Things That may Slow Down Your Rural Satellite Broadband Connection
In the era of lockdowns and home offices, broadband bandwidth is not only needed for the work PC, but also for laptops, smartphones, consoles, IoT devices, etc., making reliable internet a crucial requirement. With people stuck at home, rural satellite broadband is being used for entertainment and OTT streaming as well as work from home, video streaming with family as well as with professional services (like doctors). Satellite dish internet connection allows residents of rural areas to connect to internet without the need for costly infrastructural developmments.
Still, all these thhings are quite heavy when it comes to broadband usage. While you can always ask the satellite internet provider to upgrade your existing plan, there might be other issues that may be slowing down your broadband connection. Continue reading to know more about the factors slowing your internet if you are experiencing the poor broadband performance.
What is Wireless Satellite Internet
First things first. People often ask, what is wireless satellite internet? Is is a Sky dish? A sim-based broadband? No. Satellite connection sends signal from your satellite modem to the satellite above equator and further to a ground station. This journey of roughly 70,000km takes less than a second. Wireless satellite internet, thanks to the position of satellite, is available nearly anywhere. All a customer need is a clear view of the southern sky and “visibility” of the satellite in question.
Is satellite internet technology available where I live?
Satellite internet is available globally but, contrary to widespread beliefs, not everywhere. If the surface of the planet Earth was flat, as some people believe, there would be probably no issue with delivering satellite broadband but as it stands now, due to the curvature of our planet, any single satellite can cover only a part of Earth’s surface and a network of satellites is required to cover the globe. Viasat’s 3rd generation satellites will provide such global coverage. Similarly, Starlink and OneWeb create networks of satellites to cover our planet. Still, there will be areas of our globe that won’t be covered due to low density of population.
Still, satellite internet technology is often the only option when it comes to rural areas broadband. Satellite dish internet connection is easy to set up and easy to maintain. Unlike fibre optics infrastructure it doesn’t require heavy local developments.
Is Satellite Dish Internet Connection Good?
Nowadays satellite dish internet connections have parameters comparable with fibre internet. For example, Konnect Satellite Internet offers speeds up to 100Mbps in Ireland. Out of all satellite internet providers in Ireland Konnect is probably the one you should go with if you want to try satellite internet connectivity. It’s the newest and most advanced system offered throughout Europe now.
Factors slowing down rural satellite dish broadband connection speed
Number of users
One of the most common reasons for a slow broadband connection is too many devices being logged onto the network simultaneously. With IoT devices being a household thing, the number of devices connected to the router can quickly go out of hand. If you have too many devices connected to the network at the same time, you will notice such network drops due to multiple gadgets competing for the bandwidth and exhausting the data caps.
What to check:
- how many computers are connected to the network
- do you have smart TV (or TVs) connected to the network?
- what other devices utilise the network (smart light bulbs, Google Home or Alexa, camera security system, smart bells etc.)
Location of the router
If the distance between the router and modem is too large, or the router is placed in a crowded area, objects in the surrounding can run interference with the network. For optimum speed, ensure that there are no physical barriers, like walls, boxes, etc., around the router, as chances are that these can affect the signals, rendering them useless for demanding tasks.
A very common mistake is to place your satellite broadband modem behind the TV. It may look better by not exposing the modem and wiring to the broader audience but at the same time your TV may interfere with the WiFi signal.
Downloads in background
Network congestion can also be caused due to too many or heavy downloads running in the background, slowing down your broadband. If you have many devices connected to your router and also downloading big files such as Netflix movie, it will affect your overal experience. This issue is more notable if your connection comes with data caps, and you can easily exhaust your allowance if you do not allocate data properly. If you feel your current data plan is too restrictive, call your satellite internet provider and upgrade your plan.
Pro Tip: Before calling to upgrade your plan, check if your provider offers any times of the day (or night) where your downloads do not count into your data allowance. Schedule your downloads to work when it’s free and when it doesn’t interfere with your needs.
Faulty wiring
With improper maintenance, loose or frayed wiring can easily go unnoticed and slow down the broadband speeds. Periodically examine the internet hardware at your home without disturbing any connections. If you come across faulty wiring, contact your ISP at the earliest and get it fixed immediately.
Silly as it may sound, make sure your dog or cat doesn’t have access to wiring. Pets love to chew on cables what can affect your broadband connection.
Satellite dish internet connection issues
Perform periodic checks of your installation, especially after strong storms. Satellite dish can move if not secured properly what will affect the signal. If you suspect that it’s the case, call you customer support, the agent will be able to investigate the issue to see if there is any indication of faulty installation or moved dish.
WiFi Coverage
One of the most common issues with broadband speed has actually nothing to do with broadband itself but with WiFi signal. Large houses, premises with a lot of internal walling and other devices or networks interfering with the signal can affect the quality of your network. Some of the most common issues affecting WiFi network include:
- walls
- smart TV signal
- baby monitor signal
- microwave
- WiFi enabled smart bulbs
- neighbouring networks
- lack of proper WiFi coverage
It is worth to consider especially the last one. Further from the WiFi router, worse the signal. More obstructions, lower the quality and lower the range. This can affect not only the speeds but the overal performance of the network by increasing latency and loss of packages.
What you can do is to consider some kind of WiFi boosters, they can be found locally or on Amazon. One of the most common ones found on Amazon, with over 40,000 4 or 5-star reviews is TP-Link AC750 Universal Dual Band Range Extender.
Malware
Although viruses and malware do not necessarily directly affect broadband speeds, they can affect the hardware in other ways. If the devices you use are infected with malicious malware, your bandwidth will be occupied elsewhere, and you will notice a significant drop in internet speeds. Antivirus software should help you remove any viruses, effectively removing network congestion.
Satellite Dish Internet Connection Summary
These are the the main factors that can hamper the speed of your rural satellite broadband internet connection. If neither of the tips mentioned above helps in increasing the speed of the broadband connection, contact your ISP for a network diagnosis. A professional might be able to suggest a better plan if your current broadband plan does not offer the bandwidth to cover your data requirements.
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