Why is satellite internet slow?

[CorduroyJackson]

Hi all,

First of all, I just want to get educated here, I'm not trying to say the world is wrong or anything.

Ok, so I've always heard how international internet access is slow when the ISP uses satellites to connect to remote locations but I don't understand it. Dstv can provide on demand HD tv using satellites so shouldn't satellite internet be able to support similar speeds?

Thanks for your help!

 

[Loopin]

It's not slow with regards to transfer of data, it's slow with regards to latency. This cannot really be avoided since even at the speed of light the data is travelling a really long distance.

 

[Luke7777]

DSTV is just delivering a stream. You didn't request that stream by pressing OK on your remote and immediately got the result. Internet is interactive. You send a request, the server sends something back. Time delay involved now. Sat internet would work nicely if you were only streaming/downloading .

 

[CorduroyJackson]

It's not slow with regards to transfer of data, it's slow with regards to latency. This cannot really be avoided since even at the speed of light the data is travelling a really long distance.

Ok, thanks. That makes sense. So I guess the only way to fix the latency issue is to bring the satellites closer together Fiber cannot get to my door fast enough!!!

 

[w1z4rd]

Ok, thanks. That makes sense. So I guess the only way to fix the latency issue is to bring the satellites closer together Fiber cannot get to my door fast enough!!!

To fix satellite latency you need to bring them closer to the planet.. not each other

 

[CorduroyJackson]

DSTV is just delivering a stream. You didn't request that stream by pressing OK on your remote and immediately got the result. Internet is interactive. You send a request, the server sends something back. Time delay involved now. Sat internet would work nicely if you were only streaming/downloading .

Ok, I fully understand now... Thanks for everything

 

[CorduroyJackson]

To fix satellite latency you need to bring them closer to the planet.. not each other

Hahaha, sorry, that's what I mean. Actually meant bring the satellite closer to the dish!

 

[ambo]

So I guess the only way to fix the latency issue is to bring the satellites closer together

Not exactly... you would need to move the satellites closer to the ground... but then they would be helicopters

 

[CorduroyJackson]

I looked up satellite internet on Wikipedia and actually they are developing some sort of plan that flies around constantly at a high altitude, didn't read any further- mybb usually has simpler answers- but it could be kinda interesting. I'd prefer fiber any day though!

 

[HermanTheGerman]

Fiber cannot get to my door fast enough!!!

Oooh, another wrong perception, Kaufies. Fiber doesn't come to your door ... at least not in this country. The last mile for adsl connections is always covered by rusty copper wires. And only at your ISP the signal will split to either sat or fiber, depending on what kind of account you chose.

Internet is SA is a rather difficult thing to understand, a special breed of interwebz.

 

[MidnightWizard]

GeoStationary

It's not slow with regards to transfer of data, it's slow with regards to latency. This cannot really be avoided since even at the speed of light the data is travelling a really long distance.

These Satellites are all in GeoStationary Orbit

It depends on how many "hops" the data takes

IF the uplink is in SA as well as the downlink and the data just goes up to one Sat then the latency is not that bad

It is when the data has to transverse more than ONE Sat that trhings get slow

MW

 

[Decotey]

Well considering a satellite sits 30 000km+ in the sky the round trip is gonna be over 200ms and thats under perfect conditions. So even connecting to a single satellite, latency sucks

 

[ponder]

Well considering a satellite sits 30 000km+ in the sky the round trip is gonna be over 200ms and thats under perfect conditions.

More like 500ms+ in real world conditions for a round trip.

 

[MidnightWizard]

IS Satellite

More like 500ms+ in real world conditions for a round trip.

I speak under correction but I think that IS Satellite is like 300ms

Not too bad ( IF you are not a gamer ) -- AND *CHEAPER*


MW

 

[general_koffi]

When I used IS satellite bandwidth a while ago, my international latency was usually around 600ms, but it depended on the time of day.

I think Afrihost must use IS fibre, because my latency is very low with them... Less than 250ms international.

 

[Yuu]

I speak under correction but I think that IS Satellite is like 300ms

Not too bad ( IF you are not a gamer ) -- AND *CHEAPER*


MW

You are correct, i used to get 295ms playing online and that was on shaped , not even Ti could get that nice .

It seems if W.A sorts us out we wouldn't need these satellite or atleast not right now