Hughesnet Community

Now both upload and download slow.

cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 
dfbeck
Junior

Now both upload and download slow.

After a conversation with a level 4 tech performance was borderline for 4 days and then worse than before as the download speed was reduced.

 

The level 4 tech had me bypass my router, unplug the modem, and then run a speed test which came back as borderline. Download=1.2Mbps Upload=1.1Mbps. Within 4 days service was slow to start loading and once loaded would buffer every 10 to 15 seconds. Within 48 hours it was back to .07Mbps to 3.65Mbps (mostly below 1Mbps) upload and .58Mbps to 187.76Mbps (a fluke?)

 

The speed tests I ran on Testmy.net were run at 6 megs up and 12 megs down. I didn't see any reason to run the tests any higher than the conditions Youtube was running under. I was watching 4 minute videos at the max resolution of 360p which used less than 11 megs. I couldn't run the resolution any higher and even at 360p resolution would drop to 240p and even 144p. Either way it was more than irritating and virtually unwatchable.

 

It would be different if this condition was transient occurring for 5 or 6 days every couple of months but the service is acceptable for just 5 or 6 days out of every couple of months.

 

Three technicians have been here twice last summer to tell me F connectors were corroded and the dish needed re-aimed with a minimal improvement in service that eventually degraded once again. In every call to technical support I get a pitch to move from Ultra 4 to 5. I already have a commitment that download speeds will be max 20Mbps and upload of 1.2Mbps plus I get a builtin router and it will only cost me an additional $40 or so per month. I have a router and I don't believe I should have to pay additional money for a service that operates as advertised.

 

I'm at a loss. Hughes is a dependable with very few outages. I've had the service for longer than I can remember, at least 10 years or more. Up and down speeds became a problem as bandwidth was over extended until EchoStar XIX was put online at which time I assumed the overload of Gen 4 bandwidth would ease which it appeared to do for a short time. Now service has reverted back to constant buffering. My neighbors just had Windstream installed and tho they are not my favorite people I will ask them what they think of the service. They offer 75Mbps for $20 less than I'm paying Hughes.

 

As I said, I like Hughes for it's reliability as far as rare complete outages but as it becomes less and less usable when it's on the lack of complete outages just isn't a worthy trade off.

 

Open to suggestions.

 

5:46:05 to 5:47:23 Sat. 1/19/195:46:05 to 5:47:23 Sat. 1/19/19

18 REPLIES 18
GabeU
Distinguished Professor IV

@dfbeck 

 

Your upload speed still looks alright, but your download speed has definitely gone way down.  

 

https://testmy.net/quickstats/Hangfire

 

Are you sure you didn't run out of data sometime between the afternoon of the 11th and noon of the 12th?  

I don't know if I'm repeating a post I was going to send since this logged me off and I don't see my message posted so.......

One of the reasons I have so much data then and again at the end of the month is that it's so slow there is no way I can get it used. I can't view a video above 360p. Setting it any higher and I watch it buffer constantly. You need to look at the Testmy.net test I ran today 1/24/19 Both upload and download drop into the kilobyte range on a regular basis. I'm going to call in once more, for what it's worth, but I think that unplugging and plugging in the modem is a fix I can try on my own and I honestly see no point in rebooting my computer. I empty cookies and cache on a regular basis so I know that's not a problem. I'm pretty much fed up with this service. And I don't remember what else I wrote other than I appreciate you  responding as no one who works for Hughes pays any attention. Lots of data left. Even more this monthLots of data left. Even more this month

Just wanted to show that data availibility wasn't the problem. I wish it was.

I received an authentication error. It happens about the same time my Glasswire sends me a message that there has been a change in the Internet service, "Internet is down" It does that when downloads drop below the .04Mbps. I've got to quit on this before it boots me again. Thanks GabeU.

GabeU
Distinguished Professor IV

@dfbeck 

 

Are you sure you ran the tests at testmy while you were signed in today?  The only two I see from today are these, which look okay, though the download test size was HUGE (200MB).  

 

Capture.JPG

 

If power cycling your modem helps, but all means, feel free do to so, though you shouldn't have to it.  Just make sure you don't do it more than a couple of times within a few hour period as it can cause the system to think there's some type of technical issue, causing your service to be put onto a backup channel within your beam, which can be slower than normal, for a day or two.  Then again, you're already having speed issues, anyway, so it might not even be noticeable.   

