What is satellite internet and why to choose it
Satellite internet is a type of broadband internet connection mediated by a satellite to transmit a network signal through your Eutelsat operator. The operator receives data from the internet provider (internet provider), which then transmits wirelessly – at very high frequencies and with the help of special very large dishes – to the satellite. The signal then comes to you and is collected by your satellite dish. The dish is connected to your modem / router, which – in turn – connects your devices (mobile, tablet, computer, smart tv, etc.) wirelessly or wired, to the internet. The process works both ways, so you have an active internet connection. SATDATA monitors, coordinates and supports its customers in all matters related to their satellite internet connection.
· No wired connection where you were
· Absence of fiber optic installations in your area
· Slow connection via Adsl – Vdsl
· Unreliable connection with many “ups and downs” of speeds, short breaks & “noise” on the line.
· Slow connection at peak hours
· Connection safety in any weather condition
· No 4G / 5G connection
Especially for businesses operating in remote areas or island groups in Greece, satellite internet can be a very advantageous solution as in these areas there is either a lack of corresponding terrestrial infrastructure, such as ADSL / VDSL connections, or there is no international telephone connection to reasonable prices. For another category of companies that have production units in inaccessible places, such as, for example, fish farms, livestock units, greenhouses, logging units but also for businesses with a large geographical spread that need a reliable internet network, the satellite connection with the speeds offered by Satdata, solves in a unique way important and chronic problems.
Overall, satellite connection has evolved a lot in latest years. You can find satellite internet plan with speeds up to 50Mbps (soon up to 250Mbps). Having a faster internet can really help increase productivity at the business level, while at the same time it can dramatically improve the individual experience of each interconnected user.
Internet via xDSL (Adsl – Vdsl) can be slower or even faster than satellite. Depending on the provider you use, the plan you have chosen and the location of your installation, your actual speed can range from 5Mbps to 200Mbps. If you have access to a state-of-the-art DSL provider and you are within walking distance of one of its nodes, then you will have a better xDSL experience. In any other case satellite internet due to constant speed and reliability is probably a better choice.
Fiber optic internet is now faster than satellite internet. However, it may be more expensive if we consider that we rarely get a pure internet connection, when telephony, cable TV plan or mobile plan are added to it. So in this case we suggest you carefully consider the satellite internet solution.
The Internet through microwave links (Microwave Links) with speeds from 50Mbps to 1Gbps, is an expensive solution that is implemented mainly in a business environment. Also binding in terms of retention of active subscription (usually 3 years). Here, too, a careful comparison with the satellite internet solution is required.
In conclusion, in many cases the xDSL solution seems self-evident and normal. But this is not always the case. The optical fiber is spreading slowly, so it is and will remain for the next 3-5 years for many areas of Greece an “illusory dream”. So satellite internet either as a main or as a backup connection can be the solution!
As it happens with any internet connection, you need to determine what speeds you need, and what budget you have available. While it is tempting to get the fastest plan, you do not have to pay extra for speeds that you will not use in the end.
The choice of a satellite internet plan should be based on the internet bandwidth requirements that you estimate you will need. Lower speeds will work well enough for web browsing, email control, etc., but for streaming like Netflix, you will need higher speeds.
Due to the high speeds offered by satellite internet (Internet over Satellite) can support a number of specialized applications such as Distance Learning, Telemedicine, VoIP telephony, Videocall via Internet, ATM connection, ATM terminals, CRS / ERP interface with central databases, etc. Of course it can support all the classic services we all ask for from the internet (surfing, movie downloading, internet radio, email, social media, cloud data storage support (Dropbox, Onedrive). Finally, it can be an excellent opportunity for tourist facilities, businesses οr restaurants wishing to offer additional services to their customers (e.g. WiFi via Hot Spots, etc.) and all this regardless of weather conditions or connection area. The only application that can not satisfactorily support satellite internet is online gaming. The reason is that due to the nature of the satellite connection – about 170,000km. travel of the signal from the user’s terminal to its return to it, there is a time lag of about 0.6 seconds between the 2 phases. So online games can not be completed with the required promptness.
