Category Archives: Internet

VoIP has revolutionized the way telecommunication is done. Voice over Internet protocol allows voice packets to be sent over Internet bandwidth enabling cheap communication. There are many companies which offer voice over Internet services and some of the leading ones are Vonage, Skype, Yahoo and Net2Phone. Consumers can access VoIP over Internet connections like broadband and DSL. Satellite Internet is a new technology that has become very popular in recent times and VoIP providers are able to offer services to customers in remote regions using it. It will still take some time until VOIP by satellite is ultimately stabilized and customers can enjoy the full benefits.Some of the challenges faced by service providers include packet loss, jitters and limited bandwidth. Service providers like Hughes and Skyframes which have their own satellites are teaming up with the VoIP providers to offer voice services to customers. Designing a VoIP network would require details on the bandwidth requirement for VoIP data. Satellite Internet providers are facing challenges on the bandwidth capacity that would be required to offer VoIP services via satellite channels. G.729 (b) encoding with a 40 b payload and header compression would require 10 Kbps of bandwidth. Packet loss is another challenge faced by service providers offering satellite VoIP services. Packet loss causes degradation in voice quality. The protocol used for voice traffic transmission is UDP/IP and if the data packets are corrupted they cannot be retransmitted. TCP/IP protocol allows retransmission of data packets. It is important to maintain very low bit error rates to offer high quality voice services to customers. Jitters are another technology hurdle that is faced by satellite VoIP service providers. It is used to calculate the delays in packet arrivals that happen because of network delay. If this… Continue reading

Internet technology has come a long way from the days when a 20 kbps speed dial-up connection was considered fast. Cable Internet, broadband and DSL connections brought in a new era in Internet technology. What broadband Internet cannot offer is coverage in remote areas where laying cables in not feasible for broadband service providers. This is where satellite Internet scores over broadband and other Internet technologies. There are many benefits of satellite Internet technology. Such as price, speed and connectivity are at par or even better than other technologies. In the United States Satellite Internet services are offered by HughesNet and WildBlue. They cover 99% of all the zip codes in the country. Satellite Internet connectivity is not far off for people living near the Arctic Circle or the tropical regions. In countries like France � of the population still does not have access to broadband connectivity. Satellite connections are proving to be a great enabler for people in these regions to stay connected with the outside world.There are some primary benefits of satellite Internet connectivity. Upload and download of data at broadband speed, 99% connection uptime, optimization for multiple users, compatibility with Windows and Macintosh Operating systems are a few of the features which are offered by Satellite Internet providers. The phone line is always free because connectivity is established by using a dish and a modem. You do not have to invest in additional phone lines and no need to dial-in and miss important phone calls. The installation and the monthly charges are also competitive ranging from $59 per month to $199 per month. Other features offered by service providers such as HughesNet include security suite at $4 per month, domain parking facilities for $12.50 per year, domain based e-mail… Continue reading

There are more Internet providers today then ever before. Everything from cable to DSL and fiber to the little local sub contracted Internet providers. If you are like me, it can get confusing as to whom to use.When I first starting considering an Internet provider, I figured why not go with the cable company. Cable companies can offer the fastest speed, usually at a good price to start, and then they will go up after a promotional period. So I called the local cable company and to my surprise (since they advertise it as being available in my area) I was told by the sales rep that the high speed Internet was not available to me.As much as I am attempting to not date myself, the Internet was not around until I was out of high school, well out of high school. Back then if you needed to find something out, you went to the library. If you needed to call someone, you picked up the phone and hoped for the best. Today, the Internet spoils us, well most of us with high speed anyway. Everything is available at the touch of a button, or click of a mouse. Unless of course you, are in one of those lost in time areas referred to as rural America.Those of us who live, or have moved to an area designated as rural are pretty much living back in the days of no Internet. The speeds we have access to are dial up, and by the time we receive the information we are looking for, we probably would have been better served driving to our local libraries.It is enough to make me want to throw the computer out the window, or reenact the scene from… Continue reading

