Satellite Internet Review

So you’ve packed up your things and moved your family away from the hustle and bustle of the BIG City out to the crisp, clean, country air of Rural Town, U.S.A… but then it hits you, “What do these country folks do out here for high-speed internet!?” Phone call after phone call you to make to every internet/cable company you’ve ever seen an advertisement for, but no one services your address. Frustration sets in. To many, this realization that fiber optic cables and high-speed broadband connections are things that you left behind along with the traffic lights and fire hydrants of the big city, can be a HUGE culture shock. But take a deep breath… There’s no need to stress, satellite internet has got you covered on all your Wi-Fi needs! It might not be the option you’re hoping for but it’s the best option you have.

Satellite, It’s Better Than You Thought

With advances in technology, the two titans of satellite internet service, HughesNet and Viasat/Exede, both released their premier latest and greatest satellite dishes in 2017.

HughesNet

HughesNet launched their Gen5 series powered by EchoStar XIX that boasts a 25mbps speed across the board on all tiered data plan. That means just like a data plan on a smartphone, you’ll be choosing a plan for your Wi-Fi in the household. But no worries if you exceed your data allowance for the month, there are no overages, just throttled speeds 3-5mbps typically. You can still snoop on your ex-boyfriend from high school on Facebook with that. Additionally, the FCC ranked HughesNet #1 in the nation “among all internet providers for providing the speeds that they advertise.”

Viasat/Exede

Viasat/Exede with their Boeing built Viasat-2 dish offers speeds up to 100mbps in select areas complimented with unlimited data plans. That’s a never-before advertised speed for satellite internet but can end up burning a hole in your wallet. But some people won’t let dollar bills stand in their way of super high-speed internet.

Basically, every satellite internet company is going to require a two-year commitment but in a way that’s a benefit rather than a downside. This keeps your rates the same. Viasat will guarantee you the rate for 2 years. HughesNet typically only increases by $15 after two years. Both offer “vacation modes” perfect for second homes where you can suspend the service up to 6 months out of the year at minimal costs.

Satellite is a more expensive technology than your familiar “cable lines run to the home” technology, so it will generally cost you about $60-$110 depending on plans available in your area. But with the cost of living being cheaper in the country, it evens out in a way. And can you really put a price on the peace and quiet that country life offers?

But what about the weather? Will I lose my signal if it rains or snows? The new technology that arose in 2017 has alleviated some of the stress on weather affecting service. It’s not perfect but it’s also not horrible.

Can my kids play their video games?

They can, and most games will work. Certain games that require an instant response in online multiplayer arenas will suffer due to lag or latency. Essentially, they’ll hit a button and it will take 1-3 seconds for the desired action to happen. Because the signal needs to travel from your home to outer space to hit the satellite dish in orbit and then back down to earth to the gaming servers and then back to your home – that’s added distance wired internet services do not have to travel to outer space -- causes the lag. It’s enough to make the most hardcore gamer rage and throw their controller through a television screen. VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) suffer from the same issue. First person shooters and sports games will suffer the most from this. All other types of games will work like RPGs, Minecraft, casino games, and apps on tablets and phones. The kids should really be outside playing anyways like we all did growing up.

Can I Stream Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, YouTube, and all the others?

You most certainly can! There’s not one plan offered by both HughesNet or Viasat that isn’t capable of streaming video in HD. The only drawback is that if you’re on a tiered data plan, you can eat away your entire data allowance for the month in a single weekend by binge-watching “Breaking Bad.” A good rule of thumb is for every hour of streaming in the highest HD, 1 GB (gigabyte) is used. There are added tools with both companies that will pre-set the picture quality to lowered HD settings to alleviate the amount of data used to stream. Test it out on YouTube. Go ahead. I’ll wait… Open it up now and play a video. Click on the settings and lower the picture quality to 480p. It’s not that bad. Who needs to have the picture quality at its highest setting just to make out every pore on Walter White’s face? Many country living folks have accepted data tiered plans as a reality and use television services like DirecTV and Dish Network to remedy the need for video entertainment. Both HughesNet and Viasat offer a $10 bundle discount off the internet bill with DirecTV.

What are the startup costs for satellite internet?

