Satellite Internet
14 results
Satellite Internet
14 results
Satellite Internet Rental: BGAN or Starlink for the Job in Front of You
You need to rent portable satellite internet for a job site, a boat, or a week off the grid, and you need to know now whether a BGAN terminal will do the work or whether you should book a Starlink kit instead. Here is the honest comparison, not the brochure version.
The date you choose is the day it arrives. Pick the day you want the equipment in your hands, not the day you leave. Your rental starts the day you receive it and ends the day we get it back, so leave yourself a day or two to test everything before you travel.
Available now
What you can rent
Every unit is pre-tested and activated before it leaves the warehouse, so it works the moment you switch it on. Most orders ship the same day, and you can collect in San Diego if that beats waiting on a courier.
What these speeds actually feel like
Renting satellite wifi for a temporary internet setup, on a job site or at an event, is not the same job as renting broadband. The honest question is not which terminal has the biggest number on its spec sheet, it is which one matches what you are actually doing on the ground. The table above answers that job by job, not spec by spec.
The BGAN vs Starlink question for a short job usually comes down to one thing, how much you already know about the site. Rent a BGAN terminal when the job is communication, not bandwidth, and the location is unpredictable. It works from a beach, a ridge line, or a response site, anywhere with a clear view of the sky, and it will get email out, keep a small team in touch, and move documents, slowly. None of that is broadband speed, and a BGAN terminal was never built to be, it is built to work where nothing else does.
Rent Starlink when the job needs real bandwidth, several people online at once, or a live feed, and you already know the service reaches your site. That is a different rental with a different setup, and it lives on its own page. Compare Starlink rentals here before you decide, rather than assuming one kit covers both jobs.
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
| Job | BGAN terminal | Starlink |
|---|---|---|
| Email and messaging | Comfortable. This is exactly what a BGAN terminal is built for. | Comfortable, with plenty of room to spare. |
| Sending photos and documents | Fine for a handful of files. A batch of large attachments takes patience. | Fast enough that you will not think about it. |
| A video call | Possible on some terminals in short bursts, and it uses up the plan fast. Call first. | Yes, this is routine for it. |
| A crew of ten browsing | Not really. One or two people at a time is realistic. | Yes, this is the job Starlink is rented for. |
| Working anywhere on earth | Yes. These terminals run on the Inmarsat network, which reaches worldwide except the extreme polar regions. | Depends on the site. Check the Starlink rental page before you assume coverage. |
| Fitting in a backpack | Yes for the smallest one. The EXPLORER 510 weighs under 3 lb. | No. See the Starlink rental page for what actually ships. |
Three shapes of satellite internet
The terminals split into three groups by where they are used, and that is usually the fastest way to narrow it down before comparing speeds.
Carried in a pack
Portable BGAN terminals you set down, point at the sky and use. Email, weather files and a working laptop from a site with no infrastructure.
Fitted to a vessel
A maritime terminal with a single voice line, built for a boat rather than a backpack, for a crew that needs a working line and basic data offshore.
Flown to site in cases
A fly-away antenna system for broadcast and emergency response, assembled on arrival when the job needs far more throughput than a portable terminal can carry.
Size, power and setup
Every figure in that table comes from the manufacturer's own published specification, not a sales page. Where a cell says no figure published, that is because the manufacturer has not released one, not because we are leaving something out.
Between the three land terminals, the difference is speed against size. If the standard connection alone is enough, the EXPLORER 710 carries the highest published speed of the three and is the only one with a published streaming option. If the terminal has to disappear into a bag between uses, the EXPLORER 510 is the one with a published weight, under 3 lb. If the job is on a vessel rather than dry land, none of the three land terminals is the right pick, the Fleet One is.
Booking follows the same order whichever terminal you land on: pick the device by coverage need, pick the airtime bundle, select your dates, then add any accessories or optional features before entering billing and shipping. Every rental ships to arrive on the date you choose, or you can collect it in person from Satmodo's San Diego location, both options are available on every terminal. Rental insurance is also available as a per-day add-on, worth considering if the terminal is heading somewhere rough.
Satmodo also rents a Mobile Satellite Internet Rental Kit as a bundled option alongside the four terminals above. There is no published spec sheet for it here, so call (800) 279-2366 to find out whether it fits your job better than a single terminal.
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
| IsatHub | EXPLORER 510 | EXPLORER 710 | Fleet One | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard IP speed | Up to 384 kbps | Up to 464 kbps | Up to 492 kbps | Up to 100 kbps |
| Streaming | No streaming figure published | No streaming figure published | Over 650 kbps, billed by the minute in blocks | No streaming figure published |
| Voice lines | No figure published | No figure published | No figure published | Single voice line |
| How it is carried | No weight published | Under 3 lb | No weight published | A maritime terminal, not a carry unit |
Streaming, and what it really costs you
Streaming is not the same product as standard data. On a BGAN terminal it runs as its own mode, billed by the minute and bought in blocks, and we are not going to put a rate on this page. It changes, and a wrong number here is worse than no number.
