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nikiinpa
join:2013-03-31
Rockton, PA

1 edit

nikiinpa

Member

I'm ready to switch to Hughes Net for internet & phone

I've been raked over the coals with windstream being the only game in town where I live. Last week was it when tech told me I should be happy with the service I had being I live in a rural area. DSL for over 5 yrs & no increase in speed.

I figure it has to be better than what I've been dealing with for years, we pay and pay and no upgrades, I was trying to view a movie on my Roku and it kept stopping and starting, the Roku tech told me my internet speed was way to slow. This happens with Amazon movies also.

I'm not that familiar with Sat internet or phone service.

I currently have Direct TV and they are partners with Hughes, tho I read not to do a 3rd party transaction even if its $10 off of my DTV bill. I'm happy with DTV very seldom any outages, if so its a storm and that's rare.

I'm paying just about $105. now for DSL and phone, too much for not receiving the service I deserve.

This is my speedtest with windstream so you can see what I mean



I've read about some kind of tokens with Hughes net, are you charged more for being online for 5 hrs or so, I watch movies once in awhile & like to see what's on the Roku but I am not on the internet for hours playing games, mostly bill pay, looking up something, going to a few forums, not downloading all kinds of things. I just want some faster service for the price compared to the H I have now.

Any advise would be appreciated, I cannot cancel my phone & internet until I'm satisfied the Hughes net works well for me

Thanks in advance
Diverod
join:2013-06-04
Citra, FL

Diverod

Member

I'm on HN9000. I don't watch Youtube on line due to latency. I don't watch movies due to bandwidth caps. I wish I had DSL, even your DSL.

My Download: 0.91 Mbps
My Upload: 0.25 Mbps
My Ping: 901 ms

»www.speedtest.net/result ··· 2328.png

gwalk
Premium Member
join:2005-07-27
West Mich.

gwalk to nikiinpa

Premium Member

to nikiinpa
Speaking as a Hughes subscriber of over 10 yrs. .....keep what you have.
Plan speeds are "up to" not real life. Ping times will be 550 ms minimum, average ....900 to 1100 so online gaming is out, VOIP services such as Magic Jack, no.... Hughes does now offer its own extra cost VOIP service, its has its limits, it is $$$$$$.

An Internet connection is a connection of last resort.
Assuming it not during "Prime Time" or a weekend or a Holiday, you can stream movies/video but you will need to set picture resolution to the very lowest possible or you will hit the monthly data caps in a flash.

Cloud services such as Carbonite and so on become a no-no because the amount of data you upload is also counted against your data allowance.
Do NOT be fooled by the TV Ads.

The stuff you take for granted now will become impossible or impractical with Hughesnet.
The support is outsourced to non native English speaking non-tech script readers.

I invite you to visit the Official Hughesnet support forum and view the commonalities to the customer postings and the non support supplied by Hughes.

»community.myhughesnet.co ··· t/topics

Nimblewill
join:2007-08-17
Dahlonega, GA

Nimblewill to nikiinpa

Member

to nikiinpa
Just like the other replies you have received, keep your Windstream service!

Don't be misled by the commercials you see on TV, they fail to mention the data caps. Watch a couple of HD movies and you will have used up your data cap for the month.

I had pretty good service using Hughes for about 9 years, I thanked God every day that I wasn't still on dialup!

Windstream finally spent their "Obama Bucks" and recently I got DSL, 6Mb/s download. But even with the speeds you are getting, I would not consider getting satellite.
Cybercycle
join:2012-12-23
united state

Cybercycle to nikiinpa

Member

to nikiinpa
Don't do it! I have been a subscriber to HughesNet for 6 years (HN9000) and would take your DSL plan over HN satellite service anytime. You are getting good advice here. My concerns and issues with HN would just be repeating all the concerns/issues that have been listed so far.
Max Mouse
join:2010-02-28

Max Mouse to nikiinpa

Member

to nikiinpa
You making a big mistake if you getting Satellite internet over DSL... Satellite internet is a last resort for someone who can't get cable or DSL...... internet slow during the winter... and doesnt work during that or the rain.... you are also very limited .. many video streaming sites doesnt work right... many times youtube video dont load for me... can't play online multiplayer games at all.... forget webcam or any voice thing with this...internet stop working alot very hard to download anything that does not have a resume feature....

james1979
Premium Member
join:2012-10-09
Quinault, WA

james1979 to nikiinpa

Premium Member

to nikiinpa
"Congratulations! Your address is eligible for Exede12,
our super fast Internet service."

You're asking the wrong question on the wrong forum.

Since it's not 3 AM yet, I can't enjoy watching these on Gen4 just yet:

»www.youtube.com/user/myhughesnet
james1979

1 edit

james1979 to nikiinpa

Premium Member

to nikiinpa
I've just had quite a fun time on YouTube.

