Surfing the Internet in mah TEE VEE.

[Balgram]

So, I was having a pleasant phone conversation with a customer, and his computer was running a little slow, so he says. "I've got a satellite, which is so #@$ slow. I don't have cable."

Um.

Either he wasn't thinking straight, or I'm about to get an edu-ma-cation.

Just a quick one, but it made me smile for a while.

[Boozy]

I don't get it, but then, I don't know much about computers either.

[karma_gypsy]

Maybe he has satellite internet instead of cable?

I've heard satellite internet isn't very fast .... (but is available in areas where cable isn't).

[Evil Queen]

It's only slightly more expensive then cable, too. But, you can get it anywhere as long as you have a clear window to the western sky.

[It's me]

Sure, broadband via satellite for the in-bound data, telco for the outbound data. Since most traffic is in-bound, it works okay for downloads, displaying web pages etc. However, uploads are dial-up speed and the latency is a b*tch, so anything that requires a lot of two-way traffic ends up being even slower than dial-up.

[IT Grunt]

I have Wildblue, it's two way satellite. It is rather slow, especially at night when a lot of people are using it. The bandwidth on the satellite drops to practically nothing. Watching something like Youtube is frustrating because of the lag, so I can understand this guy's position. I also have satellite TV (Dish Network), so it's entirely possible to not have cable service to your home. I don't.

[Wembley]

Maybe he has satellite internet instead of cable?

I've heard satellite internet isn't very fast .... (but is available in areas where cable isn't).

There are two versions of satellite internet - the older version sends data to the end user over satellite and the data from the end user to the 'net is carried via modem. This system can be installed by anybody and is generally no more difficult to install than a satellite TV dish.

The second and newer version sends and receives data over the satellite link. It requires no phone line but since it transmits data back over the satellite, it has to be installed by a professional.

While both systems do provide good speed TO the end user, there are drawbacks for sending data on both systems. First, on the one-way system, the data being sent back to the internet is carried over a modem connection, so it is limited to 56k, just like a dial-up internet connection. Of course, since most of the data flows TO the end-user, things like web surfing etc are pretty fast.

On the two-way system the bandwidth is pretty good in both directions - but, the problem with this system is one of latency. In english, the information has to flow up and then back down again to a satellite in geosynchronous orbit, about 22,000 miles up. Of course, since the data is travelling up and back, over 44,000 miles round trip, the information is slightly delayed. To a web-surfer, this would appear as a slight delay when opening web pages, but, things like downloads would still work at decent speeds.

Unfortunately, there is no way around this delay, until someone figures out how to change the speed of light

So, any more questions about satellite internet?
-Wembley

[Boozy]

Unfortunately, there is no way around this delay, until someone figures out how to change the speed of light

You just know that satellite internet providers get calls to their tech support guys telling them to "get on that."

[Geek King]

Unfortunately, there is no way around this delay, until someone figures out how to change the speed of light

Um...Satelite uses radio waves in what is called the Ku Frequency Range. Light would be cool (and faster), but it would be impractical to build sat dishes for home use that had powerful enough beams to reach the satelite without diffracting in the atmosphere. Not to mention what they might do to passing aircraft.

EDIT- Not to mention the set up would be much harder, as the angle for the dish would have to be spot-perfect for the satelite, rather then in the general direction.

--And now you know! And knowing is half the battle!
<Roadblock gets run over by a tank>
<Kids laugh and go back to playing on the see-saw>

[Camry178]

I remember there was this system years back called "WebTV" that allowed you to surf the net using your tv. They would send you some kind of special keyboard or something like that.

[Geek King]

I remember there was this system years back called "WebTV" that allowed you to surf the net using your tv. They would send you some kind of special keyboard or something like that.

WebTV was a neat idea for newbie computer users, or folks that just wanted to surf, but low-end PCs came down in price far enough that it was pretty much priced out of the market. Plus, you can do more with a full PC, even a cheap one.

[MMATM]

Um...Satelite uses radio waves in what is called the Ku Frequency Range. Light would be cool (and faster), but it would be impractical to build sat dishes for home use that had powerful enough beams to reach the satelite without diffracting in the atmosphere.

Actually radio, just like visible light, is in the E-M spectrum and so is limited by the speed of light, so Wembley is correct... at least, if the atmosphere were a vacuum. The speed of light is less within an atmosphere (or, indeed, within any non-vacuum substance) than the absolute "speed of light" in a vacuum, hence the diffraction concern. Fortunately radio waves have long enough frequencies (12-18GHz within the Ku band) that the diffraction makes very little impact.
*Takes off geek hat. Notices it's a crown. Gives back to Geek King.*

On another note, my uncle used to have a WebTV in addition to his diesel desktop PC and futuristic laptop (this was like 1995 FTR). While essentially useless outside of web surfing, it was perfect for us kids since we couldn't screw anything up on the more important and expensive computers he had for work.

EDIT: In addition to my first paragraph: The reason for the slowdown in satellite internet is due both to the long distances that the light must travel (ever seen a "LIVE" satellite TV feed?) and to the processor speed in both the satellite and the originating location(s). Satellites aren't mirrors, after all. They receive and rebroadcast the signals rather than literally "bounce" them, and can only process the signals as fast as they receive them.

[Geek King]

*Takes off geek hat. Notices it's a crown. Gives back to Geek King.*

Meh, keep it. I get them from Burger King anyway.

Actually radio, just like visible light, is in the E-M spectrum and so is limited by the speed of light

I had forgotten that bit. I thought radio waves travelled significantly slower than light. Time to go dust off my old Physics textbook form college. 1200+ pages of brain-bludgeoning science goodness, occasionally literally if it falls off the bookcase.