Satellite Internet on Laptop

Have you watched the news that comes from the battle torn areas of Afghanistan? How do you think the video footage and the news items sent by the reporters from Afghanistan is transmitted to their respective newspaper offices? Is it possible over the phone? Yes, some of them might use their 3G enabled phones, however, 3G technology is yet to pick up, and in some parts of the world it is not even available. The reporters send in their news item using satellite Internet.

Satellite Internet on Laptop

Sometimes it is very difficult to lay a DSL cable to set up a broadband connection in small villages. There are two primary reasons for the same; terrain and too few customers. To recover the cost of laying a DSL cable, it is imperative that there are a number of customers who wish to have broadband Internet access. In such cases, satellite Internet comes extremely handy. Satellite Internet enabled laptops are designed to handle user requests using wireless connections that use satellites as a medium of communication. This Internet connection can be used for surfing the Internet as well as cable television. Some people might argue that dial-up Internet services can be used, however, dial-up connections always experience frequent and frustrating delays while connecting. Hence, they are not the best option. The speed that satellite Internet provides is better than dial-up connections, but slower than DSL and cable broadband connection. The advantage that satellite Internet connections have over traditional Internet connections is that there are no delays.

The cost of satellite Internet is, however, very high. The basic equipment required for satellite Internet are: a dish (two feet by three feet), two modems (one each for uplink and downlink) and coaxial cables to connect the dish to the modems. The cost for all the basic equipment costs anywhere around $500 to $1200. Some satellite Internet laptops come with satellite compatible modems as well, however, these laptops definitely burn a hole in the buyer's pocket. To access Internet, domestic users have to pay approximately $60 per month, whereas commercial users have to pay a minimum $150 or more. If the rates are according to the speed and size of the uploads and the downloads, you might end up paying $5 per megabyte, which is very expensive. There are some satellite Internet providers who have cheaper facilities whereby the satellite TV only receives the signal and the Internet dish send the signal. Another form of cheap satellite Internet is to receive downstream signals from the satellite dish and send upstream signals using the telephone line.

The other requirement of is a clear view towards the south. This is important as the satellites which are orbiting around the earth are closer to the equator. Obstruction like trees, thunder and lightening, storms, rain, etc., are known to disrupt the reception either partially or completely. Humidity and moisture too can hamper the proper functioning of the system, thereby ruining the reception.

The biggest advantage of satellite Internet laptops is that it acts like a Wi-Fi Internet connection when the user is on the road. A big advantage of satellite Internet is that the rate at which data is sent is slower as compared to its receiving rate. A primary drawback of satellite Internet laptops is that the signal might take longer to come due to the geo-spatial round trip that the signal makes before it reaches the laptop.

Satellite Internet on laptops is most ideal for mobile professionals or in areas where there is a calamity and there is no land connectivity available. Unfortunately, it will take some time for satellite Internet to really come into vogue and become cheaper.