Be sure to read the comments on the HughesNet Happy Family video:

»www.youtube.com/watch?v= ··· P613nPTk


Now trying to be more helpful, at what resolution can you stream the HughesNet Typical Customer video?:

»www.youtube.com/watch?v= ··· 9DJPy5ek


(There's a huge mistake at the end of the video where the authors misclaim 3 megabytes/s. That would be very nice, but I've been averaging 3 megabits / s.)

The first video is highly compressed and was designed to be viewed on dial-up. However, despite not being quite close to be "up to" speed, I was able to watch the entire 18+ minutes of the second video at 480p. Can you watch both videos at 360/480p without glitches? I could, but then I may have gotten lucky tonight.

Next, note how "passionate" both actual and fictional HughesNet customers.

You might consider reading my Highlights from the Winter 2013 HughesNet Member Newsletter. HughesNet seems to be selling service more than speed. For a modest monthly fee, if your cable comes unplugged, they'll send someone out to plug it back it in for you. They've conceded speed to Exede for that type of service. And apparently, that's what some people want.

Finally, regarding Roku, I haven't been able to get that to work well with Gen4, even at SD. Even if I could, the data caps mean SD and limited viewing time.

But HughesNet does offer a 30 day trial period where you can get out of your contract and evaluate their service for yourself.

Personally, for my needs and desires I would ditch what you have now and go with a different satellite ISP. Others on here wouldn't.

--
Gen4 / HT1000 - Beam 51 / Time Capsule (3rd gen), Exede 12 / Airport Express (2nd gen), OSX Snow Leopard
Diverod
join:2013-06-04
Citra, FL

Diverod

Member

I don't see how you can do a proper 30 day evaluation when the data caps are not enforced during this time.

james1979
Premium Member
join:2012-10-09
Quinault, WA

1 edit

james1979

Premium Member

I don't recall Gawlk's exact response the last time that I asked if Hughes was still providing a "30 day data usage adjustment period" during the 30 day evaluation. It seems like I recall that HN is now vague about that issue.

Still, I think that a 1 Mbps DSL is great potential upgrade candidate to high speed Internet. It's just going to depend upon someone's uses. I would consider it an extreme downgrade to go from Exede-12 to a 1 Mbps DSL line.

gwalk
Premium Member
join:2005-07-27
West Mich.

gwalk

Premium Member

If you are an "upgrade" from a previous Hughes platform there is no trial period.
New customers have a 30 day trial period. Installation costs are not refunded.
Usage is not metered for the first 10 days or so. That is not contractual, only a little something to allow a new customer to get updated.
The 30 day trial only allows you to avoid the 24 month commitment, nothing more.

james1979
Premium Member
join:2012-10-09
Quinault, WA

james1979 to nikiinpa

Premium Member

to nikiinpa
said by nikiinpa:

I've been raked over the coals with windstream being the only game in town where I live. Last week was it when tech told me I should be happy with the service I had being I live in a rural area.

That's just the kind of business which I would be more than happy to go out of my way to help you get away from.

[CenturyTel tech jerk anecdote edited away]

What are you currently doing with your 1 Mbps which you should be so happy to have? Are you downloading "stuff" 24/7, or do you just browse, email, and watch YouTube at 384p occassionally / moderately?

Just list what your expectations are from high speed satellite Internet. As long as you're not highly into interactive online games, you might be pleased with high speed satellite Internet. (As I've already said, there's no way that I would agree to exchange Exede-12 for unmetered 1 Mbps DSL.)

nikiinpa
join:2013-03-31
Rockton, PA

nikiinpa

Member

I want to be able to stream my movies from Amazon & Roku without it cutting out and reloading. The Roku service said my Windstream was too slow and that's why its happening.

I mostly check email, look up things on the net, go to youtube once in awhile and go to forums such as this. I don't play games and hardly download anything other than updates.
nikiinpa

nikiinpa

Member

I guess I do the reply this way being I cannot see a reply button other than to each of you who have replied to this post.

As I mentioned to james, I wanted faster speed to stream movies from Amazon & the Roku. youtube could be a little faster that will hang up at times

I'm usually just checking my email, paying bills or searching for something on the web, once in awhile I'll amuse myself with youtube or play the songs I've saved there. I do some invoicing also.

I assumed Hughes would be 10xfaster and for the price didn't expect extra charges for streaming movies. The salesperson at Huges had said being I'm already using Direct TV my connection is good, tho I know they are sales people and receive a commission & will say anything.

Why Windstream is clipping everyone for service is wrong, they just want to increase their profits and the H with the customers.

Do you guys live deeper in the woods that you have Hughes?

I'm in a rural area, most people have Windstream or Comcast

hughesnet123
join:2012-11-08

hughesnet123 to nikiinpa

Member

to nikiinpa
I got to disagree with some of these comments.

