HughesNet Users Report Massive Peak Congestion ProblemsAlready poorly reviewed satellite broadband service getting worse? ( old news - 03:30PM Tuesday Mar 04 2008) tags: satellite · bandwidth · trouble · HughesNet Satellite Broadband · WildBlueCaps and traffic throttling are a major reason why the reviews for satellite broadband provider HughesNet are so painfully mediocre. HughesNet customers who exceed the company's daily, rolling bandwidth caps (aka " the FAP"), which range from 200MB to 1250MB depending on tier) find their connections throttled for 24 hours to speeds easily bested by rural American dial-up -- circa 1995 (users say around 7-14kbps). In addition, users who are well under their FAP limit have been seeing serious congestion during peak hours for months. Customers paying $80 a month for 1.5Mbps/200kbps connections are seeing their lines deliver 101kbps/6kbps or worse. Some users say their speed tests show that the HughesNet network is simply not performing from 4PM to 12AM: February 19th, 04:03PM - 78/65 kbps February 19th, 03:59PM - 624/65 kbps February 16th, 04:02PM - 77/38 kbps February 16th, 03:57PM - 728/88 kbps February 15th, 04:01PM - 66/32 kbps February 15th, 03:59PM - 605/38 kbps The debate currently is over whether this is just organic peak usage congestion, or HughesNet flow control technology kicking in to protect the network from expected strain. One HughesNet reseller in our forums says he's stopped selling new connections, after fielding so many complaints from users about slow peak bandwidth performance. It's clear the added capacity from Spaceway 3 can't get here soon enough.
Related:- New Satellite Has Ten Times The Capacity
- Japan To Offer 155Mbps Via Satellite
- HughesNet Offers Faster Speeds
- WildBlue Promises They're Working On Capacity
- WildBlue and HughesNet Battle For Customers
- HughesNet Offers New 5Mbps Service
- HughesNet Lowers 'FAP' Caps
- HughesNet Widens Cap-Free Window
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fcisler
Premium
join:2004-06-14
Riverhead, NY | WOW! If I were out of distance of DSL (I am) and Cable (Cablevision), I would get a Dial-Up account or two. That much $$ for that performance? Forget it... | |
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getoffmylawn
@bek.com
 from:
antdude 
| Re: WOW! Whatever happened to that "shotgun" modem pairing technology? | |
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Subaru
1-3-2-4
Premium
join:2001-05-31
Greenwich, CT
clubs: | Re: WOW! said by getoffmylawn :
Whatever happened to that "shotgun" modem pairing technology?
seems like it never took off | |
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Camelot One
Premium,MVM
join:2001-11-21
Sarasota, FL
clubs:
 ·VoicePulse
| Re: WOW! It requires the same chips on both the dial in and host side, as well as the software backend. ISP's just never saw a need to invest in it, with broadband working it's way into the picture.
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Intel Quad Core QX6700 @3500Mhz/Asus P5N32-E SLI/4x 1024Mb Corsair/Seagate 750.10/PNY 7800GTs SLI/Silverstone 850W/Custom water cooler | |
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fcisler
Premium
join:2004-06-14
Riverhead, NY
edit:
March 4th, @09:22PM
| Re: WOW! Oh I get cablevision....30/5 "said speed", I don't need it....
But at $80 a month for satellite.....it's ridiculous. I would go for sprint's service if I really needed a last resort....a guy at work has it, and it works pretty much everywhere...decent enough to watch a good quality slingbox stream. | |
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en102
Canadian, eh?
join:2001-01-26
Valencia, CA | For that price, I'd purchase a wireless (GSM EDGE/3G or CDMA 1x /EVDO in the boonies) datacard and have better performance.
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Canada = Hollywood North | |
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diskobunny
@comcast.net
| and you get suckered into their 2 year contract. The customer support can't speak clear enough English to even understand that a period is the end of a thought. Their contract states if they make changes you have the right to cancel service. This sentence is followed by, subject to early termination fees, you can cancel your contract anytime. They made changes to my account and are not honoring that they made changes and have nullified the contract. I will have to take them to court to have them honor what is clearly stated in their own contract. It's clear English not legalese, they made a change to my account. And the only way they state that I can get out of my contract is to pay them $1200.00. Bologna. Hughesnet is schiesty, unhelpful, and it is true the connection speeds suck. Don't bother, it's not worth it.
