Is Satellite Internet Right For You?

Satellite Internet service is wonderful for remote locations that are not served by any other broadband connections. In many ways, it’s very cool. You can achieve blistering downloads on large files over a satellite Internet connection. But there are significant caveats.

In the time that I had my satellite Internet connection I saw many downloads rocket through the air at rates better then 1.5mbps.

There were a number of things that I didn’t like about my satellite Internet connection:

• The dreaded FAP (”fair access policy”). DirecPC limits their users from downloading more than a certain number of megabytes in a certain time frame. I can’t recall the exact numbers, but this unfortunate limitation bit me in the rear on more occasions than I’d like to remember. Typically, I’d be two hundred and some odd megabytes into a three hundred megabyte download of an alpha software build when DirecPC would invoke the FAP, then blooooie … my screaming download stream would slow to a trickle. Not nice to do to an author on deadline.

• Horrible latency/lag. They recommend not using a satellite Internet connection if you’re an online gamer … but I’m not an online gamer. And it’s not just the games. I live on the Internet because that’s where I work. I had a horrid time using web conferencing applications with the satellite Internet connection.
• Intermittent weather/sun related connection problems. Heavy rainstorms? Poof … no connection. Lots of snow/ice last night? Get ready to sweep the gunk off your satellite dish. Sun spots? Yeeeoooow … who would’ve thunk it!
• Slow uploads. They promised uploads at up to 128K before I signed on for the satellite broadband. The phrase in question is “up to” … it never ever felt that fast.

All in all, would I recommend a broadband satellite Internet connection? Sure … if your walden shed happened to be in an area off the beaten path with no other broadband choices. But if there are other alternatives, well …