Satellite Speed Test: Measure Starlink & GEO Latency
Test Starlink LEO and GEO satellite broadband. Measure orbital propagation delay, rain-fade throughput, dish alignment, and packet loss.
Satellite Broadband (LEO Starlink / GEO Viasat & HughesNet) Overview: Satellite internet connects remote locations to the global internet via spaceborne communication satellites. Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellations like Starlink orbit at ~550 km, delivering 50 Mbps to 220 Mbps with 25 ms to 45 ms latency. Traditional Geostationary (GEO) satellites orbit at ~35,786 km, delivering 25 Mbps to 100 Mbps with 600 ms+ latency.
⚡ Live Satellite Broadband (LEO Starlink / GEO Viasat & HughesNet) Performance Gauge
Run real-time multi-threaded HTML5 speed, latency, jitter, and bufferbloat diagnostics on your connection.
🔬 How Satellite Broadband (LEO Starlink / GEO Viasat & HughesNet) Works: Signal Path & Latency Physics
Satellite signal latency is strictly governed by the speed of electromagnetic radiation in free space ($c \approx 300,000\text{ km/s}$). For GEO satellites at 35,786 km altitude, the 4-leg journey (User → Satellite → Ground Station → Satellite → User) creates a physical minimum round-trip propagation delay of $\approx 480\text{ ms}$, expanding to 600–800 ms with IP processing. Starlink LEO satellites orbit at 550 km, reducing physical travel time to $\approx 3.7\text{ ms}$ each way. Signals use Ku-band (12–18 GHz) and Ka-band (26–40 GHz) microwaves, which are susceptible to tropospheric rain fade and atmospheric moisture absorption.
1. User Terminal (Phased-Array Dish)
Electronically steers beam to track LEO satellites without moving parts.
2. Up/Down Space Link
Ku/Ka band microwave link traveling 550 km through the atmosphere.
3. Satellite Inter-Link / Transponder
Optical space lasers or RF transponders relaying packets between orbital nodes.
4. Earth Gateway Station
High-bandwidth ground teleport connected to terrestrial fiber backbones.
📊 2026 Satellite Broadband (LEO Starlink / GEO Viasat & HughesNet) ISP Benchmarks
Empirical speed, latency, and reliability ratings across top telecommunication providers.
Starlink (SpaceX)
LEO Constellation (~550 km)Amazon Project Kuiper
LEO Constellation (~600 km)Viasat
GEO Satellite (~35,786 km)HughesNet
GEO Satellite (~35,786 km)OneWeb
LEO Enterprise (~1,200 km)| Provider | Architecture | Avg Download | Avg Upload | Median Ping | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starlink (SpaceX) | LEO Constellation (~550 km) | 50–220 Mbps | 10–25 Mbps | 25–45 ms | 9.0 / 10 |
| Amazon Project Kuiper | LEO Constellation (~600 km) | 100–400 Mbps | 20–40 Mbps | 25–40 ms | 8.8 / 10 |
| Viasat | GEO Satellite (~35,786 km) | 25–100 Mbps | 3–5 Mbps | 600–750 ms | 6.5 / 10 |
| HughesNet | GEO Satellite (~35,786 km) | 25–50 Mbps | 3–5 Mbps | 650–800 ms | 6.2 / 10 |
| OneWeb | LEO Enterprise (~1,200 km) | 50–150 Mbps | 20–30 Mbps | 35–55 ms | 8.4 / 10 |
🛠️ Recommended Satellite Broadband (LEO Starlink / GEO Viasat & HughesNet) Diagnostic Tools
Interactive network utilities designed specifically to evaluate Satellite Broadband (LEO Starlink / GEO Viasat & HughesNet) throughput, buffering, and packet delay.
⚡ Orbit & Atmospheric Latency
Calculate LEO vs GEO physical propagation delay.
⚡ Satellite Queue Bloat Grade
Grade latency spikes during simultaneous downloads.
⚡ 4K Satellite Streaming Sizer
Forecast buffering risk on variable orbit speeds.
⚡ Priority Data Cap Tracker
Calculate usage against Starlink / Viasat priority data.
⚡ Ground Station Ping Analyzer
Measure teleport latency vs orbital delay.
⚡ Satellite VoIP & Zoom Quality
Simulate packet latency on live video calls.
📖 Related Broadband Guides & Tutorials
❓ Frequently Asked Questions: Satellite Broadband (LEO Starlink / GEO Viasat & HughesNet)
Starlink orbits in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at ~550 km above Earth, whereas HughesNet and Viasat operate in Geostationary Orbit (GEO) at 35,786 km. Light signals travel the Starlink distance in ~3.7 ms compared to ~240 ms for GEO satellites.
Yes. Heavy rain, dense storm clouds, and snow create "rain fade" by scattering and absorbing high-frequency Ku and Ka microwave signals, temporarily causing packet loss and speed drops.
Online multiplayer gaming is practical on Low Earth Orbit (Starlink) with 30–50 ms ping. However, it is virtually impossible on Geostationary satellite (600+ ms ping) due to severe input lag.