How Is Satellite Internet Used With a Telephone Line?
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Satellite Internet Connections Require Hardware
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To work properly, satellite Internet connections require a modest amount of specialized hardware on the user's end. First, the user must have a telephone line and a modem available to connect that line to the computer. Next, the user must have a satellite dish, usually a 2-by-3-foot dish specifically designed to receive data signals from orbiting satellites (some companies may, though, use a standard satellite dish much like those used for satellite TV). Finally, a user must have a computer and all cabling necessary to connect the computer to the telephone line and satellite dish.
Downloads Come in Via Satellite
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When a user accesses a website, initiates a download or otherwise receives data from the Internet, a hub station beams the requested information to an orbiting satellite using radio waves. The satellite receives the transmission, corrects any errors and retransmits the request to the waiting receiver. Data satellites use a technology known as "multicasting," by which as many as 5,000 channels of data can be simultaneously sent to active subscribers, so satellite Internet customers rarely have to wait for a connection or tolerate network congestion.
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Uploads Are Sent Over the Telephone Line
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While the hardware used to receive the incoming signal is relatively modest, small and appropriate for residential neighborhoods, the hardware necessary to beam requests to the orbiting satellite is somewhat more complex. For this reason, many satellite Internet companies simply accept upload information--the input a user makes such as typing a web address or clicking an icon--over the telephone line. When the user connects to the Internet, a telephone connection is made (usually to a toll-free number) that allows the user to send requests to the waiting Internet hub. Since most users rarely upload large amounts of data, the limitations of the telephone line are rarely apparent.
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