I have DSL 3mb (as fast as they will run it) and HughesNet 15mb. I get 15mb down, constantly. Sometimes I get over 15. It doesn't seem to cap at 15. I get 20gb a month, as well as 20gb during the bonus hours. So 40gb total.

It is night and day to the DSL. The DSL sucks badly. I own a website and I have to upload pictures from a Canon 5D which are large photo's, I do it quickly with the hughesnet, it takes FOREVER on DSL.

I also have Verizon 4G LTE, which I use when I travel and at home. It is by far the best service I have. The speed I get is about the same as Hughesnet Gen 4 but it has a much faster ping time. I also have 20GB a month with it. It can be pricy and there is no bonus hours.

It depends on how much the OP uses. To the OP, I would say, figure out how much data you need. If possible, keep your DSL for surfing web pages and use HughesNet for everything else until you run out, unless you don't run out. Or get Verizon 4G LTE if it's in your area, and then you can take it wherever you go.

As far as it being 20GB a month, 20GB is more than you'd think. I have had a month off where I sat at home all month and did nothing but watch YouTube video's and uploaded pictures. I ran out of the 20GB about 2 days before it started over.

If you download movies on the other hand, you will run out very quickly. You want to keep your downloads in the bonus hours, or on your DSL while you are sleeping.

My HughesNet never goes out. No matter how bad the storm gets. I've had it since it first came out with Gen 4, I've never had it go out.

I have a video on YouTube which compares the Gen 4 to the Verizon LTE if you want to look that up.

It will stream your movies fine. Although if you stream HD, 20GB isn't a lot. Again, it's about how much data you are streaming. You can watch movies all day most days of the month if you turn the quality to standard quality. Because I've done it. But if I was to watch HD movies, it wouldn't last me long. Although it might last you long enough, IF you aren't someone like me that is on the internet most of the day.

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

grohgreg to nikiinpa

Member

to nikiinpa
said by nikiinpa:

I want to be able to stream my movies from Amazon & Roku without it cutting out and reloading.

Herein lies the Achille's Heel of consumer grade satellite internet. You may occasionally get the 15Mb/s as claimed by hughesnet123, but the monthly data allowance will put a damper on your movie viewing expectations. Don't know at which resolution you watch your movies, but it won't take many to eat up the meager monthly data allowance; 5GB to 20GB at $50 to $130 per month (plus fees).

//greg//
Xtreme2damax
join:2007-03-21
Port Byron, NY

3 edits

Xtreme2damax to nikiinpa

Member

to nikiinpa
Consider this, my Virgin Mobile 3G on good days with decent signal can load pages faster and stream videos/audio better than my parents Hughesnet Gen4 system. In my experience so far the only area where Hughesnet reigns supreme is download speed. Hughesnet only beats my 3G when downloading files which isn't really that big of a deal if you have enough patience to wait for a file to download with 3G speeds.

Here is the fastest speed I've experienced with my 3G hotspot connection:

1.5 Mbit /s downstream
0.45 Mbit /s upstream
100ms - 150ms ping
done99999999
join:2012-11-05
Beverly Hills, CA

done99999999 to nikiinpa

Member

to nikiinpa
said by nikiinpa:

I assumed Hughes would be 10xfaster and for the price didn't expect extra charges for streaming movies. The salesperson at Huges had said being I'm already using Direct TV my connection is good, tho I know they are sales people and receive a commission & will say anything.

Why Windstream is clipping everyone for service is wrong, they just want to increase their profits and the H with the customers.

Do you guys live deeper in the woods that you have Hughes?

I'm in a rural area, most people have Windstream or Comcast

They aren't "charging extra" for streaming movies. As everyone is saying, movies are a LOT more data than simple webpages. You can look at forums 24x7 and not go over your data limit, but two high def movies will almost put you at 10 GB, with maybe a very little left for anything else. Low def, you can watch more.

This is the competition's data calculator (didn't see a Hughesnet one with a quick search). It isn't accurate because there are many variables in file/video/webpage sizes. But a rough idea. »www.exede.com/internet-p ··· selector

Best bet would be to get a router that can track data and monitor how much data you actually use now.

"Do you guys live deeper in the woods that you have Hughes? I'm in a rural area, most people have Windstream or Comcast"

Comcast is cable, correct? That is usually only found in or near cities and towns. Many of the towns and villages around here don't have cable. DSL speed in the closest village is 1 meg, $50 plus the cost of the landline required (local calls only is $35 per month, no unlimited calling option). People have Hughesnet or other because they either don't stream many videos, download too much (like games), and it may be better than their land based options and they can live in the boundaries of the service, or they have NO CHOICE. Where I am there are less than 3 people per square mile, groceries are 15 miles away, clothing and other supplies are 30. DSL only works up to 8 miles from the village. A few miles away from me has no cell service at all. Exede service is closed to new customers, their only choice for internet is Hughesnet on the old satellites.
said by hughesnet123:

I have a video on YouTube which compares the Gen 4 to the Verizon LTE if you want to look that up.

