satelllite internet

[AmdPopper]

i was looking at this satellite internet stuff and i was wondering is it any good for gamming like UT and q3a??

thanks

 

[RED Hot Machine]

I believe that you get a very slow up connect about 33-56k.

This makes it real bad for games, I would suggest either DSL or Cable.

I believe you can use Satellite and Cable/DSL together, which might be another idea.

 

[Diggrr]

My DirecPC (one way satelite, using 56K modem) gets a ping time around 625 at many servers. When it's snowing or raining very hard, I still have connection, but can get up to 20% packet loss.

Basically, if you like being killed before you know anyone's even near you, go ahead and get the dish.

I don't game anymore, so the dish meets my needs very well. And since I live 3 miles from the nearest telephone office on a 40 year old phone system, it beats the alternative of 56K (more like 23K).

 

[TUK101]

The one way is terrible for gaming. I dont have the dish satelite.......YET. But I have researched this very thouroughly, since it is my only alternative to dial up. Now they have the more expensive version that does download, and upload that is supposed to be much faster, and better for gaming. That is the one that I am going to get in the next year. Do your homework and research it heavily before you make the choice, cause it is 500/600 dollars to get set up in the upload/download combo.

 

[AMD'er]

I personally wouldn't deal with it if I was not force to. You must remember that the connection is basically WIRELESS on the big end and you will experience low PINGS and Slow connections. Yes its alot slower than the avg DSL and Cable connection. Another thing you must worry about is the weather. Just like your televison, if you have a cloudy day you will experience bad connections but then again if its your only alternative then I would go with it.

 

[woodenman80]

I dont know where you are

If your in the UK please dont waste your money as the Satelite here is glitchy and slow + the main UK supplier based in spain is going/ has gone bust, Also tech support is slow, I had a friend that in a rich spending spree decided to go for it. Bad idea he regrets it now, Maybe if the UK had clear skies and nice weather once in a while LOL LOL..

 

[ToeKneeATX]

i was looking at this satellite internet stuff and i was wondering is it any good for gamming like UT and q3a??

thanks

when u play online gamez u need good latency. get the satellite if u dun care for latency (in other words no! . just think about it. u want good latency, it doesn't matter if the dish has good upload or download. ur sending a beam into space which hits a satellite that beams it back down to the company, who processes ur request and beams it back to the satellite, then the satellite beams it back to you. how good of latency could that be? how many miles is that satellite away? i'd be surprised if u can ping lower than 1000.

 

[tyler]

two-way satellite

I know my satellite tv provider (Dish Network) now provides 2-way satellite connections. This eliminates the need for a dial-up ISP for uploads. You can upload and download through the satellite. In other words, it's a LOT faster than 1-way satellite connections.

Tyler

 

[woodenman80]

You US guys are lucky,

You Usa peeps are well lucky technology here moves at the speed of a slug 2 way satelitties are about 5 years down the line here i expect.

 

[Tecumseh]

I looked into becoming a distributer for two-way satellite
broadband. Because the satellites are in geosynchronous
orbits about 22300 miles up, you have a significant delay
that makes gaming almost impossible.

There are other problems. The companies operating the
systems are very poor at it. Expect multiple drops in
service, slow upload and download speeds and the
kicker: They limit your total MB transfers in a 24 hour
period.

In short, two-way satellite is NOT ready for prime-time.

Go with DSL, cable model, heck, even dialup before you
commit the big bucks to the satellite system.

BTW, at one time these companies were going to offer
businesses high-speed satellite service. The total systems
have been so bad that this has not happened yet.

 

[KFB]

yeah with my one-way sat pings are >500
two-way might even be worse on the ping time b/c the signal has to travel 46K miles instead of only 23K!

 

[dabhpr]

As a Satellite NOC Manager, this question is right "up my alley".

The Propogation delay of approximately 650 ms is inescapable for geosynchronous satellites, used by both Directway (Hughes) and Starband (Gilat). Both systems are based on Ku-band frequencies.

Traveling 22,300 miles each way to the satellite and back, even at the speed of light, is time consuming compared to the typical propogation delays of fiber networks.

You CAN get good bandwidth from either system, although Starband offeres slightly higher speeds and does not implement a "FAP" (Fair usage policy) to limit your downloads.

For gaming, it will, impolitely put, SUCK. The latency is just too high.

The next generation of satellite internet will use the Ka band spectrum - far higher bandwidth - and many will use LEO (low earth orbit) satellites, which will greatly diminish the latency problem.

They are due to market in 2004, maybe late 2003.

Satellite Internet is great for the boonies, if you have no other source of broadband connection. But for gaming, it just won't work well.

Turn-based gaming would be OK - but interactive gaming (like Quake, etc.) is pitiful in relation to terrestrial solutions, even dialup.

If you're a gamer, pass on Satellite Internet. Otherwise, it can work very well. The Market for Satellite Internet is NOT urban areas - it's designed to offer high-bandwidth out in the area NOT served by DSL, CABLE, etc.

 

[Colin]

Stay away from the Dish Network Starband system. I have had it for a year. The only way to describe the performance and Dish Network's customer service would invoke the forum's foul language filter.