 

And with having plenty of data there is no way your download speed should have been so low (12th - 19th), especially at those times of the day.  

 

I'm hoping that a rep will answer soon with some possible suggestions, or to look at what the level 4 tech(s) did. 

Hello David,

 

Thank you for posting. I am sorry you are experiencing this. After reviewing your account I see the technicians made a few adjustments on the modem and notated that things were working better. When I ran a speed test, the figures I was getting back from the modem were a lot faster than the speeds you posted. Since you have an external router, I cannot see the signal quality of these devices to confirm whether or not they are within an acceptable range. This could cause your speeds to be a lot lower from the device you are running them on. In addition to power cycling the modem, please connect directly to the HughesNet modem while streaming and see if you notice a difference in buffering. Also if you need additional assistance with running your speed test on testmy.net, here is a helpful link hninfo.us/speedtest.

 

-Damian

Thank you for replying Damian. As soon as I get a chance I'll bypass the router and run Testmy.net again and let you know what I get.

Dave B.

P.S. I may be wrong but this useage meter looks a little screwed up. It's from 1/25/19 AM.  And yes, I've rebooted the modem. I actually have more data than this.Hughesnet Usage meter screwed up.PNG

GabeU
Distinguished Professor IV

@dfbeck 

 

Take a look at the date shown.  The 8.9GB of Service Plan data being shown is from Jan 12st, not today.  

 

But, something is defiitely not right with that graph pic.  The data cycle dates have changed, as have total possible data amounts.  From 1/3 - 2/2 in your first pic to 1/2 - 2/1 in your second.  The token data has also completely disappeared.  It's as if the two data graphs are from two different customers.  

 


@Damian  Any idea what might be going on here?  The two graphs look like they're from two different accounts, unless there was a service plan downgrade, the data logs reset, and the dates changed.  

Actually I just posted that usage graph because I thought it was interesting. I'm not really that concerned about the usage since I've only run into a warning twice in 10 or so years. It corrects for a while after I reinstall it but it wigs out again after a while.

David,

 

I am happy to help. The usage meter does appear to be very different from your actual current usage, and you do indeed have more data than what is shown in the picture. This is a very rare occurrence and I have not seen it do this before. I recommend uninstalling and re-installing the app. For a more accurate look at your usage in the meantime, you can go to the systemcontrolcenter.com while connected to the network, or you can log in to your support center, go to My Account> click on usage> then view history. 

 

-Damian

Hi Damian, I've bypassed my router and run Testmy.net several times with close to the same result each time. I am assuming that of the two graphs presented for each test, up and down, the lower of the two graphs is the one I should be looking at. I read all through Testmy for information but either I missed it or it wasn't there. I tried to log on to hninfor.us/speedtest and received the message "The link you clicked has been deleted or suspended." I guessed at all kinds of reasons but none seemed like a sight you'd send a subscriber to so I gave up.

Anyway I ran the up and down tests independently so I had some control over the data used. I had been told to use 6Mbps up and 20 something down but realistically I with resolution capped at 360p I was not going to surpass 12Mbps without a great deal more patients. Hopefully you can see the lower graph as it dims when not highlighted. Testmy says that they present results in bits and bytes on their scales (meaning graphs?) but both are labeled Mbps though one tops out at 200 while the other tops at 75. At any rate, the chart below the bottom graph appears to pick random times to record so it doesn't appear to catch the lowest or the highest as they appear on the graphs and this is what they look like.upload speed test worst.PNGdownload test 25 to 50.PNG

I'm leaving my router disconnected for a couple of days from now so if you discover anything please let me know so I can reconnect my phones and computers. And let me know if I'm reading the graphs incorrectly though from the evidence of the resolution switching back and forth from 360p to 144p and the occasional surprise of 480p I'd say the lower graph is accurate. Thanks Dave

GabeU
Distinguished Professor IV

@dfbeck 

 

HughesNet's own test is buggy, and it seems that it's getting buggier and buggier as time goes on.  I don't even bother with it anymore, and I haven't for official testing purposes for a couple of years now.  

 

BTW, just so there is no confusion, the official test sizes requested for testing at testmy.net is 25MB down and 4MB up with Gen5, and 12MB down and 3MB up with Gen4.  

