There are also a host of applications-specific variations on the theme, including paging, cellular, cordless telephony, and various packet radio systems. Rather, the signal is just blasted through space. Satellite Satellite essentially is non-terrestrial microwave, in some cases running in the same frequency range as terrestrial systems. In such paths and at such altitudes, LEOs and MEOs do not maintain their relative positions. Rather, they whiz around the Earth much like electrons whiz around the nucleus of an atom.
Satellites offer a number of advantages, including their area of coverage, or footprint.
Since they are positioned at such high altitudes, they can transmit to, and receive from, a large area. Like all microwave systems, however, their performance varies with the weather. Some WLANs make use of Ir, although most are RF-based. Ir-based WLL systems run at speeds up to 622 Mbps, although they currently are somewhat unusual. The primary application is in LAN bridging under circumstances that do not allow wired connectivity to be achieved quickly or cost-effectively.