Hughesnet subscriber.
PS Subscribing to Hughesnet is like signing your soul over to the devil. IMHO | |
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antdude
A Ninja Ant
Premium,VIP
join:2001-03-25
| said by fcisler :If I were out of distance of DSL (I am) and Cable (Cablevision), I would get a Dial-Up account or two. That much $$ for that performance? Forget it... Or move if possible. 
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Ant @ »antfarm.ma.cx and »aqfl.net. Please do not IM/e-mail me for technical support. Use the forum! Disclaimer: The views expressed in this posting are mine, and do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer | |
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caribconsult
Premium
join:2003-03-19
Mayaguez, PR
 ·Millenicom
·Sprint Mobile Broa..
 ·HughesNet Satellit..
| Hughes lousy service I was a Hughes Net customer for over 4 years, beginning with the 4000 system, and last year moving up to the 7000 system.
To summarize my experiences with them: it just got worse and worse and they could do nothing about it. I spoke to every level of support they have, and except for the Executive Customer Care at corporate, their tech support was essentially worthless. I won't even get into the FAP issue.
I also had over $1,400 invested in dishes and electronics - we here in Puerto Rico don't get the same discounts as statesiders.
I finally got out of it by pressing ExecCustCare. I just told them I wasn't accepting this crappy service any longer, and if they didn't let me out without penalty I'd just 'lose' the credit card it was billed to and they could chase my happy ass here in PR. That did it. I not only got out of my contract early, but received a $400 rebate for the money I'd shelled out for the basically useless upgrade to 7000.
I would advise all other HN users who have ANY alternative (I went to Millenicom wireless broadband) to do the same. You can reach ExecCustCare by calling corporate at (301) 428-5500 and asking for the president's office. Write down the name and extension of whomever you talk to, and press them. Have a history of lousy speed tests using their test. If they want to make a 'last ditch' effort to improve your service, let them. One of two things will happen: (a)-they will improve it, so you're good to go, or (b)-they won't, which will strengthen your argument for cancellation without penalty.
VOTE WITH YOUR WALLET, FOLKS. That's the only thing that will get their attention.
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Franklin CDU/Assent MBR WBB combo, service through Millenicom, 3 XPPro stations, Mozilla everywhere. | |
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dbirdman
Premium,MVM
join:2003-07-07
Eureka, CA
| Re: Hughes lousy service said by caribconsult :I would advise all other HN users who have ANY alternative (I went to Millenicom wireless broadband) to do the same. But, but, but... Hasn't that always been the advice for satellite users of all brands? Are you saying that it was EVER better than any broadband alternative? I think not, and my experience also goes back to the 4000, but spans 6 years to your 4.
The reaction of the first replier is reasonable and expected when they look at the worst-case scenarios, but if they ever found themselves in that position, where the choice during the other 16 hours was dialup at 28.8K (or less), or 800-1000K with satellite, what would be the likely answer?
Incidentally, I'm one of the many not experiencing the severe slowdowns, although my Hughes account now is just a backup to my iDirect account.
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W2K Server|Toshiba Satellite XP Pro|iDirect 3100 on Datastorm 1.2 meter XF3 with 4-watt BUC|HughesNet IA8/1390/7000s Pro on 2-watt Datastorm G74|1990 Blue Bird Wanderlodge Bus "Blue Thunder" | |
| | | Lineage
join:2006-10-19
USA
 ·EarthLink
 ·1and1
 ·PeoplePC
| Re: Hughes lousy service I was faced with that, and I choose... the 28k dialup. Now, despite the slowness, I can actually USE my connection to play games and other stuff you couldn't even think of doing on satellite. (despite the bad speed, my line doesn't have any defects and gets excellent pings and such for 28k) | |
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caribconsult
Premium
join:2003-03-19
Mayaguez, PR
·Millenicom
·Sprint Mobile Broa..
