VSAT stands for Very Small Aperture Terminal. VSAT is of importance, especially in remote areas such as the hilly mountain regions, where Internet connectivity cannot be directly provided. There is no option left in such places through which the Internet can be accessed anyway. These places could be the Ocean region and the Sea region, where the citizens have a lack of utilities. In such cases, VSAT is one of the technologies that make Internet Connectivity possible so that people can access it. All the work is carried out in a workstation group where the sending and receiving of signals takes place. The data such as audio, video, etc, can be sent and received. Therefore, VSAT is considered to be a private Earth Station. This Earth Station is designed in a way such that the signals are transmitted and received with the help of satellites. The term ‘Very Small’ in VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal ) refers to the antenna size that is very small.
VSAT
Characteristics of VSAT:
- VSAT is a two-way communication earth satellite station that has an antenna of less than 3 meters.
- The size of the VSAT antenna may vary from 75 cm to 1.2 meters.
- The data ranges between 4 kilobytes per second to 16 megabytes per second in VSAT.
Working for VSAT:
- The end user of the set requires a box that acts as an interface between the user and its system.
- The box consists of an antenna and a transceiver.
- The work of this transceiver is to send and receive signals to and from the transponder located in space.
- Every workstation works like a hub. The satellite sends or receives a signal from it.
- Each user is connected to each of the interconnected hub stations and operates in the form of a Star Topology (There is a server in between and all the nodes are connected to it, forming a star-like figure).
- With this medium, we can transmit data, voice, and video signals.
Advantages of VSAT:
- VSAT Terminals and its Hardware can be installed in vehicles such as Trucks or Vans and can also be used in situations where mobility is a need.
- Audio, Video, and data signals can be transmitted and received efficiently.
- Internet Access: A VSAT Network also serves to provide internet access in addition to pointing to a WAN link.
- It is set in the consumer broadband industry to make it the leading major wave. VSAT network provides an “Always on” broadband Internet Service.
- Information from remote locations can be accessed using satellites.
- It is more used for connectivity in rural areas, ships, and coastal regions.
- Mobile access is another conventional strength of satellite networks. For example, we can do online surfing, watch TV, use applications, and much more.
- VSAT Networks are not affected by earthquakes, Cyclones, and other natural calamities.
- VSAT Networks, with a low-cost architecture and extra powerful systems, share digital information.
Disadvantages of VSAT:
- Delay: VSAT Technology uses satellites in Geosynchronous orbit. This type of data transmission has an approximate delay of about 500 milliseconds for each round trip. It introduces a problem with the application that requires a consistent transmission.
- Environmental conditions: Like other satellite systems, the VSAT network may also get affected by the weather and other environmental conditions. The signal strength may be weak at times, although it depends upon the size of the antenna, frequency band, and the power of the transmitters.
- Clear view: Since VSAT requires an external antenna, therefore to contact the satellite, the location must have a clear view of the southern sky.