Data De-Prioritization – The Back of the Line With data de-prioritization, the carrier isn’t limiting the customer’s data. Instead, the carrier has the option of pushing a heavy user’s data requests behind those of other users if there is a large amount of network traffic. It’s a way for the carrier to ensure that all its users are able to use data, and provide a high-quality experience for the majority of its customers. De-prioritization, like throttling, kicks in when a user reaches a certain data threshold. For unlimited data plans, this threshold is usually anywhere from 22 GB to 30 GB. However, unlike data throttling which starts immediately upon reaching a data threshold and lasts until the end of the cycle, data de-prioritization only occurs when there is high network congestion. The two most common causes of network congestion are a large number of people using data in a small area, or a large number of people using data around the same time. For example, if a user reaches his data threshold, he can expect his carrier to deprioritize him during peak data usage hours, or if he’s in an area with quite a few people also using data. Once it’s no longer a peak data usage time or when he leaves that heavily populated area, he should see an increase in data speeds. How Throttling and Data De-Prioritization Are Different To use a car analogy, the user’s data plan is like a car driving on a freeway with a speed limit of 70 miles per hour. The car can switch lanes to find one that has the least amount of traffic and keep going as fast as possible. Throttling is akin to the speed limit dropping to 20 miles per hour. The car must go this speed until the speed limit goes back up, just like the user has that slower data speed until a new plan cycle starts. Data de-prioritization would be if the speed limit remained at 70 miles per hour, but the car could only drive in one lane. Provided the lane wasn’t congested, the car could still go 70 miles per hour, but if it was congested, the car could end up going 20 miles per hour, even if traffic in the other lanes was still going 70. Until the traffic in that lane cleared, the car would be limited to that slower speed, just like the user is limited to the slower data speed until congestion clears up. Jump to top
Posted 2 years ago
Throttled, restricted, 2 lane, 4 lane 8 lane, blah, blah, blah, none of it matters when the road is already overcrowded and more and more cars are trying to get on at every entrance ramp. They entice new business and residents to come to the area with the promise of a new road that will solve the problem well into the future, but that road is still under construction. This makes the old road a living nightmare
When you are sitting in traffic barely moving, youve finished your coffee and are late for work, the guy beside you is laying on the horn because he wants your spot ... does it really matter that the posted speed limit is 55 MPH?
When you are sitting in traffic barely moving, youve finished your coffee and are late for work, the guy beside you is laying on the horn because he wants your spot ... does it really matter that the posted speed limit is 55 MPH?
At least on this highway you're close to a bathroom when you have to poop!
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Interesting article for a change Jab. Thanks. On my undead mother’s grave, I’ll go bananas if ViaSat delivers faster speeds and more reliable (read reliable as able to count on sufficient speeds whenever I go to use it) service to Mexico before North Carolina.
I’m about to tweet Elon to hurry every chance he gets.
I’m about to tweet Elon to hurry every chance he gets.
VeteranSatUser, Champion
Well... actually Europe has been running on the same technology Viasat 1 uses for awhile, with bigger data caps from its inception.
Look up Tooway.
Look up Tooway.
Basically, if you run out of priority minutes and your on a congested beam look forward to speeds like this....
VeteranSatUser, Champion
I really dont trust the speeds that much. I dont download a lot or do a lot of streaming, I want "internet access" and when I cant perform simple tasks like open mail or check Facebook there is a problem.
I am becoming agitated because the past 1 1/2 weeks or so my free zone speed has only been 7 Mbps or less. Thats about half what it was previously. Regardless of "speed" I am going SLOW all night long now. I wait until late night to watch a video and now I have to click 3 or 4 times before it will load, and once it does, the buffering begins! Didnt have this problem a month ago. Things are definitely getting worse.
I am becoming agitated because the past 1 1/2 weeks or so my free zone speed has only been 7 Mbps or less. Thats about half what it was previously. Regardless of "speed" I am going SLOW all night long now. I wait until late night to watch a video and now I have to click 3 or 4 times before it will load, and once it does, the buffering begins! Didnt have this problem a month ago. Things are definitely getting worse.
VeteranSatUser, Champion
You are on the same beam as me Ron. Speed on it had been very, very bad lately.
And with Viasat-2 nowhere in site over most of the country, I have no idea when things will get better.
