Starlink and satellite internet, honestly
Satellite went from "last resort" to "genuinely good" in a few short years — but the physics still sets rules that no marketing can repeal.
Two very different kinds of satellite
Traditional satellite internet (GEO — Viasat, HughesNet and similar) parks one satellite 36,000 km up. The round trip alone costs ~500–650 ms of latency: pages feel sluggish, video calls are painful, and fast-paced gaming is effectively out.
Low-Earth-orbit constellations like Starlink fly at ~550 km instead. That slashes the physics tax to tens of milliseconds — typically 25–60 ms — which is why LEO satellite is the first satellite internet that feels like normal broadband.
What speeds to actually expect
Starlink commonly delivers 50–300 Mbps down and 10–30 Mbps up, varying with how many users share your cell and the service tier. That is comfortably enough for streaming, calls and remote work.
Capacity is shared per area, so busy cells slow down at peak hours, and priority tiers exist for a reason. GEO services usually offer 25–150 Mbps with strict data policies — fine for basic use, frustrating as a primary line for a connected household.
Sky, weather and obstructions
A dish needs a wide, clean view of the sky. Trees are the number-one enemy: even partial obstruction causes brief dropouts as satellites pass behind them — invisible while browsing, deadly on a video call.
Heavy rain and snow attenuate the signal (speeds dip during storms), and the dish's heater handles snow but adds power draw. Placement is 80% of a good satellite experience.
Who it is for
If you can get fiber or decent cable, choose those — cheaper per Mbps, lower latency, no sky required. Satellite is transformative where wires are poor or absent: rural homes, boats, RVs, off-grid cabins, remote work sites, and as a serious backup line for businesses.
One more note for gamers and traders: LEO latency is good but jumpier than wired — expect occasional spikes as your session hands off between satellites. Run a test and watch the jitter and loaded-latency numbers, not just the download.