how-to block ads
|
»next review in page
Review by jeyoung3076 
Posted: 8.4 years ago
member for 8.5 years, 749 visits, last login: 3.8 years ago
 Millerton,Dutchess,NY
 Contract price not specified.
 "Upload speed much improved; Download speed very good"
 "Trouble initially seems resolved"
 "Delicate but when it works it is terrific"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Mail,DNS,News:
Value for money:
(ratings above consensus)
|
For the first few weeks upload was never better than 12 to 18 kbps but Pegasus said they and the Hughes engineers were working on the problem. Yesterday and today upload speeds registered 55-65 and downloads of around 1400. The two-way is an evolving system with teething problems but it has now shown that it is capable of working properly and maybe the upload speeds will get closer to the advertised upper limit of 128. Anyone installing the system should do the tweak test and change the MTU settings on his own because Pegasus doesn't tell you about it. A very large RWIN is necessary to get good results. In my rural area there is no DSL or cable service available and this is a fine solution.
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of HughesNet Satellite Broadband |
 | »next review in page (previous review)
Review by tegwilym
Posted: 8.4 years ago
member for 9 years, 89 visits, last login: 7.8 years ago
Bellevue,King,WA
$44 per month
 about 5 days
"Super fast!!! Easy to set up - at least in my case."
"Uploads still go through the phone line - 26.4 to 28.8 in my case."
"If you can't get cable or DSL, this is the next best thing."
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Mail,DNS,News:
Value for money:
(ratings above consensus)
|
Ok, I may get some flame mail for this review, but I'm going to take my chances and say good things about DirecPC. I live in one of the larger cities in Washington State, and AT&T has a monopoly over the cable modem and they haven't done any work on the system since last November. All the other cities around have it, but not mine. DSL is out of the question since the phone companies won't upgrade any of the lines.
I had read lots of horrible things about DirecPC on the Usenet groups, but I figured I didn't have much to loose since I was only connecting at 26.4 kb/s. So I took my chances and bought it. I had no problems installing the dish and finding the satellite (I have DirecTV, so I knew what I was looking for). I'm running it on a Windows 2000 Server and using internet connecting sharing to two other computers in my house and using terminal server to control the server. No problems.
Good points:
I'm usually downloading at about 475 to 590 kb/s average, so I'm not complaining about the speed. As for the FAP thing that everyone is screaming about, if I need to download a giant file, I'll do it at work and bring it home on a CD. I don't use Napster since all the good stuff is filtered out, so I can deal with the FAP issues.
I actually tested it out with a friend who has cable modem. I was downloading at 590 kb/s, and he was choked off at only 330 kb/s (this was also at midnight, when traffic should be less).
Bad points:
Higher latency than a dial-up, dsl or cable connection. If you are used to a slow dial-up connection, you probably won't notice anything. But this is understandable since the packets have to travel 50,000+ miles back and forth.
Upload speeds are still terrible for me since I have to dial in with a modem, and recieve from the satellite. I still can't play around with web servers on this connection.
FAP (Fair Access Policy) people complain all the time, but I haven't had a problem with this.
As for tech support, I can't really say much about that since I haven't had any problems I had to call them about. I just called once to upgrade my service from 25 hours to unlimited time. The person I talked to said that Windows 2000 Server was not supported...but it works great for me!
Overall I have been extremely happy with DirecPC. Sure, the uploads are kind of slow, its a little more complicated than cable or dsl, but it is FAST!
I'm thinking now that when (if?) AT&T does get cable modem in my area, I might just skip it and wait for DSL.
Tom
- Finally satisfied in Bellevue!
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of HughesNet Satellite Broadband |
| »next review in page (previous review)
Review by Jovian4
Posted: 8.4 years ago
member for 8.4 years, 14 visits, last login: 6.9 years ago
Schuylkill Haven,Schuylkill,PA
$34 per month
about 3 days
 Verizon (ex GTE)
"The Only Game In My Area"
"Too much rhetoric"
"If you have no other alternatives then this might be for you."
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Mail,DNS,News:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
|
I have been loyal to Hughes Network for several years now, and wanted to order their new product...AKA "SR2"...Satellite Return 2-Way. Currently, I have their direct duo product with Internet Connectivity.
Retrospectively, their product, the Dial Return System is disappointing. I am saddened to say that they are plagued with managerial problems. Their first line of defense; technical support agents, are not consistently on the same page where technical support is a concern. Moreover, they have attitudes issues they need to deal with internally.
Hold times are unacceptable, and once you speak to a representative they are quick to get you off the line. As far as upload potential with this system (Dial Return) they have still not address it. So my concern is why should I upgrade to their SR2 system. SR2 being Satellite Return 2-Way. Their technical support representatives stated that I must multiply by seven to get an accurate upload speed. When I asked them what is this factor, they told me they did not know, but were advised to just tell the customer this.