·HughesNet Satellit..
| DBIRD: you said "Incidentally, I'm one of the many not experiencing the severe slowdowns..." and I think that explains, in a nutshell, your somewhat lenient attitude, or so it appears, towards HN. If you had to go through what many others have gone through with their tech support, perhaps you'd be more critical.
Just my thoughts...not a flame.
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Franklin CDU/Assent MBR WBB combo, service through Millenicom, 3 XPPro stations, Mozilla everywhere. | |
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Piggie
I Actually use Windstream
Premium
join:2005-11-23
Orange Springs, FL
·HughesNet Satellit..
·Windstream
| Re: Hughes lousy service
I find all of this very odd to be "news". Just tell people to go read the Hughes Net forum and the reviews.
Hughes Net only works for certain people but is sold to all as a fix all for no other broadband.
It's great for a motor home. It's great for someone that spend 30 minutes a day reading their email and checking a couple of favorite sites.
It's not for downloads, U-Tube or MySpace freaks or even watching the evening news. Most gamers can't use it.
Then some satellites and transponder are better and some worse. I was on it 3 years and was on a good frequecy that was never crowded and it was before they had the their new killer FAP policy. That new policy alone would make me get a dial up account.
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| Speedstream 4200 Modem - 3m/384 plan | W98-W2KSP4-XPSP2 - All AMD | Buffalo WHR G54S with Tomato 1.13 | 3 downstream switches feeding 6 total clients (no wireless) | Including the Data port on the side of my neck | | |
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caribconsult
Premium
join:2003-03-19
Mayaguez, PR
·Millenicom
·Sprint Mobile Broa..
·HughesNet Satellit..
| Re: Hughes lousy service Piggie, you've got it absolutely right. HN is for 'some' people, essentially those with low usage. I had 4000 for 3.5 years, upgraded to 7000 a year ago, and there WERE times when it ran decently, but it was extremely erratic, the FAP was a total PITA, their tech support was terrible, and it really was not a very good value for the money.
I'm a big baseball fan, as you can no doubt tell from my avatar, and the FAP would cut me off around the middle of the 3rd inning. Now that I've switched to Millenicom Wireless, I can watch an entire game and still not get throttled down. This is a HUGE advantage for me, but for others, it wouldn't be. What do they say? One man's meat...
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Franklin CDU/Assent MBR WBB combo, service through Millenicom, 3 XPPro stations, Mozilla everywhere. | |
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diskobunny
@comcast.net | thank you for the number, I will be using it. they are awful, absolutely awful. | |
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cableties
Premium
join:2005-01-27
Levittown, PA | users who are well under their FAP limit That just sounds...well...  | |
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Jameson
1010
Premium
join:2004-05-28
Fallbrook, CA
clubs: | Bad Publicity Finally someone is covering this! Keep dishing out the bad publicity, it kicks them in the ass to do something. | |
| mat974
join:2005-12-05
Midway, AR
·Millenicom
·Avantek Wireless
| They try and keep you I tried to cancel service within the 30 day trial period and was told that I would have to pay a $400 fee before they would shut it off. Makes no sense if I am in a trial period. I just did the cancel card thing, now lets see if they can get the $400. I never had speed above 70-80/3-30kbs. Terrible. Also, the customer service person was way to hard to understand. | |
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LordFlux
join:2005-04-20
Warner Robins, GA
 ·Cox HSI
·Alltel Axess
| Lucky you... I signed up with a local ISP who was reselling satellite service (not sure if it was HughesNet, but I'm thinking it was WildBlue). I used it for a month without issue... worked great and I was getting consistent 1mbit download speeds. The next month rolled around and I was getting 30k-40k transfer speeds. I contacted my ISP and they transferred me to the satellite service. They told me that my monthly cap was 250MB and I had exceeded it by 2GB. I would be locked at 56k download speeds until they felt that I could properly follow the Fair Access Policy.
When signing up for the service, I was not notified of any Fair Access Policy. In fact, being one of the first subscribers for the local ISP, they told me to download as much as I could to test the satellite service and to report back with them on how well it was performing -- which I did.
