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monicakm
join:2005-03-12
Grand Saline, TX

monicakm

Member

I Just Downloaded a 8.46MB File in 0.01 Seconds!

REALLY! Of course when I saw the file on my desktop, I KNEW that there was an error and the song didn't actually download, but, it did! I wish I hadn't cleared the download information. It was something like 76800kBps. Other songs downloaded right before and right after were in the 250-300kBps (hope I typed that right).
Also, I've been complaining since last fall that my download numbers were steadily declining. I've posted about that here. A few months ago they got down to single digits. I finall took the time to file a complaint with the BBB. That was on 8-22. I've yet to be contacted by Hughes or get an email from the BBB, but a few days ago my downloads shot up to around 175ish to 300ish. Oh, but wait! Technical support has been telling me for MONTHS, "it's not us, it's YOUR computer"...both of my computers. YAY, my computers have been miraculously healed
This is the 2nd (maybe 3rd) time I've had to contact the BBB and each time, the complaints have been resolved. Too bad it has to get to that point.
monicakm

monicakm

Member


Just Rachel
occasional optimist
Premium Member
join:2003-07-10

Just Rachel to monicakm

Premium Member

to monicakm
That's pretty wonderful. I hope your speeds remain good.

grohgreg
Dunno. Ask The Chief
join:2001-07-05
Dawson Springs, KY

grohgreg to monicakm

Member

to monicakm
said by monicakm:


Please tell us you don't actually believe that Monica. That speed test server should NOT be used by satellite subscribers.

The quick file download by the way, is a Windows thing. Frequently Windows will start downloading a file that you've selected before you go through the motions of telling it where you want the file saved. Depending upon how long it takes you to do that, the file can already be downloaded into a temp folder. All that remains to be done is moving it from the temp folder to your specified folder.

//greg//
monicakm
join:2005-03-12
Grand Saline, TX

monicakm

Member

Well thanks for ruining it for me! So which test (other than HughesNet) do you suggest? This same site is reports disparaging numbers , when my downloads are disparagingly slow.

You may be right about the downloaded song. I don't know. I just know I downloaded five songs from my Amazon Cloud (one at a time. I didn't use their downloader. Did it the old fashioned way). It was the third song to d/l. The two before and the two after downloaded at a normal speed. I didn't wait any longer or do anything different with that song. So I'd like to think I downloaded it at warp speed...even it if only happens once!
monicakm

1 edit

monicakm

Member

Today's download speed test. My browsing isn't as breakneck as it was last night. Pages were just popping on the screen in at all time highs!




compuguybna
join:2009-06-17
Nashville, TN

compuguybna to monicakm

Member

to monicakm
NOT! NEVER! INACCURATE!
said by monicakm:


monicakm
join:2005-03-12
Grand Saline, TX

monicakm

Member

Gee, what a bunch of party poopers
All I know is last night I was browsing at
cable speeds. Webpages were instantly
appearing. Downloads were snappy. The
speed test indicated the difference I noticed
as it's been mirroring the last several months
of dialup speeds. Today, speeds showed the slowdown I was experiencing in contrast to last night. I'm not up on these numbers like you guys seem to be but what a coincidence that I reportedly downloaded 8.46 MB in 0.01 seconds and moments later my download speed showed it was off the charts (for satellite), and I was browsing the web like I was on a good cable connection. But you can relax, I'm back down to where I was last year at this time (4.7Mbps). Remember when a lot of had 2-3X the download speeds for about 3 months? Think I'll just keep my BBB letter in case I have to use it again!

Just Rachel
occasional optimist
Premium Member
join:2003-07-10

Just Rachel to monicakm

Premium Member

to monicakm
Ignore them. If you're happy with your speed, forget about the tests and just enjoy it!

grohgreg
Dunno. Ask The Chief
join:2001-07-05
Dawson Springs, KY

grohgreg to monicakm

Member

to monicakm
said by monicakm:

So which test (other than HughesNet) do you suggest?

None. HughesNet tech support does not accept - AND WILL NOT ACT UPON - speed test results from sites other than their own. The whole idea of a speed test is to gauge the performance of your provider. That cannot accurately be assessed when factors outside the provider are included. When you test with Hughes, your signal goes to the NOC and back. When you test with anybody else, the signal goes to the NOC - out into the internet somewhere - back to the NOC - then back to you. Too many factors external can affect the results.

