Windows 8 In Depth

Satellite Service

Satellite Internet service uses microwave signals and small (roughly 2-foot-diameter) dish antennas to connect to an orbiting communication satellite. You should consider only bidirectional satellite service, which uses the satellite dish for both sending and receiving. Satellite’s one advantage is that it’s available where DSL and cable haven’t yet reached, wherever there’s a good view of either the southern sky in the Northern Hemisphere or the northern sky in the Southern Hemisphere. The disadvantages are numerous: installation requires the abilities of both a rocket scientist and a carpenter, the equipment and service plans can be expensive, you’ll have to sign a long-term contract to get discounts on installation and equipment, ...