🤬 Only had Hughesnet for 3 weeks and hate it! Bad installation making internet usage impossible.

[Lexipup]

We had internet installed on the day we moved in so it was crazy here to be sure.  The installer was nice and friendly, but it was hot and I think he just wanted to take the easy route and be done.  He just used the dish/cords that the last homeowner used and said it would be fine.  The modem is in the basement of an older home that had stone/cement walls and ceilings.  I made it clear that we both work from home so internet was VERY important. He then told me we would definitely need a booster right off the bat and sold me one for $134.  He put that on the second floor of the home, where it did absolutely nothing to help.  I called Hughesnet the first week, begging for help.  After an hour on the phone and trying everything from rebooting to emptying a cache(?) to special codes... he gave up.  There are only 2 of us in this house - no streaming, no gaming.  I have had to get a MiFi and another cellphone line in order to work and my husband is struggling with the Hughesnet to stay connected and do emails.  His laptop is the only one connected in the house and it still sucks.  I tried chatting with a tech today  (Phil #314991) and after exactly ONE HOUR of going around about the issue, he just stopped responding.  He was going to do a speed test and I never heard from him again.  He made it sound like it was my fault for letting them put it in the basement and I should've asked that it be on the main floor!!  Aren't installers supposed to know where the best freakin location for the modem is??!!  I don't want to have to pay for something that doesn't work - for the next TWO YEARS!  People warned me about this company but I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt.  Now I will be a warner.... 

[maratsade]

What a mess. Your best bet now is to wait for a rep on this site to reply to your post. They will be able to help with this. They're here M-F, typically during business hours, but sometimes there's one who's here later. Hang in there. 

[Remy]

Lexipup,

I see it's your first post. Welcome to the Community! Thank you for reaching out and providing this information for us! We were able to find the account attached to your Community profile, making it easy to go ahead and look into your account. It seems that as of this moment, your devices have a Good signal while attached to the hug2g network, and the speeds your modem is producing look good, at 23mbps download. From what I'm seeing, it seems the modem is running well and your devices are receiving quality signal. However, we'd like to have a technician come take a look at the equipment to make sure that your modem is in the best spot. One question before I have it set up, are you and your husband using a VPN while working from home?

Thanks,

Remy 

[Lexipup]

I need to use VPN for one program but leave it shut off 95% of the time because it bogs me down even more.  Yes, I would like someone to come and take a look at it and see if anything can be done. I've downgraded to smallest plan and we are barely using it.

Thank you

Christine

[Remy]

Lexipup,

I've gone ahead and set up a dispatch for our earliest available time and date, Wednesday, August 3rd, between 2:00PM and 5:00PM. Let us know how the visit goes!

Thanks,

Remy

[Lexipup]

Well, he came out and said all of the speed tests met the basic requirements and that there was nothing to be done.  He said he could drill a new hole in exterior wall in order to move the modem to the first floor - but could not nor would not guarantee that it would make a difference.  He said that, although we were told we were getting Gen 5 high speed internet, in reality we are only getting Gen 4 and the speed we are getting is as good as it's going to get.  I appreciated his honesty but am still beyond peeved that we were sold a bill of (rotten) goods and are now stuck in it for 2 years.  I've completely unplugged the booster (he said that it wasn't doing anything but using electricity).  That was a quick $137 that Hughes stuck us with, right off the bat!  As a fellow internet user and not as a contracted employee - he recommended getting signed up for Starlink.  The $500 equipment cost is a far better option than getting stuck in a 2 year contract with internet that is not usable.   

[maratsade]

Hopefully the reps here will confirm whether you're using Gen 4 or 5.  As for the booster, it doesn't boost speed -- it extends the signal. 

[Remy]

Lexipup,

Thanks for reaching back out! We appreciate the update on what happened with the technician. Upon looking into your account, you do have Gen5, and you're receiving Gen5 service and speed. I have run multiple speed tests, all ranging from 21-25mbps download, which is not equivalent to Gen4 speeds. As maratsade stated, the WiFi booster extends the range of the signal, and doesn't boost speeds.

I have sent a private message to address additional concerns. Please let me know if you've received it!

Thanks,

Remy

[SP]

I can relate.  I got Hughesnet 2 weeks ago as we decided to move our law practice into our respective homes.  Friday, my firm's IT department came out to set up my computer.  The internet was completely unaccessable.  They had to use their cell phone as a hotspot to download my email.  Yet it was sold to me with a guarantee of 25 mbps download speed.  Ridiculous.  

I will not give this company 1 penny toward this bogus service.  

[maratsade]

SP,

Please note that this is not a review site -- it is a tech and account support site. If you'd like one of the reps on this site to look at your case, start a new ticket under the appropriate section and provide as much detail as you can about your issues so they can assist you. 

You may also want to peruse the subscriber agreement regarding speeds and performance. Additionally, if you believe you were misled during your sales call, you may want to request a sales call review. The reps will pull the call and listen to both sides of the conversation, and if you were indeed misled, you may have recourse. 

[GabeU]

@SP 

If you need help with your speed issue, please start a new topic in Tech Support. However, if you have a Business account you'll need to call 800-347-3272 for support, as this forum is primarily for Residential customers. The reps who help via this forum have limited abilities with Business accounts.