Satellite Internet vs. Cable Internet – Which one is better?

That question is a little tricky. Cable internet connections are the most commonly available and offer a great variety in terms of plans and prices. Satellite internet connections in comparison aren’t that sought-after and most customers know little to nothing about them. The only exception among these customers is the ones living at remote locations.

Urban areas have wider availability of advanced tech services than their rural counterparts. They have all the internet service providers offering various telecom services over terrestrial connections. Rural districts, however, are a little handicapped. There is no infrastructure for the deployment of many facilities.

HughesNet is a satellite internet provider that offers internet services to all areas of the United States. The available download speed isn’t as good as what cable internet connections come with. However, it is fast enough to perform all kinds of downloads and lets the customers stay in touch with the world.

Whether you’re residing in a rural location or are living in a metropolitan city, you will have different choices available to you. If you have access to all the terrestrial connections and finicky about getting super-fast speeds then you will be more satisfied with a cable network.

If you are moving to a remote location or are already living in one then a satellite internet connection would be the only viable bet for you. However, we’re going to highlight what these networks offer to help customers make an informed decision when they’re in the market for buying connectivity.

Features of satellite internet connections

1. It is the only type of connectivity that is available no matter where you are in the States. Whether you’re living in the countryside, along the coastal line, or are part of a small town, satellite internet is there for you.
2.  If terrestrial or fixed broadband is not available in your area, you may have access to only the satellite connections. ISPs like HughesNet are offering high-speed internet to all the customers in the USA. They will all get the same 25 Mbps speed over all the internet plans.
3.  If you are a frequent mover and do not appreciate too many wires going around the house then HughesNet is a perfect choice for you. The signals are transmitted through the air and no data cables are required to connect you to the internet. The only wires used are the ones that connect the dish antenna outside to the in-built Wi-Fi modem/router inside the house.
4.  HughesNet’s direct satellite competitor Viasat offers more speed. However, the speed isn’t consistent and there are too many confusions to deal with. The plans are too elaborate. HughesNet offers one speed to all its customers. Plus, HughesNet Gen5 is much more affordable than Viasat.
5.  While HughesNet lacks variety, it compensates with its reliability. They offer soft data caps, which make sure that no one with their service will be left behind. Buy data tokens to add more high-speed data to your plan in case you end up exceeding your data limit.
6. Another perk of HughesNet is the bonus zone data. They offer 50 GB of high-speed data per month to all their customers without any extra charges. This data can be used between 2 am and 8 am. Customers can limit their high-intensity usage to these hours and save on their monthly regular data.
7.  The price for satellite internet connections is higher than terrestrial connections. It is partly due to the expensive equipment that satellite connections use for transmitting and receiving signals and the fact that satellites orbiting the earth are really expensive. The prices are expensive in the sense that there is no high-speed unlimited data available and the price is much higher in comparison with cable or fiber connections.

 Features of cable internet connections

1. Cable internet uses a network of hybris coaxial cables, which are responsible for the sending and receiving of data signals. These signals don’t experience much latency as compared to the radio signals that the satellite internet uses.
2. The speed offered is quite fast. There are fewer to no chances of buffering and glitches unless you’re using the connection during peak or congested hours. The download speed of a cable internet connection is only less than the download speed that is offered by fiber-optics.
3.  It is mostly available except for some rural or remote districts. The infrastructure is not available and it will still take time to get all the necessary facilities deployed to such locations.
4.  The cable network offers a huge variety of plans. Customers can choose from a wide selection of available plans and deals. The most well-known ISPs providing cable connections include Spectrum, Xfinity, Windstream, Cox, etc. Customers can choose a package depending upon their individualistic requirements.
5.  You can find fast to super-fast speeds that go to Gigabytes. The bare minimum speed offered on a cable network starts from as low as 10 MB and goes up to 940 Mbps. The lowest speed on a cable internet connection isn’t as bad as it may look like. The amount of latency that cable internet suffers is really low.
6.  Most ISPs offering cable connections have shifted their speeds to a minimum of 100 Mbps. this starting speed is more than enough for heavy downloads and uploads, video conferencing, email and assignments, social media, online schooling, and surfing, etc.
7.  You can stream, binge-watch, and download movies and shows and play extreme online video games without the network going through a rough patch. Simultaneous devices will not drain the cable internet connection of its power.

The bottom line is that both satellite and cable have pros and cons. The choice depends upon the location of the customer. We would suggest that customers make decisions according to the availability of services near their location. Once they know their options, their choice will become that much easier.

The amount of data available over a cable internet connection is either unlimited or that limit is set at 1 TB. While satellite offers limited high-speed data and once you go over your limit, the speed is much reduced.