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Below 2 mb/s in first week of Hughes.net

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Noahjohn
New Poster

Below 2 mb/s in first week of Hughes.net

Hi,

I just set up Hughes.net five days ago, and so far, the fastest speed has been 2mb/s with the average being less than 1.  Huhes techs confirmed this, as well. First time I called customer support, they told me I would need to wait 48 hours for the modem to download firmware.  At less than 2mb/s, that would make sense, but most of the time, this sort of thing takes about an hour.  The second time I called customer support, they told me that I would not be able to steam video and to try downloading.  I explained that I was not streaming video.  I explained that I set my expectations low, but at less than 1mb/s, state web pages, bank sites, and secure docusigns were timing out, so I had to use my phone instead.  I explained that I did download videos, and they were taking aprox. 24-30 hours for standard definition.   It took me 8 to 12 minutes to send a pdf via gmail.  I was referred to other customer support, who promised to investigate.  Customer support called me today, and we tested the speed.  I used the speed tests suggested by Hughes as well as others, and we did se a 7 mb/s moment, but that lasted for about 1 minute.  Haven't seen it since.  Tech admitted that he saw the same, too.  He verified that all physical devices were working, dish was aligned, and signal was strong.  He said that many customers in Southern Oregon were having the same problem, and this was a result of a problem occuring at a hub in Texas.  My question is how long will this go on for?  Even the tech couldn't anwer that.  Is it normal for Hughes customers to download speeds of less than 2mb/s despite their 25mb/s claim?  I can practically do nothing with this service, and don't know how long I want to wait for the product I was promised to materialize.   Can anybody help?  I have seen suggestions from others in the community that require some real time-consuming tech work.   I don't feeling like that's my responsiblitiey for the 500 dollars install and 70 a month I'm paying.  I'm so frustrated.  How about a hot spot instead?  I get the bandwith differences, but if I can download 30mb/s or more from a hotspot, why wouldn't I use that for my work and entertainment needs?  I'm fine waiting for downloads for entertainment.  I'm not fine with the inability to use docusign, state web page applications, banking data, etc.

7 REPLIES 7
maratsade
Distinguished Professor IV

To have speed issues addressed in this community, first you will need to follow the procedure detailed here: https://community.hughesnet.com/t5/Tech-Support/Think-you-have-slow-speeds/m-p/110034#M74607

 

While HughesNet is designed for 25Mbps down and 3 Mbps up, and many of us subscribers get higher speeds than that, speeds and performance are not guaranteed, as you can see if you read the disclaimers on the website, ads, and the information in the subscriber agreement. 

 

If satellite internet is not working for you and a hotspot works, you may want to consider that as your ISP. 

 

 

Hi,

I did run tests with the computer plugged through LAN and have been using testmy.netOver ten times in three days, speeds read below 2 mb/s upload on average.   Four tech support folks at HughesNet confirmed these findings, including the one that called today after a "three-day investigation."  I just don't have time to keep wasting on tech support for myself.  You are right about the fine print not gauranteeing speeds, but when I set up Hughes with their sales department, I called three different reps over two months, and they all said "gaurantee 25 mb/s."  I know what they said doesn't matter, and it was naive of me to think that I would ever achieve close to that.  Thanks for your help.  I'll start with hot spots next, and see what I get.

GabeU
Distinguished Professor IV


@Noahjohn wrote:

Hi,

I did run tests with the computer plugged through LAN and have been using testmy.netOver ten times in three days, speeds read below 2 mb/s upload on average.   


Upload speed tends to average between 1-3Mbps, so your upload speed is likely normal. 

 

If you're having problems with download speed and you were signed into an acount at testmy when you ran your tests, it may still be of benefit to post your "My Results" page URL so that your results can be viewed.

Yes, I mispoke.  I meant down load speads are averaging .7 to 1.25 on testmy.net, but I failed to create an account at the time because I did not know the community protocol.  But I think of it like this: I will pay Hughes arpox. $2,450, including installation for a 2 year contract.  Here's what I can look forward to based on these speeds this first week in actual terms that everyday people can understand.

