How does satellite internet work?

[Jollysea197]

I am moving into an apartment and i am going crazy searching for a cable and internet provider but dish network seems to be the only company that services that area. When i called they informed me that it was only satellite internet and the service representative actually told me that it was not good. Its 4 people and i averaged netflix use about 8 hours a day and a few hours of you tube videos, and we all have smart phones and tablets. Can someone help please?? or if anyone knows of loop holes or other internet options that will meet out daily or monthly usage please help.

[Rob]

AT&T has UVerse in some areas. Chances are though if you don't have cable, you probably don't have UVerse. You could check with your wireless phone company to see if they offer some kind of a home router for wireless LTE access via WIFI or ethernet. Verizon has this.

[Timothy]

Satellite Internet, as the name suggests, is the use of satellite technology to gain Internet access. Satellite Internet equipment consists of three main parts, the satellite, two modems and coaxial cables that run from the satellite to the modem. The Internet signal begins at the hub of your Internet provider. This signal is sent into the sky using a large satellite dish and relayed off of a satellite dish orbiting Earth. This orbiting satellite then relays the Internet signal to your personal satellite dish. Connected to your satellite dish are coaxial cables. These cables run the Internet signal to your router and then to your computer.

Internet Protocol Multitasking Technology
Most satellite Internet companies use IP multitasking technology. The setback of dial-up Internet is that it unable to handle large amounts of bandwidth at once. With multitasking technology, satellite Internet can serve 5,000 users on one satellite at the same time. It also compresses the information files to allow more data to be sent at the same time.

Requirements
The only requirements for receiving satellite Internet are having the necessary equipment discussed above, as well as a clear view of the southern sky. The satellite requires a clear site line between itself and the orbiting satellite. This guarantees the best possible connection to relay the signal.

Benefits/Drawbacks of Satellite Internet
The benefit of satellite Internet is that it can be made available both for those on the move, or for those in areas where cable has not been laid yet. Satellite Internet provides a connection speed 10 times faster than that of dial-up.
Satellite Internet also includes some drawbacks. The first disadvantage is that though it is faster than dial-up, it is still slower than cable Internet. It also is much more limited in how much traffic it can handle at one time. This results in dramatically slower Internet during high traffic hours. Internet can also be slowed by weather conditions such as fogs and clouds that may put a barrier between the orbiting satellite and your home system.