Connect - FAQs

The Connect network provides flexible voice and data solutions that can be tailored to accommodate specific usage requirements. Support can be obtained by calling the Fixed VSAT line at 1.866.249.1559.

What information will the NOC be asking for?

Please have the following information available:

Site ID or site name
IP address
iDirect modem/router serial number

What do the lights on the modem mean?

There are several types of iDirect routers. Depending on the type of modem you have, the lights may be on the front or the back. Generally, you will see the following:

Net: Green light on steady when there is a computer or other network device connected.
Status: If the light is anything other than a steady green there may be a problem. Please call the Fixed VSAT line for assistance.
Rx: Green light on steady.
Tx: Green light on steady when connected to the network.

Connect - General FAQs

What is the CONNECT system used for?

Infosat’s CONNECT systems generally link a large number of geographically dispersed sites to a central location. Connect networks may transmit voice, data, fax, or video conferencing. As such, a Connect system would be ideal for: gas stations, banks, insurance companies, retail stores, supermarkets, healthcare companies, manufacturers, couriers, hotel chains, car rental businesses, food manufacturers, heavy industries, mines, electrical utilities, oil and gas pipelines, energy production and exploration, timber companies, plantations, various government departments and agencies. The list goes on.

What are the components in a CONNECT system?

A typical CONNECT site consists of a satellite antenna mounted on the roof of a building or any stable platform, connected by cable to a modem to a chassis inside the building. Operators install these antennas at customer sites and buy transmission capacity on satellites. Multiple CONNECT systems link to form a VSAT network

What does the CONNECT unit contain?

A typical CONNECT unit contains a modem for translating satellite transmissions back into data (and vice versa) and terrestrial interfaces for connecting customer equipment.

What is a satellite transponder?

A satellite transponder is a combination receiver, frequency converter, and transmitter package. It is physically part of a communications satellite.

What are the typical CONNECT network configurations?

CONNECT networks can be arranged in point to point, star, mesh, star/mesh, and broadcast configurations. The preferred arrangement depends on the kind of information flow the network will service. CONNECT networks come in various shapes and sizes ranging from star data system users with one site connected to an operator's shared hub to many thousands based on a dedicated facility located at their own site. Mesh systems have traditionally been somewhat smaller in size than star systems - 5 to 30 sites used to be a good rule of thumb - but the average size of orders has risen as prices have come down and some rural telephony networks now comprise as many as several hundred or even thousands of sites.

What is a point to point network?

A point to point network allows two-way communications between two sites.

What is a star network?

A star network allows any number of sites to have two-way communication with a central hub.

What is a mesh network?

A mesh network allows two-way communications between any sites in a network. A central hub is not necessary. Each site communicates to another site with a single satellite hop.

What are the different CONNECT transmission methods?

There are three basic CONNECT transmission types:

TDMA, time-division multiple access;
DAMA, demand-assigned multiple access; and
SPCP/MCPC, single/multiple channels per carrier.

Interactive CONNECT systems come in two main network topologies - star and mesh.

A star network tends to be based either on a shared access scheme (TDM/TDMA), which is designed to support transactional processing applications, or on a dedicated link (the satellite equivalent to a leased line).
A mesh network usually uses links which are set-up and torn-down on request to establish a direct link between two sites on a demand assigned basis. These mesh systems were initially designed to support corporate and public network telephony links, but are being increasingly used to serve high data rate services such as file downloads.

What are the characteristics of a TDMA transmissions type?

TDMA is a form of multiple access in which a single carrier is shared by many users. When signals from earth stations reach the satellite, they are processed in time segments without overlapping. TDMA is typically used in a packet switched environment when small or moderate amounts of data are to be transferred.

What are the characteristics of a DAMA transmission type?

The DAMA protocol is used to share bandwidth in a time division mode. Typically DAMA transmission is used in a packet-switched environment when large amounts of data are to be transferred. It’s a highly efficient means of instantaneously assigning telephony channels in a transponder according to immediate traffic demands. DAMA is also applicable in a circuit-switched environment and is usually characterized by allowing each user a variable slot of time on a demand (or request) basis.

What are the characteristics of a SCPC/MCPC transmission type?

SCPC/MCPC systems use a dedicated satellite link between a few distinct locations. These links can support either a single telephone line or several telephone or data lines. Such links generally are permanently assigned with no carrier switching or rerouting over the satellite.

What is SCPC-DAMA transmission?

SCPC/DAMA systems provide a control network on top of an SCPC network. When a particular station wishes to make a telephone call, the control network is used to forward that request to a central processor that sets up a dedicated SCPC link between the two sites. When the call is finished, the link is taken down and the satellite resources can be used for a different call.

What is TDM-TDMA transmission?

TDM-TDMA networks are designed for interactive data applications. TDM-TDMA systems feature a large expensive hub that provides basic data communications to very inexpensive remote sites. The architecture supports many remote stations using a small amount of satellite bandwidth. Data rates supported at the remote sites are typically between 1.2 kbps and 9.6 kbps; however, this type of traffic has a very low average data rate. Each station may transmit bursts of 9.6 kbps data, but they generally average less than 100 kbps. Typical applications are transactional in nature. Examples include credit card verifications, point of sale systems, SCADA systems, and inventory control.

What is TDMA-DAMA transmission?

TDMA-DAMA networks have the same demand assignment capability as SCPC-DAMA networks, but also have division multiplexing to reduce the need for multiple modems at each site. TDMA-DAMA networks allow many telephone calls to be placed simultaneously to different destinations through a single station.

What is FDMA transmission?

FDMA (Frequency Division Multiple Access) uses a single modem for all communication from a site and transmits for very short interval and at higher rates. FDMA uses multiple carriers within the same transponder within which each uplink has been assigned frequency slot and bandwidth. It is usually used in conjunction with frequency modulation.

What is the advantage of a TDMA-DAMA system?

TDMA-DAMA systems support many telephone lines with very little incremental cost. E1 or T1 interfaces can be provided for direct digital connections to PBXs or telephony switches. TDMA-DAMA systems are also flexible in supporting applications such as data, video conferencing, broadcast, and the like. In addition, TDMA networks are hubless, which eliminates the high cost of a hub and a single point of failure within the network.

What applications do TDMA-DAMA networks best support?

TDMA-DAMA networks support applications with mesh connectivity and applications that require multiple services that are integrated into a single network such as telephony, low to high-speed data imaging, fax, and interactive video conferencing.