Satellite Internet for Business That Survives an Outage

Why Satellite Internet Alone Isn’t Enough for Business

Satellite internet, and Starlink in particular, has changed what’s possible for businesses at remote offices, construction sites, farms, ships and anywhere else beyond the reach of fiber or cable. Starlink says its downloads run 45 to 280 Mbps, with a delay of 25 to 60 milliseconds on land, which makes it good enough to be the main internet connection for most business work.

But satellite internet has weak spots that wired broadband doesn’t:

• The Starlink dish switches satellites about every 15 seconds, which causes short drops. They last from a split second to a few seconds, but that’s enough to break internet phone calls and video meetings.
• Heavy rain, snow and thick cloud can weaken the satellite signal or cut it for a while.
• Trees, buildings or equipment blocking the dish’s view of the sky cause drops you can’t predict.
• At busy times of day, the satellite network slows down for everyone in the area. On Starlink, Residential plans are slowed before Priority plans.
• When the satellite hardware breaks, the whole site is offline until a replacement arrives, which at a remote site can take days.

For a business where being offline costs money, one satellite internet connection is a single point of failure.

How Speedify Makes Satellite Internet Faster and Steadier for Business

Speedify watches all your internet connections at the same time (Starlink and other satellite internet, 4G/5G cellular, Wi-Fi and wired Ethernet) and spreads your business’s traffic across them based on each one’s speed, delay and steadiness right now. Speedify adjusts where the traffic goes every few milliseconds.

When Speedify sees your satellite internet connection weaken or drop, Speedify moves all traffic to your other internet connections automatically. Because Speedify splits the traffic itself, not whole calls or downloads, internet phone calls, video meetings, file transfers and VPN sessions carry on without restarting.

When every internet connection works, Speedify uses all of them at once, so your team gets close to their combined upload and download speed.

Speedify needs at least two internet connections to do this. With one satellite internet connection alone, Speedify can’t add speed or stop its drops.

Satellite Internet Setups with Speedify for More Speed and Fewer Drops

• Starlink plus 4G/5G cellular. A good starting point for most businesses. Speedify uses Starlink together with one or more 4G/5G cellular connections, from different carriers if you like. When Starlink drops, 4G/5G cellular takes over right away. When both work, Speedify uses both at the same time for more upload and download speed. This setup works on any device running the Speedify app, or for the whole network on a router that runs Speedify.
• Two Starlink dishes. Two Starlink dishes with Speedify remove the risk of one Starlink dish failing. When one Starlink dish loses signal, because something blocks it, it’s switching satellites, or it breaks, the second one keeps going. Speedify spreads traffic across both when both work. This setup suits remote sites with little or no 4G/5G cellular coverage. Two Starlink dishes still share the same Starlink network, though: a wide Starlink outage hits both at once. For a full backup, pair Starlink with a different kind of internet connection.
• Starlink or other satellite internet as the backup for a wired line. For businesses with a wired broadband line, Speedify can keep Starlink on standby as the backup. Speedify keeps the Starlink internet connection ready and watched, but sends most traffic over the wired line. If the wired line weakens or drops, Speedify moves traffic to Starlink automatically.
• Starlink plus VSAT or another satellite service. Ships and remote operations that run both a Starlink dish and a VSAT system (traditional satellite internet with a larger dish) or another satellite service can use both with Speedify. Speedify spreads traffic across all of them, so one satellite service can cover for the other.
• Several internet connections for sites that can’t go offline. Where downtime puts safety or money at risk, like offshore platforms, emergency services, remote healthcare and live production, Speedify can use Starlink, 4G/5G cellular from several carriers and wired Ethernet all at once, for the most speed and the most backup.

How to Deploy Speedify Across a Business That Runs on Satellite Internet

Option 1: Speedify for Routers, to cover the whole network

• Connect your Starlink dish and your backup internet connection to a router that works with Speedify, running OpenWrt, or to a Miri X510, a router built to run Speedify for field and remote sites.
• Install Speedify on the router with the Speedify install script and activate your router license. Add each internet connection in the router’s settings.
• Set Starlink to Always, and 4G/5G cellular to Secondary or Backup, depending on your cellular data plan. Speedify handles the switching automatically.
• Every device on your network uses Speedify right away, with no software to install on each device.

Option 2: Speedify Teams, an app on each staff device

• Create a Speedify Teams account and invite staff from the Teams Dashboard.
• Each staff member installs the Speedify app and connects to the satellite internet connection and any 4G/5G cellular connection on their device.
• Speedify uses both internet connections on each device automatically. Set priorities and watch data use from the Teams Dashboard.

Which Businesses Need Speedify When They Use Satellite Internet

• Remote offices and field teams. Any business beyond the reach of wired broadband depends on satellite internet as its main internet connection. Speedify removes the single point of failure and keeps the team online through satellite outages.
• Construction sites and building projects. Construction teams rely on live data: project management apps, video calls with architects and engineers, and equipment monitoring. Speedify keeps these online when the satellite signal drops.
• Farms. Farms in rural areas with no fiber or cable depend on satellite internet. Speedify uses Starlink together with 4G/5G cellular for reliable internet across large properties.
• Ships and offshore platforms. Vessels and offshore platforms beyond 4G/5G cellular range depend on Starlink or VSAT. Speedify uses several satellite internet connections together and moves traffic between them, so ship systems and crew calls stay online.
• Emergency services and disaster response. First responders working where local networks are damaged depend on satellite internet in the field. Speedify uses satellite internet together with 4G/5G cellular, so one failing doesn’t cut them off.
• Remote healthcare and video doctor visits. Clinics without wired broadband need internet that stays up through satellite outages. Speedify keeps video visits running without restarting them when the satellite internet connection drops.

Speedify Plans for Businesses That Depend on Satellite Internet

Speedify Teams gives IT admins one dashboard to manage Speedify across every device and location. Admins set connection priorities, put data limits on each internet connection, watch data use, and add or remove users as the business grows. Speedify Teams costs $89.99 per user per year, with a 5-user minimum.

For businesses that need a static IP address (one fixed internet address) so their software or remote monitoring only lets in known addresses, Speedify Dedicated Servers give you a private server that Speedify manages, with speeds up to 1 Gbps. For businesses with rules about where data must be kept, or that want fully private servers, Speedify Self-Hosted Servers give complete control over where the server is and how it’s set up.

To plan Speedify for a business that runs on satellite internet, at one remote site or many, Contact Us.

Speedify Business Solutions

Speedify Teams

Get faster uploads and downloads and a more reliable internet connection for all the people and devices in your business.

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Speedify for Routers

Power your OpenWRT, GL.iNET, or Miri router with Speedify and combine Wi-Fi, Ethernet, 4G, 5G, Starlink and other satellite internet connections together.

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Speedify Embedded Solutions and Integrations

Embed Speedify software into your app or hardware products and leverage the core channel bonding technology of Speedify in new and interesting ways.

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