Important Questions to Ask Your Internet Broadband ProviderBefore you consider purchasing a broadband internet service, it may be helpful to ask your potential provider some questions so that you can ensure that their particular company is the right place for your business. Many of us end up choosing to purchase from companies that do not work with us later when we need it; their customer service is bad, there are charges that you don’t recognize appearing on your bill nearly every month, and the amount that you’re paying each month for the service is considerably higher than it was when you first made your decision to become their customer. By compiling a quick list of questions to ask your internet broadband provider, you can dramatically reduce these issues and even avoid them altogether.The first question you should ask is, “How fast is my internet speed?” This question is important especially if you are using a basic internet service with the slowest speed available by that particular company. If you were choosing the basic service to cut cost, you may be surprised to know that your basic service may be a lot slower than you need. The word “broadband” is a term that providers use to their advantage when offering services because it used to describe a download speed of 768 kilobits per second at minimum. Because online use has grown considerably in its technology, this speed could be a dial-up service or a DSL service, which is not quite what the FCC meant when discussing broadband.The second question you should ask your provider is “Do you charge taxes or surcharges outside of my regular service?” Some companies have prices that do not include taxes or other surcharges that your bill will incur… Continue reading

It’s not always feasible to establish voice, Data and/or Internet connectivity using landline and cable connections. Often, connection must be established in a very short time frame or it must be established hundreds of miles away from the closest wired connection.With rapidly evolving technological advancements being brought to market on a daily basis it can be hard to keep up with the most current technology that can provide your needs with viable and cost effective solutions. In the past emergency operations and large scale operations on the outskirts of modern civilization have relied on crude methods of communications but with the advancement of technology there has been an explosion in-field demands to be able to communicate data in a consistent and efficient manner. In short; companies need to communicate and transfer data in real time.Satellites are not new to the world of technology and we’ve been putting them into space for many years. However, the use of satellite communication for corporate connections has only recently become a stable and attainable solution for many emergency and business situations. If you are in charge of setting up communication operations for a business involved in mining, oil and gas exploration, agriculture, travel, forestry or emergency response services you already understand the complexities of ensuring your people can communicate needs in a timely manner.With commercial satellite solutions it’s possible to get field office connectivity along with remote office connectivity. You can achieve 2-way high-speed commercial satellite solutions in conjunction with complete design and development of Global WANs. It’s even possible to obtain undersea cable and fiber integrated solutions, which pretty much goes to show that any solution is possible with Satellite solutions. Whether you are in a remote part of the world or at the bottom… Continue reading

As I assist people in signing up for Satellite Internet Providers, I sometimes forget how much time and aggravation the rural consumer goes through to find a High Speed Internet Provider in their area.Here are a few tips and comparisons that may shorten, and hopefully solve some of the headaches associated with trying to find a Broadband Internet Provider.Cable Internet ProvidersCable Internet providers usually have Internet speeds around 5-megabytes or 5,000-kilobytes. Some of the more well-known providers are Cox, Charter and Comcast. Mainly, these companies will always attempt to bundle all of their services (television, phone and Internet). I would strongly caution against bundling services and here is why. In order to get any type of price break on anything through a cable company, you will be required to carry multiple services. Discontinue one of them and except to have your rates immediately skyrocket. If you have a cable outage, (the average cable company loses service approximately 23-hours per year), you run the risk of being without Internet, television and phone. Cable companies as many of you know are not regulated by anyone and often raise rates regardless of any promotion you may be in.DSL Service ProvidersDSL service providers offer wide ranging speeds, very much faster than dialup providers, but not quite as fast as cable providers. DSL speeds are usually in the 3-megabyte range or 3,000-kilobytes. DSL speeds and prices can vary greatly depending on where you live. Prices for part of your town may be higher than other parts, pay attention for that. Some DSL providers are also starting to bundle services, AT&T, Verizon and Qwest are three that will attempt to bundle a combination of Internet, television and phone. Many will only give an advertised promotional price if you… Continue reading