And with Viasat-2 nowhere in site over most of the country, I have no idea when things will get better.
Its sad. I was happy with Exede once. I HATE Hughes. I am usually a pretty loyal customer when I get good service or feel valued as a customer, but I am disgusted to the point that if there was another option I would have left already.
VeteranSatUser, Champion
Hughes isnt a viable option. They are worse than Viasat IMHO.
Unfortunately high-speed internet options are slim to none in many areas of rural America.
In over 20 years with satellite internet my speeds tonight are no better than in the late 90's. Think about that!
Unfortunately high-speed internet options are slim to none in many areas of rural America.
In over 20 years with satellite internet my speeds tonight are no better than in the late 90's. Think about that!
(Edited)
I had Hughes before Exede, like 6 years ago. HATED THEM! Ran both side by side until Hughes contract ran out a year later. Exede SMOKED Hughes! No cell service here and landline phone FORGET IT! The lines are so horrible our phone didnt work at all 20% of the time so dial up internet was out of the question.
We were so happy with Exede we went Exede Voice for our home phone about the same time they started the Viasat 2 hype and the "first" sales drive. Thats when everything went downhill.
We had techs out here every month, sometimes multiple times a month. The techs never found anything wrong on our end. (of course) Then they started charging us for the tech calls! I fought long and hard with them over that!
Finally one of the techs (a sub contractor) sat at my kitchen table and explained to me the congestion issue caused by the sales drive and delays in the Viasat 2 launch. Ive not had a tech here since.
I understand. Things happen. But what I can NOT accept is Exede/Viasats handling of the situation, especially with their loyal customer base! And now to do the EXACT SAME THING AGAIN bringing in yet more new customers when 2 is STILL not online utterly disgusts me!
We were so happy with Exede we went Exede Voice for our home phone about the same time they started the Viasat 2 hype and the "first" sales drive. Thats when everything went downhill.
We had techs out here every month, sometimes multiple times a month. The techs never found anything wrong on our end. (of course) Then they started charging us for the tech calls! I fought long and hard with them over that!
Finally one of the techs (a sub contractor) sat at my kitchen table and explained to me the congestion issue caused by the sales drive and delays in the Viasat 2 launch. Ive not had a tech here since.
I understand. Things happen. But what I can NOT accept is Exede/Viasats handling of the situation, especially with their loyal customer base! And now to do the EXACT SAME THING AGAIN bringing in yet more new customers when 2 is STILL not online utterly disgusts me!
I switched to Hughes around a month a go and it smokes Viasat. Plus, they're launching another satellite next year.
Yes! Everyone jump over to Hughes! PLEASE.......
It is what it is people. Big surprise that things slow down when everyone is on their computer. If it wasn't for government contracts and corporate customers carrying most of the water there would be no residential satellite internet at all for less than $200 a month.
As a long term satellite Internet user starting during the one way days of using a steerable KU dish for downloads and a TX line for upload with D/L speeds of 250 kbps max the systems have come a long way. Both Hughes and Viasat [wildblue/exede] have made enormous infrastructure investments along with R&D expenditures to get us to what it is today.
The systems we use today run rings around what they did 10 or 15 years ago as most technology. If you absolutely have to have the latest and greatest at the best speeds and more reasonable price then move back in town and deal with the traffic congestion, pollution and crime.
I'm a pretty happy customer overall and just upgraded to the 50 Gig liberty plan on the old bird. Still have the 3am to 6am free period and I set the system to download 3 1Gb shows before I left for work around 4am and these will be ready for me when I get home this afternoon. Complaints on my end.....none! If I have to use the system during peak times I don't watch or stream video or do much besides casual browsing or checking my email and even at the slowest of times I've never had trouble with that.
As a long term satellite Internet user starting during the one way days of using a steerable KU dish for downloads and a TX line for upload with D/L speeds of 250 kbps max the systems have come a long way. Both Hughes and Viasat [wildblue/exede] have made enormous infrastructure investments along with R&D expenditures to get us to what it is today.
The systems we use today run rings around what they did 10 or 15 years ago as most technology. If you absolutely have to have the latest and greatest at the best speeds and more reasonable price then move back in town and deal with the traffic congestion, pollution and crime.
