What Makes a Satellite Internet Provider Reliable?

A reliable satellite connection will have consistent speeds, low downtime, and no data restrictions. That might seem like a tall order if you have limited options, but internet service is just as necessary for modern life, whether you live in a city or a rural area.

We’re going to walk through some of the things to look for so that you can find a reliable satellite provider to keep your household connected.

Look for reliable satellite speeds

Satellite internet connections provide more than enough speed for most online activities, including bandwidth-intensive ones like streaming video. Even streaming video in 4K only requires about 25Mbps, and many residential satellite providers in the U.S. offer plans with at least 100Mbps download speeds. Satellite has the speed; you just need to find a provider that can deliver it reliably.

These issues largely have to do with network management. The more people you have connected to a satellite network, the more satellites and ground stations you need to handle that traffic. This also means that when a provider launches more satellites, it can take on more customers and provide higher speeds consistently.

The best way to determine which providers have the most reliable speeds is to talk to current customers, especially those in your area.

Isn’t satellite internet slow?

Satellite internet offers broadband connections with more than enough download speed for the average household. The confusion comes from the difference between bandwidth and latency. Routing your internet signal through a satellite doesn’t necessarily impact your bandwidth, which is what most people think of when they talk about internet speeds. Your files will download just as fast as they would over a cable connection of a similar speed.

The big difference with satellite connections is latency. Latency is the amount of time used by data to reach its destination and come back. Latency is important in real-time applications like online games. Using a satellite in geosynchronous orbit (GSO) means that the time it takes for your signal to travel to the satellite and back will add hundreds of milliseconds of latency to your signal, which can cause lag in fast-paced games.

For many online activities, latency isn’t much of a problem. Online video platforms like Netflix or YouTube buffer your video, downloading extra data ahead of time so that the video plays smoothly, despite the delay between your TV and the server.

Consider a provider’s downtime

Most of us have had to deal with internet outages before. Personally, I would consider them the worst reliability issues to deal with. I have actually switched providers just because of the frequency of outages, which interfered with my ability to work. The most reliable type of internet connection is fiber, but if you don’t have fiber providers in your area, you should compare the amount of network downtime between your options.

As with speed, online reviews and word of mouth are a good way to gauge the frequency of outages for a given provider. You can also use sites like Downdetector to see recent outage reports.

Satellite connections can be much more susceptible to interference from weather than other types of internet, so take that into consideration as well.

Understanding data restrictions

Another key to good, reliable internet service is to avoid data caps and similar restrictions. A data cap is an intentional restriction on the amount of data that can pass through your connection. This means there is only a certain amount of monthly data that you can expect to perform at advertised speeds with no unexpected costs.

Restrictive data caps are another symptom of poor network management. If a provider has more customers than it can handle in a given area, it will have to limit the amount of data each customer can use to keep the network running smoothly. Data caps used to be ubiquitous with satellite internet, but now most providers have done away with them altogether.

Providers know that data caps are unpopular, so they often will go to great lengths to avoid calling their data restrictions a “cap.” That’s why it’s important to look at the gritty details when comparing providers.

Compare satellite internet providers

The bottom line

Reliable internet access is a necessity in today’s world, even for satellite customers. When choosing a satellite provider, make sure it has a history of providing the speeds it advertises with as little downtime as possible. Also be wary of data caps and other restrictions lurking in the fine print. As long as your provider is consistent, you can do almost anything on a satellite connection that you could do on a cable or fiber connection.

Additional resources

• Best Satellite Providers
• How Does Satellite Internet Work?
• Gaming on Satellite Internet

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