Startup costs are next to none. HughesNet will require you pay for the first month’s bill upfront. With a $50 discount often applied to the first month, the first bill is less than $20 in most instances. Viasat typically has no startup costs and usually offers its own discount for the first three months. Both will require a valid form of payment on file and promote automatic bill pay and paperless billing. You can request a paper bill if you’re old-fashioned like that for a small monthly fee. Equipment is leased at about $10 a month. They do offer lifetime lease options where you pay a one-time amount to erase all equipment fees off future bills. Should you ever cancel the service, you will need to return the modem/router even if you paid the one-time fee or else expect a hefty charge. As far as installation goes, it’s free and easy for those able to pass a credit check. Installation ranges from anywhere from two to three hours. The customer gets the final say on where the dish is installed. Most will put it on their roof to not only achieve the best line of sight to the southern sky but also to keep it out of the way in the yard when mowing the grass. So, all-in-all there is still light at the end of the internet tunnel for all your social media and streaming needs on all your fancy wireless devices. Giving you no reason to regret replacing the big city lights with the cool country nights. 

An easy way to see what's available with either company is to use a reliable site like KonectEaze.  One of their professional agents can determine serviceability for your home and go over the speeds and plans available to you.

 

 

The world is no longer too big for the internet; no matter where you’re located on the globe, the World Wide Web is within your access. Even if you’re based in the middle of nowhere, satellite internet has you covered!

However, before you decide to jump on the bandwagon, you might want a quick overview of what satellite internet is and how it works for different internet connectivity needs:

What is Satellite Internet?

This is a wireless internet connection that requires a total of 3 satellite dishes to operate:

· Your Internet Service Provider’s satellite dish

· Your own satellite dish

· A satellite in space that connects the first two.

Furthermore, for a successful satellite internet connection, you also need an internet modem or routers and cables that connect said modem to your satellite dish.

How Does it Work?

Like satellite dish TV, satellite internet receives signals from your internet service provider that are transmitted via the satellite in space—that sits 22, 300 miles above the Earth’s equator—and vice versa. These data signals help you access the World Wide Web in the most barren and rural areas in the US!

Is It Right for Me?

There can be many reasons for needing satellite internet, but the one reason that rings true for most satellite internet consumers is that they live in an area that doesn’t support cable or DSL internet.

Another reason why satellite internet could be the right choice for you is if you’re using the age-old dialup internet connection; in that scenario, switching to satellite internet would be a step forward, because it’s better, faster, and not to forget, it doesn’t keep your phone line busy. Depending on the package plan you sign up for, your bandwidth can improve by 35 times!

Moreover, there’s no concept of ‘peak hours’ or ‘data traffic’ with satellite internet, as your internet speed isn’t determined by the number of users on board. You can have as many connections as you want in one network without compromising on the offered speed!

So if you think you’re an eligible candidate for satellite internet, head over to our website where we help you find and compare internet service providers based on your area code and location. And if you’re still unsure, just give us a call and we’ll assist you in deciding what’s best for you! Godspeed!

Li-Fi stands for light fidelity and is a new advancement in the world of INTERNET. Almost all the homes these days have broadband connections and everyone has experienced low-speed Wi-Fi. In this time where we don’t even want to wait for our food to arrive after ordering it, how can we expect anyone to wait for the internet connection?

When the internet stops working for 5 seconds, so does our hearts!

So, Li-Fi was introduced recently. It is a VLC (Visible Light Communications) system that supports wireless communications at extremely high speeds. It is also more secure at a much lesser power level.

Li-Fi requires visible light. That means even in daytime people will have to switch on the LED bulbs even during daytime and these bulbs should be installed everywhere in the house because Li-Fi cannot pass through walls.

Li-Fi requires two components; one is the light-emitting source and other is the one that can detect light. Li-Fi has some advantages of security, speed and availability over Wi-Fi but at the same time, it has some disadvantages. Though light is present at almost all places from offices to malls, homes and schools, it is all for urban areas. There are places which are still bereft of power supply. Li-fi is a Visible Light Communication system and since light cannot pass through walls and any physical barrier that stands as another challenge in the acceptance and replacement of Li-Fi over Wi-fi.

There are many issues but for now, we can treat both Li-Fi and Wi-Fi as two separate technologies that can co-exist.

About Konect Eaze

Konect Eaze is an online marketplace for home and office internet service shopping needs. The website lists all the ISPs operating in different parts of the U.S and sorts them through zip code to help consumers find the best internet service provider in their area.

Internet or Interconnected Network is now a part and parcel of our lives. Our lives are now dependent on this technology as it has become a major part of our daily lives. While we used to count air, food and water as essentials to live, INTERNET is also a part of this list now.

But with the internet comes a lot of threats. There are a lot of people who want to hack and control our systems. They aim at not only harming the system but corrupting it and accessing the information.

To get over this, we need to take care and learn some security mechanisms to prevent our system from these malicious threats.

Firewall & Anti-Virus : Firewall is a software that is used to restrict on the kind of data packets that can be allowed to leave or enter a network. It works as a barrier on the outside trusted and untrusted networks like Internet. You should also install and configure anti-virus properly and scan your system no less than twice a week.

