In this day and age, it’s almost impossible to perform day to day activities without having broadband internet access. Unfortunately, not everyone in the US has access to cable internet, DSL, FIOS, or wireless internet. Dialup access is available anywhere you can get a dial tone, but lets face it, in todays internet world, dialup is dead – it’s almost impossible to navigate web sites these days with dialup, especially if there is any Flash or Java content. And streaming audio or video with dialup is just plain impossible.

If you’re one of the unlucky few who doesn’t have internet access via infrastructure systems (Cable, DSL, FIOS, etc..), your only alternative may be Satellite Internet.

Satellite Internet is what I like to call “not the best way to get broadband, but possibly the only way to get broadband”. Many rural areas in the US have no other options.

In the US, there are (now) three main providers for satellite internet – HughesNet (formerly DirecWay), WildBlue, and StarBand. One thing they all certainly have in common is their “cryptic” billing practices. Installation fees, equipment fees, lease fees, overage fees, early termination fees, the list goes on and on. It’s hard to decipher from their websites exactly what charges are involved, and their sales people are very well versed in the practice of disinformation. You could talk with a satellite provider’s representative for an hour and never get a “clear” picture of the actual costs.

Because of all this confusion, I’ve decided to make a simple spreadsheet that lays out the actual costs incurred in the installation and use of a satellite internet connection. The spreadsheet can be downloaded by clicking the links below – one is in .XLS format (Microsoft Excel) and the other is in .ODS format (OpenOffice and many others).

Basically, in my humble opinion, HughesNet is probably the best choice for the average internet user based on their low installation fee and many tiers of service. WildBlue comes in second for an average user, but is probably a better choice for those that tend to download more (videos, music, etc..). StarBand is listed mostly for reference, as they are more expensive, have less in the way of tech support, and in my experience, are generally less reliable than the other two.

There are some important things any prospective satellite internet user should be aware of -

First, you’re getting internet via a small satellite dish, which means bad weather can cause problems. Not so bad as television, as TV is an on-all-the-time deal, where any interruption is noticeable – internet disruption is less noticeable to the end-user. Generally speaking, all but the worst weather (mostly storms producing lightning or hail) won’t cause much of a problem with satellite internet.

Second, due to transmission speed and latency (the time it takes for an internet request to travel from your location to a satellite, back to a ground station, then the return trip), certain internet related services won’t work very well, if at all. They include VOIP Telephone Service, VPN Networking, online gaming in real time (First Person Shooters especially), and in general Video Conferencing, and anything else depending on a constant, steady exchange of data.

Third, satellite internet and heavy downloading don’t mix. Watching videos, using torrents or other downloading applications, downloading music, or anything else that is bandwidth intensive will violate a satellite providers “fair use” policies, or worse, will cause you expensive overages. Each provider (and each plan) only gives you a certain amount of daily or monthly download allowance – go over it, and your connection will get “throttled” (slowed down), or you’ll be charged exorbitant overage charges, or both. Careful monitoring of bandwidth use is a necessary evil (though the provider will alert you when you’re reaching the limit).

Keeping these points in mind, satellite internet is a fine alternative to dialup in areas where infrastructure broadband isn’t available. Hopefully this information helps you in deciding if satellite internet is right for you.

For more detailed info, click on one of the links below to download an Excel or OpenOffice chart detailing pricing, speed and bandwidth limits, contract lengths, and more useful info.

Satellite Internet Provider Compare XLS Spreadsheet