Satellite Internet: Is It Better for Rural Areas?

Satellite internet provides global coverage by using satellites in space to provide users with a signal, which has been sent from the customers’ internet service providers (ISP). Without satellite internet, rural areas would be lost in the modern world - which relies heavily on internet connection. Other types of internet are extremely expensive to set up over such long distances, which is exactly why satellite internet is a big deal for rural customers.

How Does Satellite Internet Work

Satellite internet works by using radio waves to communicate with satellites that are orbiting the Earth. There is a five-part relay system that makes the whole process possible. We’ll take a look at this relay system below:

Internet-Ready Device 

Your internet-ready device is any device that has the ability to access the internet. This can include your mobile phone, your laptop, your smart TV, and much more. It’s ultimately where you will be actively engaging with the internet.

Modem/Router

Your modem and your router are two different pieces of equipment that are involved in the same part of the relay system. Your modem is the device that translates data, which has been received by the satellite dish (we’ll speak about this in the next point). To put it simply, the data that your satellite dish receives can’t be used directly by your devices, which is why it needs to be translated into data that your devices “understand”. You can connect directly to the modem for an internet connection, but you will need to do so with an ethernet cable.

This is where the router comes in handy.

Your router is the device that gives your modem Wi-Fi capabilities. Instead of connecting directly to your modem with your internet-ready devices by plugging them into it, you can connect the router to the modem instead and then connect other devices to the router via a Wi-Fi connection - thereby giving you more freedom to move around your house.

Satellite Dish

Your satellite dish is the thing that is placed on the outside of your house (either on the wall or a short distance away on something else relatively high up). Its main purpose is to send and receive data to and from the satellite via the radio waves we mentioned earlier. The satellite dish’s placement is extremely important. If it isn’t positioned correctly, it may not be able to get a proper signal and may not be able to get a signal at all - meaning you wouldn’t be able to use the internet. This is why so many people get a professional to come and set up their satellite dishes for them.

Satellite in Space

As you already know by now, the satellite in space is the piece of technology that orbits the Earth. It acts as the middleman between your ISP and your home. There are different types of satellites involved in internet connection - geostationary orbit (GEO) satellites and low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites. While LEO satellites have lower latency and can offer higher speeds, they don’t have the same reach as GEO satellites, so it’s much easier for people in rural areas to find GEO satellite internet.

Network Operations Center (NOC)

The NOC uses a much larger satellite dish than the one you have at home and is what gives you access to the internet backbone. Whenever you click on a link, watch a show on Netflix, or interact with the internet in any way, that request is sent all the way to the NOC through the relay system. The results are then sent back to you through this same system. This whole process happens in the blink of an eye.

Things to Know About Satellite Internet

Like any type of internet (and technology in general actually), satellite internet comes with its benefits and its challenges.

Benefits of Using Satellite Internet

• It is one of the most ideal options for rural areas simply because it can reach those areas.
• It doesn’t require any telephone cables or other cables to be set up and instead only requires a satellite dish.
• There are less network outages when compared to many other types of internet because there isn’t the issue of cable maintenance/damage.
• It’s an eco-friendly option

Things to Look Out for When Using Satellite Internet

• Latency with satellite internet is usually quite high. So, if you want to complete any tasks that need to happen extremely quickly (such as online gaming) it may not be the best experience.
• Unfortunately, one of the biggest downsides to satellite internet is its sensitivity to clogging. What we mean by this is it is easily affected by things like bad weather, trees getting in the way, etc. Your satellite dish needs to have a clear view of the satellite in order for it to work properly.
• Some satellite companies have data limits that might prevent you from using the internet as much as you want (but this is the same with many types of internet).
• It’s a very expensive option when you compare the monthly costs to other types of internet.

Satellite Internet vs. Other Types of Internet

The main difference between satellite internet and other types of internet is that satellite internet has a much larger reach and is known for its global coverage. Other types of internet do have the potential to reach long distances, but it takes a lot more time, money, and work to get those types of internet connections set up everywhere.

Satellite vs. Cable

Cable internet uses coaxial cables to deliver a signal to your home (the same cables that are used to give you cable television), while satellite internet uses satellites in orbit and radio waves to send a signal. The great thing about cable internet - and why many people choose it instead of satellite when they have the option - is that it’s much faster and cheaper than satellite internet. However, it’s not available everywhere, and in most rural areas it’s quite unlikely that you’ll be able to find any cable internet providers.

Satellite vs. Fiber

Fiber is the newest and the fastest type of internet around. It uses light to transmit a signal, meaning that data can be transferred at incredible speeds far greater than electricity and radio waves. It’s also extremely reliable and the fact that the cables are buried deep underground makes them almost completely immune to changing weather conditions. Unfortunately, due to fiber being new, as well as the cost of building the infrastructure, it’s not even close to being as available as many other types of internet yet and certainly doesn’t match the reach that satellite internet has.

Satellite vs. DSL

DSL has much better latency than satellite internet, making it a good option for streaming videos, gaming, and taking part in video calls. DSL is also an extremely common type of internet in the U.S., but customers do need to be within a certain distance of a telephone exchange to get it - so distance is still the downfall here when compared to satellite internet. There is a new satellite internet technology that makes it possible to get faster internet than most DSL lines, but latency will likely still be an issue if you choose satellite. 

What to Consider When Choosing a Satellite Internet Plan

Choosing an internet plan that’s right for you will depend on what you need it for and what you’re willing to pay. Think about the daily internet activities of your entire household - that means how many people need to use the internet, what they’re using it for, and how many devices are connected. This will give you an idea of the best speed to get to ensure everyone still has a good experience. 

In addition to this, you’ll need to take the cost into consideration. Internet isn’t super cheap, and it’s something that will be included in your monthly bills. The cost will determine what you’re able to get from the different plans available as well as will help you understand what you’re willing to put towards an internet connection. Keep in mind that data caps can also cause the cost to increase if you go over the cap, so it might be a smarter decision to go for a slightly faster plan that costs only a little bit more, than to frequently need to go over the data cap and pay a higher fee as a result.

Conclusion (The Bottom Line)

As we’re sure you can tell by now, satellite internet is one of the best options for rural areas. With the reach that it provides, companies don’t need to fork out billions to build infrastructure in these areas and the people living there can still have a decent internet connection. It’s obviously not as fast as most other options and many people will choose fiber, cable, and even DSL if they have access to these options; but it’s still a big help to rural customers who also need to have an internet connection in the modern, digital world that we live in.