I'm a pretty happy customer overall and just upgraded to the 50 Gig liberty plan on the old bird. Still have the 3am to 6am free period and I set the system to download 3 1Gb shows before I left for work around 4am and these will be ready for me when I get home this afternoon. Complaints on my end.....none! If I have to use the system during peak times I don't watch or stream video or do much besides casual browsing or checking my email and even at the slowest of times I've never had trouble with that.
VeteranSatUser, Champion
My speeds last night were no better than what my Wildblue system gave me 10+ years ago. So I wouldn't say what I have today is any better. In fact, until about 4 months ago I had LESS priority data than what I had 10 years ago. The only saving grace was the free zone.
I am sure Hughesnet could give me better speed right now. That wouldn't be the case if Viasat-2 was actually in operation and working across the country. But that isn't happening right now
I am sure Hughesnet could give me better speed right now. That wouldn't be the case if Viasat-2 was actually in operation and working across the country. But that isn't happening right now
what exactly is wrong with viasat 2 anyway? I'm just curious because last i heard it was up and running and supposed to make my internet experience better.
Stephen Rice, Champion
As far as we know, there is an antenna issue. It is expected to only reduce capacity by 13 percent.
VeteranSatUser, Champion
Allegedly. But with the Viasat-2 rollout appearing to be halted right now, and one customer reporting an upload speed of 0.1Mbps on it, this can't be the start Viasat envisioned for its new satellite.
sounds like there is more than just a simple antenna problem to me. And what VeteranSatUser is saying makes it seem more like it is more than just a small simple issue. Because that would be more than 13% reduction in performance.
VeteranSatUser, Champion
Hard to say. But if i was a betting man, which I am, my bet is on there are more issues than expected or being revealed.
We were extremely happy with Exede, then coinciding with the first Viasat 2 sales drive around 3 years ago I had techs here regularly about my slow speeds. My "peak" speeds were no better than my "restricted" speeds. We literally COULD NOT TELL WHEN WE WERE RESTRICTED! We ran around 1 - 4 Mbps during peak and/or restricted hours. So we figured ... "Why pay for more data if we are constantly getting restricted speeds?" We dropped to the lowest plan that kept the 12 to 5 free zone, Exede12, 10GB. Things went fine for about 2 years, restricted, not restricted, we did what we wanted online and never saw any difference in performance.
As I have said many times before, speed did not concern me, so we dealt with the status quo anxiously awaiting Viasat 2 and the promise of "unlimited" data, and of course the subsequent higher speeds. UNTIL the launch of 2 last June and the new sales drive. It has only been the last 6 to 12 months we have suffered with these "below 1 Mbps" speeds. We frequently see speeds below 1 during peak hours. If we go over and get restricted our internet is USELESS outside our free zone until the end of the billing cycle.
I can deal with slow. I can deal with congested times. But when I am paying good money for "high speed internet" and have no internet access, I HAVE A PROBLEM! I can deal with waiting until 2 AM to watch a video, but having to wait until after midnight to check Facebook or my email is ridiculous!
As I have said many times before, speed did not concern me, so we dealt with the status quo anxiously awaiting Viasat 2 and the promise of "unlimited" data, and of course the subsequent higher speeds. UNTIL the launch of 2 last June and the new sales drive. It has only been the last 6 to 12 months we have suffered with these "below 1 Mbps" speeds. We frequently see speeds below 1 during peak hours. If we go over and get restricted our internet is USELESS outside our free zone until the end of the billing cycle.
I can deal with slow. I can deal with congested times. But when I am paying good money for "high speed internet" and have no internet access, I HAVE A PROBLEM! I can deal with waiting until 2 AM to watch a video, but having to wait until after midnight to check Facebook or my email is ridiculous!
RE: "sounds like there is more than just a simple antenna problem"
My hunch: Bean counter limited spending to bare essentials....Viasat had/has several other irons in the fire that required $$$.
Wildblue history
7/17/2004 Anik F2 satellite launched
10/18/2004 First email sent over the WildBlue network
Massive effort 2004-2005 to build out the gateways, IT systems, NMS systems, CPE manufacture capability
Commercial service was established in June 2005.
================
I can only confirm one earth gateway exists..which was used to evaluate VS-2, and its beams.
My hunch: Bean counter limited spending to bare essentials....Viasat had/has several other irons in the fire that required $$$.