Update your Software & Applications: Continuously update your windows etc software to stay updated and download effective security updates. Ensure that the apps installed are also kept up-to-date.

E-mails : E-mails often contain content that is not secure. Generally, the mail clients store these in threats/spam folder. It is advised not to open emails which are suspicious.

Advertisements : While browsing the internet it is advised not to click on advertisements that often state that your system is at risk or any such statements. Clicking on these often redirects you to malicious sites.

Encryption : It is a very powerful technique. Keep important information and folders encrypted with the help of an encrypted software or tool.

Passwords : The most common passwords are 123456, 12345 and password. It is essential to set your passwords such that they cannot be easily predicted. Keep the password of your router confidential to prevent any outsider from entering your router.

How to Find the Right Broadband Plans for Your Home?

So you’ve finally found the right Internet Service Provider (ISP) for your home address and now it’s time to choose a plan with them. Most ISPs will offer added new customer promotions when doing a bundle package which includes cable tv and and home phone but for the sake of this article, let’s just say your main focus is the internet.

Of course price will be a factor you weigh heavily in your decision-making but it’s not the best way to go about choosing an internet plan. You want your household to be happy right? Happiness sometimes comes with a cost. Other factors should also be considered like download and upload speeds, as well as contract versus no contract, and data caps.

The real question you need ask yourself is, “What kind of internet user am I?”. Once you have a good understanding on what type of user you are, the easier it will be to settle on an internet plan. So let’s start answering that question right now.

Do You Live in a Multi-Member Household or Do You Live Alone?

The more people using the internet means the more internet speed/bandwidth you’ll need. You have to figure that each individual in the home has at least 2 devices that requires internet connection. A good rule of thumb is that you should have 10mbps per person using the internet. Some home addresses won’t always have the convenience of being able to get over 25mbps at their home which just means you’ll have to monitor what everyone’s doing in the home so everyone could get a fair shot at the bandwidth. This might mean telling the kids to shut off Netflix if they’re not watching it. Large households should also strive for unlimited data plans or data caps that are so high that it’s basically unlimited. Small internet data plans and or throttling after a certain amount aren’t fun when having to police the internet usage in the home. Living by yourself and even a couple that enjoys streaming movies together can get by on smaller speeds and and data plans. You’ll also reap the benefits of a smaller monthly bill than the large households will receive. Aim For: 10mbps per internet user in the house with the right data package.

Are You a Light User?

Do you just use the internet solely to pay bills, shop online, email, and keep up with the family on Facebook? If these are all yes’s then you very well can go with bare minimum speeds and low data caps. Light users of internet can have the luxury of just basically choosing their broadband package based solely on what’s the cheapest cost. Aim for: Lowest price on internet. Unbiased sites like Konect Eaze can easily guide you to the lowest costing broadband packages available to you.

Are You a Gamer or a Cord-Cutter aka Heavy User?

Cord-cutting has been the latest trend. Over 33 million Americans cut the cord last year and this year it’s trending even higher. Saving money by dropping cable tv almost seems like a no brainer with the amount of low cost streaming apps available to us nowadays. Streaming video and online gaming are both data hogs and require a high internet speed to keep buffering and lagging at bay. Individuals who live in rural areas and are limited to satellite internet aren’t the best candidates to become cord-cutters or online gamers as satellite has it’s limitations with data caps and lag with online gaming. Aim for: Higher internet broadband speeds and unlimited data plans.

How Long Do You Plan on Living at this Address?

Many ISPs offer both contract and no contract plans. Agreeing to a contract will usually mean a cheaper rate. Sometimes going into a contract, knowing you’re going to break it, makes more financial sense than going no contract from the start. For example, a company like Comcast Xfinity will offer a 1 year contract on internet packages and offer it $10 cheaper than their no contract plan. Their penalty for breaking the contract is $10 per month remaining on the contract. So let’s say you’re a college student who only needs internet for 9 months. If you go no contract you will pay an extra $90 (9months x $10) than with a 1yr contract. If you went into the 1yr contract, and cancel after 9 months, you only have to pay $30 ($10 x 3 months remaining on contract) to break it. So in the end you come out on top by $60. If you’re going to be living at an address for longer than 2 years, then you should want a contract. A contract keeps the company from raising rates whenever they feel like it. RVers should stick to no contract or satellite or mobile hotsp0ot options. Satellite broadband and Hotspots can travel with them all around the country. Aim For: The type of contract plan that’s going to save you the most money. Don’t be anti-contract as it could be the what’s going to work best for your bank account. So have we figured out what type of internet user we are? Are you ready to start comparing and contrasting internet plans in your area? Let’s find you the best broadband internet bundle package near you.