What Is a Very Small Aperture Terminal?
A very small aperture terminal (VSAT) is used to receive and transmit information such as narrowband data, radio frequency identification (RFID) data, and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA). Its name originated from the relatively small dish antenna with a diameter no longer than 10 feet (3 meters). The VSAT is commonly employed for commercial purposes such as transmitting credit card data and giving companies a stable communications infrastructure. Data is usually transmitted from network hubs to satellites that follow a regular orbit. As the satellites get near a satellite ground station, they transmit data to earth. The data transmitted normally varies from 56 Kbit/s to 4 Mbit/s. It is then received by the VSAT using a transceiver which interprets the data for the end user.
