August 14, 2010

A Quick Comparison Between Satellite Internet And DSL/Cable

Whenever a user is purchasing a new Internet connection, they wonder which type of Internet vendor to go for. There are many options available. Two main types of Internet connections have become predominant. These are Satellite and Digital Subscriber Line (DSL). With the advent of broadband, these two types of Internet connection have been able to provide fast Internet access to users around the world. Check here High Speed Internet Service to learn more about high speed Internet provider.

Satellite Internet utilizes telecommunication satellites in geostationary orbit around the planet to provide Internet access to users. In order to plug in to a satellite Internet connection, a user requires a satellite dish from a service provider along with a satellite Internet modem which connects to the computer. The dish will have to be aligned so it can receive and send the best signal at any moment. You should be aware that those satellites will but point to a single area over Earth at any moment, so it is required to have the dish pointing to the satellite. Satellite coverage is available at any location on the planet, even Antarctica. Therefore users who do not have regular phone line coverage in their area would find satellite Internet useful. For those who are travelling (a lot or not), it is possible to have a portable satellite modem. These modems must also be pointed towards the satellite, and a built-in signal monitor enables this. Even with all those good things, computer’s users with a satellite Internet connection will experience high latency since the satellite is far away. Weather conditions such as rain may also affect signal strength. In addition, satellite Internet is expensive. Check here High Speed DSL Internet Providers to learn more about high speed DSL internet providers while here High Speed Cable Internet Service for info about high speed cable Internet.

Digital Subscriber Line (Asynchronous Digital Subscriber Line – ADSL) is the standard form of broadband Internet used by many Internet users around the world. In order to have a DSL connection installed, all you need is a regular telephone connection at your place. The ADSL technology will use the phone line in an asynchronously way for both the phone calls and the Internet data transfer (at the same time). Typically, a phone line will be split using a microfilter enabled DSL splitter and the DSL line will be fed to the ADSL router while the phone line will be fed to the telephone. DSL provides broadband Internet services at very high speeds. Some problems related to DSL are that they are very technical to troubleshoot if any problems appear. There are some Internet providers (ISP) that do offer DSL even if you don’t have an existing phone line connection.

In the following table, you will see the pros and cons of both the satellite Internet connection and the DSL/Cable one:

Satellite Internet

High speed Internet
Available at any location
Higher latency
Costly
Easy to repair if any difficulties

DSL/Cable

High speed Internet
Available only at limited locations with telephone service provider coverage
Low latency
Reasonably priced
Easy if you know what to do

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