 Review by trekboy 
Posted: 271 days ago
member for 2.1 years, 1026 visits, last login: a few minutes ago
 Benton,Columbia,PA
 Contract price not specified.
 "Available pretty much everywhere, has been mostly reliable for me."
 "Latency, Support, FAP"
 "Best satellite choice for those with no other options."
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Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Mail,DNS,News:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
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In August 2006, I ordered HughesNet (Pro service plan), and it was installed several days later.
When the installer arrived at my house he seemed unprofessional, hurried, and somewhat annoyed. I did my best to make him feel welcome, brought out cold drinks, etc. I also made sure to engage in some friendly small-talk, so that I seemed both friendly, but also so that he knew that I was no dummy.
I had a pole install, but with pole & dish installed on the same day. (Mistake #1)
I also didn't bug him to fine tune the dish, which had signal in the upper 60s. (Mistake #2)
The service worked and I was just happy to have something other than dial-up again.
After about 1 week, my RSL went up to about 80, and my previously high (4%) level of failed transmissions dropped dramatically.
I live on top of a hill, where very strong winds, and all manor of weather can affect my dish. Knock on wood, but even on the windiest days my signal is good.
During the summer of 2007, my signal dropped a couple of points, and I was affected by weather -related outages a handful of times. During the fall my signal has risen back up to the 79-80 level , and stays mostly consistent. I will drop a few points during rain, but unless I'm under a VERY heavy rain, I can still use the internet.
I must admit that I have had good luck with my transponder and gateway, and although I do experience some prime-time slowdowns, it is not bad at all. I decided to not upgrade to the Pro-Plus plan because I would probably be put on another transponder, and since mine gives good service, I didn't want to tamper with it.
I have been FAPed about 2 or 3 times since the new policies were put into effect, and although I understand why the FAP exists, perhaps 24 hours is a bit much, 12 might be much more fair. Also, to give you an idea, I have 4 computers (3 windows, 1 mac) connected to my network, and all have automatic windows updates (for Critical and Security only) and automatic Anti-Virus updates as well. Also, I can watch 2 or 3 short YouTube videos if something interests me, in addition to mine, my brother's, and mother's regular web surfing habits WITHOUT being FAPed. GOOD BANDWIDTH MANAGEMENT IS THE KEY, and right now I'm not even running the wonderful hnFAPMon program.
Overall, I'm happy with my service. It has been mostly reliable, and is the best value for your money with Satellite based internet. I had DSL in the past, and I knew the difference between satellite and land-based DSL. I think that many folks don't understand the difference, and that is where alot of anger comes from. With that being said, I will be getting DSL installed in September of this year (2008), and not looking back.
Good Luck to everyone!
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