pctechguide.com

  • Home
  • Guides
  • Tutorials
  • Articles
  • Reviews
  • Glossary
  • Contact

A Description and Explanation of Satellite Broadband and How It Works

Whilst the advent of its RADSL variant may have increased the range of ADSL from 3.5km to 5.5km, the fact is that the technology will always be literally beyond the range of many living in rural areas. In theory, satellite communications can reach almost anywhere, and satellite broadband is becoming an increasingly feasible solution for those for whom ADSL and cable are not options.

Satellite

The technology is well established and typically all that’s needed is a dish on or near the subscriber’s home and a modem/router unit inside. This needs to have an unobstructed view of the satellite in order to work. This means that no buildings, trees or other permanent obstruction should block the path between the dish and the satellite. Inside the premises, the dish is typically connected by two standard coaxial cables to a modem/router, which in turn connects to a PC via either a USB or Ethernet port. Some systems provide two-way satellite communications and so require no telephone connection, dial-up account or other ISP. Others are hybrid, combining a conventional narrowband ISP dial-up connection for uploading information to the Internet with a broadband satellite downlink.

The equipment needs to be installed professionally, but once fitted, the hardware is no more difficult to set up or use than a standard ADSL or cable modem. Some systems provide only a USB connection on low-end systems, with Ethernet costing more. A basic system allows a single PC only to be connected. Higher-end systems allow multiple PCs to be hooked up by establishing a network in which the satellite modem/router connects to the LAN through an Ethernet port.

Maximum download/upload speeds for two-way systems are in the region of 500/120 Kbit/s respectively. This translates to typical operational speeds of the order of 250/70 Kbit/s. However, there are no service level guarantees and although higher speeds are possible, contention issues mean that performance may be slower at busy times. Of course, performance can also be affected by weather. Heavy rain can temporarily impair reception and strong winds may potentially knock a dish out of alignment.

Long distance satellite communications are unavoidably subject to a slight delay (or latency) in transmission of at least 750ms. To achieve high speed downloads and mask the effect of delay over the satellite link, the service accelerates certain protocols that control the transmission of internet data. Notwithstanding this, such latency can have noticeable effects, making some applications impractical. These include:

  • online gaming
  • VoIP | VoIP
  • video conferencing
  • PC remote control applications, and
  • VPN applications.
  • ISDN
  • xDSL Digital Subscriber Line technologies – ADSL, HDSL, VDSL
  • An Overview of ADSL – What It Is and How It Works
  • Glite
  • ADSL2
  • ADSL2+ | ADSL2Plus | ITU G.992.5
  • xDSL Variants
  • ADSL Implimentation
  • Wires-Only ADSL – Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line
  • Cable Modems – for cable Internet connections
  • A Description and Explanation of Satellite Broadband and How It Works

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Digital Communication Tagged With: Satellite Broadband

Latest Articles

Micro ATX motherboard form factor

Introduced in the late 1990s, the MicroATX is basically a smaller version of Intel's ATX specification, intended for compact, low-cost consumer systems with limited expansion potential. The maximum size of the board is 9.6in square, and its designed to fit into either a standard ATX … [Read More...]

Speedstep – Intel’s mobile CPU dynamic power management architecture

Just a few weeks after its launch of the Dixon, Intel demonstrated a revolutionary new mobile processor technology that was expected to close the performance gap between mobile PCs and their historically higher performance desktop counterparts. The demonstration was of a dual-mode mobile … [Read More...]

Coupcoup Malware Removal

Coupcoup is another adware application that is put out by JustPlugIt, and it is sure to annoy you as much as the other pieces of computer junk that is created with that software. If you find evidence of this on your PC, you will want to remove it as soon as possible despite the fact that it promises … [Read More...]

Comments

  1. Willie Ryan says

    February 24, 2012 at 10:47 am

    You certainly DO share!!! That’s one of my illustrations you’ve used on your site, originally commissioned for British Telecom. Would you like me to tell them, or would you like to contact them for yourselves?

    • Anonymous says

      February 24, 2012 at 7:20 pm

      Go ahead and report it. If there is any proof or a cease and desist order on the image it will be removed. Our guides come from a wide range of users. This post was created several years back by the original owner of the site. If you have proof the image is yours it can be removed at your request or the British Telecom’s request.

  2. sepala says

    May 18, 2012 at 4:44 pm

    like

Everything You Need to Know About Video Editing Programs

The demand for video marketing services is skyrocketing. In Europe alone, the market for video marketing is projected to be worth $673 million by … [Read More...]

The Impact of Modern Technology on Relationships

Technology has changed dating in tremendous ways. It has gradually become more immersed in the modern quest for intimacy. In 1995, only 2% of … [Read More...]

Benefits of Instagram as a Powerful Marketing Tool for B2B Brands

The ever-growing popularity of the social networking app Instagram makes it a popular channel for businesses to launch their services, advertising, … [Read More...]

6 Simple Ways to Improve Security of Windows Computers

Millions of Windows PC users experience some form of cybercrime every year. According to one study, there were 2,953 reported cyberattacks between … [Read More...]

2021 PC Hardware Releases to Bolster Your Gaming

If you are a PC gamer, then chances are you are looking to upgrade your kit over the coming year. However, a lot of money can go into building the … [Read More...]

New Transfer Feature in Dropbox Enable Sharing files with Third Parties

Dropbox has been a popular P2P sharing platform for many years. They don't announce new features as often as other applications, since they have a … [Read More...]

Guides

  • Computer Communications
  • Mobile Computing
  • PC Components
  • PC Data Storage
  • PC Input-Output
  • PC Multimedia
  • Processors (CPUs)

Recent Posts

SCSI Internal Software

SCSI Host Adapter: Windows 98 and Windows XP both have embedded driver support for the SCSI host adapter being used in this tutorial. On restarting … [Read More...]

Technological Breakthroughs Could Spare Millions from COVID-19

Computer technology has helped society conquer countless challenges over the last 40 years. The most recent problem computers have played a role in … [Read More...]

Optical Mice

Early optical mice used an infrared LED to detect the movement the mouse pad, rather relying on the traction between the … [Read More...]

[footer_backtotop]

Copyright © 2021 About | Privacy | Contact Information | Wrtie For Us | Disclaimer | Copyright License | Authors