Moving on to e-mail concerns; after 6 months off and on I finally have an e-mail address with them. Occassionally, my settings get re-configured and I find myself calling them constantly. This is another place where their representatives are not on the same page where technical support is a concern.
Finally, when download speeds might be an issue. I find spuradically that I get intermittent connectivity or slower speeds then a 56k modem. Mind you that I just turned on my PC and have not exceeded their FAP...Fair Access Policy. These are just some of the major issues I have had with Hughes Network Systems. I could go on and on, but you get the picture. In short, I was told by several representatives that I should try off peak hours to surf the Net, and I told them this is not a viable option. DirecPC needs to get their act together.
Overall, when conditions are kind of Ideal, if you will, their dial return system is okay. Once again, watch for the rhetoric on days that may not be ideal because they tell you this is a problem with your phone line, and/or a problem with your ISP, or anything else they can disqualify you. This is where the major rhetoric comes to play too.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------
Regarding Hughes Networks newest product the SR2. Well, let me just say this...the can keep it until they fixed their internal and inherit problems with management and their Dial Return System.
I had signed up for this new product the day it was extended to members that had an account with Hughes Network (DirecPC) specifically. They offered an incentive to those customers (such as myself) to buy the product at a discounted price. "Get a DirecPC Satellite Return System AND Professional Installation for only $399.95* PLUS Get DirecPC Satellite Return Service for only $59.99/mo*." The asterick here denotes a one year commitment. Nothwithstanding, their site states, "Current DirecDuo customers who want to receive DIRECTV programming with the new DirecPC SR System will use existing cabling and need to purchase a DirecDuo upgrade kit. As a part of our special offer, DirecDuo customers may purchase the upgrade kit for $29.99 (regularly priced at $49.99.)[sic]. Well, that is find and dandy. But upon further investigation of this enticement; here is where my frustrations with DirecPC gets escalated.
I signed up on their website the day of the enticement. I waited, waited, and waited for someone to call me and no one ever did for six weeks. So I took a proactive approach and called them. DirecPC opened up a ticket for my concern which was; that I wanted to be installed before their promotion ended to take advantage of the price. Having a ticket opened I was reassured that I would still be able to take advantage of the price and that I was locked in.
Two weeks went by since I had the ticket opened and no one ever called me back. So once again I called in to see what could be done for my installation. DirecPC gave me a number to call...It turned out to be Info Dish who was installing their products. Info Dish told me that I could have someone out there in approxiametly 90-120 days, but would take my money down now. The 90-120 days excuse is because their people are receiving training now on the satellite FCC regulations and installation procedures; not to mention the considerably long back log of orders.
I told Info Dish no way was I going to pay a misquoted price $428.99 up front and wait 90-120 days later for a product/service that I had not received. They said this price was needed to pay for the cost of the equipment, and there was no service. I knew right then and there these people were uneducated and ignorant. If you offer to install a product for them at a quoted price, the service is the installation. What morons they have installing products for them. Furthermore, they told me the wrong price which I never corrected them on. When I asked why I needed to pay up front, they told me that it was a contractual agreement between them and Hughes. I asked if they could and would make an exception to this policy and they told me no, but provided me with another number to call to verify. The number they gave me was for technical support for the SR2 product; after waitng almost an hour the phone rang and a technician answered.
I explained my concerns to this rep and she transferred my call to another person in sales who was nice but absolutely useless. He explained to me that he could not help me, but did say that if I did not take advantage of this promotion; the price would be full price to me afterwards. Approxiametly several hundred dollars more for the equipment, full price for the kit, and an MRC (Monthly Recurring Charge) of $70.00.
Well, what do you think? With all of this World class customer service they offer, callbacks, professional installers, and straight talk with no attitudes representatives; I'd be a fool not to obtain this newest technology. YEAH RIGHT!
After review of all the problems from other people on this site and my personal experience with HNS/DirecPC, they are lucky I am still feeding their bottom line for their stockholders. They better wake up and realize that although investors come first, right after them is the customer and not the company.
So words to the wise...Dear Investors watch where your money goes because this company is going where NorthPoint is, where Covad might go...if they continue to go forward with these procedures/policies/mismanagement.
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of HughesNet Satellite Broadband |
| »next review in page (previous review)
Review by Sirnesto
Posted: 8.4 years ago
member for 8.8 years, 482 visits, last login: 54 days ago
Oakland,Alameda,CA
$69 per month (12 month contract)
about 20 days
"Very Fast Downloads (at least for now)"
"Upload speeds slower than dialup and Ping times won't even register & not cheap!"
"Given no other choice for broadband - seems worth it so far."
