Can You Game With Satellite Internet?

Want to know if you can play Fortnite or another video game?

Although the easy answer to can you game with satellite Internet should be yes, the reality is that it depends. If you want to replace your conventional broadband connection with another type of service, then satellite Internet is a great idea. As satellite broadband signals come from space, local conditions that affect other Internet solutions are no longer an issue. What's more, high-speed satellite Internet is accessible almost everywhere in Ireland, even in rural areas where broadband speeds are typically slow. If you want to watch streaming with satellite Internet or download games for your console, satellite Internet is a perfect choice. However, if you want to play live games, there are some precautionary measures to ensure optimum speed. Also, you'll need to be selective regarding which games to play since the gaming experience with satellite can be different. Read on to learn more about how you can game with satellite Internet.

How Can You Game With Satellite Internet?

If you already use Wi-Fi at home to connect your gaming console, then you'll appreciate that there is no difference when gaming with Konnect's satellite Internet. The same applies whether you play games with a virtual reality gaming headset, a smartphone, a Mac or a PC. There are no discernible differences from a gamer's point of view. To start gaming, it's as simple as connecting to the Wi-Fi and entering the passcode!

The main difference between satellite Internet and cable broadband is that the router itself connects to a satellite dish. As such, your service will be very different after it leaves your home or office, but very similar within it. Instead of passing data packets up and down through a wire or a fibre-optic cable, they are transmitted to a satellite in space. The signal is then relayed back down to the Earth. Although the signal travels 72,000 km incredibly fast, you might experience slight latency between 0.6 to 0.7 seconds. That's why you should choose your games carefully when using high-speed satellite Internet for your gaming connection.

As you should expect, satellite Internet is secure and encrypts player information. With average speeds of up to 75 Mbps, one or two gamers should have sufficient bandwidth to play different games simultaneously.

Whether a satellite Internet connection will deliver sufficient speeds and reliability for gaming will depend on the types of games you enjoy the most. The kinds of games that will work best over a satellite connection include:

Real-time strategy games, such as Age of Empires II
Sandbox games, like Minecraft
Role-playing games (RPGs and ARPGs)
Massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPG), like Final Fantasy
Puzzles and party games

Due to latency, we do not recommend satellite Internet for playing the following types of games:

Shooting games (FPS and TPS)
Multiplayer online battle arena games (MOBA)
Sports simulations, such as FIFA

We also recommend avoiding games that do not allow you to adjust graphics settings. Being able to fine-tune your games so that they run well at all times is important with all broadband connections, including satellite Internet.

How To Make Satellite Internet Better For Gaming?

Knowing how to make satellite Internet better for gaming may be just as important as knowing which games work best on it. First, you need a good connection between your home dish and the satellite itself. To achieve this, the proper installation of your dish is key. So lining up your dish correctly with the satellite in geostationary orbit is how you can get the best satellite Internet connection speed. Professional engineers will do this for Konnect's customers if they choose in order to optimise performance and lessen the chance of packet loss — data that never reaches the server — when transmitting data.

Here are some other tips to increase your Internet connection speed:

Make sure the Wi-Fi connection from the router is free from any blockages.
Connect your gaming console with an Ethernet cable for the fastest speeds.
When using Wi-Fi, keep the line of communication as short and direct as possible between the router and your device.

It is also good to make sure that you do not have too many devices connected to the Internet all at once. For example, disconnect laptops and disable software updates while gaming. You can devote more of your connection's bandwidth to gaming this way.

How Fast Are Satellite Internet Connections For Gaming?

High-speed satellite Internet for gaming is finally here! Our highest download speed on offer reaches up to 75 Mbps. However, upload speeds are much lower at up to 3 Mbps. If you find that your data allowance is consumed too quickly each month and that the speeds are not quick enough for the sorts of games you enjoy playing, then consider upgrading your package to one that offers more priority data per month to improve your satellite Internet speed. It's a great way to ensure optimal speeds while adapting your gaming habits to satellite Internet. If you want to upgrade your broadband package, contact us today.