrial connection, you can always count on your satellite internet to go online.

Disadvantages of Satellite Internet

• Slower Latency: Internet latency, also known as lag or delay, is the time it takes for data to travel from its source to its destination. And considering that satellite internet data uses a satellite dish to transmit into space, it takes longer to travel to its destination compared to data travelling in terrestrial cables.
• Relatively Expensive: Compared to the average monthly cost of a traditional internet service provider, satellite internet service providers charge significantly more. Also, some of the best satellite service providers ask for a hefty introductory price for the equipment and installation.
• VPN Compatibility: If you value anonymity online, a major problem you'll have with satellite internet is its incompatibility with a virtual private network (VPN). This is because VPNs require low latency, a feature you won't get with satellite internet since you're transmitting to a satellite in space.
• Weather Conditions Affect Quality: While a satellite connection offers reliability in secluded areas, this won't be the case if there are constant bad weather conditions. In addition, depending on its severity, a storm could interrupt satellite transmission temporarily. Therefore, you can experience slower speeds or even an internet outage.

Is Satellite Internet for You?

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If your area lacks fibre or cable internet or has slow DSL plans, your best option is to switch to a satellite connection. However, a case could be made for choosing a slow DSL internet considering the lower price.

Also, if you're a person who requires lots of monthly data for downloading games or movies, going for satellite internet isn't for you since it has severe data caps relative to DSL internet plans.

And if you're not sure if satellite internet is sufficient for your internet needs, here's a list of the most common online processes and their data usage.

Browsing Social Media

Surfing the web or scrolling on social media isn't very demanding on an internet connection. You use 90-180 MBs per hour. Therefore, to use 1 GB of data, you'd need to scroll for 5-11 hours.

Satellite internet will work flawlessly in this case. Not only do you use little data, but you don't need that fast of a connection speed.

Gaming

The short answer to gaming on a satellite internet connection is, yes, you can do it. However, it won't always be ideal because of the lower latency.

It also highly depends on the game itself; some games are more forgiving of lower latency than others.

And when it comes to data usage, you won't face many issues since online gaming uses around 200 MB per hour of data.

Streaming Videos

This is where you may run into some trouble with a satellite connection, and it depends on the quality of videos you like to stream.

For example, you can't realistically stream 4K videos on satellite internet since it uses up to 8 GB per hour of data.

Instead, a more sustainable alternative is switching the quality to HD or SD, which uses 2 GB and 500 MB per hour, respectively.

How Does the Future Look for Satellite Internet?

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While there are currently some satellite internet providers in New Zealand, the future of satellite internet is looking bright, thanks to companies like Starlink and Amazon.

These companies are launching low Earth orbit satellites that'll provide internet to areas with poor or no internet connections.

Conclusion

Setting up satellite internet is as easy as installing a satellite dish and modem. However, while there are pros, like wide availability and not requiring a phone line, the cons include limited data quotas and lower latency.

However, you're still provided with internet speeds that can handle browsing social media, gaming, and streaming videos to some degree.