I live in a rural area with no local "broadband" provider. Can I use Satellite Internet instead?
Would it work? Technically speaking, it probably would "work" (for limited definitions of the term "work").
Would you be happy with it? Probably not.
First, a technical limit about whether it could even work: Currently, the most popular satellite provider is DirecWay (part of Hughes which also owns the more widely-known DirecTV satellite network). The initial generation of DirecWay is provided using a scheme which only supports a single PC which must run Microsoft Windows. DirecWay has mentioned that they intend to offer an alternate service which will provide a stand-alone network box, much like the broadband modem provided by DSL and Cable internet providers. This box would have a common network interface on it which would enable most any computer to be connected or any other device with a standard ethernet jack (such as the PS2).
There's an alternative (I have not tested this myself) in which you could purchase an additional ethernet network interface card (NIC) for your PC. Assuming you run MS Windows, you can possible enable a feature called "Internet Connection Sharing" (a.k.a. ICS). A later question in this FAQ explains what this is. Microsoft, by no means, invented the idea. It's an old idea which many other operating systems also support. Alas I digress.
Back to the issue of "happiness": There are two factors which are important to online gaming. One is the bandwidth issue I already mentioned. The second is the notion of latency.
Latency refers to the delay (measured in time) required to get the data from origin to destination. Informally, this is sometimes referred to by gamers as "ping times" (the number of milliseconds required to send a dummy packet from a console, across the network to a server, and then return it back to the console.)
Traditional broadband users (DSL or Cable) typically have "ping times" which are 100milliseconds (ms) or less. (A millisecond is 1/1000th of a second).
Satellites have a unique problem governed by the laws of physics -- specifically the speed of light through a vacuum. When a satellite system is used, the "ping" test must transmit the packet from your computer (or console in our case) to your dish, which transmits the signal up to the satellite. The satellite then beams the signal back down to the network center which has high-speed Internet connections. It then travels through the Internet (the traditional way) to the game server. The server bounces the signal back to the network center, which beams it back up into space where the satellite beams it back down to your home.
Here's the rub: For that "ping" to work, the signal has to run the distance from ground to space no less than 4 times (for a single ping). For a satellite to remain in a stable orbit at a fixed location in the sky, the satellite must be in something known as geosynchronous orbit this is a specific beltway around the Earth which is 22,236 miles directly above the Earth's equator. Since North America is a good bit north of the equator, this means the signal transmits a little farther than the mere 22,236 miles. Since I'm lazy, I'll round this number up to 25,000 (to make the math simple).
I previously pointed out that the "ping" test will require that the packet make this trip no less than 4 times. Using my rounded up math, that's about 100,000 miles. Since light travels at roughly 186,000 miles per second (in a vacuum, and we don't quite have a vacuum, but let's not pick at nits) this means you'll need a little more than 1/2 second (close to 540ms) just to make the jump from ground to satellite (or vice versa). There will be additional latency incurred by the actual networking equipment both on the ground and in the satellite, as well as the typical delays of the Internet.
It turns out that you should not expect your satellite ping times to be any faster than 750ms -- and your actual numbers may likely be a little worse. Unless we can pass some new laws of physics, there's really nothing that can be done to improve this number enough to reduce latency to acceptable levels.
This means that players on satellite will lag behind their land-based opponents significantly... providing for frustrating game play.
Those who have tested broadband game play over satellite have confirmed that the latency and game "lag" are aggravating and have reported that dial-up connections may actually provide better response time.
What else do I need, besides the PS2 and the Network Adaptor, to make it go online?
The Adaptor doesn't come with any cables. If you have broadband, you will need to provide your own network cables.
If you have a home computer already, then you may seriously want to consider purchasing a broadband router.
If your PS2 is not in the same room as your computer and broadband modem, there are some other factors to consider see "My PS2 is in a room which is nowhere near my home computer and broadband modem. Can I still connect it to the network?" below in this FAQ.
this info came from here
http://boardsus.playstation.com/playstation/NetworkAdaptorFAQ
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