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Mail,DNS,News:
Value for money:
(ratings above consensus)
|
In my area of Oakland California, I don't have access to cable, dsl, or wireless broadband, and prospects for getting any kind of high speed service are grim for at least the next year or so. Believe me, I've tried to get all of them, but after patiently waiting for almost 2 years, I finally went for two-way satellite access using DirectPC via Pegasus Express when I saw it was available.
Equipment arrived in 3 days and someone was supposed to call me to do the install within 3-5 working days. After waiting for 9 working days, I called Pegasus and they told me someone should have called and would call within 24 hours. The installer finally did and turns out that they had been given the wrong phone number by Pegasus.
Install appointment was made and the installers appeared exactly as scheduled and the satellite was set up in about an hour. The installer ran into problems trying to get acknolwedgement from DirectPC that the install was sucessful and finally had to reinstall the installation software on his laptop to get everything to work and have DirectPC "turn on" my connection.
Registration with Pegasus went smoothly and I've been "on" for 4 days without any hitches. Download/upload speeds are supposed to be 400/128 max, but upload speeds have been pretty pathetic and never higher than 17. I've called Pegasus tech support regarding the slow upload speeds, and they are very much aware of the problem and are "working on it" since virtually all users seem to have the same complaint. This is not a big problem for me, since downloads are what really matter, and those have been much better than advertised. I know this may change as more users are added, but my speed tests look like this:
Time (US east) Test Results..
2001-05-31 22:23:35 Speed test 1509/11 kbps
2001-05-30 09:37:27 Speed test 1472/13 kbps
2001-05-30 01:57:52 Speed test 962/17 kbps
2001-05-30 01:34:00 Speed test 917/17 kbps
2001-05-29 20:40:34 Speed test 1083/10 kbps
2001-05-29 20:17:34 Speed test 1170/14 kbps
2001-05-29 18:56:56 Speed test 1254/13 kbps
Nothing lower than 917 down and as high as 1509. I just downloaded a 28 Mb program update in 2 minutres 40 seconds. As a long-time dial-up user this brought tears of joy to my eyes!!
I'm not an online gamer, but ping times are so slow that when I've run tests they've "timed out" and not registered, so this is definitely not the system to get if that matters to you, but if you primarily download files, have no other high speed options, then my experience with DirectPC via Pegasus has been pretty positive so far.
Bottom line is this works for me, but I would add that it's not cheap at almost $70/mo and an intial installation and equipment fee of $700.
Ernesto Lao
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of HughesNet Satellite Broadband |
| »next review in page (previous review)
Review by mjolson
Posted: 8.5 years ago
member for 8.5 years, 12 visits, last login: 4.2 years ago
Putnam Valley,Putnam,NY
$49 per month (12 month contract)
about 5 days
"Great Speed for Downloads, Great if no other options available!"
"Not so good for Online Gaming, Fair Access Policy limits bandwidth for downloads larger then 139MB/hr."
"Great alternative to Dial-up."
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Mail,DNS,News:
Value for money:
(ratings above consensus)
|
I get speeds of over 400kps everyday. Online gaming sucks due to latency. I download from fast sites at 80k/sec. Tech support sucks and will say they will call you back, but they won't. Aiming satelite can be a difficult task, but once you get the signal it is worth it.
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of HughesNet Satellite Broadband |
| »next review in page (previous review)
Review by 6363
Posted: 8.5 years ago
member for 8.7 years, 156 visits, last login: 1.3 years ago
Clovis,Curry,NM
$50 per month
"Download speeds improving."
"Latencey has been excessive - Tech support knows less that I do."
"Seems to be improving."
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Mail,DNS,News:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
|
Living out in the desert southwest, we have no broadband choices except sat. service. Even so, I came very close to dropping DirecPC last month. I kept it one more month because I was asked to wait before canceling service and offered the month of May free, as a customer satisfaction resolution. I was told changes were being made that should make major improvments.
Latency was simply so slow my dialup ISP could out-perform DirecPC. What DirecPC offered that forced me to keep it was actually throughput with large downloads [and the free month]. I have always hit in the 400K area, once the download started.
It now appears that DirecPC has made some changes that have improved not only the latencey issue, but also the throughput. I've tested a couple times now and have gotten reports of >700K.
As a computer consultant, I have recommended my clients not attempt to use DirecPC based mostly on cost performance, particularily in new page fetches. "Surfing" the web means moving from page to page. If that can be done faster with a poor quality dial-up line, what's th point of the trouble and expense of a sat. system? That may now have changed. I hope so.
My DirecPC connection is not the new two-way. I upload much less than I download and there is generally no "need for speed" uploading.
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of HughesNet Satellite Broadband |
| »next review in page (previous review)
Review by guidotti
Posted: 8.6 years ago
member for 8.6 years, 403 visits, last login: 3 days ago
Crete,Will,IL
$64 per month (month by month)
about 5 days
Ameritech
CLEC party: Ameritech
"Speeds passing 1 mbit/second sometimes."
