Satelite Internet

[Arzy]

Has anyone treid Telkom's sateline internet for any gaming? I'd just like a rough idea what the local latency is like...

 

[Franna]

You can never have good/decent latency with satellite.

Your fastest latency is light (fiber), then electrons (ethernet, copper), and lastly radio/satellite waves (wireless, satellite).

 

[skydog]

I could be wrong in saying this but satellite is fast
but it just has to travel a hell of a distance and it's also times two UP then DOWN

so yes any satellite connection would have a high latency so no good for gaming

 

[Moederloos]

Working under correction here:

A geostationary satellite has to be +- 36000 km from the earth surface. That means, it takes 1/10 of a second for light to reach the satellite (anything else moves at or slower than the speed of light - atmospheric affects removed).

Now, it will take 2/10 of a second just for the signal to get to the satellite and back to earth. So, latency is real and that latency cannot be ignored.

Satellites are slower than other methods.

 

[killadoob]

dstv is really fast

why wouldnt internet?

 

[Moederloos]

dstv is really fast

why wouldnt internet?

There is a world of difference between latency and download speed.

I cannot think of an easy explanation, but let us try this

Take a hose pipe, 1km long. Make sure it is empty.
Attach to a tap, and open the tap.
Latency is the time it takes for the first drop of water to come out of the far end.
Download speed is the amount of water that comes out, after the first drop is out. It will come out at whatever volume fits into a 12mm pipe (leave the maths to other people!).

Another way of looking at it, is to say the light from the sun has a latency of 8 minutes. Even so, the amount of enegy reaching us every second is huge. If the sun had to go out now, we would not know about it for 8 minutes (latency again).

 

[ebendl]

dstv is really fast

why wouldnt internet?

Put on DSTV on SABC1/2/3 and another TV/Picture-in-picture view on the same channel (the latter using plain old arial). Both look the same (DSTV will even look better), but DSTV is a good second or two behind the other one. THAT is latency.

For all things where data is coming to you and you don't need to transmit anything, latency doesn't bother (DSTV, downloading etc.) Where you need to transmit data as well (Skype, VOIP, games, video conferencing) latency is BAD.

 

[Arzy]

I'm trying to evaluate options here for getting some sort of connection at my home. Sentech doesn't cover the area, iBurst is just a wate of time and Telkom has placed my order under investigation and they will get back to in about 30 or 40 days....its scary actually because there is a shopping centre across the road from me that has telephones and dsl but Telkom can't install at my house because I'm "not on the grid"

 

[francois3G]

I had exactly the same problem!!

ISDN with CLOSER plan ended up being my best option since ADSL was not available in my area and Satelite was waaaaay to expensive.

Goodluck