Needless to say, I called back to the local ISP, told them what the satellite provider told me, and cancelled the service. They didn't charge me for my first month.
I'm now with Alltel Axcess (using a Kyocera KPC680 and CradlePoint CRT350). I purchased the card from a 3rd party, so I'm under no contract. It's $60 a month and getting consistent 1.2Mb down / 112Kb up (EVDO). | |
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beldin
Permanently barned
Premium
join:2006-06-06
Union, SC
·AT&T Southeast
| Re: Lucky you... said by LordFlux :I signed up with a local ISP who was reselling satellite service (not sure if it was HughesNet, but I'm thinking it was WildBlue). The lowest level of service with Wildblue allows 7,500MB of bandwidth on the download side and 2,300MB on the upload side. If someone told you that the limit was 250MB then either they are stupid or just didn't know. If you were getting 1MB speed, then you were on the middle package which has a 12,000MB/3,000MB download/upload limit. The top tier has a 17,000MB/5000MB download/upload limit.
As for not being told that there is a limit, did you not read the contract before you signed it? Wildblue also has the FAP policy posted on their site. Here's the link:
»wildblue.com/legal/WildBlue_Fair···2008.pdf
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DSL Extreme 6.0
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LordFlux
join:2005-04-20
Warner Robins, GA
·Cox HSI
·Alltel Axess
edit:
March 5th, @04:17PM
| Re: Lucky you... This was almost 5 years ago when I signed up for their service -- I'm sure the usage policy and account packages have changed since then. And I'm not completely sure it was WildBlue, because the local reseller was selling it as 'their' service... that is until I called them to complain, then they forwarded me to someone else.
As for signing a contract -- I did not sign one. I called up the local reseller, setup an appointment, they came out and installed it, and that was it. Was not told about any FAP agreement when I called to order, nor when they came to install. | |
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drjim
Premium,MVM
join:2000-06-13
Torrance, CA
clubs:
| It's always been crummy! When I worked for DirecTV, we had them install a system to use for a backup while we were broadcasting the FIFA soccer games.
It was absolutely TERRIBLE!
Mind you, we had the top tier, with the best support you could get, seeing as they wanted to help one of their affiliated companies the best they could.
We had the best equipment, the dish was expertly aimed, signal levels were beautiful, and it still sucked.
We had them pull it out after a couple of weeks as it constantly would do weird things.
We could live with the propagation delay, but the service just flat sucked, with random disconnects, wildly varying speeds, and dropped packets.
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One man's Magic is another man's Engineering. | |
| | chrisbmoore
join:2003-08-28
Frederick, MD
·Comcast
| Re: It's always been crummy! Hughes as a company has been in an uncertain state for many, many years. About 6 years ago, I worked for them and they have changed hands and ownership about 6 times since then. They need to concentrate less on selling the company over and over and concentrate more on improving their existing infrastructure. As an employee I had a chance to sign up for the satellite service at a reduced cost......boy am I glad I didn't. I've heard nothing but bad news from everyone. I also will add I sure am glad I no longer work for them, because with reviews like this, they will surely go out of business very soon. | |
|
DeePeeCee
@swbell.net
|  HughesNet has always sucked
They don't have the bandwidth (and at that time had a gateway problem). I would assume that they are probably using their satellite bandwidth to deliver HD for DirecTV and moving HughesNet subscribers to the back of the line.
Unlike DirecTV, which is run by professionals rather than clowns, HughesNet has been and always will be a joke (and a bad one at that). | |
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TopCat99
Slightly hissed off
Premium
join:2001-05-03
Pennsylvania
clubs:
| Well, well, well.... Sooooo... that new stand-alone box they worship has the exact same problems as the old hardware? That's almost as surprising as gas prices going up
I went round and round with them, up and down the chain of support, and they kept insisting I buy the brand spankin' new $500 system and all would be right with the world.
I didn't bite. And after dealing with some downright rude support people who either 1) denied a problem, 2) insisted I don't know how to use a computer, or 3) that every single person in the HN forum here has a virus, I had had enough. Oh, I also loved how they'd email you with a phone number to call and a password--which never worked--so you ended up back at Level 1 in India. I took advice of some here and complained to the BBB. Eventually, Executive Customer Care offered me a (get this...) new, FREE system provided I front them the $500 and wait for a refund. Not kidding.
