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Extremely slow web page loading and downloads.

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Pete
New Member

Extremely slow web page loading and downloads.

Our Hughesnet connection is currently worse than dial-up. Right now I'm downloading MacAfee at 4.2kB/sec. If I click on Yahoo it takes the page a good 20 seconds to load. When I run the Hughesnet performance test I'm getting 11MB/sec but the stark reality is that I haven't achieved much over 1MB/sec over the last 3 days. Its almost like we're on the FAP program though we have 66% of our allowance remaining. Everything is green on the dashboard but we get periodic yellows on "Satellite receive status" and have to reset the modem to cure this.

Calls to customer service involve the same elementary troubleshooting that resolves nothing. The usual implication is that the server we're reaching must be busy so to test this I downloaded the same 56MB file on my phone and at 2bars of 4G it absolutely smoked Hughesnet. My phone had downloaded the file before Hughesnet had even loaded the webpage to the point where I could click "download".

What do I need to do to get some type of assistance as resetting the modem a thousand times per tech support isn't going to fix the problem. Not every server on the planet is coincidentally busy when I try to download "stuff" from it. I understand at peak times things slow down but 4 KB/sec? A 7MEG file has taken an hour and it's still not done!


22 REPLIES 22
GW
Advanced Tutor

It sounds like you have deeper problems than normal. One of the Hughes people will be here tomorrow to begin fixing it for you to the extent repair may be possible.

If you're on the wrong beam or gateway, near dialup speeds of under 100 kbps is just the way it is sometimes. A more productive use of your time can be found in watching paint dry.
kelliheidt
New Member

sounds just like what I am going thru
like my time is not worth anything
5 hours on the phone and I have nothing but a headache.
painfully slow internet and sad I ever made the call to hook up to blinding speeds in rural areas???
Pete
New Member

It's 5AM and I'm downloading the larger McAfee file. I've hit about 400-500KB/sec so things are a tad quicker. At this time of morning I would have thought it's going to get about as quick as it'll ever get. Why does the speed test show such a high rate when real world downloads are so slow?
Amanda
Moderator

Good morning Pete,

Welcome to our community! Do you have a recent case number or the serial number from your modem? This will help us locate your account and get started looking at your system.

In regards to your question about speed tests 'results' versus real-world download speeds... I feel like that is a question for an engineer, so I've sent your question to one! 

Thanks,
Amanda
Pete
New Member

Modem serial number is: b3 0010907572 ac
Pete
New Member

model ht1100
Old Labs
New Member

Why does the speed test show such a high rate when real world downloads are so slow?
Nearly all speed test sites are designed for best case scenarios (pumping data as fast as they can). As such, they can be misleading when compared to real world scenarios - this could be as simple as the McAffee site limiting its own speed based on its current capacity and basically it takes two to tango. For example, I just did a 452KB Windows update download that took about 30 seconds despite the fact my speeds are fine (at around 16 Mbps). What speed tests are typically measuring is capacity not speed.     

Note: Just commenting on speed test discrepancies vs. the real world and one possible explanation for them, but appears something else is going on for you.
Chris11
Alum

Hi Pete,

Thanks for posting with your serial so we could locate your account. Looking through your diagnostics, there isn't anything that stands out at this time. I understand your frustration from the experience you currently are having with the service. A common trend I can see here, is your network set up. Diagnostics show that you have a Belkin router correct? How old is it? A few of your calls in to support have had you bypass your router which then normalized (at least from our agent notes) the speed. I think a replacement may be warranted. We do have a router manufactured by D-Link that I can have sent to you. Unless of course your current one is fairly new. Please let me know if that is something you'd be willing to try.

Thank you,
Chris
Pete
New Member

Chris,

Sorry for the delay in replying. Yes, we do have a Belkin router. It's about 2-3 years old and we only use it for wireless. I'd gladly try a new router but is the model you have wireless.?

The real problem with the customer support experience is that they never see any problems. Not sure why the notes include bypassing the router. We've tried it but I don't remember it ever making a difference. Usually the support experience dies on the vine because there is no "proving" that the service is slow. Over the course of our Hughesnet experience, we've had the following symptoms (obviously slow service being the prime symptom).

Frequent loss of service which only a reset of the modem will fix.

Frequent "Page cannot be displayed" which a refresh or two will usually cure.

Sporadic yellows on the system status page as described in my original post. Modem reset fixes this. Usually one reset, sometimes two.

Mysteriously disappearing anytime and bonus data which I suspect to be a different problem. Yes, I have robust internet monitoring and A+B doesn't always equal C when I look at our useage.

Right now my daughter is trying to download a game update from Google Playstore. It's about 70 meg and has been downloading for about 40 minutes now. I have strong doubts that Google is that severely bandwidth limited and that the problem is with the Google internet empire and not my Hughesnet system.

I appreciate your time Chris and am willing to try anything you can recommend. We've been dancing this dance for years now and all I want is reliable service. I'm not expecting Fios speeds but I do kind of expect to at least have a useable service, which is borderline most days. In fact, just tried YouTube. I can watch low resolution but any HD is buffering every few seconds.


GabeU
Distinguished Professor IV

Pete,

The model they have is wireless.  It's most likely a D-Link DIR619L.  I have it and it's good router. 

With regard to your data loss, you can run a modem isolation test, of which the instructions are located here... https://community.myhughesnet.com/hughesnet/topics/data-drain-cannot-find-the-cause?topic-reply-list....  I can tell you from experience, though, that in every instance of data loss that I have seen discussed on here, it always turns out to be something that is actually using the data.  The trick is finding out what it is and why. 

