How Does It Work?

utilizes time proven technology to provide you faster, more reliable service. Internet traffic is defined in "upstream" and "downstream" terms.   When you browse the Internet upstream traffic is approximately one tenth of downstream traffic.  For example when you point your web browser to a web site and click go you are sending a request to the Internet for that web page, about 80 bytes.  The web server that host that page receives that request and returns the web page back to your browser.  The amount of downstream traffic returned to your computer varies with the size of the web page requested.  This can be anywhere from a few thousand bytes to several million bytes, depending on the content of the page.  Unless you upload huge files or send out emails with large amounts of pictures your upstream speed is, for the most part, insignificant.

Using a conventional dial up connection your request for a web page will take less than one second to reach the web server.  (To get technical, the time is actually measured in milliseconds, or millionths of a second) When the web server returns a page back to your browser (downstream) is where speed counts.  Say the page you requested is a mix of text, graphics and pictures that totals 1.5 megabytes.  Using conventional dial up this page would take approximately 33 seconds to load and display on your computer.  Now 33 seconds out of a lifetime doesn't seem very long but when you are sitting in front of your computer waiting it can seem like a lifetime.  Also consider that 33 seconds is to load just ONE page.  Think about how many pages you visit when you use the Internet.  With broadband becoming more and more prevalent today web designers are making pages with more content and less consideration given to people still using slow antiquated dial up connections.  With that 1.5 megabyte web page will load in approximately 3.75 seconds, a tremendous improvement over 33 seconds huh?  Here's another comparison.  If you like to download music a typical song is around 3.5 megabytes.  To download that song over a conventional dial up connection it would take you approximately two minutes.  With you could download that same song in about 9 seconds.

satellite service use satellite networks to broadcast information to your computer but leverage a conventional dial up connection for the upstream connectivity.  Two-way satellite services, in addition to broadcasting to your computer, also transmit from the customer location back to the network over the satellite.  The original intent for satellite networks was broadcasting, from one central location to many remote sites. Satellites were not originally designed for Two-way (bidirectional) transmission of information. Two-way satellite Internet services challenge satellite networks to do something more complex than most were designed for.  Subsequently, there are a number of “side effects” of using current satellite networks for Two-way communications.

Delays:  Satellites used for broadcasting Internet traffic are located in constant (geostationary) orbit approximately 23,000 miles over the equator. When using a Two-way satellite system for surfing the Internet, information must pass through this satellite twice (once for the request, once for the download), traveling a total of approximately 92,000 miles. This lengthy trip results in delays ,referred to as latency, before new web pages are displayed. This delay is generally from to 700 to 1300 milliseconds for Two-way satellite communications (as reported by Hughes and StarBand).  One of the issues of these delays that affect the web surfing experience is that after 700 milliseconds, standard web protocol considers information packets (i.e. page requests) lost, many times resulting in a “timeout”. The request is then automatically resubmitted by your computer, sometimes several times before the information packet is actually delivered. While this process is invisible to you, you’ll experience it as waiting time, not unlike the waiting that you experience with a traditional dial-up service. Latency can also affect the performance of certain customer applications, such as VPN and networking, causing them to not function over the two-way system. The waiting-time for (satellite plus a telephone line) is approximately 400 milliseconds, well below the 700 milliseconds required by web protocol. Because information packets arrive before the ‘timeout’ web pages are delivered to you immediately resulting in a FASTER surfing experience overall with service.

Reliability:  uses satellite networks as they were intended. This simple, straightforward solution provides a consistent user experience. Speed performance is impacted by system capacity and usage. Two-way systems have to factor both of these issues when sending AND receiving traffic, causing more complex load management issues. Additionally two-way systems uses a low power transmitter to send the signal from your computer to the satellite.  Because this signal is low power it is more sensitive to adverse weather conditions such as upper atmospheric rain and cloud cover.

Cost:  Because takes advantage of this dual technology we can provide the service AND equipment at a much more economical cost than two way systems.  As noted above two-way systems must provide both receiver and transmitter for the satellite.  Because receives signal from the satellite and uses your phone line and existing modem for sending information the equipment cost is much less.  With modem technology today you don't even need a second phone line.  If you have a V.92 capable modem, call waiting and caller ID on your existing phone line you will never miss a call because you are online.

Below is a chart showing how works.  You can find more information in our frequently asked question section.