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Satellite internet sends your data by radio from a home terminal to an orbiting satellite, then through a ground gateway or, on some networks, optical links between satellites, before joining the ordinary terrestrial internet. Orbit height influences the signal’s propagation delay, but your real-world latency also depends on gateways, routing, radio scheduling, processing, network load, Wi-Fi, and the destination server. A service map only shows that a provider serves an area; trees, buildings, terrain, rain, snow, hail, and storms near ground stations can still interrupt a particular installation.
How does satellite internet work?
A satellite connection replaces the cable, fiber, or cellular tower used for the access leg of a conventional broadband connection. Your router sends a packet to an outdoor terminal (often called a dish, antenna, or user terminal). The terminal converts the packet into a radio signal and aims it at a satellite that is visible from your location.
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1. The terminal reaches a satellite
The terminal and satellite maintain a radio link while the satellite moves across the sky. Modern electronically steered terminals can track satellites without a person manually pointing the antenna each time. The radio link carries both your outgoing request and the returning data, so signal quality affects browsing, calls, streaming, and every other application.
2. The network routes traffic to the internet
Once a satellite receives your packet, the network must get it to an internet connection point. One route sends the packet down to a ground gateway, across the provider’s terrestrial network, and onward to the requested website or service. Some constellations can pass traffic over optical inter-satellite links before handing it to a gateway. The path can therefore include several satellites, a gateway, provider routers, and public internet networks before the destination responds.
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3. The response follows a return path
Data from the destination travels back through the provider’s network, to a gateway or inter-satellite link, up to a satellite, and down to your terminal. Your router then delivers it to a phone, computer, television, or other device. The complete experience is determined by this entire round trip, not by the satellite hop alone.
Why does satellite internet have latency?
Latency is the delay before a response arrives. Starlink defines it as “the amount of time, usually measured in milliseconds, that it takes for a packet to be sent from your Starlink router to the internet and for the response to be received” in its latency report. That is a round-trip time (RTT), not a download-speed measurement.
Orbit height sets the propagation distance
A signal has to travel to a satellite and back down, so a higher orbit creates a longer minimum path. Starlink’s technology overview describes its low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellites at about 550 kilometres and contrasts them with geostationary (GEO) satellites at 35,786 kilometres. Those are explanatory orbit figures published by the company, not independent measurements of every network.
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| Orbit example | Altitude stated by Starlink | Latency implication |
|---|---|---|
| LEO | About 550 km | Shorter propagation distance can reduce the signal portion of delay. |
| GEO | 35,786 km | Much longer path creates a higher minimum propagation delay. |
Starlink’s latency report says the user-to-satellite-to-ground propagation portion is usually under 10 milliseconds RTT on its network. That figure describes one part of the path; it is not a promised ping for a customer.
What else adds to end-to-end delay?
- Gateway location: A distant or congested gateway can add terrestrial travel and queuing time.
- Routing: The provider may send traffic through several networks before it reaches the destination.
- Inter-satellite links: Optical links can avoid an immediate ground hop, but the route still has processing and switching delays.
- Radio scheduling: Satellites share capacity among users and schedule transmissions.
- Processing: Terminals, satellites, gateways, and routers each need time to handle packets.
- Local network conditions: Wi-Fi interference, a busy home router, or a distant game or video server can dominate the final RTT.
Latency is especially noticeable in two-way activities. A video call can feel awkward when speech arrives late, and online games can register an action after an opponent’s system has already changed state. Throughput and latency describe different properties: a connection can download quickly while still responding slowly, or respond promptly while having limited capacity.
What latency numbers can you realistically expect?
Published figures need a date, geography, measurement method, and provider attribution. Starlink’s specifications page lists 25–60 ms land latency and 100+ ms in certain remote locations. These are company-listed ranges; the page cautions that actual performance varies by location and plan.
| Figure | Scope and qualification |
|---|---|
| Under 10 ms RTT | Starlink’s stated user-to-satellite-to-ground propagation portion; not a customer’s complete internet ping. |
| 25–60 ms | Starlink-listed land-latency range; company figure that varies by location and plan. |
| 100+ ms | Starlink-listed latency for certain remote locations. |
| 25.7 ms median peak-hour latency | Starlink’s US performance report for 2025; a dated company metric, not a global or cross-provider result. |
| Nearly 200 Mbps median download | Starlink’s July 2025 aggregate across more than 2 million active US customers during peak demand; not an individual speed guarantee. |
The company’s latency report samples anonymized router measurements every 15 seconds and focuses on peak usage from 6–9 p.m. local time. Earlier figures in that report are historical. For a current expectation, check the provider’s latest performance information for your address and plan rather than applying a US median or a propagation estimate to every location.
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Is satellite internet available at my address?
“Coverage” has two separate meanings. First, a provider may accept service orders in your country, region, or address. Second, your proposed terminal location must be able to see enough sky to maintain a usable radio path. A footprint on an availability map answers the first question only. Maps and plan rules can change, so enter the exact service address in the provider’s current availability checker before buying equipment.
Sky visibility is an installation requirement
Trees, roofs, buildings, poles, and nearby hills can block a satellite as it moves across the sky. A location that looks open in one direction may still have repeated blockages in another. Starlink says its terminals build an obstruction map and automatically switch between satellites. Switching can reduce the effect of a blocked path, but the company still recommends a completely clear view of the sky; if all available paths are blocked, brief interruptions can occur.