Pete
New Member

Gabe,

I agree absolutely. Initially we were losing literally gigs of data but isolated it to my sons Xbox requiring almost constant updates. That said, it didn't explain all of the data. It became a crusade to monitor the data (I use Networx) but every month there are I'd say an average of 100-150 megs I can't account for. Yes, maybe Networx isn't completely accurate. Maybe the fidelity of the Hughesnet monitoring isn't 100% and to be honest, I've given up worrying about it.

I'm not being dismissive, I just wish I could get speeds reliable enough where I'd have to worry about data loss!! On a bad day it'd take 100 years to burn through 50 gig.....


debbie.jean.bro
Advanced Tutor

Hi Pete,

I hope the new router does the trick! When I first signed up for HughesNet last June, the sales rep told us to go out and buy basically any cheap router. So we (my daughter and I) went to Fred Meyer and bought am inexpensive Belkin. When the installer showed up the next day he just shook his head when I showed him the new router.

He said he wished the sales reps would quit telling people that. The sales rep did mention one thing the router had to have--can't remember what now--and the cheap Belkin we picked up had whatever it was. The installer was really great and turned out to be a neighbor up the road, so I believed him when he explained that we would get poor service with the router we had purchased and why.

So yeah, he upsold us to a better router but I still trust him to this day. When he was telling us about various HughesNet features we could buy, he "downsold" a couple, telling us they weren't worth the money, in his opinion. Plus, we were talking about a difference of $30-$35 for the better router, which at that point was nominal, considering the huge deposit and upfront costs to get the service set up.

The point of this story is that we've enjoyed excellent service from HughesNet every single day. Our speeds are consistently high and I've not once had "mystery data loss." I've been able to do everything I want to do and end my cycle with data to spare.

Is this all due to the better router? Doubtful. 🙂 But my installer genuinely believed the cheaper router would cause problems. So who knows? It's worth the try. I don't see how it could make it worse.
GW
Advanced Tutor

I'm sure there are some really bad routers but they're hard for me to find. I used to have a high dollar Cradlepoint that cost more than $300 back in the day. When I started transitioning from where I was at to Hughes I bought a dirt cheap Rosewill to compare. Six of one and a half dozen of the other. No discernible difference at all so I sold the very expensive Cradlepoint, along with signal amp, cabling, antenna and modem with my account for more than I paid for it.

I used the Rosewill for almost 5 years and decided save it as an emergency backup unit. I put a new ASUS into service and stored the Rosewill.

I'm very pleased with my cheap routers. After sale prices, promo codes and rebates, I have $21.49 invested in the pair of them.
GW
Advanced Tutor

Hey Pete, it's not that slow. Even when the Hughes is running super bad, I bet you could burn up 50 gig is under 6 months 🙂
GabeU
Distinguished Professor IV

Pete,

Small differences is what one thing says compared to another seems to be par for the course, so to speak.  For my system, I use Glasswire, but I can't totally rely on it as there are times when it is WAY off, though more often than not in my favor.  I believe the differences are caused by compression, local traffic, and whatever else the system does. 

I don't have anything other than computers, and only use one on a regular basis, and that's a desktop, so normally I don't use a router.   I use a router and my laptop maybe 10% of the time.  I'm lucky enough (when it comes to monitoring data, that is) that I don't have to worry about all of those extra things that can use data.  I've seen people on here having a terrible time finding whatever it is using data, and it seems so often that it comes down to either an X-box or some type of Apple product, and once in a while a satellite TV receiver.  Those Apple devices surely do seem to use a lot of data if one isn't watching carefully or doesn't have it set up just perfectly.  A gazillion things to set.  LOL. 

I'm glad you figured out what was chewing through yours with regard to the X-box.  

In addition, I hope that the new router helps to alleviate some of your problems, but I'm not so sure that it will.  I guess we'll have to see.  Yellows on the SCC are a bit concerning.  Again, though, we'll have to wait and see.  Either way, it's still a good router. 

Chris11
Alum

Hi Pete,

The router we have is wireless. I'll create the order, and you should receive an email confirming service changes to your account. It can take a few business days to process and get it sent out. However I will update you with new info as it gets out to you. 

- Chris
Pete
New Member

Chris,

The router arrived yesterday and is an immediate improvement. It's odd because we had tried another router before the one you sent. Maybe hughesnet doesn't like Belkin.
Anyway, now Web pages load quickly and we're up to expected speeds for downloads. I truly appreciate the support. I would never have believed it was the router as we had bought another one to try...but yours works like a charm.
Thanks again,
Pete
Chris11
Alum

Hello Pete,

Super happy to hear you are seeing an improvement. The routers we have are pre-configured to effectively work with our service. Nothing super major done to them, however I from experience, certain Belkin and Netgear router models seem to have an issue playing nice with our service :-). Hopefully this is a consistent improvement. We are always here if you need more assistance. Have a great weekend!

Thank you,
Chris
GabeU
Distinguished Professor IV

Pete,

Just out of curiosity, did the router come with a little setup booklet?  Mine did, but a person that received one a few months after me said there was no setup booklet in the package. 

Also, if you did get the booklet, I wouldn't bother with that mydlink software it tells you to download.  It's cloud based nonsense having to do with cameras and a waste of time and especially data, in my opinion.  

Pete
New Member

There was a kind of unfold it as you go quick start set up pamphlet but it didn't mention any kind of software thankfully.