 

https://testmy.net/quickstats/Hangfire

GabeU, is that the graph I should be looking at? And when you say Hughesnet's test is getting buggy do you mean Testmy.net? I thought that was an independent.

As far as that graph and it's corresponding chart go, I'd be happy if uploads stayed above 1.5Mbps since that's what a data pig like Netflix requires. I'd like to see dl numbers around 15 to 18Mbps. Supposedly, according to the information about Testmy they are providing two different charts, one bits one bytes but they don't say what a chart is and both graphs are labeled Mbps but I repeat. So if I'm really receiving those numbers what's up with the slow starts, varying resolution, and buffering? And I pinged Houston in four hops it came back as 1580 something pretty consistantly but the average of all the pings was around 625 which is as good as satellite is going to get. Pages take a long time to appear but when they do they fill in a flash which I understand is the symptom of excessive response time.

So what's the next move? Get back to me on the graph thing. I want to know what I'm looking at.

And I did know what the test size was suppose to be but strange thing is the upload test won't exceed the number you input while the download will increase up to 200Mbps regardless of the max number you think is locked in on the dl only test. It increases until it hits a 7 second dl and truly was starting to eat up data but I'll use those numbers next time. Thanks

GabeU
Distinguished Professor IV

The HughesNet test I'm referring to is their own speed test.  That's what I thought you were referring to with that URL you posted (hninfor.us/speedtest).  I see now what you were referring to, as in the address Damian posted. It's instructions for testing at testmy.net, though the test size given is for Gen4, not Gen 5.  If you entered the address as you posted it in your reply, you added an r after info, which shouldn't be there.  If you copied and pasted it, it's possible that you copied the period.   I just copied and pasted the address he posed and it worked fine.  But, with that said, you can get to that page here, as this is what the URL Damian posted resovles to...  http://customer.kb.hughesnet.com/Pages/7001.aspx

 

Regarding Netflix, the 1.5Mbps it needs is download speed, not upload speed.  Netflix doesn't require much upload speed, as you're streaming from them, not the other way around.  You're downloading info, so it's the download speed that's important.  But, congestion, in combination with the latency, can cause problems with Netflix, even if your overall speed is adequate.  The latency is what it is and you can't really do anything about it.  Congestion can be high due to a high number of people being online, and there's really not anything you can do about that, either, though congestion should really only be a problem in the evening hours.  Then again, that's when everyone is trying to stream, of course.  😞  Again, though, your upload speed is plenty, and it's not the problem.  

 

Mbps is megabits per second. MBps is megabytes per second.  The graph is showing megabits per second, as is the 9Mbps result.  Also, the reason the upload test doesn't re-size to something larger is because the test is taking longer than seven seconds.  If the test does not take at least seven seconds, it re-sizes to a larger test file size.  If it takes seven seconds or longer to run, it doesn't re-size. 

 

Lastly, if your web pages are taking more than five or six seconds to start opening, that could indicate a different problem, though I don't know what it is.  Some web pages, however, take a long time, regardless.  Normally web pages start to open within three or four seconds for me, but once in a while I'll find one that takes fifteen or twenty seconds to open, though I don't know why.  Just slow servers on their end, I guess.   

 

Regarding the pictures you posted, the only important info is the test result at the top of the page (2.3Mbps and 9Mbps).  But, when you've run new speed tests and you want a them to be looked at, you really only need to say so, as your Results page URL has already been posted, though you can post it again if you want.  I posted it in my previous reply.

 

With this said, if you click on the TID on a given test in your test results, you'll see a test graph.  This graph will show you if you're experiencing high congestion, which, as stated above, will most definitely affect your ability to stream.  The more it resembles the Rocky Mountains, the more congestion you're experiencing, and the smoother the line looks, the less congestion you're experiencing.  The less congestion there is, the better you'll be able to stream.  As an example of the graph I'm referring to, see the following pictures of your testmy.net Results page and the TID graph. 

 

Capture.JPG

 

 

Capture1.JPG

GabeU,

I'm debating on starting a new thread since I've allowed so much time to pass while testing but I hate to have to go look for questions already answered so I'll just see what happens. I'm pretty sure I've lost Damian somewhere along the way.