Then there's the technical aspect. Satellite internet bitstreams are constructed quite differently than most terrestrial broadband. Modulation and error coding types differ, and actually there's no pressing reason for terrestrial providers to even go to the expense of coding. But the big one is data compression. Speed tests designed for terrestrial simply can't cope with the degree of compression engineered into satellite bitstreams.

Get used to using the Hughes test exclusively. That way you'll have a chronological record of speeds that you can point to when you're on the phone with tech support. They have access to those numbers. If you don't - they'll tell you to test ON THEIR SITE for five days, then to get back to the them with the results.

//greg//

compuguybna
join:2009-06-17
Nashville, TN

compuguybna to monicakm

Member

to monicakm
Greg is exactly right, If having speed issues, the India crew will insist that you run several speed tests throughout different times of the day, including morning, noon, evening, and prime-time evening for at least five days (((been there, done that))). Because you are signed into the system under your DSS#(also called a SAN ID?????), all your speed tests will be documented. this is the only documented speedtest that will be allowed to further document issues, and possibly to get transferred to the next level of tech support.
zeddlar
join:2007-04-09
Jay, OK

zeddlar

Member

I wouldn't say that speed was impossible because it isn't impossible. It could have been caused by HN playing around on the ground trying to get things ready for the gen 4 launch or anyone of a hundred things but the satellite way more than capable of that speed, we just don't see it because of limits placed on the modems and congestion. A large scale power outage for instance like a hurricane can cause could nearly unpopulate a beam altogether and if your modem was uncapped for whatever reason then where do you think your speeds would go then? I know SW3 can easily maintain 4 to 6Mb/s becuase I got that speed for months.

grohgreg
Dunno. Ask The Chief
join:2001-07-05
Dawson Springs, KY

grohgreg to monicakm

Member

to monicakm
Yes, Spaceway is capable of more speed than they currently offer at consumer rates. And no offense, but are those "4-6Mb/s" results logged on a HughesNet server?

It would be foolish - even irresponsible - to "play around" through dedicated gateways. I used to be in this business, and would fire anybody that tried that. What you describe is what canary and/or beta sites are for.

//greg//
monicakm
join:2005-03-12
Grand Saline, TX

1 recommendation

monicakm to Just Rachel

Member

to Just Rachel
Thanks Rachel, I'm doing just that. Browsing is once again pleasurable, not a chore. Heaven help them if they pull the plug on me again tho

monicakm

1 edit

monicakm to compuguybna

Member

to compuguybna
Well guys, I completely understand the testing protocols. And I've tested using the HughesNet test 100s of times. I know that ts won't use any other results other than their own. Been there, done that 100s of times. But, will all due respect, I don't spend much time browsing the NOC, so frankly I don't give a rip what what their results are. And I'm fairly certain they're not above working the numbers to their advantage.
That night I was browsing and downloading at warp speed, I figured they were working on, tweaking and/or testing some settings.
monicakm

monicakm to zeddlar

Member

to zeddlar
more or less my thoughts the night it was happening.

MeAgain4
@direcway.com

MeAgain4

Anon

So, out of curiosity since you haven't mentioned them or shown any images of those results, how are your Hughesnet speed test anyway?

I normally get 3-4.5Mbps at testmynet, but sometimes 12+ and I know speeds aren't any faster during those strange speed burst times because all other sites still show the same old average speeds. When I'm seeing 3-4.5Mbps at testmynet, I usually am getting 2500kbps, w/ average downloads of actual files using IMD w/ 2or 4 way splits at around 260-280KB/s
monicakm
join:2005-03-12
Grand Saline, TX

monicakm

Member

I did (one) download speed test from Hughesnet about 1 this morning. Download was 830kbps and upload was 182. The uploads have, for the most part, shown a consistent speed.
One test on 8-21 download was 546kbps. Several tests on four days between March and June, the d/l numbers averaged 2832kbps, all the while my download speeds in the real world are in the single digits. HughesNet browsing tests were borderline. Browsing and downloads were excruciatingly slow. Buffering made watching videos too much trouble to mess with. All calls to ts ended with "its YOU, not us". So if it was me all this time, how did an email to the BBB miraculously fix "my" problem? I'm done going back and forth with this conversation. I was simply reporting what my experience was/is. That's what this forum is for.