Use an obstruction check before mounting
- Stand where you intend to place the terminal, with the proposed height and surrounding objects in view.
- Use the provider’s obstruction tool in its mobile app, where available. Starlink’s guidance explains how to use its app-based obstruction map at this support page.
- Scan the entire visible sky rather than checking only the direction of the nearest satellite.
- Move the proposed location or raise the mount if the scan identifies trees, rooflines, poles, or terrain in the required field of view.
- After installation, review obstruction events in the app and compare their timing with any service interruptions.
Mounting higher can clear a roof or tree, but a mount cannot create service where the provider does not offer coverage. It also cannot compensate for severe weather or a congested network.
Does rain affect satellite internet?
Yes. Water, ice, and hail can weaken a radio link, a phenomenon known as attenuation. Starlink’s weather support page states: “Significant weather can cause service degradation due to attenuation of the radio signals.” It specifically warns that moderate to heavy rain, snow, and hail can cause momentary service dropouts. See the weather guidance for the company’s explanation.
Why precipitation causes interruptions
Precipitation absorbs and scatters some of the radio energy between the terminal and satellite. A light shower may have little visible effect, while a dense downpour, wet snow, or hail can reduce the link margin enough for packets to be delayed or lost. The threshold is not universal: frequency, storm intensity, path length, antenna design, and network scheduling all matter.
Weather near a ground station matters too
Your terminal can have a clear sky while a storm affects a gateway serving your traffic. A provider may reroute around a weather-affected site, but the available route and its capacity determine whether you notice slower service or an interruption. The official guidance does not specify a universal outage duration or precipitation threshold, so do not treat any minute-by-minute recovery estimate as a guarantee. Service may recover as conditions pass, but the exact result depends on the storm, route, installation, terminal, and network.
How to separate weather, obstructions, and network congestion
- Weather pattern: Problems begin during heavy rain, snow, or hail and improve as the storm moves away.
- Obstruction pattern: Short, repeated interruptions occur under similar satellite positions or at similar times each day, often with an obstruction warning in the app.
- Network pattern: Latency or speed worsens during busy evening hours without a corresponding obstruction or storm.
- Home-network pattern: Only devices on one Wi-Fi band or in one room fail, while the terminal’s status remains normal.
Keep a short log of the time, weather, app status, and affected devices. That record helps distinguish a blocked view from a provider-side event before you relocate equipment or change plans.
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What a satellite internet installation needs
- Address confirmation: Verify that the provider accepts your exact address and that the chosen plan is available there.
- Unobstructed site: Select a position with the clearest practical view of the sky, not merely a spot that is easy to reach.
- Stable mounting: Use a compatible mount and follow the terminal’s installation instructions. Confirm that the mount does not introduce a new roofline or tree blockage.
- Power and cable route: Place the power equipment where it can remain dry and where the supplied cable can reach without sharp bends or damage.
- App verification: Run the obstruction assessment, complete activation, and check that the terminal reports a normal connection before securing all cabling.
- Ongoing checks: Recheck the view if trees grow, construction changes the skyline, or seasonal snow covers the installation area.
How to compare satellite services without misleading numbers
Do not rank providers from orbit altitude alone. For any address, evaluate the following items together:
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- Latency evidence: Typical and peak-hour RTT, the geography measured, and whether the number is a company estimate or an independent test.
- Availability: Address-level ordering status, not just a national or regional coverage color.
- Sky-view requirement: The size of the clear-sky area, obstruction warnings, and available mounting options.
- Weather resilience: How the provider describes precipitation attenuation, gateway diversity, and restoration during storms.
- Capacity and priority: Advertised speed range, peak-hour policies, data limits, and whether traffic is deprioritized when the network is busy.
- Total cost: Equipment, installation or mounting, monthly service, taxes, and any location-specific fees.
These factors are not interchangeable. A lower-orbit network may offer a shorter propagation path yet still show a high ping to a distant destination. A fast plan may slow during peak demand if many users share the same beam. A covered address may remain unreliable if the only practical mounting site is behind trees.
Common failure modes and what to do
“The map says I am covered, but the terminal keeps dropping.”
Run the obstruction scan again and inspect the full field of view for trees, poles, roof edges, and terrain. If the app reports blocked paths, test a different position or a higher, safely installed mount. Satellite switching helps only when another usable path is available.
“The connection fails only during storms.”
Check whether the timing matches moderate or heavy rain, snow, or hail. Record whether the interruption ends as precipitation eases. If the terminal has a clear view and the weather is local, remember that a storm near a gateway can also affect your route.
“Calls and games feel slow even though downloads are fast.”
Measure RTT separately from throughput. Test during and outside the provider’s stated peak period, and consider the destination server and home Wi-Fi. A high download rate does not remove delay introduced by routing, scheduling, processing, or distance to the service you are using.
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“The advertised latency does not match my result.”
Check the figure’s date, country, plan, and measurement method. Starlink’s 25.7 ms US median is a 2025 peak-hour company report, while its 25–60 ms land range is a specification that varies by location and plan. Neither is a guarantee for every address or destination.
The practical takeaway
Satellite broadband is a chain of radio and terrestrial links. Lower orbit height can reduce propagation delay, but gateways, routing, scheduling, processing, congestion, Wi-Fi, and the destination determine the complete RTT. Coverage maps confirm potential service, not a clear view from your roof. Use an obstruction scan before mounting, expect significant precipitation to cause occasional degradation, and interpret every speed or latency number with its provider, date, geography, and measurement context.
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