Wildblue history
7/17/2004 Anik F2 satellite launched
10/18/2004 First email sent over the WildBlue network
Massive effort 2004-2005 to build out the gateways, IT systems, NMS systems, CPE manufacture capability
Commercial service was established in June 2005.
================
I can only confirm one earth gateway exists..which was used to evaluate VS-2, and its beams.
I agree with you, Ron... but...What is to be done? Short of voting with your feet, I guess waiting and hoping Viasat-2 improves things. If the beam is congested, only fewer subscribers on it would help. Maybe they could ask for volunteers to leave and waive early termination fees. I don't think that they will just arbitrarily start dumping subscribers. Maybe they could have some kind of lottery, winner gets termination fees waived and first month free at Hughes.net!! No simple solutions.
RE: 12 to 5 free zone, Exede12, 10GB
What beam are you on...map here
If they engaged "video saver," is it turned off?
What beam are you on...map here
If they engaged "video saver," is it turned off?
I am in a very rural area in SE Ohio. Of course the map is less than accurate, but it appears 3 beams intersect near or upon me, B319, B320 and B327. I have no clue which one I am actually on. All I know is it is CROWDED! From what Ive been told numerous times, I am on one of, if not the most crowded beam. DSL is RARE out here and only available in bigger cities and towns. Where I live is actually "unincorporated" and the nearby village my address and mail comes out of has a population less than 300. We have a country store with gas pumps from the 70s. They have the old rotary "wheel" displays not LED or LCD. Other than that its basically 20 miles in any direction, to anything. A satellite dish is like the star atop a Christmas tree bringing TV and internet, THE 20TH CENTURY out here.
I left the rat race in a "small" city in Connecticut, population 80,000+ It was like stepping back into 1950. I love it, but I would like "access" to the outside world without having to live in it.
I understand little or nothing can be done, and I dont foresee any sort of compensation, but I would appreciate some TRUTHFUL explanation, or God forbid a heartfelt apology ... something other than "Here! You can sign up for (limited) unlimited now available on your same crowded Viasat 1 beam, with the same congestion, with the same slow speeds, for the nominal fee of 3 times what youre paying now!"
How about a little payback to the loyal customers that have stayed with them through all this instead of focusing on incentives for more new customers that quickly cancel or cant wait to get out of their contracts.
And yes, I turned on video saver the day it came out, then asked myself ... WHY? I can only watch video during my free zone, it might as well be HD.
I left the rat race in a "small" city in Connecticut, population 80,000+ It was like stepping back into 1950. I love it, but I would like "access" to the outside world without having to live in it.
I understand little or nothing can be done, and I dont foresee any sort of compensation, but I would appreciate some TRUTHFUL explanation, or God forbid a heartfelt apology ... something other than "Here! You can sign up for (limited) unlimited now available on your same crowded Viasat 1 beam, with the same congestion, with the same slow speeds, for the nominal fee of 3 times what youre paying now!"
How about a little payback to the loyal customers that have stayed with them through all this instead of focusing on incentives for more new customers that quickly cancel or cant wait to get out of their contracts.
And yes, I turned on video saver the day it came out, then asked myself ... WHY? I can only watch video during my free zone, it might as well be HD.
If it wasn't for US Cellular I would be living in the Dark Ages. When I get de-prioritized I get.....
LOL Mark. If we go upstairs and stand by the south facing window we can get 3 bars on Verizon at times. AT&T is a complete dead zone. We use Straight Talk and must be sure any phone we purchase has the Verizon chip in it or we get NOTHING.
VeteranSatUser, Champion
You most likely are on beam 320. That woukd be the most congested beam Viasat has. Viasat-2 was to have some features to help hard hit areas like ours. It remains to see if that will come to pass, given all the issues it appears they are having with it now.
RE: "turned on video saver the day it came out"
I've turned it off, and if one is getting "7 Mbps or less" during LNFZ with it on, that's interesting. I thought throttling would happen all the time
13 February 2006 - “We’ve been shocked at the level of demand in a region including parts of Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois and New York,” said Erwin C. Hudson, WildBlue’s chief technology officer. “To preserve the quality of the service for our existing customers, we are no longer accepting new subscribers on these two beams.
Video streaming has grown and grown...that's why video throttling plans exist today.
