The biggest disadvantage of Viasat satellite internet is its slow speed and poor customer support.
For people living in rural areas who cannot access cable or fiber-optic internet connection, Viasat may come across as the solution to getting the proper internet speed. However, should you look at the customers’ experiences in terms of the service being offered, definitely one weakness is apparent: limited data usage.
What Are Data Caps?
A data cap is essentially a limit to the amount of data that a particular customer is allowed to use, especially in a given month, beyond which the internet speed will be significantly slowed or the user will be charged additional fees. Most of its plans offer a data limit of between 10 and 20 GB, depending on the plan one subscribes to. Exceed that usage and your internet speeds are reduced to a practically negligible 1–5 Mbps.”
This might sound like enough data on its surface. However, with more and more activities taking place online, it becomes very simple to go through the bandwidth so quickly through streaming videos, gaming or even just scrolling through social media. Just for perspective, you may find yourself consuming 10GB of data in a few hours if you are streaming HD video; goodness knows how long you are streaming SD video.
This paper focuses on the topic of the Impact of Restrictive Data Caps.
Whenever you exceed your data limit, all forms of activities on the internet become nearly impossible when the internet speed is low. Wheelspin in your browser as you attempt to watch an episode of your favorite series on Netflix. Web browsing is interfered with in that page-related pages take a long time to load. Gaming or video calls even become nearly an option.
These restrictive data policies effectively penalize you for typical and reasonable browsing behaviors. You can either spend hours checking the usage statistics in order not to go over your daily allowance or face $10 charges for every extra gigabyte consumed. It is an uncomfortable position, especially for satellite internet customers who are mostly in rural areas that may not have many options.
Seeking Out Alternatives
Such an environment where satellite internet appears to be the only viable solution for high-speed internet access in your area can make Viasat look attractive at first sight. But it is important to know about such restrictive data policies and how you may shift from comfortable browsing speeds to disappointments in a matter of moments. That is why it is very advisable to study all your possible Internet Service Providers. Fixed wireless or other community broadband initiatives may be better for your rural internet requirements, with limited caps becoming problematic.
High-speed internet enables us to deliver our duties, conduct lessons, and even binge-watch series in the comfort of our homes. Be sure to give equal consideration to all aspects of Viasat’s internet plans so that you are not limited by such a small data cap when meeting your online pursuits!