BGAN Frequently Asked Questions

Who or what is BGAN?
BGAN is short for "Broadband Global Area Network" and is a service provided by Inmarsat, a leader of global satellite communications services for 30 years. Inmarsat licences several manufactures to develop "terminals" that communicate over the BGAN network.

Who do I buy my BGAN service from?
Ground Control. We have been a leader in mobile satellite Internet access for over 5 years. If there is a problem, we are your point of contact 24x7.

Where does BGAN work?
Here is the coverage area of the BGAN service. If you are within the colored area, you can be connected. The closer you are to the edge of the coverage area, the lower on the horizon the satellite will be.

How much does the service cost?
Ground Control has several plans available and we recommend you speak with one of our representatives to choose a service right for your needs. Here is a detail of our monthly pricing. Basically, BGAN service starts at $57 a month and then charges on a usage basis. A system that simply monitors a valve in a remote region that transfers a few megabytes a month is charged few dollars. A large group account that transfers 2 Gigabytes will run $5800 a month. If you connect a phone or fax, the costs are fixed at .99 cents a minute for outbound calling, and free for incoming calling, although costs are burdened on the calling party. Ground Control is very competitive on price and we will work with you to become your provider.

How Fast is BGAN?
BGAN has different speeds depending on the kind of terminal purchased. Ground Control sells the fastest terminal, the Hughes 9201 that is rated up to 492Kbps in both directions. Testing in October of 2007 have shown actual speeds have been between 300 to 420Kbps in both directions. Latency, or ping time over the BGAN network is between 900 and 1200 Milliseconds (from California back to California over the BGAN satellite network).

How does the telephone service work?
This is one of the great features of BGAN terminals, they are excellent calling instruments that are assigned unique telephone numbers. Use an attached phone the same way you would use your phone at the office. With the Hughes 9201, you may connect a normal telephone to an optional terminal adapter and make or receive calls to anyone in the world. This is not VOIP software... You're using a normal phone that gives you a dial tone when you pick it up. Each Sim Card (see below) is given a unique phone number and a unique Fax number. Works with both the Hughes 9201 and 9250. The Explorer 110 uses an optional ISDN phone or Bluetooth wireless phone and does not require a terminal adapter to make phone calls.

For Instructions on how to place a telephone call to (or from) a BGAN phone, please click here.

How does the Fax service work?
For the Hughes 9201, is works the same as the telephone. Use a standard fax machine from any store, plug it into the optional terminal adapter, and send or receive faxes from anyone. For instructions click here. The Explorer 110 does not support Fax services.

Can anyone point the terminal?
The Hughes 9201 has only two buttons, a power button, and a button that turns on and off an audible beeper. With the beeper on, you sweep the sky until the beeper raises in pitch. Simply get the highest pitch possible and you're fully pointed. The terminal has a built in compass, so you can easily guess where the satellite is. Pointing takes between 1 to 3 minutes and can be done by anyone.

The Explorer 110 only has one button (instead of 2) to do the same pointing tasks above. It does not have a built in compass, but with practice, a compass is not required.

How many computers may connect to the terminal?
Both terminals come with DHCP routing (either wireless or ethernet). The 9201 will allow up to 11 concurrent users. The Explorer 110 will allow 1 concurrent user. You may easily install an inexpensive wireless router for additional concurrent connections with any BGAN terminal.

What is the Sim Card?
The Sim Card is a small chip that activates the terminal. Like a cell phone, it is the Sim Card that contains all of the information on the account. A Sim Card will work in any BGAN terminal from any terminal manufacturer. You may own multiple Sim Cards, each with its own account. This is good for teams of people that can all have their own individual card/account but use the same terminal antenna. Simply insert the Sim Card you wish to use, and turn the terminal on. That's it!

What is the difference between BGAN systems and the Mobile Satellite Dishes?
BGAN terminals are extremely portable and cost less than the satellite dish systems. They can be carried in a regular sized laptop case and connect anywhere for high speed Internet, phone and faxing. The bigger mobile satellite dish weights over 100 lbs and needs to be mounted on a vechile roof, or crated in a fly away box, and they do not support non-voip phone or faxing without additional equipment. BGAN usage is more expensive than the satellite dish system, but if you need portable high speed access, BGAN is the best solution.

Will it work inside a building?
Both systems have a built in wireless system (802.11 or Bluetooth), so you can connect to the the terminal by wireless. But, if you have a window that has line of sight with the satellite, both terminals have no problem working through that window. It needs to be placed close to the window to acquire GPS information. You do have the option of acquiring GPS with the system outside, and then taking it inside and placing the terminal in a position where it has line of sight to the orbiting (geostationary) satellite.

Can the system be mounted on a building?
Yes. Many companies in remote regions mount the system to a wall using either an external antenna, or a mounting kit. Please click on the BGAN accessories link below for more information.

Are there other accessories for the system?
Yes. Here are the BGAN accessories available from Ground Control.

How much power does the BGAN system use?
The BGAN terminals run off rechargeable batteries, or AC/DC power (on optional DC power adapter is available for vehicles). While idle, both terminals will last 36 hours on battery power. If transmitting or receiving, power requirements are higher and the battery will be expended at a faster rate. However, normal usage has far more idle time than actual usage. You may consider a BGAN terminals much the same way you look at a cell phone, that it needs to be recharged from time to time, but that it does not need to be plugged in for usage (make sure to disable wireless options and connect via Ethernet to conserve power). The 9201 terminal uses about 18 Watts of power when transmitting and 8 watts when idle making it a very easy system to use with a solar recharging system.

