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How much is SmartBrowsing speed?

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av2016
New Member

How much is SmartBrowsing speed?

I'm about to move to rural area with no cable and thinking about getting Hughes internet. 
The best plan that is available in my area is Max with 20gb anytime data + SmartBrowsing. 
Let's say I'll have 15 Mbps download speed within my 20gb limit, but what happens to speed when I'm out of this limit and use SmartBrowsing? How much it will get slower? Is it unlimited or there's still some data cap on this feature? 
I read here that it makes "regular internet activity" work like normal, and doesn't allow video streaming or large files downloads. Does it mean there's no way to stream videos or it's just that slow that it makes it almost impossible to do? 
We usually use 60gb of data per month with normal internet usage, it means I'll use about 40 gb with SmartBrowsing. 
12 REPLIES 12
C0RR0SIVE
Associate Professor

...60GB of usage, even with SmartBrowse isn't really going to be possible unless you can manage to use the Bonus Bytes period for some stuff.

Speeds are advertised as UPTO, they are not guaranteed, at all.

Anyways, lets sorta somewhat break it down from my experiences on the "Max" plan.

Lets say I still have data allowance, I can still browse at my upto speeds of 15Mbps down, but once I hit 0, my modem will go into FAP.  There are essentially TWO modes of FAP (Fair Access Policy) which is the old style of hard-throttle, and Smart Browse.

Ok, so we are now out of data, and in FAP, what's next?  Well, if you was loading a few websites or checking email, then your pages should load fine. HOWEVER, if you are consistently attempting to download data, or stream data, you will be hard throttled back to ~150Kbps.  So letting a video fully buffer while in FAP just to watch it can take HOURS, and make the internet impossible to use.

SmartBrowse is basically a relaxed Fair Access Policy that lets you browse the likes of Facebook, but the moment you start causing a rather consistent connection or stream, you will be throttled back till you stop for awhile.

For instance, yesterday I was downloading something via P2P, getting maximum speeds, then I hit FAP (out of data).  My download almost immediately slowed down to about 100KB/s, then a few seconds after that, it sat at about 10KB/s tops.  Couldn't browse, couldn't do anything, because SmartBrowse isn't meant to allow consistent streams of data, just enough to load a page by page.
Amanda
Moderator

Hello av2016,

It's been a while since we discussed this with our engineers and I think some things might have been updated or changed in regards to the speeds. Let us get with an engineer here at our local operations center and see what they have to say. We'll post the reply here.

Thanks
Amanda
Liz
Moderator
Moderator

Hi av2016,

Just got word back from the engineers: no change to SmartBrowsing. So to add onto what C0RR0SIVE said, SmartBrowsing will only affect streaming media, large downloads, and HTTPS connections. Everything else should run according to your plan speeds.

Thanks,
Liz
If you have a tech or billing question and need help, please start a new thread in the appropriate board. Unsolicited Private Messages may not get replies.

Slow performance? Click me!

Hi Liz - I'm a website designer - https: is "required" on any website that has a contact form, shopcart, etc and those that aren't set up with an ssl certificate will be penalized by search engines without

 

- quality websites WILL default to https:// - FULL SUPPORT is going to be CRITICAL FOR HUGHESNET to support!  Youtube, GMail (all google services) and so much more - Gen5 through-put kills me at home - I go to the office with UVerse and I fly around the internet (I also have unlimited up-download on that for 1/2 price of my Gen5 services) ... just no site line for it at home - I would be so excited to hear Hughesnet is working on these issues

C0RR0SIVE
Associate Professor

pmc63,

If you want Hughesnet to offer such things for SSL connections, then why not call them up, beg them to create a special CA, and let them see everything behing those secure doors?

The reason SSL can't be compressed, nor touched is because it's a secure connection, as in, Hughes can't see exactly what is happening.  The ONLY way to have the same effect on a secure connection is to allow Hughesnet to act as a middle man (MITM, typically this is a type of hijacking, but in some cases, especially in corporate networks, it's used for network security purposes), and that would actually break more websites than what it would be worth.

Welcome to the world of encryption and there being nothing anyone can do about it.  Being a webdesigner, I am sure you are familiar with proxy servers and have an idea of what would be required.  Sadly, HSTS will still say nope to MITM style usage, whether you wanted that setup or not.  I know Google enforces HSTS, Facebook does as well.

av2016
New Member

Pretty much all websites these days are connected through HTTPS, including google and facebook, does it mean they won't work? 
Also will Skype work on SmartBrowsing? 

Am I limited only to the plans that are shown on website in my area? I heard there's 150gb plan in Hughes, but I don't see it in my area, does it mean I can't connect to it at all? 
Liz
Moderator
Moderator

Speeds to access HTTP sites will be reduced, same with Skype, so that will probably not work.

Yes, specific plans are available by geographic area, so not all our plans are available in one area. There is no 150 GB plan; our highest data plan is the Ultra plan which offers 50 GB Anytime Bytes and 50 GB Bonus Bytes.

-Liz
If you have a tech or billing question and need help, please start a new thread in the appropriate board. Unsolicited Private Messages may not get replies.

Slow performance? Click me!

C0RR0SIVE
Associate Professor

Facebook loads perfectly fine for me in SmartBrowse/FAP modes, provided I am not trying to do anything that's data consistent/intensive.

Skype, don't expect calls to work at all, video or audio, but it will connect and let you send/recieve instant messages.
Katie J
New Member

OMG! DON"T DO IT! WORST INTERNET EVER!!!!!!!! slower then CRAP and so expensive. 90-95% of the time we cant even get a page to load at all. we are better off using our phones as a hotspot then this POS so called "internet" 
GabeU
Distinguished Professor IV

Katie J,

If you would like to try to remedy whatever the problem is, it would be best to start a new post and describe what the problem is.  You can do so by clicking on the "NEW POST" button at the top of the page.  Please also describe what you have done thus far, or have been instructed to do, if anything, to remedy the problem.  

Good luck.

Amanda
Moderator

 allows local installers to offer better service plans

This isn't a thing anymore, unfortunately.
deepdiver1
Sophomore

And there are significant data limits on cellular.