Satellite Internet Service vs. Broadband

Satellite broadband Internet services use a small dish to send data to and from a satellite and connect subscribers to the Internet via that signal. Advantages of satellite service include speeds about 10 times as fast as dial-up and availability in rural areas. Disadvantages include relatively expensive set-up and equipment fees, higher monthly service prices and slightly slower download speeds than other types of broadband Internet. Satellite service may also be interrupted or slowed in severe weather.

Digital subscriber line and cable modem Internet are broadband services that use wiring directly installed in most homes to connect computers to the Internet. DSL uses phone lines while cable uses the same coaxial cable used for television cable service. Both options are cheaper to install than satellite, and the connections tend to be more reliable because they do not depend on wireless transmission. They are slightly faster than satellite service and do not prevent users from talking on the telephone or watching the television while they use the Internet.

Fiber optic Internet service sends signals to a user's computer via wires consisting of strings of glass, which are the width of a strand of hair. Information travels along these filaments in the form of light and therefore at light speed, which creates a faster connection than cable, DSL or satellite. The wires must be specially installed, and some providers do not run their fiber optic cables directly into a user's home or place of business, instead running the fiber cables to a node somewhere in the neighborhood and completing the connection with classic cables. Again, because it is fully wired, fiber optic connections are more reliable than satellite.

Wireless Internet services transmit data to and from a user's computer via radio waves. This is the only kind of broadband service for which the computer itself need not be plugged into anything. A satellite connection uses a dish to receive signals and connect to the Internet, but the user must use a series of wires to connect his computer to the dish. Wireless Internet speeds and connection strengths vary according to the computer's distance from the router broadcasting the connection and the strength of the transmission.