There are places in Indonesia that fibre doesn't reach, where mobile signal is thin or absent entirely. Small islands, plantations, mine sites, guesthouses on mountainsides, boats.
For those places, satellite is often the only option left. It's also the most misunderstood, because its reputation was formed by an earlier generation of technology that has changed considerably.
Two very different types
The orbit difference determines nearly everything you feel day to day.
| High orbit (GEO) | Low orbit (LEO) | |
|---|---|---|
| Altitude | Around 36,000 km | A few hundred km |
| Latency | 600 ms and up | 25–60 ms |
| Video meetings | Feels laboured | Generally comfortable |
| Number of satellites | Few, fixed in place | Many, constantly moving |
| Dish aiming | Fixed, set once | Tracking, automatic |
The reputation that "satellite internet is slow and laggy" comes from high orbit. The distance means data travels 72,000 kilometres round trip — a limit of physics no technology can fix.
Low-orbit satellites change this fundamentally. Latency drops into a range where online conversation feels normal. The trade-off is that because the satellites move quickly, it takes a great many of them plus a dish that continuously switches targets.
The requirement that isn't negotiable
This is the most underestimated part, and the number one cause of disappointment after installation.
The dish needs a genuinely clear view of the sky. Not merely "fairly open". A single tree branch crossing the line of sight is enough to cause repeated multi-second drops.
What makes it hard to identify: the disruption isn't continuous. The satellites keep moving, so drops only happen when the satellite currently in use passes behind the obstruction. The symptom feels random, and is often mistaken for faulty hardware.
- A tree that doesn't obstruct today may obstruct in six months
- A neighbour's roof being raised changes the situation
- Poles, power lines, and water towers all matter
Most providers offer an obstruction checker through a phone app. Use it at several spots before deciding where to mount, not afterwards.
A roof is almost always better than a garden. Besides keeping the dish away from trees, height reduces the chance of being blocked by buildings put up later. The cost of a proper mast and installation is worth it against years of chasing intermittent drops.
Rain and its effect
Satellite signals use high frequencies that water absorbs. During heavy rain, speed falls and the connection can cut — a symptom known as rain fade.
In Indonesia this deserves accounting for, particularly in the wet season and in high-rainfall areas. What to know:
- The disruption usually lasts through the heaviest rain, then recovers by itself
- Thick cloud without rain generally has little effect
- Proper installation reduces but doesn't eliminate it
- The dish needs to shed water and not hold pools
If your symptom is a connection worsening in rain on a cabled service, the cause is entirely different and covered in the guide to internet problems when it rains.
What to check before subscribing
Availability at your exact coordinates
Satellite coverage isn't uniform and capacity per area is limited. Some providers close sign-ups in areas already at capacity, and what decides it is coordinates, not the city name.
Total cost, not just the monthly bill
The hardware is expensive upfront. Count equipment, shipping, mast, and installation before comparing against other options.
Usage limits and prioritisation
Many plans lower your priority past a certain allowance, especially at peak hours. Ask for the figure in writing.
Upload speed
Generally much lower than download. If you attend online meetings or upload files often, check this first — the guide to bandwidth, latency, and throughput.
Power requirements
Satellite equipment draws far more power than an ordinary router, and more still when heating itself in cold weather. At solar-powered sites, this is a decisive calculation.
Check these before choosing satellite
Satellite should be the choice after two other options are genuinely confirmed unavailable, because both are far cheaper.
- Fibre from local providers. Don't stop at the large ones. Many areas have local providers whose coverage isn't listed anywhere except by word of mouth.
- Mobile with an external antenna. This is the most frequently missed option. Signal that's useless indoors is often good enough on the roof with a directional antenna, at a fraction of satellite's cost — the considerations are in the guide to choosing a MiFi or 4G router.
If neither genuinely exists, satellite becomes the sensible choice. The comparison between fibre and mobile for areas that have both is in the guide to 5G home internet vs fibre.
After installation
Satellite equipment only provides the connection to the internet. The Wi-Fi side inside the building follows the same rules as any other connection, and is often the real bottleneck wrongly blamed on the satellite.
- The router bundled with satellite equipment is usually basic. For buildings larger than one room, add your own access points — the guide to mesh, repeaters, and access points.
- The dish often sits on a roof, far from where people work. Run LAN cable to the centre of the building and put an access point there — the guide to choosing LAN cable.
- In areas with frequent power cuts, provide backup power. Satellite equipment draws a lot, so recalculate the capacity — the guide to a UPS for your router.
Who it genuinely suits
Satellite makes most sense for locations with no other option at all: small islands, plantations, project sites, remote guesthouses, and boats. For those places it turns something impossible into something possible.
For locations still within reach of mobile or fibre, satellite is almost always more expensive with no better result. Checking those two options first — properly, including trying an external antenna — is usually worth the time it takes.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between low and high orbit satellites?
High-orbit satellites sit around 36,000 kilometres above Earth, so latency is 600 milliseconds or more and feels heavy in conversation. Low-orbit satellites sit only a few hundred kilometres up, bringing latency down to roughly 25 to 60 milliseconds.
Is satellite internet affected by rain?
Yes, and the symptom is distinctive: speed drops or the connection cuts during heavy rain, then recovers by itself once it eases. It's called rain fade, and can't be eliminated entirely — only reduced through proper installation.
Does it really need a completely clear view of the sky?
Yes, and this is the most underestimated requirement. A single tree branch crossing the line of sight is enough to cause repeated multi-second drops, and the cause is hard to identify because it doesn't happen continuously.
Is satellite suitable for online gaming?
With low-orbit satellites, games that aren't timing-critical are generally comfortable. For competitive games demanding fast reactions, the latency and jitter are still noticeable compared with fibre.
