Want to know if you can play Fortnite or another video game?
Although the easy answer would be yes, you can game with satellite Internet, in reality the real answer is it depends. If you want to back up your conventional broadband connection with another type of service, then satellite Internet makes sense. This is because the service involved with satellite broadband comes from space, so localised conditions that may affect alternatives shouldn't be a factor. What's more, satellite Internet is not just a good backup choice. It runs at high speeds in many parts of sub-saharan Africa, even in places with traditionally poor broadband speeds. If you want to download games to play on a local device, satellite Internet is perfectly suitable. However, if you want to play live games, there are some precautions to take to ensure optimum speed. Also, you’ll need to select which games to play as the experience with a satellite connection will be different. Read on to find out more about how you can game with satellite Internet.
So How Can You Game with Satellite Internet?
If you are used to connecting a gaming console to your home's Wi-Fi already, then there is no difference when using Konnect's satellite Internet connection. The same applies whether you are using a smartphone, a Mac or a PC or even a virtual reality gaming headset to play games on. There is no discernible difference from a gamer's point of view. Simply connect to the Wi-Fi signal, enter the passcode and start gaming!
The big difference with satellite Internet services compared to landline broadband is that the router itself connects to a satellite dish. As such, your service will be very different after it leaves your home or office but very similar within it. Instead of packets of data being passed up and down a physical connection through a wire or a fibre-optic cable, they will be transmitted to a satellite in space. The signal is then relayed back down to Earth. Although the signal travels the 72000 km return trip incredibly fast, you’ll still find that there is latency of 0.6 to 0.7 seconds - which is why you need to choose your games carefully if you’re using satellite for your gaming connection.
As you should expect, satellite Internet remains secure at all times because player information is encrypted. Indeed, with average speeds of up to 75 Mb per second , one or two gamers should have sufficient bandwidth to play their different games at the same time.
Whether satellite Internet has the connection speeds and reliability to deliver for gaming depends on the sorts of games you might be into.The kinds of games that will work best over a satellite connection include:
- Real-time strategy games, such as Age of Empires II
- Sandbox games like Minecraft
- Role-playing games (RPG and ARPG)
- Massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPG) like Final Fantasy
- Puzzle and party games
However, due to latency we would not recommend using satellite Internet to play the following types of games :
- Shooting games (FPS and TPS)
- Multiplayer online battle arena games (MOBA)
- Sport simulations, such as FIFA
We would also recommend to avoid games in which you cannot alter the graphics settings. Being able to fine-tune games so they run well at all times is important with all broadband connections, including satellite ones.
How to Make Satellite Internet Better for Gaming
Knowing how to make satellite Internet better for gaming may be just as important as knowing which games it can work for. First, you need a good connection between your satellite dish and the satellite itself. To do this, the installation of your dish is key. The satellite is in geostationary orbit, so lining up the dish correctly will be how you get the fastest speeds. Professional engineers do this for Konnect's customers to optimise performance and to lessen the risk of packet loss when transceiving data.
Secondly, the Wi-Fi connection from the router should be free from any blockages. Use a gaming console, or another device, connected with an Ethernet cable for the fastest speeds. Where a Wi-Fi connection is used, try to get as short and direct a line of communication as possible between the router and the device. Another tip is to make sure you do not have too many devices connected to the internet at once. Get laptops to disconnect and put updates off until you have finished gaming, for example. This will devote more of your connection's bandwidth to gaming.
Thus if you have, for example, a weak PS4 Wi-Fi signal, you know what to do!
How Fast are Satellite Internet Connections for Gaming?
Today, high-speed satellite Internet is finally here, that is also good for streaming! Depending on the offers available where you live, highest download speeds available are up to 25 Mbps, up to 50 Mbps or even up to 100 Mbps. However, upload speeds are much lower at up to 3Mbps. If you find that your highest-speed data is consumed too quickly each month and that speeds are then not quick enough for the sorts of games you are playing, then consider upgrading your package to one which offers more high-speed data a month. That's a great way to ensure your speeds are optimal whilst adapting your gaming habits to satellite Internet.