Satellite Internet for the Home

Satellite internet for the home is the latest in internet technology. Internet via satellite comes in three different forms. The first form is a two-way satellite service. This form of internet service offers high speed satellite internet to consumers for both downloading and uploading information to the WWW. One way multi-cast and one-way systems that utilize a terrestrial return offer high speed downloads but slower upload connection speeds. Some of the satellite technologies that are utilized by satellite internet providers are VSAT systems and Ku band frequencies.

In addition to internet access, satellite internet for the home can also include optional features and services. A satellite internet phone is one of those optional services that you can add to your service plan. Internet phones are an affordable alternative to land lines and cell phones. They offer you free long distance and simultaneous phone and internet connection. To use an internet phone you will need to subscribe to a service and you will need to install software onto your computer. The second optional feature that you can add to two-way satellite internet service packages are dial up connections. These will allow you to overcome transmission latency issues that satellite internet services have. Another optional service that you can add to your home satellite internet service is video conferencing software and hardware. There is generally no service charge for this optional feature. However, you will need to buy the camera and software.

When you are pricing satellite internet for home use you will need to really examine what comes with each service package. You really shouldn?t select a service provider simply based on the fact that they are a cheap satellite internet provider. After all you will get what you pay for. However, you can find affordable service packages from reputable service providers if you shop around and keep your eyes open for installation specials. In fact if you look for a half installation special you can save around $300 on the installation.

In the market for a satellite internet provider? Nationwide Satellite Solutions is your provider of HughesNet internet services as well a great resource that will answer any questions you have. Find out if it available in your area. For more on satellite technology visit the online resource directory.

Satellite Dish Parts: Some Available Designs and Internet Based Market

To install a satellite system correctly and effectively professionals need Satellite dish parts. A good number of them are available in the market. Let us take a quick look at some designs.

Eave Mount Bracket attaches DVS antennas to eaves and roof overhangs quickly and easily. Professional Eave Mount Bracket is designed to lag bolt to the front of the eave. It can attach a satellite dish to a building without having to drill holes in the roof or sidewalls of a home.

Portal Tripod comes in 18 inch dish mounting mast. One can have convenient azimuth degree markings molded in heavy duty ABS flat base. One should be careful to notice that pole and legs are easily detachable for easy storage and travel. Some of them include a bubble level and compass for better usage. One should not forget to collect anchor screws to hold tripod in place in windy or contrary weather conditions.

Non Penetrate Roof Mounts are preferred by a lot of homeowners as it does not damage the roof as others in the same category does. One can get them in heavy duty galvanized steel constructions. It is better to notice if it includes 2-3/8 O.D. Poles. Some of them are suitable for DirectWay® antennas whereas some have other specifications to meet other criterions.

Cable Caddies are well designed for proper supply of drop cables. These lightweight caddies are portable, durable and too good for keeping cable from twisting or becoming over-tensioned during roll out. It can normally hold a 20" x 24" reel.

It is always better if your Cable Caddy has two wheels (at least 6") for easy movement. The proper selection depends on how much load one intends to hold on the Caddy. A Cable Caddy with the above mentioned specifications can hold a maximum of 200 lbs. Also find out, if it can be folded or not for easy storage.

In any case do not forget to buy your U clamps. They are as important as Eave Mount Bracket or Cable Caddies.

Many installation companies have found it difficult to find the right resource within their physical comfort zone and as a result started to look on the Internet.

The Internet based market lets them find better pricing in respect to regular and physical sellers for much lower overhead costs.

It is no secret in the retail industry that these overhead costs are passed along to the customer. Whether you are buying satellite dish parts or dinner dishes, the overhead cost and others are added on.

Another advantage to buying satellite dish parts over the Internet is the ability to shop 24x7. You can shop in the comfort of your own home or office and have the products delivered to wherever and whenever they need.

What else! Make your best choice comfortably.

