Comparing Broadband Satellite Internet To Cable Internet And DSL

If you're considering broadband satellite internet, you may be curious to find out how it compares to cable or DSL.

Broadband satellite internet has come a long way over the past few years, so much so that it’s worth comparing it to Cable internet and DSL. Advances in satellite technology have brought exciting advances to the area of high speed internet.

There is no doubt that in the past, Cable and DSL internet services held a strong advantage over a satellite internet service. They were cheaper, faster, more reliable, and available to more people. But that’s no longer necessarily the case. In fact it’s rapidly becoming a level playing field.

High Speed Internet Availability

A high speed satellite internet connection is available almost anywhere in the continental United States, be it a city, a rural community, or a very remote, inaccessible area.

The traditional high speed internet connection is mainly available in highly populated areas. The cost of the infrastructure to areas of low population density is too high to support DSL internet or cable. 

Maybe it’s because of the fact that a huge portion of the American public has been excluded from having a fast internet service that internet through satellite has improved so much, so quickly.  

And while we’re talking about availability, consider the fact that it’s also possible to have broadband internet while you travel. A portable satellite internet service allows you to have pretty much the same broadband experience that you would have at home.

With Cable or DSL, you need to be located in an area where the infrastructure is already in place. You can’t use it when traveling, unless you stop at an area that offers WiFi.

Speed

Although satellite internet is a broadband service, it does operate differently than DSL or cable broadband. With satellite internet, data has to travel from your satellite dish to the orbiting satellite in the sky and back again. This produces what is called latency which is a very slight pause that occurs during the transmission of information. But it’s so slight that most times you won’t even be aware of it occurring.

The process of transmitting data with DSL or cable is much more efficient in terms of how far the data travels. Satellite broadband does meet industry standards for download speeds between 512 kbps to 1,5mbps.

DSL and cable may offer faster speeds but as you may have experienced, during periods of peak use, the speed slows considerably. The major factor for this slow down is the fact that internet service providers routinely over-subscribe the service. This means that more people are pulling from the same bandwidth than it has been built to handle.

So there will be times when cable or DSL are faster, but do have the option to go with a satellite internet package offering faster speeds at a higher cost.

Cost

Broadband satellite internet service has traditionally been more expensive than either of the other types of high speed internet. But the cost is dropping considerably as more people have begun to use satellite internet and so more satellites are being deployed in space to handle this increase.

It’s like any new thing. The price starts out high and as availability increases, the price drops. This is what has been happening with satellite internet over the past couple of years.

Speaking personally, last year my satellite internet service provider called and offered me a reduction of $30 per month. They explained that they had upgraded their satellite service and had new plans to offer. I had an outdated plan, so I gladly made the switch. On top of that, my speed is now much faster than it was because they also switched me over to a different satellite.

Reliability And Disruptions In Service

If you read old blog entries, you may discover that users of satellite internet were not always happy with the service. This was due to the fact that there were a number of different problems which caused frequent disruptions in service. 

Rain or stormy weather often caused a reduction in speed, if not a complete disruption in the service. Much of that was due to the limited number of satellites that were being used for the internet.

In recent years though, this problem has almost disappeared. Technology has become more sophisticated and there are more satellites orbiting.

Now it takes a really severe storm to disable a satellite internet service, and even then the system is restored almost immediately once the storm passes. During heavy rain, you may have less speed until the intensity of the rain lets up.

But the fact is that in the case of a storm that causes power outages, if you are without electricity, you may not be able to access the internet with any type of high speed service.

One other problem with a satellite service which needs to be mentioned is that in winter, if snow covers your dish, you can lose service. However service will be immediately restored once you brush the snow off.

For overall reliability, DSL is more reliable than cable internet as it doesn’t rely on exposed cable lines for service. Instead it transmits digitally on phone lines, which are often buried and have been upgraded for internet use.

Generally though, due to weather related problems, satellite internet is not seen as being as reliable as DSL or cable. Even so,  satellite broadband internet has an overall uptime of better than 99% which is not far off what can be claimed by the other high speed types of internet.

In the end, the kind of high speed internet you choose comes down to your needs as well as to what’s available in your area. A broadband satellite internet may be the best option for those who live in a rural or remote area, or for travelers. But city dwellers may still find DSL or Cable internet a better answer.