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Satellite internet works by connecting your devices to the World Wide Web, sending and receiving data through a terminal or dish that connects to orbiting satellites. These satellites, in turn, are connected to ground stations that are linked to the internet.
Satellite internet’s greatest strength is that it is available to virtually the entire population of the U.S. No matter how rural your home is, satellite internet can keep you connected.
Trustworthy internet service is an essential resource, but navigating what services are available and what they offer is still tricky. Here’s everything you need to know about the top satellite internet solutions
Price Range per mo. | Contract | Speed Range | ||
 | $80–$120 | Not required | 100-400 Mbps | View plans |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | $39.99-$94.99* | 2-year commitment for most plans | 25-100 Mbps | Call 833-923-6630 |
 | $69.99-$199.99† | Varies by 0-24 mos. per plan | 12-150 Mbps | View Plans |
We do rigorous research on internet options, especially for rural and underserved areas, to help you make the smartest choices for your home, business, or travel lifestyle.
Are you living the homesteading and rural lifestyle? No matter how remote you call home, we can help you find the right internet service for your family, farm, or business.
Do you prefer sleeping under the night sky or cruising the country in your home-on-wheels? Whether you need to be able to stream your shows or work on the road, we have reliable internet solutions for you.
Getting reliable internet in certain living situations and lifestyles can be challenging but not impossible. We’ll help you pick the best option for you and your family because everyone should be able to get online.
Is it taking ages for a webpage to load? Tired of waiting for your shows to buffer? Let us lend you our years of experience to improve your internet quality.
Satellite internet technology is evolving daily, so we stay on top of the latest developments that affect your service.
Satellite internet works by connecting users to the World Wide Web through ground-based terminals and orbiting satellites. A user connects to the internet by sending and receiving data through their terminal (dish/antenna), which communicates with the provider's satellites. Those satellites, in turn, send and receive the data to a ground station, which is connected to the broader web.
Yes, it’s possible to get satellite internet virtually anywhere in the contiguous U.S., as well as most of Hawaii, Alaska, and territories. According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) broadband database, satellite internet reaches more than 99 percent of U.S. households. However, there are some constraints to obtaining satellite internet in specific locations, such as limits to a provider’s bandwidth and difficulties in receiving a satellite signal in areas surrounded by obstructions like trees and mountains.
To access satellite internet, a customer needs the provider's specialized dish or antenna, as well as a proprietary gateway or modem device. Customers can either own this equipment or lease it from the provider.
Latency is th measurement of time it takes for data to travel between a user’s endpoint (your computer or phone) to a destination on the internet (website, streaming service, online game). It’s measured in milliseconds. Latency is especially relevant to satellite internet because it typically has high latency, which makes it significantly slower than traditional internet connections, as data must travel much farther—miles into space and then back. Low-earth orbit satellites reduce latency, since they're much closer to Earth than Geostationary satellites, which orbit much further away.
Heavy weather can affect satellite signals, although improving technology has helped prevent complete outages. Severe storms are likely to interrupt the signal.
Yes, satellite internet providers offer enough download speed to make streaming and working from home possible. Providers with high latency can make these activities slower than traditional internet connections.
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