John Harrison works for a reputed satellite dish installation company. For further information regarding satellite dish parts or Cable Installation Tools or Compression Tool, he recommends you to visit http://www.nextlevelsat.com

Bleeding Edge or Expensive Enterprise Satellite Internet?

The State of Satellite Internet in 2005

For those businesses unable can't get T1, Cable or DSL internet service for less than half a year's Gross Profit, vsat (very small aperture terminal) satellite internet is about the only way to obtain decent internet speed. Over the last two years or so many companies have advertised about upcoming solutions to this issue...after all, the business internet industry is huge and growing by giant leaps each year and there are potential profits out there.

Let's take a look at what is currently available and what is on the way:

Available Ku Band Enterprise Systems

This is a "catch all" phrase covering the more expensive equipment and service offered by several large uplink comapnies. It is characterized by larger satellite dishes (typically 1.0 meter or larger), more powerful transmitters (at least 2 watts) and less populated transponders than the "residential" or "small business" setup's available from Direcway, Starband and Wildblue. The result is more consistent, faster service.....what most businesses expect.

There are two general avenues you can take regarding speed and throughput: Shared or dedicated bandwidth - and the difference in price is staggering. For most business applications, shared bandwidth (the less expensive choice) will work fine - giving a company 1.5 kbps downloads and 256 kbps uploads over 90% of the time for prices in the $400-$1500 range. The crucial element of ANY offering is the "contention ratio" - how much they oversell the product or the number of concurrent users they allow on a transponder. Any company that does not put the ratio in writing is not worth doing business with - period...and any company with a contention ratio above 20-1 is not offering you true Enterprise service. With dedicated service (Guaranteed speeds) you will spend over $1,900 per month (up to several thousand per month), but will have service that is nearly bulletproof.

The most tested and dependable Enterprise setup available today in N. America is centered around a modem designed by iDirect Technologies http://www.idirect.net. This is a proven system that will give you what you pay for.

Other systems are coming into the marketplace like the ViaSat Surfbeam DOCSIS setup and another DOCSIS product from Telnor; however, this is very new technology and certainly qualifies as "Bleeding Edge". Only three companies have the equipment to make it work right now and there are bumps in the road. Surfbeam and Telnor's big promise is a better utilization of available ku bandwidth, but no field results have confirmed this yet to my knowledge.

If it provides similar speeds during field testing, it will force iDirect to rethink modem pricing as the DOCSIS setup can be installed for about $500-$1,000 less.

Wireless and Satellite Internet Technology On The Horizon

The Satellite Internet world could be turned on it's head in the coming years as WIMAX emerges. It is a grand plan by Intel and others to cover very large areas of the world with a brand of microwave technology capable of sending data extremely fast to small antennas at homes and businesses. The big difference between WIFI and WIMAX is the distance covered by the main antenna.....the claim is 15-30 miles! Talk about bleeding edge....many of the "Big Boys" including Nokia and Cisco have abandoned plans to invest in it and speak of it as a bad business model to try to replace DSL. They point out that there are currently over 15 "standards" for the technology, not exactly a harmoneous start!

Ka band satellite internet for Enterprise has some real promise. The ability to "reuse" bandwidth, if the concept works, will enable companies to have T1 speeds or greater at any business location for much less than a T1 cost. A unit of SkyTerra Communications - the company managing Hughes Network Systems now, is working on advanced ka band spot beam technology to that end.

The greatest challange facing the satellite internet industry during the next 24 months is figuring out how to make profit.....in the absence of someone finding a business model that can show consistant profit, all of the transponder space allocated to internet will quickly be redeployed to HDTV or other types of profitable communication....bet on it!
Randy Scott has been involved in the bi-directional satellite internet industry from it’s beginning as a Sr. Sales Engineer, consultant and business owner. Randy is the founder of VSAT U.S., a consulting and sales organization, representing the most prestigious satellite internet providers in the America’s. For more information about current VSAT satellite internet offerings including Ka band, visit http://www.vsatus.com or email randy@vsatus.com