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moses
Anon
2014-Sep-11 6:44 pm
[Exede] Should I switch from HughesNet Gen 4 to Exede?I have HughesNet Gen 4. It appears I might be able to get the new Exede Freedom plan which has 150 GB for $100. HughesNet has been reliable and reasonably fast, the only real issue is the monthly data limit. Anyone out there used both and able to comment on the reliability of Exede? |
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Diverod
Member
2014-Sep-12 10:25 am
I went from hn9000 to Exede-12 with the LNFZ and have been very satisfied. If they are offering the Freedom plan in your area it should mean the beam is under utilized and you will be amazed at the speeds.
I do find that Exede-12 seems to be very slightly more sensitive to rain, maybe because of the speeds, possibly because of alignment but not enough for me to pursue farther.
The Exede usage monitor really stinks but with the Freedom plan I don't even know if you will have one. |
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moses
Anon
2014-Sep-12 11:41 am
Thanks. I have a couple concerns:
1) I don't trust this Freedom Plan thing, it seems "too good to be true", it makes me think after I while I will be forced out of it and ...
2) I don't like the Exede plan structure as much. The LNFZ of 12-5am is fine but those are horrible times for my schedule and HughesNet Bonus Bucket time of 2-8am is much better as I get a lot downloaded in that 5-8am period. I have never gotten close to using my Bonus Bucket.
3) The usage monitor is important, as we are a small organization here and I have 6 people using the Internet daily, so I need to monitor usage. In theory the 150 GB limit is so high I will likely never hit it, but once you start getting used to using lots of data then our usage will skyrocket. Then, if Exede pulls this plan and makes us move down to a normal plan we will then feel it much more than if we never had the big plan in the first place.
These are some of my concerns about switching right now... |
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N4STJim Premium Member join:2005-11-25 Jersey, VA |
N4ST to moses
Premium Member
2014-Sep-12 1:24 pm
to moses
Wonder where you are located? To be getting the Freedom plan you must be in an underutilized Exede beam. If you sign a 2-year contract, I wouldn't think the beam would fill up in that time period and I doubt they would change your service while under contract. In 2 years, a lot could change, which hopefully will include the new satellite with even more capacity. As far as reliability goes, I have been a WildBlue/Exede customer for almost nine years and have only had two service calls, and one of them was to do the Exede upgrade. Obviously, YMMV, but it has been a very reliable service for me. |
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to moses
said by moses :Then, if Exede pulls this plan and makes us move down to a normal plan... Bait-n-Switch...I really doubt it...where the plan is offered, those beams are under utilized. "...it will only be offered along portions of the Eastern Seaboard and the Gulf Coast; select counties in California, Arizona, and Minnesota; and across large chunks of Alaska, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington and Florida." » New Exede Satellite Broadband Tier Provides 150 GB for $70 [82] comments |
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moses to N4ST
Anon
2014-Sep-12 1:33 pm
to N4ST
I'm in rural Northern CA. |
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thatdude7 to moses
Anon
2014-Sep-12 2:54 pm
to moses
I could not disagree more about the time. 2-8 is a joke and its not even a free zone. |
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N4STJim Premium Member join:2005-11-25 Jersey, VA |
N4ST
Premium Member
2014-Sep-12 7:57 pm
This is true, the Bonus Bucket is still measured. Exede's LNFZ is not measured. I can download a ton of stuff and it isn't metered. My problem is I live near Washington DC and EVERYONE uses the LNFZ, so it slows down until ~2-3 am. (Yeah, I know. I live 40 miles from the White House, yet satellite is my only source of broadband Internet). |
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to moses
So you have the chance to get virtually unlimited satellite internet and you still are not sure if you should switch???? |
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to moses
said by moses :Thanks. I have a couple concerns:
1) I don't trust this Freedom Plan thing, it seems "too good to be true", it makes me think after I while I will be forced out of it and ...
2) I don't like the Exede plan structure as much. The LNFZ of 12-5am is fine but those are horrible times for my schedule and HughesNet Bonus Bucket time of 2-8am is much better as I get a lot downloaded in that 5-8am period. I have never gotten close to using my Bonus Bucket.
3) The usage monitor is important, as we are a small organization here and I have 6 people using the Internet daily, so I need to monitor usage. In theory the 150 GB limit is so high I will likely never hit it, but once you start getting used to using lots of data then our usage will skyrocket. Then, if Exede pulls this plan and makes us move down to a normal plan we will then feel it much more than if we never had the big plan in the first place.
These are some of my concerns about switching right now... 1) I also developed a lack of trust after being with Hughes. After switching ISP's I've learned to let that go somewhat. You do have to realize that with satellite internet sometimes things change, no matter who is providing the service. So far I don't have any trust issues with Exede and it's hard to back away from something that has documentation. 2) For the Freedom plan your stuck with the 12-5am. I use a scheduler for my downloads. There are download managers available but you need to make sure they will work for your needs. 3) There are aftermarket usage monitors available. Reality Ripple has been providing a usage monitor for a long time and keeps on top of things if they change. He has just signed up for the Freedom plan so I'm sure he'll be on top of that. I just use an app that displays my remaining usage in an icon in the system tray. The thing you have to remember with Exede is that usage is not provided in real-time, there is at least a 15 minute delay and Exede policy is that it may take up to 24 hours although I have never experienced a delay other than the 15 minutes. These are just my experiences. I hope they can be of use in your decision making process. |
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moses
Anon
2014-Sep-16 8:09 pm
Just to let you all know I went ahead and switched to Exede. Was able to get the Freedom Plan. It was installed a few hours ago and the speeds are huge increase over HughesNet! Speedtests are coming in between 15-20 Mbps down and 2-3.5 Mbps up! I was happy to get 5 Mbps down with HughesNet. Slow ping time and latency is about the same, but I expected that with satellite. So far, very happy with this. Thanks for those who chimed in and encouraged me to make the switch. |
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