In some ways, delivering satellite internet to a business may sound relatively straightforward: stick an antenna on the building, blast the signal up to a satellite, then back down to a large gateway antenna connected to the internet. In reality, it’s a good deal more complicated than that, and it can lead to some misperceptions about how this technology works. Here’s a look at five of the most common myths about satellite internet.
Myth No. 1: You need a dedicated phone line to make it work.
This is an old one, but we still hear it so we’ll mention it. In the earliest days of satellite internet, it’s true that the two-way signal required a phone line for the upstream side. In other words, you could receive data (downstream) from the satellite, but to upload or send info, it had to go out over a phone line. This problem was solved long ago, and modern satellite internet service has the capability to send and receive through the outdoor antenna (dish).
Myth No. 2: Satellite internet is very expensive.
Ubix offers plans starting at $330/mo it is a very affordable price for connecting areas or offices where conventional services do not have coverage or their services is very unreliable.
Myth No. 3: Satellite internet is slow
It was! When the first services of satellite internet where launched, top download speed was 1.5 Mbps. Fast-forward to 2018 and things are a whole lot better: Viasat Internet now offers speeds up to 12 Mbps in most areas of the country, and even more in some places.
Myth No. 4: Latency makes satellite internet a bad solution
Latency refers to the time it takes for a signal to get from one place to another, and since our satellites are 22,300 miles above the earth, latency can be a factor with satellite. But unless you’re doing certain kinds of online gaming or using a particular type of VPN for working, latency shouldn’t be a problem. With the most common internet applications, like browsing, email or streaming video, latency is not an issue worth worrying about.
Myth No. 5: If it rains, my internet will go out
Heavy rain and snow can interfere with radio signals, but again, this is not the big problem some make it out to be. For one, we’ve improved our technology over the years to address so-called “rain fade,” and we keep an eye on the weather and increase signal power in areas where we think there may be a problem. Keep in mind, too, that an internet signal is not the same as a video signal, where even a small loss of signal can cause a total interruption in service. You might see some slowing in a heavy storm, but probably not a total outage, and it shouldn’t last long.
