6 min read · Checked October 2026
Satellite internet, explained
From your roof to space and back
A dish on your home sends your request to a satellite parked over the equator, about 22,300 miles (35,786 km) up. The satellite relays it to a ground station connected to the internet, and the answer comes back the same way. Because the satellite stays fixed over one spot, your dish never has to move.
Why there's a small delay
That trip is long, even at the speed of light. Viasat says a geostationary signal "might be 600 ms" round trip, compared with about 30 ms for cable. That delay is called latency.
What latency does and doesn't affect
| Activity | On satellite |
|---|---|
| Streaming TV and movies | Works great, the delay happens once at the start |
| Browsing, email, shopping | Works well, pages take a beat longer to start loading |
| Video calls | Work fine, with a slight pause at the start of sentences |
| Turn-based, single-player and mobile games | Fine |
| Fast online shooters and racing games | Hard, these need very low latency |
Why your dish faces south
In the US, these satellites sit over the equator, so the dish needs a clear view of the southern sky. Tall trees or a hill to the south can block it. The installer checks this on the day.
Weather
Very heavy rain or snow can briefly interrupt the signal. This is called rain fade and usually passes within minutes.
Geostationary vs low-orbit satellite
Low Earth orbit services fly about 550 km up, so their delay is much lower, but they need thousands of satellites and different equipment. Geostationary service like Viasat uses a few very large satellites and is widely available across the US.
Key takeaways
- Speed and latency are different. Satellite can be fast and still have a delay.
- Streaming, browsing, calls and school work well.
- A clear view to the south is the one thing your home needs.
Quick check
Why does satellite have more latency than cable?
Which works great on geostationary satellite?
Which way does a US satellite dish point?
Words in this lesson
Sources
Checked October 2026.
Who this helps
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