MeAgain4
@direcway.com

MeAgain4

Anon

said by monicakm:

So if it was me all this time, how did an email to the BBB miraculously fix "my" problem? I'm done going back and forth with this conversation. I was simply reporting what my experience was/is. That's what this forum is for.

Thanks for your info, I was just curious and wasn't trying trying to bicker with you or anything like that, I think it's great to see you finally enjoying Hughes as I know it can be a pain at times!

Your last comment still has me curious though now, how's Hughes tests now that your browsing is fixed and speeds seem fast? Like when you do see 6-10+ at testmy, how does it test during that same time at Hughes?

Again, all just because I'm curious! I've only gotten crazy speeds there a few times, so I've always wondered how it happens and then only happens to some users sometimes. Probably servers used there, and on hughes end, differing from time to time?
Iowa Cowboy
join:2012-08-16
Monticello, IA

Iowa Cowboy

Member

2 years ago I was on dial up, with a separate phone line I was paying $50 a month for download speeds of 2.5-3.5 Kbps, now I pay Hughes $38 a month for speeds of 3-4 Mbps. I have no complaints
monicakm
join:2005-03-12
Grand Saline, TX

monicakm

Member

Dare I? LOL
I was looking for "ping" information after reading about Excede.
TestMy doesn't include it. Again, while experiencing uber fast browsing like the other night (about the same time of night), I get this test result



Went to HughesNet to test
Web Response:
Download Time 4.8 seconds
Download Time 2.5 seconds
Download Time 2.3 seconds
Download Time 2.3 seconds
Download Time 2.4 seconds

Download Speed Test:
down 3338 kbps up 192
down 3577 up 180
down 3498 up 191

So what exactly is ping (I kinda get the jest of it) and why is it so important that even if d/l speed numbers are good a bad ping is "bad"? Is it directly related to VOIP and gaming? If I don't do those type of things, does it still adversely affect my Internet experience? What is a good ping number for satellite users?

grohgreg
Dunno. Ask The Chief
join:2001-07-05
Dawson Springs, KY

grohgreg

Member

That's a whole new topic Monica, but it's your thread anyway. The name PING came from submarines, where sonar "pings" a distant object. The resultant echo - among other things - tells the originating vessel the distance to the object that reflected it. In Internet vernacular, PING stands for Packet INternet Groper but is usually stated as the simple acronym. An originating computer constructs an ICMP packet and sends it to a specific distant IP address. It's automatically turned around at the addressed server and returned to the originator. The PING utility knows what time it left and what time it returned. The difference between the two is round trip time (RTT) or PING time or "latency". This is where packet loss is figured as well; the number of bits in the packets sent minus the number of bits returned.

As with the submarine PING, distance is the main factor. Given that the ICMP packet(s) are sent at roughly the speed of light, that's a constant. The time it takes to get back is the variable. Figuring out how long it took at the speed of light derives the distance traveled. Satellite PING times are long because they're so far away. Unlike terrestrial broadband where distances are limited to the surface of the earth, satellite broadband by default takes a minimum 44,600 mile round trip. I say minimum, because that's just from the equator to the satellite and back. It is necessarily subject to terrestrial lag as well. So your PING goes from you to the satellite - down to the NOC - from the NOC to the addressed server back - then up to the satellite and back down to you.

//greg//
monicakm
join:2005-03-12
Grand Saline, TX

monicakm

Member

Well my warp speed internet and dowload speeds have come to an end. I thought maybe it was a minor glitch but it's been slooooow for about a week now.
I know, you guys believe testmy is for the birds and I'm not trying to convince anyone other wise but it always seems to reflect what I'm experiencing. Currently 4.1Mbps vs the 21, 22Mbps testmy reported. Before I wrote my complaint to BBB around Aug 20th, the numbers were in the 2-3Mbps range. I sent a followup email last Thursday.