How does the BGAN In-Motion systems work?
Both the Hughes 9250 and the Explorer 527 systems mount on any roof (normally magnetically). When either is plugged into a 12V or 24 Volt power source, they will automatically track and lock on satellite. In vehicle connections are via Ethernet with both systems. The 9250 has a build in wireless access point so that anyone in the vehicle, or around it will be able to connect with 100 feet. The Explorer 527 uses Bluetooth for data access. For those on the edge of the coverage map, trees and mountains may become a factor from having a line of site to the satellite which is lower on the horizon, and service may be irregular. Service prices are identical to other BGAN services offered at Ground Control.

Can I do Video Streaming over the system?
Yes, BGAN is a perfect and very cost effective solution for those wishing to cover live events and stream video. CNN just won an award in September of 2007 for using BGAN 9201 systems for live broadcasts in Iraq. The Hughes 9201 offers Streaming committed information rates (CIR) of 32, 64, 128, & 256 Kbps, which means that no one else shares with your speed when you are connected. Your transmission will not be stalled. This page has more information on Video streaming solutions.

Will it work with both Mac and PC?
Yes, both Windows and Macintosh users may use the system. In fact any TCP-IP capable device that can work with DHCP is able to connect to the system. BGAN terminals use "Launchpad" software that by default, you must manually "register" with the satellite (a one button operation), and open a data connection. Launchpad software also offers numerous configuring choices of the terminals' parameters. A great trick is to configure the terminal to automatically "register" and opening up a "data" session after you point the terminal, a process which will eliminate the need to run the launchpad software from a computer. Only one computer needs to run the Launchpad. Other computers/devices connected to the terminal do not need it.

How does the Wireless Access Point work?
The Hughes 9201 (or the Hughes 9250 in-motion system) are a wireless "B" access point. By default, it is disabled and you must connect by ethernet to the unit and enable the wireless service. You have the option of making it open or using WEP security.

The Explorer 110 uses bluetooth data access with a range of 100 feet, and by default, it is disabled until enabled by the owner.

Enabling the Wireless on BGAN terminals does require extra power, so if you need to run off battery for an extended period of time, it is better to disable the wireless and run an Ethernet cable between the termainl and your computer.

How does weather affect the terminal's ability to connect?
The BGAN "L" band radio uses lower frequencies that are much less susceptible to rain fade than much larger satellite dish systems.

What is the difference between the Monthly and Bulk subscriptions?
The biggest difference is that any unused portion of monthly service does not does not rollover to the following month. With Bulk plans, your total allotment is available to you at anytime within 12 months. All plans may go over plan limits. Please contact Ground Control for more information on service plans.

Can I take the system anywhere in the world?
Yes, and many are already doing just this. With the included universal power adapters, you can plug your 9201 into wall power from most every country (more on 9201 power kit) For the Explorer 110, it ships with the European two prong and a U.S. adapter. If you plan to travel, you will need an expensive power adapter kit like the one that ships with the 9201.

Can I use BGAN service on a boat or vessel?
Yes, but you will use the FleetBroadband terminal and service. FleetBroadband is the same BGAN network, but uses sea worthy terminals for connectivity. If you try using the portable BGAN terminals ( Hughes 9201, 9250, or the Explorer 110, 527) while traveling on the open sea, Inmarsat (the owning company of the satellite) will suspend the service.

Can I purchase a system anywhere in the world?
Yes. Ground Control will ship to any location on the planet, and we have multiple shipping locations around the world. You can use Altavista Babel Fish translation and convert your message into English and email us at sales@groundcontrol.com

Is there a users manual?
Yes, here are a number of documents such as user manuals and support guides that can help you understand the BGAN system in more detail.

How Secure is the Terminal?
Among other verification protocals, BGAN uses the same ciphering method as UMTS, called Kasumi (more info on Kasumi) To enable ciphering, reviewpage 5 of this document. In addition, Ground Control offers a highly configurable online firewall that is password protected and customer configured. Limit multiple kinds of traffic for either inbound our outbound. For more information on this included service, follow this link. We also offer private circuits to the BGAN network operations center, so your traffic is private from client terminal to headquarters.

Will it work with VPN?
Yes. The Hughes 9201 has been tested to work with multiple VPN's over the BGAN network including Cisco Client V1 & V2, Nortel-Contivity, Netscreen Remote Client 8.1, Checkpoint 4.1, and SonicWall. There are also excellent security measures offered by other 3rd party vendors here.

Can I create a Private Network?
Yes. Ground Control will connect your organization to the BGAN Network Operations Center in New York.

Can I get a Static IP address?
Yes. Static IP addresses are available.

Don't see your question here?
Ground Control desires to make the FAQ as complete as possible. Please email the web administrator at webmaster@groundcontrol.com and please let us know that your question was not answered on this page. Not only will you get an answer, we'll make sure everyone else with the same question sees it here.

Ready to deploy?
For questions or purchase, please contact Ground Control at 800-773-7168 within the U.S., or click here for International calls, or email sales@groundcontrol.com