Experience with Satellite Broadband

[MadProfessor]

We're considering placing an offer on a semi-rural property that at present has very poor internet access. The current vendor believes they typically get 1-2 mbps as they are >3k from the exchange. The exchange is due to be upgraded and we're aware we can request and pay for improved connectivity if it's below 10 mpbs, but appreciate that this may be 1-2 years away.

We're therefore looking at satellite broadband and can get access with a connection speed of 80 mbps and with 150 GB data at that speed. On my basic Googling I've come across the issue of latency, which I believe would potentially impact upon video conferencing which has become fairly standard during COVID times.

Therefore, I'm hoping to find somebody who has real-world experience of satellite broadband.

[boxst]

I used satellite broadband years ago and not with video conferencing, but latency (ping time) was a problem. So downloading files was good once it got started but anything interactive or even web pages with lots of assets they loaded (like images) was slow.

You can also try mobile broadband? I have EE and get 50mbs which is good enough for most things.

[Pvapour]

Weve had it through tooway, now bigblu, top package which gives priority and unlimited data.

Its crap, in 5 years it has never performed as they said, theyve replaced all sorts in that time (3 times) and are baffled why its still slow, at best 15mb, their customer service has been woeful whoever owned them at any time.

Latency is a joke, no way could we conference call, we use our 10mb landline and its so much better.

Id say wait for the new Elon system that arrives next year.

[glenndoble]

have you considered 4G broadband possibly soon 5G,

i live in a rural property we get 2-6mbs on our land line although its not bad, for general browsing on one device and streaming on nextflix etc when we start using more devices it gets terrible, sky have offered us a early free termination s they cant offer what's promised, so as soon as i get home from working away im going to switch to 4G broadband

we have a 4G mast within 500 yards from our house and the speeds on that are around 40mbs all day long with a really low ping, so we use that for tethering on some devices,

[Carrot]

I installed a 4g router with a TP-Link 4g Router (cost around £90) with a Vodafone unlimited data SIM.

The best this property could get before was 1/0.75 on landline

Now they are running at 35mb/s and very happy. It went down once when there was a major outage for Vodafone for a day but otherwise rock solid.

The TPLink is provider agnostic so check all the providers out there and give it a go.

As said previously, satellite broadband latency is just awful.

[Art0ir]

I use it every day (at sea mind) and I would only use it as a very last resort at home. Latency as you already mentioned will make any A/V communications a disaster.

It's also extremely sensitive to poor weather (rain/clouds)

[wombleh]

There’s two types, LEO (Low earth orbit) where you need loads of satellites but they’re only a few hundred km away so latency isn’t as bad, Elons will be this type. The other is geostationary where 3 satellites can cover the globe but they’re 35000km away so latency much larger. Not sure there’s any providers doing LEO for home users today, maybe Iridium?

Can you get microwave broadband? Performance and cost seems preferable than satellite.

Edited by wombleh on Tuesday 15th September 19:06

[Lemming Train]

MadProfessor said:

We're considering placing an offer on a semi-rural property that at present has very poor internet access. The current vendor believes they typically get 1-2 mbps as they are >3k from the exchange. The exchange is due to be upgraded and we're aware we can request and pay for improved connectivity if it's below 10 mpbs, but appreciate that this may be 1-2 years away.

We're therefore looking at satellite broadband and can get access with a connection speed of 80 mbps and with 150 GB data at that speed. On my basic Googling I've come across the issue of latency, which I believe would potentially impact upon video conferencing which has become fairly standard during COVID times.

Therefore, I'm hoping to find somebody who has real-world experience of satellite broadband.

No knowledge of the satellite stuff but, as a left-field option...

What's your mobile phone signal like inside and outside the property? If you're getting 1 bar of signal then 4G will work good with a dedicated 4G router like a Huawei B525. As an example - the landline speed where my office apartment is located is woeful, 1 Mbps on a good day. Mobile signal inside the apartment (ground floor) is nonexistent unless I go in the kitchen area where I get 1 bar. But mobile phones have tiny antennas in them so not a good gauge of your true signal strength from the mast whereas a dedicated 4G router is designed for the job. I bought a B525 router and it sits on the window ledge and it shows about 3 blobs of signal (out of 5).

Quick speedtest as I write :



Not bad for a location that has virtually no mobile signal on a phone!

I'd say given the huge costs and potential issues with satellite broadband, fully explore and exhaust all your mobile data options first. I believe all the networks do unlimited data contracts on their phone SIMs now. I'm paying around £30 a month with EE. If you do go down this road, note that it's a phone SIM with unlimited data that you need, not a data SIM (which are not unlimited!). You stick your phone SIM in the SIM slot on the router and it works fine .

Big 4G internet users thread here for additional reading and questions : https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[khushy]

we are rural

2mbs BB

Tried satellite - its pants and mega £££ especially if you go over your data allowance - slow, laggy and just rubbish

I now run my eCom biz off. 4g sim card - try a card all over the property

Dont do sat bb

[khushy]

For the last 2 years we have used ee 4g for bb

Its been pretty good - 15-20 mbs up and down

Over the last 3 months its been degrading and ee say there are no issues

We trialled a vodafone card and in one place at the top of our house, we can get 100mbs - move 3m each way and its below 10mbs

Position with 4g is everything + the right 4g modem obvs

[Art0ir]

You can also get external aerials a little smaller than your terrestrial tv aerial that will connect directly to your router and improve signal.