How Does Satellite Internet Work?

You don't need to understand all of the technicalities of modern data communications to get to grips with the basics of satellite internet technology. In fact, once it is up and running in your home or business premises, there is very little that is different about it from a typical user's perspective. Yet, the technology behind satellite data connectivity is very different when compared with telephone line technology and even fibre-optic broadband. In this regard, it is light years away from old dial-up technology. That said, how does satellite internet actually work in basic terms?

Read on to find out exactly what happens when you use a satellite internet connection.

Companies and individual households will often turn to satellite internet services because:

• It is available in places where mobile or fixed internet networks are patchy.
• It is a fail-safe option that backs up a fixed-line connection to ensure continuity of service.
• It works just as well in rural locations miles from a telephone exchange as it does in city centres.

How does it do this? Well, the simplest answer is that it bypasses the telephone network entirely. Unlike fixed-line broadband services, which rely on a physical connection, satellite internet beams data from homes and business premises up into space. A geostationary satellite then receives the communication and relays it back to Earth, from where it can be sent to its intended recipient. This means you can get satellite internet in all types of locations in Africa, even in some of the remotest places in rural areas. Although adverse weather can affect satellite internet, all that will happen is that the signal strength is weakened temporarily. Secure connectivity is still maintained. Compare that to your phone line coming down or your fibre-optic connection being damaged by water!

Note that satellite broadband only began in Europe and northern Africa in 2012 when Eutelsat became the first satellite provider in Africa to supply this sort of connectivity. The more recent Konnect satellite has since proven itself in many sub-saharan African countries, where over half the continent is covered by its scope. This satellite might be 36,000 km above us in the sky but it provides high-speed internet services day and night!

The following three pieces of equipment are needed for satellite internet to work:

• A broadband-enabled satellite orbiting the Earth.
• A satellite internet dish with a transceiver located at the property that will be connected.
• A satellite internet router, so conventional devices can communicate with the dish.

Let's take a more detailed look at the two pieces of equipment that you'll need in your home or place of work.

The Satellite Internet Dish

Anyone who has ever watched satellite TV will understand what a satellite internet dish is doing. But, whereas with satellite TV, many people are receiving the same TV content, with a satellite internet dish, each dish is relaying information from your connection back and forth from the satellite it is pointing towards. This way, your individual uploaded and downloaded data can be sent to and from the satellite just like a conventional, fixed-line connection would.

The Satellite Internet Router

The other piece of equipment you will need to be installed at your property is a satellite internet router. Just like a router that connects to a phone line, this piece of equipment ensures that data is encrypted before it is sent out and means the signal from the dish cannot be scanned or read in some way. What's more, if your router is not already Wi-Fi enabled, you can easily add a suitable device so your wireless devices can connect to it. Again, security is crucial here because only devices with the correct password stored in them are afforded access. Those without are not.