Satellite Internet access on a Mac, part II: the Hughes HN7000S modem
Posted by Dennis Sellers 
Jan 28, 2007 at 6:43am
Yesterday I started a series on satellite Internet on the Mac, using my newly installed broadband satellite through HughesNet. Part 1 looked at the costs; today we’ll look at the modem itself: the HughesNet HN7000S modem, which obviously receives and transmits data over the satellite through the HughesNet network.
The HN7000S, which was released last July, is compatible with Mac and Windows operating systems and connects effortlessly with your computer via an Ethernet connection (Monday I’ll go through the installation process, and offer some tips you need to know if you sign up for the HughesNet service). The HN7000S is self-hosting, and there’s no software to load. The modem automatically upgrades software when new versions become available. And, unlike with Internet satellite set-ups in the past, no phone line is needed. The modem uses two-way satellite communication for setup and operation. HughesNetT delivers high-speed Internet access totally via satellite, so need neither a phone line nor dial-up data modem.
While the HN7000S is a big improvement (or so I’m told) over its predecessors, like all satellite Internet systems, you’ll have to deal with transmission latency. Latency refers to the amount of time it takes a packet of data to travel across a network. With satellite service, that data makes a pretty long journey, traveling up to the satellite and back (about 45,000 miles). This round trip adds about a half a second delay to the total time your computer takes to communicate with a web site or host server. Most back-office applications, e-commerce transactions, and common business applications work just fine over HughesNet. Business applications that require response times in fractions-of-a-second (such as web hosting, VoIP, and video conferencing) aren’t recommended over satellite.
I’ve tried VoIP and video conferencing, and they work with the HughesNet system, but not smoothly. My son Matt and his friend Jake are planning to give online gaming a whirl. Again, it’s not recommended and I’m dubious they’ll have much luck, but I’ll pass along their results when they finished their experiments.
Can you run a VPN using HughesNet for business? Yep, but running a VPN client over satellite isn’t an ideal configuration. If you choose to run VPN over satellite, your data speeds may be reduced by as much as 50–75 percent. Of course, you can restore your connection to full speed by simply disabling your VPN client when your session is over. However, HughesNet technical support does not provide help with configuring or troubleshooting problems associated with VPN clients. However, part II: HughesNet does offer an end-to-end VPN accelerator solution for large corporations and government agencies. This accelerator delivers higher connection speeds over VPN. Go here for more info.
One final note: the HN7000 unit lets users take advantage of the second generation satellite broadband application “DVB-S2,” which provides enhancements through increased NOC capacity and out-route traffic. In addition, the new application will allow the system to adjust to obtain the best transmission rates.
Monday: setting up a home network with multiple computers on the HughesNet system.
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Dennis Sellers
Dennis has been a newspaper editor/reporter (seven years) and teacher (seven years). He has over 4,000 magazine, newspaper and online articles to his credit. He has also covered the Mac and tech industries for over a decade for such online publications as MacCentral, MacMinute and now MacsimumNews.
