Satellite Internet Performance

In metropolitan areas, its pretty easy to get cable internet. With so many internet service providers vying for our business, for most of us, we just have to decide who gives us the best value for our money. Of course, in the city, many seldom need to worry much about the performance of cable internet. Cable internet is easy to acquire and its blazing fast. Thats all there needs to be said about cable internet. An estimated 70% to 80% of American households have internet access. Over 65% of that estimate have high-speed broadband internet and only 6% (approximately 93 million Americans) still use dial-up. Regardless of performance, people using dial-up do so because it is cost-effective and easy to set up.

It should be noted that among the 93 million still using dial-up are internet users living in smaller rural towns, far removed from the more metropolitan areas of their state, and must resort to using dial-up because of limited options. Internet service providers of cable and DSL do not cater to remote areas due to distance and cost. And due to the frustrations that dial-up users have dealt with (disconnects and slow data transfer speeds), many are turning to satellite internet as a service provider of high-speed internet capable of delivering speeds as fast as traditional cable and DSL. However, satellite internet performance remains one of the few questions that many consumers looking to invest in satellite internet have about this alternative internet service. The fact that it requires a satellite dish that transmits data to and from a network center via satellite is cause for some to question how well the service performs.

Skeptics should rest assured that satellite internet is as viable and reliable an option as other conventional systems. The great advantage is that satellite internet coverage is available anywhere in the world with a dish in broadband speed and DS makes relying on an available cable line non-existent no matter where you are. Satellite internet can actually provide high-speed internet at a maximum of 5.0 mbps with the best plan, which makes it on par with the fastest cable or DSL internet. However, a performance drawback to satellite is latency issues that result from transmitting data 50,000 miles between a computer, satellite, and network center. This may limit performance on Virtual Private Networks (VPN), Voice over IP (VoIP) applications, and other time-sensitive applications such as real-time trading.

Like any internet service, there are advantages and disadvantages specific to each and satellite internet is no more or less reliable than the others. It simply is more efficient and a dependable alternative to the small percentage of people in rural areas as well as to urbanites who want high-speed satellite internet without the restrictions of cable lines. For those interested and looking for a satellite internet service provider that guarantees the satisfactory performance of its product and service, visit HughesNet.