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I am currently a HughesNet Customer. I have been with exede before, and have had satellite internet since 2004 so I am very familiar with the limitations etc. My issue is that HughesNet has admitted to me that they over sold their capacity, that the big business accounts are getting priority over the residential accounts, and that there is no real solution for the degraded service in the foreseeable future, so of course they are giving massive discounts to keep customers from leaving.
I have seen the available plans for my area (northern california) and my question is, are the speeds consistent throughout the normal day? Does the service slow to a crawl during 'prime time' for pacific northwest? I am really tired of having internet that I basically find useless except for browsing facebook. Even that tends to not work well during peak hours, on hughesnet right now and I feel pretty frustrated, particularly after having my gen4 service degraded to the point of being un-usable, only to be told that upgrading to gen 5 would fix everything (oh but with a contract extension of course!) and once the upgrade was finished, back to the old slow degraded service.
I have a couple of weeks window where I can switch providers with no ETF because of the issues etc, but I really am hesitant to try viasat, since I wonder if it is just the same situation, Too many customers, not enough capacity.
Does Viasat have a 30 day trial period?
I have seen the available plans for my area (northern california) and my question is, are the speeds consistent throughout the normal day? Does the service slow to a crawl during 'prime time' for pacific northwest? I am really tired of having internet that I basically find useless except for browsing facebook. Even that tends to not work well during peak hours, on hughesnet right now and I feel pretty frustrated, particularly after having my gen4 service degraded to the point of being un-usable, only to be told that upgrading to gen 5 would fix everything (oh but with a contract extension of course!) and once the upgrade was finished, back to the old slow degraded service.
I have a couple of weeks window where I can switch providers with no ETF because of the issues etc, but I really am hesitant to try viasat, since I wonder if it is just the same situation, Too many customers, not enough capacity.
Does Viasat have a 30 day trial period?
Posted 9 months ago
VeteranSatUser, Champion
VeteranSatUser, Champion
I never have known anybody to be forced off an old legacy plan to take Liberty. No wonder you left.
I would wait a few days and see the prices of the plans coming out. If you can get Bronze or Silver unlimited for $75 or less, I would make the switch.
I would wait a few days and see the prices of the plans coming out. If you can get Bronze or Silver unlimited for $75 or less, I would make the switch.
they tried to force me from my free zone awhile back.
The practice lately seems to be to make the old plans so slow and frustrating that when they tell you the best way to fix it is to upgrade, you jump at it hoping for the best. HughesNet just pulled this on me, and I am not happy about it. My gen4 worked fine until they put the gen5 bird up, then they prioritized all the gen5 over gen4 customers, and slowed us older subscribers down to a crawl. Pisses me off. I will wait to see what the new viasat plans are going to be since it sounds like things are going to change in the next week or so, but yes I agree, it seems that a relatively unlimited (as long as you are not really hitting the data hard) plan for 70 or so a month sounds reasonable. 12mps is actually quite usable, we have always streamed at standard definition when we do indulge, and mostly use it for my gaming, and his facebook and forums.
not having to worry about the bit bucket, not having to fret if he wants to watch some short UFC highlights clip on facebook etc would be nice.
Thank you for the input. =)
not having to worry about the bit bucket, not having to fret if he wants to watch some short UFC highlights clip on facebook etc would be nice.
Thank you for the input. =)
Same happened to me Loren. I had Gen4 and all of sudden had super slow connection. When I called they tried to say they had to send a tech out to adjust my dish. I was no, nothing wrong with the dish. I then just decided to go with my phone temporarily until ViaSat-2 came on board. When I called to cancel Hughes, I got the big speech basically letting me know I didn't know what I was doing. I called in advance to make SURE there were NO overcharges. So for the last 3 weeks of my service, it was the best it ever was. I called them back and was pissed at their little data games and such. Anyways, I'm done with hughes. I'll try my luck with ViaSat. Now just researching on the best plan for me and if the new Sat is worth hooking up to vs the old.
It does seem to be the new business model these days. The company brings out new supposedly great stuff, but most people are happy with what they have, that doesn't help the company pay for all the new infrastructure though so they just flip a few switches behind the scenes and suddenly you are throttled back and pulling your hair out.
Then the techs all say "you need new equipment, it will be much better if you upgrade".
Well their upgrade has me locked out of being able to stream video, the only site I can get to work is my amazon video. No netflix, no cbs...
They are sending a new modem to make sure that isn't the problem, but still, even with 50% discount for the next 12 months, it is frustrating. Where are these incredible speeds I am supposed to be getting? The new video features? How can I enjoy those if I can't stream at all?
I just don't want to get into the same problem with a new service. If Viasat had a trial period, I could get it installed, while the hughes account is still active, test it out and if we like it better, stay with that, and cancel hughes, no interruption of service. I am just wary of making the switch and then being in a 2 year contract, and the same boat as I am now.
The trial period would go a long way to helping with new customer anxieties.
Then the techs all say "you need new equipment, it will be much better if you upgrade".