Like some others, I had HN/DW for years as well. I finally ditched them after six months of speeds that rivaled my 2400 bps AOL service in 1993--assuming it worked at all.
I went back to dialup. It was faster, reliable, and worked if a cloud rolled in a mile away.
Now I have Sprint Mobile Broadband. (And as soon as I was firmly entrenched in the contract, the telco rolled out fiber!)
So my advice? For those who can't get out of the contract, get the BBB involved. Have your records of whom you spoke with at all levels and when, as well as your speed test logs. And get Sprint or similar. 
--
Mike
Sprint Mobile Broadband
Do something useful with your computer: join Team Discovery | |
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TopCat99
Slightly hissed off
Premium
join:2001-05-03
Pennsylvania
clubs:
| Re: Well, well, well.... said by vobguy :said by TopCat99 :Now I have Sprint Mobile Broadband. (And as soon as I was firmly entrenched in the contract, the telco rolled out fiber!) Hmm.. I am glad i went with millenicom for my EVDO to not get locked in, but of course, maybe if I HAD gotten locked into a contract with Sprint, FIOS would show up in my neighborhood too  That's OK. The rumor around town was about some promotion for a double play (yes, double--not triple) they have going on. Without getting into all the details, I'll just say that my Sprint MBB will have no competition from the fiber for quite some time 
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Mike
Sprint Mobile Broadband
Do something useful with your computer: join Team Discovery | |
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caribconsult
Premium
join:2003-03-19
Mayaguez, PR
·Millenicom
·Sprint Mobile Broa..
·HughesNet Satellit..
edit:
March 9th, @12:11PM
| It's a lot faster than dealing with the BBB to just tell Exec care if they don't let you out without penalty you'll just 'lose' the credit card it's billed to, if that's how you pay. And press them for the rebate directly. Just keep saying 'not acceptable' until you wear them down! It can be done.
BTW, I'm pretty good buds with the two guys who do most of HN's installations here on the island, and they both say there have been nothing but problems with HN, and they don't expect the new satellite to remedy that. It seems HN's revenue stream is from corporate users, and we 'regular' customers are at the bottom of the priority list. My advice: dump them as soon as you can if the Sprint service works in your area.
Muy buena suerte
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Franklin CDU/Assent MBR WBB combo, service through Millenicom, 3 XPPro stations, Mozilla everywhere. | |
| | | DoodleBop
join:2008-03-10
Lexington, SC
| Re: Well, well, well....
Hughesnet CEO Saturday Interview
Sending Up Satellites and Closing the Digital Divide
SATELLITES have not proved as important to high-speed communications as telephone and cable lines have. But they do have an important role in helping close the digital divide between people who have access to broadband communications and those who do not, says Pradman P. Kaul, chief executive of Hughes Communications, based in Germantown, Md. Mr. Kaul’s company recently launched a $310 million satellite to improve its service in the American market. He has been involved in satellite communications for nearly four decades, since earning a master’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1968.
Hughes Communications
Pradman P. Kaul
Here are excerpts from a conversation:
Q. It seems that Americans communicate more via high-speed cable and digital subscriber telephone lines than via satellites, suggesting that satellites have not lived up to their promise. Do you agree?
A. No, each technology has its place, and its advantages in terms of applications and when it’s used. Clearly, significantly more bits of data are transmitted on cable and DSL than satellite, but what satellites do well is broadcast and multicast applications, as in the case of DirecTV and EchoStar broadcasting television. They have close to 30 million subscribers. In almost every country in the world, direct-to-home television is going great guns.
A second thing satellites are very good at is, once you put a bit up on a satellite it reaches anywhere in the region that the satellite is serving. There is no place in North America that you can’t reach. The ubiquitous coverage that satellites offer is a major advantage. For broadband Internet access capabilities, there are probably 15 million households in the United States who don’t get it and will not get it for a long time. So satellites play a great role in bridging the digital divide.