Both of those services vary completely from one area to the next, some areas are overloaded, others aren't. It only works to compare them in the same area as the person who is looking.

Verizon Homefusion, although it may have quirks is a cheaper data choice for fixed home 4g than the mobile options from Verizon. Or Millenicom has a Verizon branded hotspot that works on Verizon's 3g/4g, 20GB for $70 per month, also cheaper than going directly through Verizon, minus the startup fee, and the sim card can be moved to other devices as well. Millenicom is what I use, below is my speed test, I always see above 20 down, I'm 8 miles from the tower behind a bunch of trees. Many of my neighbors still use sat.


james1979
Premium Member
join:2012-10-09
Quinault, WA

james1979 to nikiinpa

Premium Member

to nikiinpa
said by nikiinpa:

I want to be able to stream my movies from Amazon & Roku without it cutting out and reloading. The Roku service said my Windstream was too slow and that's why its happening.

I mostly check email, look up things on the net, go to youtube once in awhile and go to forums such as this. I don't play games and hardly download anything other than updates.

I think that you would definitely benefit and appreciate high speed satellite Internet. The main decision to make is between HughesNet Gen4 and Exede-12. Before I continue, you should read two prior discussions so that I will not be redundant to regular readers:

»New Gen-4 Customer.....

»Gen-4 Slowdowns Continue

Summarizing, Gen4 does not work as advertised for some of us. However, after coping with 1 Mbps "Gen3", I still certainly prefer Gen4 over Gen3.

Since you don't download continuously and since you don't play interactive games, I can't think of a reason that you wouldn't be pleased with either Gen4 or Exede-12 (assuming they work as advertised; I tried to find a YouTube video of someone smashing his Exede dish with his tractor just to show that I am trying to be unbiased, but I couldn't find it.) I'd suggest researching which one of the two you would be happier with. Feel free to ask questions on the Wildblue side about the pros and cons of Exede-12. (Or use the search function there as that question has been asked and discussed before.)

As for the data caps and watching video, Netflix and Roku allow you to specify the quality of your video. You can watch a decent amount of low-to-standard definition video using 10-20 GB a month. You can use up your data allowance very quickly watching high definition video. Amazon Prime has a lot of trouble auto-detecting satellite Internet. Sometimes Amazon decides that I can watch HD video, sometimes Amazon decides that I can only watch SD video, and sometimes Amazon decides that my Internet connection is too slow to watch video. (This is with Exede-12 which is always fast.)

Assuming that you do upgrade to high speed satellite Internet, I think that the main difference which you will notice is the latency when loading web pages. But at your current 1 Mbps, that's just going to seem "different". You'll get used to it. (There's one big exception here, and that's with "secure" (you hope) HTTPS connections. Your ISP shouldn't be able to compress and accelerate those, and they're going to be slow.)

I really hope that you switch to high speed satellite Internet. If you have a clear view of the southern sky, then you don't have to suffer 1 Mbps. When / if you get to get to watch Roku and Netflix, be sure to advertise your experience with your neighbors about how happy you are with your new service and how they should be happy with their new service too.
james1979

james1979 to hughesnet123

Premium Member

to hughesnet123
said by hughesnet123:

I got to disagree with some of these comments.

I agree!
quote:
I have DSL 3mb (as fast as they will run it) and HughesNet 15mb. I get 15mb down, constantly. Sometimes I get over 15. It doesn't seem to cap at 15. I get 20gb a month, as well as 20gb during the bonus hours. So 40gb total.

There is a poster on the Wildblue side who can get 28 GB / per night in the LNFZ. He is known to report dissatisfaction that the LNFZ is only 5 hours per day instead of 24 hours per day. Unless you bought your equipment, a new customer(*) is paying $140 / month while he is paying $60 / month.

(I have 45 GB free on my hard drive, so I can't identify with his "dissatisfactions".)

* - I recall that HN raised their prices on the Power MAX plan, so you personally are locked in at a lower rate. The OP obviously isn't.
quote:
It is night and day to the DSL. The DSL sucks badly. I own a website and I have to upload pictures from a Canon 5D which are large photo's, I do it quickly with the hughesnet, it takes FOREVER on DSL.
Some people like to download "stuff". Lots of "stuff". The satellite ISP's research indicated that they would make more money by providing a faster service with lower data caps than providing a slower service with higher data caps. I'm with you on the Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah preference.
quote:
My HughesNet never goes out. No matter how bad the storm gets. I've had it since it first came out with Gen 4, I've never had it go out.

My Gen4 still goes out in storms, but it is an improvement over "Gen3" and weather is less of a concern.