@TomCarey wrote: So is ground station the same as a gateway? Or does a ground station house one or more gateway IP addresses? Though I know you asked Mark these questions... Yes, ground station and gateway are synonymous. In context, the gateway is the actual connection/entrance to the internet, and that's what the ground station provides. The satellite is, if you will, a sophisticated 'mirror' for your signal, redirecting it from your dish to the gateway and onto the internet, then back to you again. The ground station does support multiple gateway IP addresses, and the multiple channels within them, as each gateway supports multiple beams, but the overall throughput capacity of the gateway itself remains the same regardless of the number of spot beams and channels it's supporting. Sort of like if you added Y splitters to a garden hose. No matter how many you add to create more outlets, the throughput of the spigot remains the same. They can upgrade the capacity at the ground stations, but the satellite is the sticking point, as once it's up there its capacity can't be added to, or at least not traditionally. They can sometimes update software to eke out a little more, but the physical components of it limit how much of that can be done. Mark's a smart cookie with technology. Likely the most knowledgeable person currently active in this community.
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