How Fast Is Satellite Internet? (in Off-topic)

Is there anyway to tell about how fast satellite internet would be if I were to get it?

www.wildblue.com that site has the stats.

i think satellite is really only worthwhile if you have no other option in a rural area. it is expensvie, has bandwidth limits and isn't recommended for gaming.

if dial up is the only other option though, then go for it!

I'm not sure about satellite transfer speed, but the per-month data caps are often brutal if you enjoy downloading or using torrent clients.

"Satellite Internet service provides you with a broadband connection that is much faster than dialup. Currently, most satelite ISPs offer their customers download speeds ranging anywhere from 768 Kbps up to 5.0 Mbps, which is very comparable to a standard DSL connection for the home or small office."

http://www.high-speed-internet-access-guide.com/satellite/

how come the CB spell checker doesn't know the word satellite?

I will have to check out that site. And yes, dial up is my only other option even though I only 8 miles out of town. I don't really do a whole lot of downloading anyways :)

are there no ground based wireless companies? they are often about half the price and have no limits, usually they offer faster speeds as well.

latency is the issue, it's as bad or worse than dialup for latency... this leads to bottlenecks and speeds that will make you VERY angry considering the price you're paying

I have no idea what ground based wireless internet is XP

you mount an antennae on your end that points at a ground based tower. usually it shows up in the yellow pages as wireless internet.

I don't have a phone book handy atm. I'll be sure to check that out.

personally, when I lived in a rural area I tried satellite, namely wildblue. never will again. not only does the FAP limit your bandwidth use per rolling 30-day period (ridiculously small limit) but the latency is horrible (approx 1500ms) thus ruling out almost all gaming. oh and not to mention the fact that you technically are not allowed to leave it connected. if the system notices that you've been connected longer than 24 hours, you're at risk of being cut off and banned without refund on your contract. we ended up going with mobile broadband after that, and were much happier. cheaper rates, unlimited access, decently fast. you can get that anywhere you can get cell phone reception.

if you spell it correctly...satellite

the mobile broadband can go with you as well if you have a laptop and are on a nationwide carrier.

I live in a DEAD ZONE! The only wireless company that has been able to offer enough reception to even make a call is centennial wireless, I'm not sure if that is enough for good connection speed or not.

I thought most mobile carriers cap you at 5 gigs/month.

mine didn't have a cap... and it was kind of a non-name-brand. millennium or something.

Apparently the little town of Big Rapids doesn't have any sort of ground based wireless internet...sad me :(

you could always hook up a cell card.
If you can get a cell signal then you can get a internet signal. Max speed of those right now is 3MB down and 1MB up though

Oh God. Don't get me started. My family and I had HughesNet for 2 years. 2 long, hard, torturous years.
We're paying around $70 a month, and we had some stupid caps. You could only download 400mb in 24 hrs. My internet cut out on me when I was trying to install HL2. Eeek.
And the latency. ~1500ms or so. Surprisingly, the only game I was able to play online was Halo on the PC.
At ~1000ms. Hilarious, actually. I was able to come in 6th or so in a server of 20, and everyone thought I was warping.
Now, I almost always come in first. ;)

It does have decent DL speeds, though...

i was surprised to find that i could play WoW on my 1500ms ping satellite connection, but xbox live would refuse to even connect =P