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New user needing to know if I need to up my data package

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momuv7
Freshman

New user needing to know if I need to up my data package

I am 2 weeks into Hughes and have no idea how much data we have used since the meter resets daily. Current have the 20 g, watch Netflix about 2 hours a day, hour of YouTube, general browsing and emailing.
1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION
MarkJFine
Professor

It will reset like that for about 20 days to ensure everything is working. It's probably best to wait until that 20 days is over to determine if 20 is too low. After that, if you find you're using more than ~670 MB/day, then 20 is probably too small.


* Disclaimer: I am a HughesNet customer and not a HughesNet employee. All of my comments are my own and do not necessarily represent HughesNet in any way.

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4 REPLIES 4
MarkJFine
Professor

It will reset like that for about 20 days to ensure everything is working. It's probably best to wait until that 20 days is over to determine if 20 is too low. After that, if you find you're using more than ~670 MB/day, then 20 is probably too small.


* Disclaimer: I am a HughesNet customer and not a HughesNet employee. All of my comments are my own and do not necessarily represent HughesNet in any way.
GabeU
Distinguished Professor IV

@momuv7

 

Though you won't really know your true usage until your data resets stop, depending on what definition your are streaming Netflix and YouTube in, with the amounts you mentioned you could be using between about 1GB and 9GB each day. 

 

Netflix uses around 3GB per hour in HD, 700MB in SD and 350MB in LD.  Youtube would most likely be similar.  

 

With this said, if you have not actively turned off, or paused, the Video Data Saver, and you have the Netflix definition set to automatic, it's probably been streaming in SD.  The Video Data Saver throttles the speed of the service when one is streaming, and it does this to help save data.  It throttles the speed to an amount which will make most streaming sources, when set to automatic, choose to stream in SD.  Again, it's only for when one is streaming.  It doesn't affect the speed of browsing or large file downloads (as long as streaming isn't going on at the same time).  If you'd rather stream in HD, you can shut off the Video Data Saver, or pause it for four hours, from within the HughesNet Usage Meter, or by signing in to the HughesNet myAccount site ( http://my.hughesnet.com/myaccount ).  If the source is set to stream in HD, but the Video Data Saver is ON, it will cause buffering issues, as they will sort of fight against each other (Netflix trying to stream something that utilizes more speed than the system will give).  

 

If the Video Data Saver is on and Netflix is set to automatic, it was most likely streaming in SD, and the definition of YouTube would have been about the same (480P).  At that rate, three hours worth of video would use around 2.1GB or so.  When I leave the Video Data Saver on and watch a Youtube video, it generally plays at about 480P.  If I turn the Video Data Saver off or pause it, Youtube will generally play at HD levels (720P or 1080P).     

 

Even if you streamed in Low Def during those three hours each day, it would almost assuredly use more than 20GB for the month.  The streaming alone would be approaching 30GB, and that's not including doing anything else, like browsing, email and/or any updates your devices may need.  

 

Again, you won't really know for sure how much data you're using each day until the data resets end, but, from the info you've given, I don't think 20GB is going to be enough.  With that said, you have time to see, of course, as you can upgrade your data package at any time.   You don't have to do so by any certain date or anything like that (unless you're in some special offer that specifically states something like that).  

 

I hope this info helps, and I hope that my descriptions didn't confuse the heck out of you.  I end up confusing myself sometimes.  😛   

Thank you. You did a great job explaining. I have been telling my children to watch as much as they want during this grace period just so I could monitor what the usage amount is which is why I have been frustrated with the daily reset. The heaviest usage day says it used 9 gb and that was them cleaning their bedroom and watching Netflix all day. (They are a married couple living with for a while waiting for his Army start date)


@momuv7 wrote:

(They are a married couple living with for a while waiting for his Army start date)


Hooah 👍🏼


* Disclaimer: I am a HughesNet customer and not a HughesNet employee. All of my comments are my own and do not necessarily represent HughesNet in any way.