If a live broadcast, a video call, or any kind of continuous feed is part of the job, call before you book: (800) 279-2366. We will match the terminal and the streaming block to what you are actually doing, so you are not guessing at a data cap two days into the job. It is a five-minute conversation now instead of an argument with a bill later.
Land or maritime
Satmodo's own booking chooser splits this by coverage need, worldwide data or maritime data, and the terminals split the same way. The IsatHub, the EXPLORER 510 and the EXPLORER 710 are land-portable BGAN units, built to set up on solid ground with a clear view of the sky. See the land-portable BGAN page for all three, side by side.
The Cobham SAILOR Fleet One is the maritime entry point, a single voice line on a terminal built for a vessel rather than a backpack. See the Fleet One rental page.
Satmodo also rents the EXPLORER 5075GX fly-away antenna as a fifth option beyond the four above. See the Global Xpress rental page for what it actually offers before assuming it fits your job.
All four terminals here run on the Inmarsat network, so country rules matter as much as which one you pick. India permits Inmarsat as its only satellite network and still requires a permit before you travel with one. Rules vary by destination, so check before you book rather than after you land.
Who this is not for
If the job is an office network for a crew of ten, streaming video all day, or anything that needs several people online at once, do not rent a BGAN terminal. It is built for getting a message out from somewhere hard to reach, not for running an office. Call (800) 279-2366 and we will point you to the right rental, BGAN, Starlink, or something else entirely.
It is also not the right rental if you already know your site has good Starlink coverage and the job just needs more bandwidth than email and messaging. Paying for a BGAN terminal in that situation buys you a slower connection for no real benefit. Read the speed comparison above, then check the Starlink rental page before you book either one.
Questions people ask before they book
How many people can share one BGAN terminal?
One or two, realistically. The terminal shares its connection across whoever plugs in or joins the wifi, so speed drops fast as more devices connect. It works well for a small team checking email and sending updates. For a crew of ten browsing at once, look at a Starlink rental instead.
Does a BGAN terminal work while you are moving?
No. A BGAN terminal is a set-up-and-point system, not an in-motion connection. You position it with a clear view of the sky and it stays put while you work, it is not built for a moving vehicle or vessel. If you need connectivity on the move, call (800) 279-2366 and we will talk through what actually fits the job.
How long does setup take?
Minutes, once you are on site with a clear view of the sky. Every terminal we rent is pre-tested, activated and verified before it leaves our warehouse, so you are not troubleshooting activation on location. You are positioning the unit and waiting for it to acquire the network, not configuring anything from scratch.
Can I run a video call over a BGAN terminal?
In short bursts, on some terminals, and it uses up your data fast. Standard IP data is built for email and messaging, not sustained video, so a video call over it can be choppy or drop out entirely. If a video call matters to the job, ask about the streaming mode, which is billed separately by the minute in blocks, and call first so we can set the right block for the length of your call: (800) 279-2366.
What power does a BGAN terminal need?
That depends on the terminal, and we do not have a published power draw figure for each one to give you here. What we can add by the day is a 12V car charger, a USB charging cable, or a jump starter battery pack, useful if you are working off grid with no wall power nearby. Ask when you book and we will match accessories to your setup and your power situation.
How heavy is a BGAN terminal?
The lightest one we rent, the Cobham EXPLORER 510, is under 3 lb. We do not have a published weight for the IsatHub, the EXPLORER 710, or the Fleet One, so if weight is what matters for your trip, ask when you book and we will tell you what we know.
Can a BGAN terminal go on a boat?
The Cobham SAILOR Fleet One can, it is built as a maritime entry point terminal with a single voice line. The IsatHub and the EXPLORER terminals are land-portable units, not maritime terminals. If you are working from a vessel, start with the Fleet One rental page and call if Fleet One does not cover what your vessel needs.
Should I rent a BGAN terminal or a Starlink kit?
It depends on what you already know about the job. Rent a BGAN terminal when the work is communication and the location is unpredictable. Rent Starlink when the job needs real bandwidth and you already know the service reaches the site. Compare Starlink rentals here before you decide.
What happens if the job runs long and I need the rental longer?
The rental extends, it does not just stop. Pricing is shaped as a first-seven-day rate plus an added rate for each extra day beyond that, so an extension is a straightforward add rather than a new booking. Call (800) 279-2366 or extend online before your scheduled return date.
What arrives when a terminal ships?
We do not publish one single kit list that covers every terminal we rent, so we are not going to guess at what is in the box. What we can tell you: every terminal is pre-tested, activated and verified before it leaves the warehouse, and accessories like a 12V car charger, a magnetic mount, a data kit, or a Pelican hard case can be added by the day. Call (800) 279-2366 to confirm exactly what ships with the terminal you are booking.
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