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I'm trying to determine from a reliability standpoint whether internet service from a satellite provider is as good as a cable or DSL provider. Obviously nothing is perfect nor has a 100% uptime, but relatively speaking is satellite internet service as reliable as cable or DSL service? To make it more objective, state how you would classify satellite internet service reliability:

  • As good as cable or DSL (same amount of downtime.)
  • Less reliable than cable or DSL but hardly noticeable (instead of three outages a year, maybe satellite has 5-6.)
  • Noticably worse than cable or DSL (outages frequently occur.)
Hennes
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Ken Pespisa
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2 Answers2

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I think your prime concern would be latency...
Read this tho.

Quoting a bit from there,

any problems with the satellite itself almost never occur. That’s because they are designed with lots of backups to the system since repairs in space are almost impossible to make. There are even extra satellites orbiting, in the unlikely event that a satellite that has been designated for internet use, fails.

Another issue that satellite users face is latency. Satellite internet latency occurs because of the distance a signal must travel back and forth to the satellite in space. This results in a lag, making satellite internet service slower than DSL or cable internet.

Because of latency, it’s not recommended that you attempt transactions that require split second timing, such as real-time stock trading.

and,

In terms of the amount of data that can be uploaded and downloaded, DSL and cable come out ahead. They both have a much higher threshold on standard internet packages. You can get a satellite package with a higher threshold, but it will be very costly.

Also, Satellite Internet access at Wikipedia.

I've usually seen satellite links kept as a backup for when the regular ISP paths breakdown. These link while slow are relatively more reliable. But, interactive communications over these links suffers the latency disadvantage. In earlier days, satellite links were not considered very reliable, but these days, I think reliability is no longer a concern. I think the links I gave above detail these points.

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nik
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Not just no, but hell no. It is slower, more expensive, and the weather will definitely interfere with your signal at times. I have Satellite T.V. and want off of it. Only get it is you cannot get Cable or DSL, but would otherwise have to settle for dial-up.

KCotreau
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