How Does Mobile Satellite Internet Work?

Satellites serve as relay devices for mobile satellite Internet.

Satellite Internet uses a geostationary satellite as a relay point between the end user and the Internet service provider. Mobile satellite Internet requires user equipment that locate the signal of the satellite and lock onto it from any location. Mobile satellite Internet is often used in remote locations and by people or organizations that move about a great deal. It is also used to connect trucks and ships to the Internet. Mobile satellite Internet is becoming more popular as costs decline.

User Equipment

The most visible piece of user equipment in the mobile satellite Internet system is the dish antennae. This concave dish focuses the signal from the satellite on a receiver mounted on an arm at the center of the dish. This dish must be pointed precisely at the satellite for adequate signal reception. The mobile satellite dish system often has an automated aiming process that aligns the dish automatically. The user will also have a satellite transceiver that sends and receives the signal to the satellite.

The Satellite

According to makeuseof.com, the satellite is in a geosynchronous orbit about 45,000 miles above earth. Geosynchronous orbit means the satellite is positioned so that it is directly above the same spot on the earth at all times. This allows the connection between the satellite and the user or the Internet service provider to remain without re-aiming the dish.

The Internet Service Provider

The equipment at the Internet service provider is much the same for the user, although usually much larger and stationary. A large satellite antennae receives the signal from the satellite while other equipment routes the Internet signals to the hardwired portion of the Internet.

The Signal

Satellite signals are often said to "bounce off" the satellite. This is a bit of a misnomer. The signal from the user is broadcast through the satellite dish to the satellite on one frequency. Equipment in the satellite receives the signal and rebroadcasts it down to the dish of the Internet service provider on another frequency. Downloads to the user follow a similar path in reverse.

Pros and Cons

User equipment for a mobile satellite Internet system can be expensive with an estimate of $10,000 for a self-aiming dish, according to makeuseof.com. Monthly service contracts are usually more expensive than standard landline based Internet service. Satellite Internet users are also subject to the Fair Access Policy that limits the amount of data that can be downloaded on any given day.

References

• Make Use Of: How Does Satellite Internet Work
• Galaxy Internet: Home Satellite Internet