Clearing Up Myths about Satellite Internet Service Interruption

If you’ve been considering having satellite broadband Internet service installed at your house, you’ve probably read that satellite Internet is an unreliable form of technology.  That’s simply a marketing myth, because any kind of technology can experience interruptions in service.  Satellite Internet is extremely reliable, and utilizes cutting edge technology.

“Rain fade” is one big myth.  Rain fade happens during a severe thunderstorm.  Because of all the activity in the upper atmosphere, the satellite signal can be refracted from its direct path to your antenna. 

A thunderstorm that’s severe enough to knock out the power in your neighborhood might cause your satellite Internet signal to drop, but regular rain storms don’t interfere.  Signal strength should stay consistent.

Typically, the larger the dish, the less likely it will be susceptible to service interruptions during a severe thunderstorm.  If you have the option, choose a larger dish mounted on a very sturdy building or pole.

Did you know that even DSL providers can experience problems with rain fade?  If you’re considering DSL over satellite Internet, look into this problem.  It might not seem possible, but customers have experienced outages because of rain and thunderstorms.

Another myth is that your antenna needs to be absolutely, perfectly aligned.  Your installer will align the antenna properly at the time your equipment is installed, but there is a good amount of leeway before the signal degrades or drops. 

If your service has been functioning perfectly for a long time and suddenly you find the signal is degrading, your antenna may have been knocked far enough off alignment by the wind or an errant squirrel to be causing the problem.  Contact customer service to have a tech support visit to realign the antenna.

If you get DSL or cable Internet, you’re much more likely to experience service interruptions because of scheduled maintenance.  DSL providers especially are just arriving on the scene in most neighborhoods, and are tweaking their equipment frequently.  Each time they do, they interrupt service for everyone depending on the hub.

Equipment problems can happens with any kind of modem.  Satellite Internet technology is new, so it has the latest cutting-edge equipment associated with it.  Other broadband providers are still sending out old-technology modems, which experience more bugs than new equipment.  If you happen to buy the equipment, you’re stuck if it stops working.

Terrestrial-based Internet connections have many points in their systems where failure, interruption, or signal degradation can occur.  Construction projects dig up the streets, and can interrupt service in nearby neighborhoods. 

Of course, falling trees can also cause service interruptions.  Even central offices can experience equipment failures, and if there’s no backup, service is interrupted. These outages can last for several minutes or several hours, depending on what’s happened.

Satellite Internet networks have central offices, too, but they don’t have to be in the same area where you receive your satellite signal.  Your computer is very independent of central hubs.  The antenna on top of your house is the main infrastructure for your satellite Internet system.