I try to download video, when possible, during non-primetimes, and do web-surfing during primetimes. Video sites I'm aware of tend to use much slower speeds than 7Mbps.
From looking at updated Viasat maps, it appears first two satellites (Anik-F2 & WB-1) have active beams in western states, with none eastward. If true, this suggests none of these beams are in your area, and all eastern users got transferred to VS-1.
So, maybe in another month or two, VS-2 might offer relief, if its possible to get onboard. When VS-1 launched, new customers were "welcomed," but existing Wildblue customers had to wait. It might be different in crowded beams.
I've turned it off, and if one is getting "7 Mbps or less" during LNFZ with it on, that's interesting. I thought throttling would happen all the time
13 February 2006 - “We’ve been shocked at the level of demand in a region including parts of Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois and New York,” said Erwin C. Hudson, WildBlue’s chief technology officer. “To preserve the quality of the service for our existing customers, we are no longer accepting new subscribers on these two beams.
Video streaming has grown and grown...that's why video throttling plans exist today.
I try to download video, when possible, during non-primetimes, and do web-surfing during primetimes. Video sites I'm aware of tend to use much slower speeds than 7Mbps.
From looking at updated Viasat maps, it appears first two satellites (Anik-F2 & WB-1) have active beams in western states, with none eastward. If true, this suggests none of these beams are in your area, and all eastern users got transferred to VS-1.
So, maybe in another month or two, VS-2 might offer relief, if its possible to get onboard. When VS-1 launched, new customers were "welcomed," but existing Wildblue customers had to wait. It might be different in crowded beams.
VeteranSatUser, Champion
Nothing like posting a link that is a decade+ old.
Thanks....for the call.
Thanks....for the call.
(Edited)
Jab, The extent of my "video" watching is video posts my friends share in FB or an occasional stiff drink and rocking out to some Youtube music videos on the home theater system. I dont do TV streaming or movies, and I am NOT an online gamer.
My LNFZ speeds are checked when I scroll my FB feed and have to wait for more posts to load, or I click on a post for a local for sale ad then sit and wait for it to load. The wife and I play a social media game, Forge of Empires and some nights it is horribly slow. I play on my PC, she does everything on her smart phone, we can both tell when the internet is slow. Completely different devices, on completely different operating systems and it affects us both, and may be fine in a few hours. Its safe to say its not on "our end".
My LNFZ speeds are checked when I scroll my FB feed and have to wait for more posts to load, or I click on a post for a local for sale ad then sit and wait for it to load. The wife and I play a social media game, Forge of Empires and some nights it is horribly slow. I play on my PC, she does everything on her smart phone, we can both tell when the internet is slow. Completely different devices, on completely different operating systems and it affects us both, and may be fine in a few hours. Its safe to say its not on "our end".
When someone uploads videos on BookFace, I have no idea what vid resolution can be seen...but if a higher res during primetime, well. If one Google's "Facebook Slow," there are multiple reasons.
October 7, 2017: Facebook Incredibly Slow (almost unusable) in Chrome
I actually figured out after doing some more googling. It was being caused by the amount of active session that the account was in on various devices. There were something like 400 active session from as far back as 2012. I ended all of those and it seems to be working fine now.
If anyone else has this issue, all you have to do is go to: Setting > Security, Click on the "Where You're Logged in " tab and end all the sessions.
=======================
If WiFi modem is being used, put a fan on it
LIke I said, I just surf during primetime, and download vids mostly in non-prime hours, mostly LNFZ hours. There are programs out there to do off hours downloads.
October 7, 2017: Facebook Incredibly Slow (almost unusable) in Chrome
I actually figured out after doing some more googling. It was being caused by the amount of active session that the account was in on various devices. There were something like 400 active session from as far back as 2012. I ended all of those and it seems to be working fine now.
If anyone else has this issue, all you have to do is go to: Setting > Security, Click on the "Where You're Logged in " tab and end all the sessions.
=======================
If WiFi modem is being used, put a fan on it
LIke I said, I just surf during primetime, and download vids mostly in non-prime hours, mostly LNFZ hours. There are programs out there to do off hours downloads.
Woody - "switched to Hughes around a month a go and it smokes Viasat."
Well....do a Testmy.net Here's mine, with correct time when tested
Well....do a Testmy.net Here's mine, with correct time when tested
