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Brewmaniac · 06-02-2003, 05:19 AM

I've been contemplating satellite internet for a couple of years now and after lots of research I'm still not sold on 2-way.
Below is an explaination given by a local access company.

Wmis

One-way means that you still use your modem and phone line to send information out to the Internet, but use the high speed satellite to receive data (e-mail, webpages, etc). Over 90% of the time you spend on the Internet is waiting for items to download... you never have to wait to submit web requests ._

There is no bandwidth limit, but there are bandwidth restrictions for heavy users* (If you play games online this system is not for you). This is a low cost broadband solution for rural and urban Internet users._

Less latency and faster than 2-way satellite systems

A common misconception about two-way is that it’s better than one-way because it’s faster. However when you actually use the service, you’ll see that the surfing speed of two-way moves more slowly than one-way.

Satellites were not originally designed for a two-way communication. The original intent for a satellite is one-way broadcasting, not uploading or accepting a transmitted signal. Two-way communication forces the satellite to do something against its fundamental design. Because of this, there are delays in the accepting and forwarding of information (such as web page requests), resulting in a slower two-way surfing experience.

Using satellite to transmit both ways (the process of sending and receiving a signal) can take from to 700 to 1300 milliseconds (as reported by Hughes). After 700 milliseconds standard IP web protocol considers information packets (i.e. page requests) lost, resulting in a "behind-the-scenes" timeout. The request is automatically resubmitted, sometimes several times. While this process is invisible to you, you’ll experience it as waiting time. Not unlike the waiting that you experience with a 56Kbps dial-up. The transmission time for one-way satellite (telephone line plus satellite) is approximately 400 milliseconds. Well below the 700 milliseconds required by web protocol. So page requests make it to their destination immediately, and then the satellite broadcasts them immediately to you. The result is a FASTER surfing experience on one-way.

Starband says (this is a direct quote from their website), "When sending e-mails with large attachments or uploading large files to the Internet, you may experience speeds closer to that of dial-up service." (Starband Website 10/29/02 http://www.starband.com/faq/benefits.htm)

Earthlink says (also applies to DirecWay) that their data uploads via satellite are "similar to a dial-up modem" (Earthlink website 10/29/02 https://register.earthlink.net/cgi-b...llite/faq.html select FAQ link)

This is another great resource.

Copperhead

I did switch browsers from IE6 to Opera and page loads while surfing seem faster. Any other higher speed alternative options or suggestions would be appreciated! Thanks

06-02-2003, 05:19 AM	#5 (permalink)
Brewmaniac Searching for the perfect brew!	I've been contemplating satellite internet for a couple of years now and after lots of research I'm still not sold on 2-way. Below is an explaination given by a local access company. Wmis One-way means that you still use your modem and phone line to send information out to the Internet, but use the high speed satellite to receive data (e-mail, webpages, etc). Over 90% of the time you spend on the Internet is waiting for items to download... you never have to wait to submit web requests ._ There is no bandwidth limit, but there are bandwidth restrictions for heavy users* (If you play games online this system is not for you). This is a low cost broadband solution for rural and urban Internet users._ Less latency and faster than 2-way satellite systems A common misconception about two-way is that it’s better than one-way because it’s faster. However when you actually use the service, you’ll see that the surfing speed of two-way moves more slowly than one-way. Satellites were not originally designed for a two-way communication. The original intent for a satellite is one-way broadcasting, not uploading or accepting a transmitted signal. Two-way communication forces the satellite to do something against its fundamental design. Because of this, there are delays in the accepting and forwarding of information (such as web page requests), resulting in a slower two-way surfing experience. Using satellite to transmit both ways (the process of sending and receiving a signal) can take from to 700 to 1300 milliseconds (as reported by Hughes). After 700 milliseconds standard IP web protocol considers information packets (i.e. page requests) lost, resulting in a "behind-the-scenes" timeout. The request is automatically resubmitted, sometimes several times. While this process is invisible to you, you’ll experience it as waiting time. Not unlike the waiting that you experience with a 56Kbps dial-up. The transmission time for one-way satellite (telephone line plus satellite) is approximately 400 milliseconds. Well below the 700 milliseconds required by web protocol. So page requests make it to their destination immediately, and then the satellite broadcasts them immediately to you. The result is a FASTER surfing experience on one-way. Starband says (this is a direct quote from their website), "When sending e-mails with large attachments or uploading large files to the Internet, you may experience speeds closer to that of dial-up service." (Starband Website 10/29/02 http://www.starband.com/faq/benefits.htm) Earthlink says (also applies to DirecWay) that their data uploads via satellite are "similar to a dial-up modem" (Earthlink website 10/29/02 https://register.earthlink.net/cgi-b...llite/faq.html select FAQ link) This is another great resource. Copperhead I did switch browsers from IE6 to Opera and page loads while surfing seem faster. Any other higher speed alternative options or suggestions would be appreciated! Thanks __________________ "That's a joke... I say, that's a joke, son" Last edited by Brewmaniac; 06-02-2003 at 11:04 AM..