What Is the Difference Between Broadband and Satellite?

While subscribing to an internet service for residential or business purposes, the speed of the internet plays a vital role. One of the primary reasons, customers are willing to pay extra as long as the upload and download speeds are high-speed. In simple words, the bandwidth does not interrupt the overall internet browsing or streaming experience. 

When it comes to internet speed, the internet provider you have signed up with is largely responsible for the speed you receive. However, those who understand the technicalities involved and the types of internet connections, know that the speed of your internet and bandwidth depends on the type of internet you subscribed to more than anything else. 

If you remember, dial-up was the first internet introduced or ever used by most of us, and that was sluggish. Then came, broadband internet systems which include DSL (Digital Subscriber Line), cable, fiber, and the list is constantly updating because technology evolves with time. The fastest broadband internet in the market today is Fiber, right after cable and satellite, which are considerably fast. DSL falls somewhere between cable and satellite. These are all high-speed internet but their types and nature influence the speed of the internet. 

In this article, we will give you a quick review of what is the difference between broadband and satellite internet. So, without further delay, let’s get started!

• Broadband and satellite both offer internet services to people. However, the method of transferring data is a significant difference between the two. However, you cannot ignore other services such as their data transfer speed, coverage, prices, installation, and more.
• In a satellite system, the signals are transferred through the air. Moreover, the signals in this system could be both analog and digital. In a satellite system, you cannot enjoy reliable internet speed and coverage. Bad weather conditions may slow down the internet speed. It is a significant drawback of satellite internet when you compare it to cable internet. 
• As an internet user, all you need is a reliable internet connection with high speed. For achieving this, you can either go for a cable or fiber internet service. The only problem that arises here is the coverage of cable or fiber internet, which is not as vast as of satellite. This is due to the nature of both networks. 
• Unlike satellite internet, you cannot access cable or fiber internet everywhere in the United States. If you live in a remote area, establishing point-to-point internet is not an easy task. Satellite internet is available everywhere and is less expensive than cable or fiber internet. You can check CenturyLink internet if you are looking for the fastest broadband speed, fiber internet is your answer. 
• When it comes to commonly known broadband, usually DSL is what comes to our mind. When we want to consider DSL as a high-speed internet connection, we attach the term broadband to it. In a satellite internet, you will face slow internet speed as more data caps. The only advantage is its availability in each part of the state. 

Satellite vs Broadband internet

The crux of the story is, satellite internet is a different technology that works through signals in the air while the conventional broadband network is wires-based – usually underground which makes it less accessible than satellite internet. As far as the speed is concerned, wire-based services are less prone to weather changes hence they offer a rather promising and steady speed of internet. 

Another type is the fixed wireless internet connection. It is the same point-to-point connection. You must know that it is not a wired internet connection as the customers can use the internet with an access point. It is indeed faster than conventional DSL or satellite internet. In addition to this, you do not need to establish a physical wired connection between source and receiver. For this reason, we rank fixed wireless internet at number one, DSL at number two, and satellite and number three. Here you can compare cheap broadband deals.

Conclusive Notes

To conclude the discussion on a distinctive note, we would state broadband internet as any wire-based service; whereas, a satellite receives radio waves from the orbit as long as it is facing the southern sky. Both can be used through a wireless device including a router and modem.