Q. Why aren’t cable and telephone companies making a stronger effort to reach all Americans?
A. It’s an economic issue. The cost of running a piece of wire or a piece of optic fiber is high, and it requires a density of subscribers to give them an economic return on the investment. In rural areas, the economics just don’t pay out. With satellites, it doesn’t cost any more to reach the one guy sitting on top of the mountain in the state of Washington than it does the guy in downtown Manhattan.
Q. Can you offer as fast and as robust communications as the cable and telephone companies?
A. The service is robust and in some cases offers a higher level of reliability than you get from cable and DSL. In terms of speed, that’s an economic issue. We just launched a new satellite called Spaceway 3 that will be in service in the United States by January of next year. The speeds that satellite offers can match any speed that is available terrestrially. The question is what you charge for it?
Q. Did the failure of Motorola’s Iridium project, which was supposed to provide worldwide voice and data service for anyone with a handset, cast a pall over the broader field of satellite communications?
A. It obviously did not do what it was supposed to do. There were a whole bunch of issues that caused it not to reach its original objectives. That was a different application from ours. It was for mobile phones. What they did was build a constellation of satellites in low-Earth orbit, so they were constantly moving to be able to handle the mobility. It was a much more complex, difficult market. What we’re trying to do is different. We’re using fixed satellites. We don’t rely on 60 satellites working together in unison.
Q. Why have satellites been more useful for entertainment than for sending data like e-mail messages?
A. If you are broadcasting a football game, you’re sending the same football game to every home. With a satellite, you only send it up once and 200 million homes in the United States can receive it. The economics of that are incredible as opposed to sending the football game individually to each home via wires. You’d be sending it 200 million times.
Q. What is the divide between those who have access to high-speed communications versus those who don’t? Is it an urban-rural split?
A. It’s actually rural and suburban where people don’t have it. It amazes me sometimes when I look at it. Even in major Washington, D.C., suburbs, which is our neighborhood, there are big pockets where you can’t get DSL or cable.
Q. How will satellite compete against cable and telephone companies as those companies seek to offer all three forms of communication, meaning voice, data and entertainment?
A. You’re talking about the triple play concept. The cable guys are now beginning to offer people not only television entertainment, but also broadband data and telephone service. The phone companies are beginning to put fiber to the homes so in addition to the voice and data, they can offer the entertainment channels. So yes, I think you’re going to see the triple plays, but there’s still a big market for people to offer single services but offer them well and offer them economically.
Q. How fast can your company grow?
A. In the United States, we have more than 350,000 residential subscribers. In the next two or three years, we hope to get to one million residential subscriptions. In addition, we have a strong enterprise business. We have hundreds of Fortune 2000 customers and their whole data networks.
Q. Why did you have a French company, Arianespace, launch your satellite from South America?
A. Launching is a very small industry. There are only three or four companies that launch satellites of the size that we built.
Q. Did you go to watch it being launched into space?
A. Yes, it was exciting, especially when it’s your own satellite. It’s a unique thrill. It was a great day for all of us.  | |
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caribconsult
Premium
join:2003-03-19
Mayaguez, PR
·Millenicom
·Sprint Mobile Broa..
·HughesNet Satellit..
edit:
March 13th, @12:19PM
| Well, that's all very nice and hooray for them, but it doesn't change the fact that their service is miserable. It's just more corporate BS.
As I previously stated, I'm personal friends with the two top HN installers here on the island, and both of them report massive problems with HN in the recent few months. Despite this, HN has a huge TV ad campaign to sign up new customers. It's too bad we don't have a 'blacklist' here of vendors to be avoided, or a way to let these potential suckers know what's in store for them.
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Franklin CDU/Assent MBR WBB combo, service through Millenicom, 3 XPPro stations, Mozilla everywhere. | |
|
Gack
@direcpc.com | Grrrrr I'm suffering with this. Can barely get online anymore with Hughesnet. Speeds under 200 to non-existent. Tech support is a joke. Nice to know it's not just me though. Thought I was going crazy. | |
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Kyle125
@direcpc.com | GOLLY im stuck with it ! im not paying 300 bucks! | |
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