What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of the Satellite Internet?

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Internet services are a necessity these days and everyone should have access to a good internet connection. However, due to higher costs of expansion, low returns, and other restrictions, many service providers opt-out to offer internet services in several areas.

Satellite internet is a primary source of internet connection in rural areas and places where it is not possible to offer the wired internet services such as cable, DSL, or fiber optics. If you are living in such an area, you would know that it is true. You might have called here and there but finally have reached a point where you know there is no other option. However, if you are considering choosing satellite internet, it is fair that you should be well aware of your decision and what it incorporates.

Advantages of the Satellite Internet

There are a handful of Satellite internet service providers that are offering services nationwide such as Hughesnet & Viasat. However, they have several benefits to offer for their customers. These benefits include;

1. Wide Availability & Coverage

The very first thing and the biggest advantage that satellite internet providers have is their availability in all the states. No matter you are living in a city or small town hundreds of miles away from the city, there are bright chances that satellite internet is available there.

For instance, Hughesnet, which is America’s best satellite internet service provider has coverage in all 50 states, including the remotest locations in Alaska. So, there is nothing to worry about when it comes to getting internet services through that. Another benefit about having Hughesnet is that, in case you decide to move to a different place after a while, chances are it would have services in there as well. The only thing you would have to do is to call Hughesnet customer service phone number 1-855-771-3154, and they will move your account in the given time frame.

2. Offers Good Speed

Another benefit of having a satellite internet connection is that you can get good speed. Hughesnet offers a fixed download speed of up to 25 Mbps which is pretty decent and can support almost everything. Viasat, which is the second satellite internet provider offers download speeds of up to 100 Mbps. However, not all speeds are available in every area with Viasat.

3. Independent of Location

The third benefit of satellite internet is that it is independent of the location. That means you don’t have to be connected to a wired network and it does not matter where you live, as long as the satellite dish can have a clear signal, you can have the internet services.

4. Reliability of Connection

Satellite internet connection operates through a dish, a modem, and the connection between the satellite and the dish. So, the connection is not shared between multiple users.

On top of that, there are low chances of satellite internet outages because the satellite internet operates differently and independent of the terrestrial internet connections. If your modem and other equipment are powered, there are low chances that there will be a network outage.

Disadvantages of Satellite Internet

Along with many of the benefits, satellite internet does have some cons as well.

1. Expensive

The cost of satellite internet is significantly higher than the other types of connections like cable, or fiber optics. Those internet connections cost about $40 on average for the download speed of up to 100 Mbps. Meanwhile, the satellite internet connection that offers a download speed of up to 100 Mbps costs about $200.

2. Limited Data

The biggest disadvantage of the satellite internet is that the amount of data being offered is not truly unlimited. Even if you sign up for the most expensive plan, after using a certain amount of data, your speeds will be reduced to a lower limit.

That is why it is always preferred to choose a data plan that meets your requirements instead of getting stuck on a lower speed for the rest of the month.

3. Speed Limitations

Satellite internet is though great and offers good speeds, it has its limitation about the speed as well. For instance, HughesNet does not offer any speed higher than 25 Mbps. Meanwhile, Viasat has no option better than 100 Mbps.

There are limits to the download speed offered by satellite internet providers and there is no way around it. Even if you are willing to pay $500 a month, they can’t offer you a better speed, at least not right now.

4. Gets Affected by Weather

Satellite technology has moved up and the connection is better and reliable than ever. However, the extreme weather conditions can still affect the network connection and your speed reduces significantly if there is a thick cloud cover. That is because the signal between the dish and the satellite becomes weaker due to interference.

Final Thoughts

Satellite internet has its pros and cons, just like every other connection type. However, it is still the only option to get in many parts of the country. Hopefully, the technology would advance further in the near future and we will get to see better speeds, low costs, and more data, but for now, we will have to make our peace with the fact that we have an internet connection.