Best satellite internet for online gaming 2013

A little science tells us that the speed of light is , miles per second. You start the match by dropping down onto the map, and as you fly down toward the surface, you notice other players seemingly warping around you. You shrug and continue on. You land. You loot the nearest building and pick up a few guns — just in time, too, as you hear shots ring outside.

Very quickly, you take a peek out a nearby window and spot an enemy. And just as quickly, you duck back into cover. Half a second later, you die. What gives? You start out by zipping toward the ball, but soon realize something is amiss.

Every few seconds, your car traces its path backward — almost like someone hit a rewind button — before teleporting back to its original point.

It does this the entire match, and the next match afterward. It makes the game unplayable. The truth is, you were actually shot through the window. Latency will disrupt just about any competitive online video game. That includes Apex Legends and Rocket League, which we mentioned above.

And few things can match the feeling of squaring off against someone of equal skill, taking the time to figure out their approach, and managing to squeak out a victory.

Luckily, both satellite internet providers in the US offer faster speeds than that. HughesNet connects you at 25 Mbps, no matter what plan you choose. Viasat formerly Exede goes up to Mbps—a speed that rivals cable internet. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. But the reality is that both internet companies may slow your speed after you hit your data allotment each month.

Viasat will slow your speed during times of high network traffic once you hit 40 to GB of data. The amount of data you get before your internet starts crawling along depends on the plan you purchase—the more expensive the plan, the more unthrottled data you get. Again, the amount of data you get depends on which plan you pay for. If you go over that data cap, your speeds will slow to about 1 to 3 Mbps until the billing cycle ends.

If you live in an area where satellite data is under-utilized, then there might not be much congestion and you might not experience slowed speeds.

You can buy extra data from both Viasat and HughesNet, so if slow speeds will interfere with work or school, you can add extra full speed data to fix the issue. Playing online games uses only 34 MB of data per hour—which makes it a fairly low-data activity. Browsing the internet, for example, uses MB per hour, and streaming video content in 4K uses a walloping 6.

But downloading games can really use a lot of data. Games like Animal Crossing are a lot smaller Animal Crossing is 6. Because downloading games eats up so much data, we always recommend buying a physical copy of a game if you can. With its new Viasat-2 satellite system, it ramps up to Mbps in some parts of the country, while HughesNet tops out at 25 Mbps. Even so, data caps and speed are still worth considering while you decide on a satellite internet plan.

Imagine you ordered a chocolate shake, but there were no big straws, and you had to suck all that chocolatey goodness through a coffee stirrer-sized straw. Talk about frustrating. Big or small, your straw is always the same length, so your milkshake or internet data always travels the same distance to get to you. But getting more data at once with a higher speed will help downloads go faster and graphics look better. Downloading games will be a problem with satellite internet since downloading uses so much data, so we recommend you get a physical copy of the game to save on data rather than buying the digital version.

Shooter games will not work well because of the inherent latency with all satellite internet connections. But there are games that will work with satellite internet, including the games we listed above as the best games for satellite internet.

The good news is you can still play some games online with satellite internet. You just have to jump through a few hoops to do it. Accessed August 25, Kids these days are flossing everywhere. Using data from Google Trends, we found that Fortnite ranked as the most popular video game search across 20 states.

That makes sense. According to Business Insider , Fortnite has million players worldwide, which is roughly the same amount as two-thirds of the US population. According to GlobalData, the gaming industry is worth hundreds of billions of dollars. Scientific studies show that children who play a lot of video games may have better social skills and fewer peer problems than their non-gaming peers. Keeping the price of daily entertainment down is a major draw of video games. Given that info, it makes sense that the most popular video games are both affordable and social.

Every single game on our ranked list can be played with multiple people online. But Fortnite is not the only game getting some major search love across the nation. Following behind Fortnite , the second-most searched game was Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, which was the most popular video game in eight states. The next highest-ranking games, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Rocket League , are both tried-and-true favorites in the multiplayer world.

Cheers to endless social entertainment on the cheap—and to all the Fortnite fans: floss on! How Satellite Internet works Before getting into details about why satellite internet is still not the best option for online gaming, we have to know how satellite internet works. This usually takes a few milliseconds but for online gaming, this can be catastrophic.

You can read more on how satellite internet works on our comprehensive guide. Satellite Internet for gaming — Latency The delay on an internet connection to go from point A to B is called Latency. Besides FPS, racing and fighting games are the ones that need the lowest latency possible. Satellite internet for gaming — Any hope for the near future? Currently, Satellite Internet providers are working to place satellites closer to earth.

What alternatives do I have? Call now for more information. Order the fastest satellite internet Call toll free and one of our experts can help you right away. New deals. More articles. How to get the best Satellite Internet in Texas.

Unlimited Satellite Internet — 3 interesting facts to take into consideration. Viasat Services.