Forum Discussion
Who's NOT upgrading to Gen5?
So I've been waiting all this time for the new satellite to be up and running and now I'm reluctant to upgrade. 1)When I first started with HughesNet I was told I could stream Netflix with the pl...
1: Everyone I have spoken to that is on Gen5 can stream Netflix just fine, even while in FAP if they use SD.
2: Yes, upgrades to Gen5 will result in you being locked into a new 2 year contract. This is normal with any form of equipment upgrade.
3: Chances of the system becoming congested with in the next few years (those signing up now should be out of contract before congestion becomes any concern) is slim to none, though occasional gateway expansions will probably occur as customers come on board (why build the entire facility at the start when it's not being used?). In 5-6 years, it's possible, but hopefully by then Hughes will have another satellite in the air to stave off inevitable congestion of the system.
Netflix is easily playable on gen 5. Even when you run out of data, the speeds I have seen are around 3mbps. This allows me to stream standard quality Netflix and other streaming services with no problems at all.
I upgraded from gen 4, which my contract had already elapsed, and was required to make a new two year contract.
As for the last part, much like Corrosive said, the chances of this happening within a few years is small. The new satellite has a very high capacity, enough to alleviate users on the older satellites in addition to briniging in customers without congesting the satellite for several years. For now, it is no where close to being congested, and is most likely 5+ years away from that point. Even the 40 Mbps+ speeds most of us are seeing now will stay take a while before enough users have been added to have it drop to the advertised speeds of 25Mbps.