 

  • Upload 2mb PDF as an attachement to a gmail message:  5-8 minutes
  • Upload several pictures to an email as an attachment: 10-15 minutes
  • Download a STANDARD definition movie from Vudu or Netflix: 4-7 hours, depending.
  • Stream anything in standard definiton or less: buffers/pauses/freezes every 5 to 7 minutes.
  • Load a web page with multiple news artilces, photos, headlines and links: 1- 2 minutes.
  • Accessing Facebook: too slow to process message updates or news feeds
  • Updating firmware, drivers, and security patches for Windows 10 or Alien Ware Command Center: 5-10 minutes for simple updates, hours for larger updates that often time out.
  • All online applications for registering business names, completing insurance forms, or banking transactions will time out half the time, so be sure to cut and paste all text into a word processor before filling out these forms.

I could go on. But if my first week with Hughesnet is anything like the next two years, I just can't conceive of why this service is worth the price.  I don't have time to tech support a service by myself; that would be like paying the mechanic to show me how to fix my own car through a forum.   Absurd.  How can anyone out there justify the real-world impact of this service for the price.   Satelite services for people I know in this area aren't usually this bad.  They arverage, at worst, around 6 to 7 mb/s download speeds.  That's workable.  I was pulling down the same speed in the late 90's on my PC.  The same speed that made the first social networking platform, Instagram, disappear until download speeds evolved.  

 

I've been told by high level tech support at Hughes to wait an unknown amount of time in the hopes the servicde will improve.  Told I would receive a discount. We will see.  I'm not crossing my fingers.  I will buy a hot spot or tether my phone or whatever, and I will directly compare that to Huges and let you know the results with real-world tasks instead of enouraging you to trouble shoot a brand new services by running endless speed tests and posting them to this message board. YAWN.

GabeU
Distinguished Professor IV

@Noahjohn 

 

You asked, "Can anybody help?"  Instructions for the first step in that process have been given to you.  This is not phone help.  This support community is monitored by corporate reps, and you can get help from them, but not without taking the necessary steps to do so.  However, no one is going to twist your arm.  

 

At this point you have three options.  

 

1.  Start the process of getting help here, and that is running the speed tests.

2.  Do nothing and just deal with it.

3.  Cancel the service, pay the ETF and move on. 

 

It likely took longer and more effort to type out and post your reply than it would have to run or schedule a few speed tests and post the link to their results.  Remember, this is a SUPPORT community, not social media.  We don't care about your hotspot or tethering comparison.  You can choose to participate in getting help for your service or not, but again, no one is going to twist your arm to do so, and when the first step in that process is refused, no one is going to bother suggesting or instructing anything else.

 

It's your choice.

Thanks, Gabe.  I wish I knew how the speed tests influence corporate reps to fix a service that's brand new, but more importantly,  your post makes clear that this is not the correct place for me to air my concerns.  Sorry to have wasted your time.  I will not post hot spot results or comment to this board any further.  I'm deactivating my account and my service.  It would have taking me longer, though, to run those tests under the specific protocols outlined by your tech support.  I'm probably not as skilled as the members of this forum when it comes to these tech issues, and I did not want a service that required me to be.  Good day to you.

 

GabeU
Distinguished Professor IV


@Noahjohn wrote:

Thanks, Gabe.  I wish I knew how the speed tests influence corporate reps to fix a service that's brand new, but more importantly,  your post makes clear that this is not the correct place for me to air my concerns. 


This is the place for people to air their concerns when they're looking for help for them. 

 


@Noahjohn wrote:

It would have taking me longer, though, to run those tests under the specific protocols outlined by your tech support.  I'm probably not as skilled as the members of this forum when it comes to these tech issues, and I did not want a service that required me to be.  

Unfortunately, all ISPs have a degree of customer involvement when it comes to troubleshooting, and in respect to initial speed testing from the customer location, it's practically universal.  

 

Good luck.  I hope your next ISP meets your needs.