If you live in a particularly remote part of the country where you’re unable to receive the standard ADSL or cable broadband services, then satellite broadband may be your only option.
As you’d expect from the name, the very nature of satellite broadband means that access can be received from anywhere in the world as long as you have the necessary hardware (satellite dish etc), and have subscribed to a satellite broadband provider.
Satellite broadband relies on using global satellite systems that provide a transmission of data between the intended user and the satellite broadband provider. Subscribers need to have a satellite dish installed at their address which often requires a setup fee. Overall satellite broadband is the more expensive option when compared against similar ADSL or cable broadband packages. But it is worth mentioning that over the last few years prices for satellite broadband service have dropped considerably and is beginning to fall inline with other competing broadband services.
If you’d like to keep costs down, it is possible to install the satellite dish yourself, although we advise you seek someone who has experience in the area. You’ll be able to find installation and service guides from the satellite broadband providers which will give you a better understanding of what exactly is required in order to access the service.
As you might expect, an important factor in receiving the strongest possible signal is the positioning of the satellite dish itself. This is why we’d recommend you opted for a professional installation, or at the very least someone with prior experience in the field. Again, the satellite instructions will most likely detail how the satellite should be positioned, but even positioning the dish off by the slightest degree can affect the overall signal strength, and ultimately your quality of service.
Currently satellite broadband access is available in two types – one way satellite, and two way satellite. Whilst both connection types still involve the same process of using a satellite dish to relay data to your home, there are differences in how the connections upload data.
One-way satellite connection
With a one way satellite connection, data is only downloaded via the satellite dish with the upload data requiring a dial-up connection. This means that whilst you’ll be able to download at high speeds, your upload speeds will be very limited. Most home users don’t require a fast upload connection as they dont tend to need to upload vast amounts of data, another benefit of this system is that costs are greatly reduced as you’re saving money by not having a matching upload/download service.
Two-way satellite connection
In contrast to the one way satellite connection, a two way connection uses the satellite dish to transmit data from both uploading and downloading. A different type of satellite dish is required for a two-way connection which does make it more expensive, but the advantage are that the broadband connection is purely satellite based and does not require a dial-up phone line. Unlike the one-way connection method, your upload speeds wont be limited and instead will enable you to enjoy upload speeds inline with ADSL and ADSL+2 speeds.
