Is Viasat Affected by Weather?
Viasat satellite internet may be affected by severe weather, such as very strong thunderstorms or heavy snowstorms, but cloud cover and light rain or snow should not be a problem. If you lose internet service due to severe weather, the outage is typically less than a half hour, and your Viasat service will come back without any calls or modem resets. Your satellite internet service may be a bit slower when it returns, but speeds should be restored when the storm passes.
Viasat internet equipment is built to withstand wind speeds up to 60 miles per hour, so strong wind seldom causes a Viasat internet outage. Heavy moisture in the air reduces satellite signal strength to some degree and can cause slower internet speeds. During times of heavy cloud cover, the Viasat Transmit Receive Integrated Assembly (TRIA) pushes through the clouds with extra power to compensate and improve the Viasat online performance you experience.
While you might expect a satellite internet weather outage when it’s stormy, weather outages may occur on days with clear skies and no precipitation in your area. The weather event affecting your internet service may be occurring at the internet ground station that serves your home. The hub connects to the satellite via an antenna and is subject to weather-related interference. When this gateway has a weather outage, the downtime is usually brief, but the outage may be widespread.
Viasat satellite internet depends on beams from a satellite orbiting the Earth reaching a series of satellite dishes with antennas that are exposed to the elements. Satellite internet uses microwave radio frequencies that cannot pass through solid objects and only travel in straight lines, so weak signals are sometimes reduced to the point users experience internet outages during severe weather.
While Viasat satellite internet equipment is engineered to withstand harsh weather conditions and continue to send and receive data, sometimes severe storms do interfere with satellite internet service, just as they interfere with satellite TV service. Falling limbs can obstruct satellite signals and cause an internet outage. Trees bent by strong wind or heavy snow may also come between customer satellite dishes and the satellite signal, causing an internet outage. Satellite dishes caked in snow and ice may not send and receive internet data effectively, either.
Provided your satellite dish has a clear view of the southern sky, Viasat satellite internet should work great during all but the most severe weather. After your satellite internet is installed, it is important to check periodically to see that trees have not grown in such a way that they are going to encroach on that southern view. If trees are very close to your satellite dish, trim them to prevent future internet outages caused by falling limbs. Such outages typically require a visit from a Viasat satellite internet technician to restore service.
If you are concerned about weather-related satellite internet outages, particularly if you live in a heavily wooded area, you may want to add a Viasat Easy Care Plan to your satellite internet plan. The Easy Care Plan give you priority access to Viasat Customer Support. Better yet, with Easy Care there is no charge for service calls, which cost $95 each. If your trees are growing, you can get your Viasat satellite dish relocated on the same property once per year with no charge. The Viasat Easy Care Plan is a great little insurance policy for those times when weather catches up with even the satellite internet customer.