Of course you can. And not only that. Depending on the type of connection you had or have, you can benefit from discounts on your monthly subscription costs. In addition – as long as your equipment is in good condition – you can only change the electronic parts of the system and save money, both on the cost of purchasing the equipment and on the cost of installation. The above are exclusive offers of SATDATA.
Of course it is. SATDATA wants all its subscribers to enjoy the services they want, when they need them. So it offers them the ability to download once a year, their speed to the lowest internet plan offered at the time. If they want, they can even terminate their connection, for as long as they wish, after completing the first binding twelve-month connection. The only peculiarity that would exist in this case, would be that when they reconnected they would not get the static address given to them in their original connection, but another, completely different one.
Facts vs Myths
As with any new and innovative service that has not been widely used, there are some “myths” about the reliability of the service and some data that we must take into account before deciding on the right satellite internet package. Taking into account these inaccuracies, we will give you the correct answers.
Satellite internet used to be really much slower, with download speeds of around 750Kbps to 1.5Mbps. But the ever-evolving technology and new satellites that have been launched – and are constantly being put into operation – have dramatically increased speeds. The satellite internet offered by SATDATA through Eutelsat currently has speeds of up to 50Mbps download and soon – at the beginning of 2023 – will have up to 250Mbps download. These speeds are perfectly compatible with current terrestrials. At the same time the reliability of satellite connections is now a given, since satellite data connection is now a tested solution not only for individuals or companies but also for states, international organizations, state armies, etc. If we add here that these speeds are fixed and that there is no limit to the amount of data transferred, do you think there would be any reason to worry?
You will not probably notice any difference in how fast you can connect to the internet via satellite compared to other ways of connection. If you do not use the internet for online gaming, satellite latency will not affect you.
The delay is the time required to send and receive data. In satellite internet case, it’s the time it takes for information to go from your device to the satellite dish, to the satellite in orbit of your provider, to a separate satellite dish to your ISP, and back again.
As it is easily understood, there are many parameters and many stages where something can go wrong. And latency has long been against satellite internet.
Latent time is higher with satellite internet than with data network, DSL or fiber optic internet. Data network, DSL and fiber optic internet have a latency of 20-50 milliseconds (ms), while satellite internet bandwidth can be close to 600 ms.
Because satellites are located about 35,000 kilometers above the earth, satellite internet data has a long way to go. This is also the reason why we never really recommend satellite internet for internet activities like online gaming. But if you are in an inaccessible area without better internet connection options, satellite may be your best (and sometimes the only) choice.
Although it is a fact that severe weather conditions (strong storms, heavy rainfall – snowfall) can temporarily interrupt the satellite connection, the problem is not as significant as it may seem.
The reason is that weather-related interruptions – called “bad weather signal fading” – last a while and the signal is fully restored once the phenomenon is over.
On the contrary, a strong storm with fallen trees or other extreme weather conditions with similar effects could disable other similar internet connection methods for days. However, the satellite internet offered by SATDATA and the micrometric installation made by its specialized technicians, minimize the consequences of this phenomenon.
The general impression nowdays is that satellite internet is expensive. This is mainly due to one and only one reason: that while the monthly subscription of the connections offered by the various international satellite internet providers is at a competitive price (at least for the basic internet plans), the final monthly cost is increasing due to the volume charge internet plans. In this way someone who would consume e.g. 50gb per month would pay 60€, if it went up to 200gb per month it would pay 220€, and so on. And all this with download speeds of 30Mbps and mainly with the anxiety of “may I reach and pass the volume of data that belongs to me” and “what charge bill will come to me in the end?”
SATDATA now overturns the data by offering an unlimited amount of data, with fixed download speeds of 50Mbps, WITH STATIC IP and at a cost of a few euros per month. In this way the comparison with ADSL, VDSL and internet via fiber optics becomes completely competitive. At the same time, with the imminent increase in speeds to 250Mbps and the maintenance of monthly subscriptions by SATDATA at competitive levels, satellite internet is now a fully accepted internet connection option, either as a basic or as a backup.
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