"One-way service and ISP needed."
"Great for me, where you can get nothing else."
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Mail,DNS,News:
Value for money:
(ratings above consensus)
|
I live in Crete, IL. It is about 30 miles south of Chicago. I can get nothing here. For some reason my town seems to have been excluded from all plans for cable by @home, and the Ameritech CO in my town does not even support ISDN, let alone ADSL  So a few years ago my Dad and I went with DirecPC. After finding the dish equipment for $50 dollars online (that site is out of business now, wonder why), we proceeded to install the dish and all the wiring ourselves. We have the PCI card version FYI. I currently pay $34.95 for a hundred hours a month; now you can get unlimited for $39.95 a month but I never go over 100 hours anyway. We also pay for the second phoneline from Ameritech which is about $20.00 and we pay $9.95 a month for our ISP, Corecomm. Last year we had to reorient the dish to move to a new satellite. Everything was easy, and the service is overall what was promised. I used to get speeds around 30-40 kilobytes a second which was OK, and what they had promised. Now lately, something has happened and my speed is up to average 55 kilobytes/sec and bursts up to over 1 megabit/second! It is great to be downloading at over 100 kilobytes/second. The downside is that with a 26.4 kilobit/sec modem connection for upstream, I lag sometimes Two way came out now, but I will not pay $300 to upgrade my equipment and then pay $60 a month. One way is fine for me. I was thinking about changing to Sprint Broadband Direct since they started offering a faster service and two way, but the complaints for the other states that are overloaded caused me to rethink my decision. So bottom line: if you are out where there is no other service and you still are chugging with a sub 33.6 connection, go for it, it is worth it.
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of HughesNet Satellite Broadband |
| »next review in page (previous review)
Review by llhaas
Posted: 8.7 years ago
member for 8.7 years, 151 visits, last login: 50 days ago
New Caney,Montgomery,TX
$40 per month
about 1 days
"faster than dialup"
"slower than cable (sometimes)"
"If you have nothing else availiable, good broadband."
| Pre Sales information:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Mail,DNS,News:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
|
Advertised 400kpbs. I get it, sometimes, but sometimes slow as dialup. Been improving lately. Since it is a satellite system, upload is dialup speeds only. Big problem with latency- making interactive gaming and phone calls impossible.
I installed the antenna, easy- almost needed two people. Then I used a cell phone to call the telephone next to the speaker and was able to aim the antenna using sound.
All in all an good value & product if there is no DSL or cable service available.
Larry
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of HughesNet Satellite Broadband |
| »next review in page (previous review)
Review by speco
Posted: 8.7 years ago
member for 8.8 years, 21 visits, last login: 5.2 years ago
Thousand Palms,Riverside,CA
$49 per month
"Fast"
"Slow"
"Not stable but maybe its me"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Mail,DNS,News:
Value for money:
(ratings above consensus)
|
This system flies sometimes but at others it sucks. I have never been a heavy downloader so I know they dont slow me down, meaning Direcpc. But one time its great sign on 20 mins later and its modem speed. I live in Sunny So Cal with a direct shot to the sky so thats not the issue. And customer support has never been real helpful.
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of HughesNet Satellite Broadband |
| »next page (previous review)
Review by jschaaf
Posted: 8.7 years ago
member for 9 years, 55 visits, last login: 6.3 years ago
Silver Spring,Montgomery,MD
$49 per month (month by month)
about 2 days
"rocks between 1:am and 7:00 am est- although i'm not up to use it"
"slower than a dialup from 5:00 pm - 111:59 pm"
"not worth it. dialup is faster when i use the internet (time of day/night)"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Mail,DNS,News:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
|
called tech support to say that i wasn't getting their minimum stated speed 200 kbps. i am getting 56k at night. if i want to change my life style and have my waking hours between 12:00 am and 7:00 am i can get 483 kbps. not likely that i'm gpoing to do that. direcpc tech said well due to the congestion on the internet that it will be slow. i explained that i'm an it director and i know all about congestion and slow time on the internet. i explained that the problem is that the bbroadband industry doesn't know the meaning of truth in advertisement. i explained that direcpc says that users will get at least 200kbps all the time. i indicated that i understand that this is a target and that if one gets 80% of that speed your're doing good. i indicated that 56k is no where near the 80% mark. direcpc tech continued the conjestion mantra and i indicated that i will be voting with my pocket book and as soon as my teleco comes in with dsl the disk is going to be thrown into the potomac.
i've been with covad (covadsucks.com) covad is no better. they are crooks. so my last shot at broadband is with the teleco
if you go with direcpc- question them about the minimum
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of HughesNet Satellite Broadband |
|
|
HughesNet Satellite Broadband
(35)
(59)
(59)
(26)
·