Well their upgrade has me locked out of being able to stream video, the only site I can get to work is my amazon video. No netflix, no cbs...
They are sending a new modem to make sure that isn't the problem, but still, even with 50% discount for the next 12 months, it is frustrating. Where are these incredible speeds I am supposed to be getting? The new video features? How can I enjoy those if I can't stream at all?
I just don't want to get into the same problem with a new service. If Viasat had a trial period, I could get it installed, while the hughes account is still active, test it out and if we like it better, stay with that, and cancel hughes, no interruption of service. I am just wary of making the switch and then being in a 2 year contract, and the same boat as I am now.
The trial period would go a long way to helping with new customer anxieties.
VeteranSatUser, Champion
I read somewhere that Hughesnet threw in with ONEWeb, but I don't know where that initiative realistically stands at the moment.
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That will be something to keep an eye on indeed.
Viasat is 100% better then any other sat internet! We used to have Hughes. It sucked big time! Viasat has more advanced technologies and a special internet application for Web surfing at a higher speed without a higher bill. Viasat is also serving government internet services also. So they have to keep their service up and advancing faster. Viasat is a American Company. I wouldn't have anything but it. If Cable & DSL isn't available.
Stephen Rice, Champion
I I'm thinking about switch to Verizon home internet & phone I think it will be Unlimited
I have capped on USCellular, at 22g, it really is pretty slow. You can do facebook if you are patient but forget watching videos on anything but your phone. I am just careful how I use it, just like I was with my satellite internet. The difference is, my hubby has his own 22g, and I have mine (we each use our own wifi hotspot) so we can each determine how we want to use our internet without impacting the other. We have managed to make our 22g last a full month, only having to put up with being prioritized maybe for a day. I still like it better then satellite, I already pay for the data whether I use it or not, so this way I am only paying one bill, to my phone provider. It costs us 125$ a month for 2 lines, unlimited total package. Before, I was paying 110$ a month for 2 lines, with 6GB shared data, and 85$ a month average to hughesnet for satellite internet that didn't work for the last 6 months I had it, because they were doing their best to force me to upgrade and pay MORE money. I finally saw the last of them, when they tried to charge me for equipment I had returned.
I am really OVER the rip off that is satellite internet. Smart phone wifi tethering isn't a perfect solution but it does cover 95% of our internet needs, and I go visit my son when I have to do anything big, like update my Garmin GPS that I use on the motorcycle.I would encourage you to make the switch, but treat it like you have to treat your satellite internet, keep watch on your usage and don't binge on videos overmuch.
I am really OVER the rip off that is satellite internet. Smart phone wifi tethering isn't a perfect solution but it does cover 95% of our internet needs, and I go visit my son when I have to do anything big, like update my Garmin GPS that I use on the motorcycle.I would encourage you to make the switch, but treat it like you have to treat your satellite internet, keep watch on your usage and don't binge on videos overmuch.
Thanks Loren. I do binge watch, admittedly. The Hughes sales guy (upgrading to Gen5) lied to me and said throttled would definitely be 3Mbps. Their marketing language says 1-3 Mbps throttled but it never exceeds 1.5. So after complaining on their forums, Hughes gave me a permanent $30 discount. I can stream throttled though, even during peak hours. Initial buffering takes a while but the picture quality eventually gets good enough. So for $40/mo I can basically stream all I want but have crappy browsing all the time. This is where I think I could just up my $45 phone bill to $65 and get 22GB to tether and do all my normal internet and work stuff. If my printer will work with tethering...
But my data signal isn't quite good enough to be quick. So I called WeBoost just now to see if I could maybe buy an upgraded antenna or something. Their customer service is amazing and they are sending me (for free) a new stronger antenna to replace my outdoor antenna, and the old outdoor antenna will replace the indoor antenna. They believe it will help significantly. What a great company to just offer that without me even complaining!
That's cool you live in an RV and ride a motorcycle. I'm also a rider and live on a beautiful forest farm in the wilds of Madison County, NC.
But my data signal isn't quite good enough to be quick. So I called WeBoost just now to see if I could maybe buy an upgraded antenna or something. Their customer service is amazing and they are sending me (for free) a new stronger antenna to replace my outdoor antenna, and the old outdoor antenna will replace the indoor antenna. They believe it will help significantly. What a great company to just offer that without me even complaining!
That's cool you live in an RV and ride a motorcycle. I'm also a rider and live on a beautiful forest farm in the wilds of Madison County, NC.
Thanks Loren. I do binge watch, admittedly. The Hughes sales guy (upgrading to Gen5) lied to me and said throttled would definitely be 3Mbps. Their marketing language says 1-3 Mbps throttled but it never exceeds 1.5. So after complaining on their forums, Hughes gave me a permanent $30 discount. I can stream throttled though, even during peak hours. Initial buffering takes a while but the picture quality eventually gets good enough. So for $40/mo I can basically stream all I want but have crappy browsing all the time. This is where I think I could just up my $45 phone bill to $65 and get 22GB to tether and do all my normal internet and work stuff. If my printer will work with tethering...