 

I've been testing off and on especially when this  either buffers repeatedly or I can watch the resolution drop but I'm still not sure what I'm looking at regarding the Testmy.net charts and graphs. I do know that I shouldn't have to reset the resolution from 144p to 360p, the max a video will start at and has a chance of staying at but only infrequently. I'm still not clear on the two graphs presented by Testmy.net as it appears that they say they present one in bits and the other in bytes though they are both labeled the same, 'Speed in Mbps.' 

 

I also looked at the TID but don't really see where that is telling me I have an issue with congestion.

https://testmy.net/stats/?&t=u&d=02062019&x=3&l=25&q=Hangfire

 

An analogy to response time, ping rate, was presented as a moving van loaded with all the furniture of a house that leaves that residence heading for the new home but only travels at a couple miles per hour. All the other moving vans are traveling at the speed limit. Your van, the slow one, finally arrives at the new house and as soon as it's stopped a whole gang of movers rush to take everything from the van placing it all properly in the house in just a matter of seconds. The delay was the slow speed of the package traversing the distance between the two houses which is exactly what I'm seeing, long delay in finally connecting but when it does the page appears completely.

 

Still at a loss.

GabeU
Distinguished Professor IV

@dfbeck 

 

First and foremost, from this point forward you should use the 15MB size for download tests because the 12MB size is resizing to something larger with your tests and wasting your data.  The one you ran on the 4th resized to 200MB, meaning it used nearly 17 times the data it should have.  That's 200MB of YOUR data.  The reps/engineers will be fine with, and will get just as much information from, download tests run using the 15MB size, so please use that size going forward.  This will ensure that your download tests no longer waste any data.  So, the 15MB size for download tests and the 3MB size, like you've been using since Feb 1st, for upload tests.  

 

Regarding the TID for each test....

 

This...

Capture.JPG

...indicates more congestion than this...

Capture1.JPG

See the difference?  One is showing evidence of congestion, while the other isn't.  It's not a perfect way to see congestion, as you can still have congestion affecting your speed considerably with the TID still looking like the latter, but it's often a decent indication of such.  Basically, the smoother the line, the less congestion being experienced.  The majority of your speed tests look like the first picture, which would most likely indicate that congestion, which can most definitely affect your streaming.    

 

With this said, your overall speed over the last couple of weeks looks like it has improved.  

 

I've been hoping that a rep will chime in with some ideas.  

David,

 

We're closing this thread since we never got a reply from you. If you still have concerns, please start a new thread and include a detailed explanation so we can more effectively help you. I hope the suggestions posted here were helpful. 

 

-Damian

GabeU
Distinguished Professor IV

@dfbeck 

 

If I remember correctly you have Gen4.  If this is correct, make sure to use the 12MB for download tests and 3MB for upload tests.  However, as I said on your other thread, if you run into an issue where your download tests end up re-sizing to something larger, go ahead and use the 15MB test size for the download tests.  It's a little larger, but more importantly, the 15MB test does NOT re-size to something larger, even if the test doesn't take at least seven seconds to finish.  The reps will be okay with you using the 15MB test size if you need to, and they also recommend it to help save data if the re-sizing often happens when using the 12MB test size.  

David,

 

After running further diagnostics on the account, everything has come back as fully operational. The speeds you are getting are up to par with what you should be getting on your Gen 4 plan. I have not gotten an update on the strange usage graph as of yet, however, the link to the post referenced by @kitnbob does seem to correct the issue. Corruption in local cache files can cause inaccurate readings. Instructions to delete this file were posted there. Regarding the buffering during your streaming, you are using your own router and therefore I cannot see your devices signal quality, or ensure the router is performing properly as well. I know you have run speed tests while directly connected to the modem,  but are you also directly connected while streaming?

 

-Damian

@dfbeck 

Your post was 2 weeks ago now, and I am replying in reference to your screenshot of the Usage Meter graph.

Did you get it squared away yet?

There is another post that discusses other users with wacky Graphs.

https://community.hughesnet.com/t5/Tech-Support/Something-is-messing-with-my-HughesNet-Usage-Meter/t...

There we found a fix, but not the reason it happens.

Good Luck with your service!   Satellite dishes have problems with severe weather in the skys, and PCs have problems with power outages, crashes, and power cycling. Smiley Sad