To what extent does Hughesnet require a phone line?
Hughesnet is amongst the top satellite internet service providers in the USA with satellites in geostationary orbit to offer Internet solutions in the country. Satellite internet is useful for customers who want broadband internet in areas where cable and DSL internet are not available.
The most frequent query that users make when it comes to satellite internet is whether the satellite internet needs a phone line for it to operate. The short answer that Hughesnet satellite internet does not require a phone line may, however, come as a surprise to some readers. Here is a closer look at why satellite internet does not require a telephone line and how people get connected to the internet without one.
How Satellite Internet Works
Satellite internet is much more diverse from cable or DSL internet services because it does not use the existing telephone or cable lines to provide the connection. Satellite internet has the customer sending information through a small satellite dish that is installed in the home’s exterior to an orbiting satellite. This outgoing request goes to the satellite and is then relayed to a related ground station.
The ground station has a direct fiber optic connection with the Internet connection and it downloads the demanded information that enables it to transmit that information up to the satellite that is in orbit. It transmits the response that includes the data the customer has requested back down to the customer’s satellite dish and into the customer’s home network.
This method of using radio signals between the customer’s home, the orbiting satellites, and other ground stations makes it possible for satellite internet to be provided without having to put up phone lines or cable lines right to the customer’s home. The radio link as mentioned above offers the two-way communication required for connecting to the Internet.
Hughesnet Hardware
The Hughesnet equipment set up at a customer's home consists of:
- Satellite Dish – The small dish, which is on average 2 ft in diameter, captures and relays signals, and those between the satellite and Hughesnet satellite orbiting the earth. It links up with the modem through the use of coaxial cable.
- Hughesnet Modem – The device links to the satellite dish through cable coaxial and on the other end has an Ethernet cable. It accommodates electronics for encoding data inquiry signals and decoding internet data from satellites.
- Wireless Router (Optional) – Although not necessary, most customers plug a wireless router into the Hughesnet modem’s Ethernet port which allows more wireless capability of the satellite internet and to share it through multiple devices in the household.
With these core components, Hughesnet interacts with the client through satellite-based internet without being forced to be linked with the phone line or cable line of the house. The satellite dish lets access data requests and Internet data transferred wirelessly between the customer’s home and the satellites orbiting in space via radio signals instead of cables.
Why There Is No Need to Have a Phone Line Connection
The fact that Hughesnet internet does not require a phone line offers certain benefits:
- Accessibility – Hughesnet does not depend on phone lines hence it is capable of providing broadband speeds to every corner of the region that has a southward visibility towards the equator. This makes it possible to get an internet connection in some areas of the rural sector where phone lines have not penetrated before.
- Mobility - It means that service does not need physical wires coming to the house which makes it easier when moving from one location to another. The customer can easily relocate to a new house in the countryside and get a Hughesnet service by reestablishing the equipment as compared to getting a new phone or cable connection in the new house.
- Cost Savings -Most of the phone line installation and phone service are done off hence using a phone line free service such as Hughesnet satellite internet. Also, further phone service is not required for functionality, along with Hughesnet internet service.
- Reliability – Satellites do not use physical cables and wireless transmission of signals through the air, hence the effects of storms that may bring down the telephone cables are not a major threat to satellite provision of services. In some cases, the signals transmitted by satellites have better resiliency.
In conclusion, Hughesnet provides high-speed home broadband service through a satellite internet connection in space and hence, there is no need to use the phone line of the customer to connect him/her to the internet. The satellite equipment helps in the transmission of all the data through radio waves and hence through the air. Through this radio link, Hughesnet satellite internet consumers can access the service which would otherwise be expensive and cumbersome to install phone lines.
