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//