Significant Accounting Policies (Notes)	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2017
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Significant Accounting Policies [Text Block]	Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Basis of Presentation The accompanying consolidated financial statements of KVH Industries, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiaries have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. The Company has evaluated all subsequent events through the date of this filing. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. The consolidated financial statements have not been audited by the Company's independent registered public accounting firm and include all adjustments (consisting of only normal recurring adjustments) which are, in the opinion of management, necessary for a fair presentation of the financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows for the periods presented. These consolidated financial statements do not include all disclosures associated with annual financial statements and accordingly should be read in conjunction with the Company’s consolidated financial statements and related notes included in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 filed on March 9, 2017 with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The results for the three months ended March 31, 2017 are not necessarily indicative of operating results for the remainder of the year. Significant Estimates and Assumptions The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities as of the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of sales and expenses during the reporting periods. As described in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K, the most significant estimates and assumptions by management affect the Company’s revenue recognition, valuation of accounts receivable, valuation of inventory, valuations and purchase price allocations related to business combinations, expected future cash flows including growth rates, discount rates, terminal values and other assumptions and estimates used to evaluate the recoverability of long-lived assets and goodwill, estimated fair values of long-lived assets, including goodwill, amortization methods and periods, certain accrued expenses and other related charges, stock-based compensation, contingent liabilities, key valuation assumptions for its share-based awards, estimated fulfillment costs for warranty obligations, tax reserves and recoverability of the Company’s net deferred tax assets and related valuation allowance. The Company has reviewed these estimates and determined that these remain the most significant estimates for the three months ended March 31, 2017. There have been no material changes to the significant accounting policies previously disclosed in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016, except for ASC Update No. 2016-09, Compensation- Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting, which the Company adopted as required on January 1, 2017 resulted primarily in a change in the Company’s accounting prospectively for share-based payment forfeitures and accounting for excess tax benefits or deficiencies related to share-based payments as a component of earnings (see Note 5 for further discussion) and ASC Update No. 2015-11, Simplifying the Measurement of Inventory adopted as of January 1, 2017, which simplified the subsequent measurement of inventory by replacing the lower of cost or market test with a lower of cost or net realizable value test (see Note 7 for further discussion). Although the Company regularly assesses these estimates, actual results could differ materially from these estimates. Changes in estimates are recorded in the period in which they become known. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience and various other assumptions that it believes to be reasonable under the circumstances.

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying consolidated financial statements of KVH Industries, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiaries have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. The Company has evaluated all subsequent events through the date of this filing. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

The consolidated financial statements have not been audited by the Company's independent registered public accounting firm and include all adjustments (consisting of only normal recurring adjustments) which are, in the opinion of management, necessary for a fair presentation of the financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows for the periods presented. These consolidated financial statements do not include all disclosures associated with annual financial statements and accordingly should be read in conjunction with the Company’s consolidated financial statements and related notes included in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 filed on March 9, 2017 with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The results for the three months ended March 31, 2017 are not necessarily indicative of operating results for the remainder of the year.

Significant Estimates and Assumptions

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities as of the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of sales and expenses during the reporting periods. As described in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K, the most significant estimates and assumptions by management affect the Company’s revenue recognition, valuation of accounts receivable, valuation of inventory, valuations and purchase price allocations related to business combinations, expected future cash flows including growth rates, discount rates, terminal values and other assumptions and estimates used to evaluate the recoverability of long-lived assets and goodwill, estimated fair values of long-lived assets, including goodwill, amortization methods and periods, certain accrued expenses and other related charges, stock-based compensation, contingent liabilities, key valuation assumptions for its share-based awards, estimated fulfillment costs for warranty obligations, tax reserves and recoverability of the Company’s net deferred tax assets and related valuation allowance. The Company has reviewed these estimates and determined that these remain the most significant estimates for the three months ended March 31, 2017. There have been no material changes to the significant accounting policies previously disclosed in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016, except for ASC Update No. 2016-09, Compensation- Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting, which the Company adopted as required on January 1, 2017 resulted primarily in a change in the Company’s accounting prospectively for share-based payment forfeitures and accounting for excess tax benefits or deficiencies related to share-based payments as a component of earnings (see Note 5 for further discussion) and ASC Update No. 2015-11, Simplifying the Measurement of Inventory adopted as of January 1, 2017, which simplified the subsequent measurement of inventory by replacing the lower of cost or market test with a lower of cost or net realizable value test (see Note 7 for further discussion).

Although the Company regularly assesses these estimates, actual results could differ materially from these estimates. Changes in estimates are recorded in the period in which they become known. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience and various other assumptions that it believes to be reasonable under the circumstances.