But my data signal isn't quite good enough to be quick. So I called WeBoost just now to see if I could maybe buy an upgraded antenna or something. Their customer service is amazing and they are sending me (for free) a new stronger antenna to replace my outdoor antenna, and the old outdoor antenna will replace the indoor antenna. They believe it will help significantly. What a great company to just offer that without me even complaining!
That's cool you live in an RV and ride a motorcycle. I'm also a rider and live on a beautiful forest farm in the wilds of Madison County, NC.
But my data signal isn't quite good enough to be quick. So I called WeBoost just now to see if I could maybe buy an upgraded antenna or something. Their customer service is amazing and they are sending me (for free) a new stronger antenna to replace my outdoor antenna, and the old outdoor antenna will replace the indoor antenna. They believe it will help significantly. What a great company to just offer that without me even complaining!
That's cool you live in an RV and ride a motorcycle. I'm also a rider and live on a beautiful forest farm in the wilds of Madison County, NC.
Yeah the key to all this is just knowing what your expectations are, vs the reality.glad weboost came through for you, it doesn't happen often enough these days.
I have been with Exede (Viasat) for over 2 years. Great satellite coverage. Have never had any problems. Never had to call for help. Wish that faster d/l speed wasn't so expensive. Some years ago I had Hughes satellite. A total mess. Company was often dishonest about reasons service was interrupted, which happened too often. Finally was able to get phone connection. Then Exede came along and I have been a happy camper ever since.
I just switched from the old DishNet 10GB plan because the speeds were inconsistent with a large Jitter. My 'Anytime' speeds ranged from 0.7 to 16 Mbps in the span of minutes when still under my limit. When I reached my limit, it was 0.8-0.5 Mbps! I did not want to pay $99 to upgrade and pay more per month with no guarantee that it would be much better... hence my switch as there are no other choices where I live with mountains and trees!
So far (it's only been a day), Viasat speeds with the 12 Mbps unlimited plan during the day have been 17-18 Mbps with less Jitter! I hope that this continues and I didn't make a mistake.
So far (it's only been a day), Viasat speeds with the 12 Mbps unlimited plan during the day have been 17-18 Mbps with less Jitter! I hope that this continues and I didn't make a mistake.
DishNet Jitter was running from 169 (one-time low) to 840 ms, average about 400-500 ms. So far Viasat has been running from a low 42 ms to a one-time high of 286... avg around 100 ms.
Old Labs... you are correct! Hopefully, Viasat will not oversubscribe anytime soon!
Don't worry that too shall pass ;)
DishNet? Was that through Viasat/Exede or HughesNet, I know they wholesaled for both at one time.
DishNet? Was that through Viasat/Exede or HughesNet, I know they wholesaled for both at one time.
HughesNet.
VeteranSatUser, Champion
Sold for both at one time. You could end up with Hughesnet or Exede.
It's been 6 months since I started this thread, and we switched to tethering to our phone's wifi hotspot for our internet. It has worked remarkably well. We don't binge watch netflix or anything, but can watch vidoes that pop up on facebook etc. We usually manage to stay under the 22GB limit (before throttling) and at present are saving about 80$ a month.
I know this solution isn't for everybody, because most people like to use their internet extensively.
However, it works well for my gaming. Toby can do his facebook stuff and we don't have the latency issues we had with satellite.
We each use our own phone's tether, and each phone is on 'unlimited' so we each have our own 22GB allotment before they throttle the speed. So basically, we get 44GB between us, instead of 10GB we had to share, and what one person is doing on their computer doesn't impact the other person. The way I see it, it is twice the internet at a quarter of the price, since my bill only went up 15$ when I switched both lines to the total plans.
So our next purchase will be a weboost signal booster so we can get good enough signal inside that we don't have to keep the phones sitting in the window lol, and hopefully winter weather won't impact it as hard as it does satellite around here.
I think as the cell companies get that 5G rolled out, satellite companies might have to re-think their business model, because more and more people are going to start using their phone data plans when possible. It just makes more sense where it will work, to only pay one bill and get the same or better service, which is portable.
I know this solution isn't for everybody, because most people like to use their internet extensively.
However, it works well for my gaming. Toby can do his facebook stuff and we don't have the latency issues we had with satellite.
We each use our own phone's tether, and each phone is on 'unlimited' so we each have our own 22GB allotment before they throttle the speed. So basically, we get 44GB between us, instead of 10GB we had to share, and what one person is doing on their computer doesn't impact the other person. The way I see it, it is twice the internet at a quarter of the price, since my bill only went up 15$ when I switched both lines to the total plans.
So our next purchase will be a weboost signal booster so we can get good enough signal inside that we don't have to keep the phones sitting in the window lol, and hopefully winter weather won't impact it as hard as it does satellite around here.
I think as the cell companies get that 5G rolled out, satellite companies might have to re-think their business model, because more and more people are going to start using their phone data plans when possible. It just makes more sense where it will work, to only pay one bill and get the same or better service, which is portable.
Let us know how the weBoost goes... what kind of cell signal are you getting by the windows?
