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Question for Amanda regarding router mentioned in previous thread....

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GabeU
Distinguished Professor IV

Question for Amanda regarding router mentioned in previous thread....

Amanda,

       In the thread below, you offered to send Linda a D-Link router.  I looked up the model number you gave and it looks very nice.  I was just curious if there is a Hughesnet web page for them and how much they are.  I have a Netgear router right now and it works okay, but it's getting a little dodgy, dropping the signal once in a while, and its range has diminished over time.  If figured with this being one that you are sending to Linda, they have probably been tested with Hughesnet and work well with it.  Thanks for the help.   

https://community.myhughesnet.com/hughesnet/topics/poor-tech-support-or-company-is-bad-for-the-price 

27 REPLIES 27
Amanda
Moderator

Hello Gabe

We don't currently have a page set up to order them as the program is still pretty fairly new. Right now the only real way to get one is to buy it at the point of sale (our installers will install it too!). These D-link routers have actually been more than tested, we've been told they are configured somewhat like our voice ATAs from Cisco, where they are optimized for our service. We haven't had a chance to see these on a large scale but the feedback has been great when given to customers who had connection problems in the past. I'd be happy to send you a free one if you could give a little feedback on it that I can send to our management? Let me know!

Thanks,
Amanda
GabeU
Distinguished Professor IV

Wow!  That would be fantastic.  I would be happy to provide feedback and be a router guinea pig, so to speak.  LOL.  Please let me know what info you need from me in order to send it.  I really do appreciate this.  I owe you one. 

The shipping address is the same as the billing address on my account, being...

 

 

 

I REALLY appreciate this. Will there be some type of method described as to how, when and what type of feedback you would need?  I'd like to do everything I can for the consideration. 

Amanda
Moderator

Hi Gabe

Thanks for the info.We want a real user perspective on this, I can ask in more detail on Monday with our consumer services group what kind of targeted questions we want answered. Right now I am having an issue getting the order done because the option isn't coming up in your account... I had someone else do it for me while I was typing 🙂

He let me know it will take about 4-5 business days to get there, so we should have time to experiment with you and test things out before it gets there. Have a wonderful weekend!

Thanks
Amanda
GabeU
Distinguished Professor IV

You, too.  Thank you so much.   
GabeU
Distinguished Professor IV

Amanda,

Do you know how the router is shipped?  The reason I ask is that I was curious if I need to be here to sign for it. 

Amanda
Moderator

Hi Gabe

The routers are shipped via standard UPS. I think they'll leave it somewhere (like a doorstep) if you're not there to answer the door.

Thanks
Amanda
GabeU
Distinguished Professor IV

Ah, okay.  I have a place that UPS leaves things if I'm not home.  I appreciate the help.  Thanks again. 

Also, is there a place where I can input the order number to get the tracking number so I can get an idea of when to look for it?  Sorry to be such a pain. 

GabeU
Distinguished Professor IV

Amanda,

I know you won't be on until tomorrow, but there's a question I had regarding the testing of the device and such.  One thing I'm a little nervous about is if they will require me to connect my DirecTV receiver to it.  I ask only because I did it once before when I had my old legacy plan.  I was just testing to see if it would connect, which it did, but I didn't realize that my DirecTV receiver was now thinking I was connected permanently and changed a bunch of things automatically.  When I turned the connection off in the DTV receiver, the things that had changed didn't go back to what they had been.  I called DTV and was on the phone for almost an hour, only to discover that they couldn't change it back, either.  The only possible way to have it the way it was before was to do a total reset to factory settings, which I ended up doing, but I lost everything on my DVR.  It was really annoying.  I was just hoping that I wouldn't have to go through this again. 

I will, of course, do any testing that they want me to, including connecting my cell phone if they would like, but I just hope I don't have to do anything with my DirecTV receiver, as I don't want to lose everything again when the connection is ended.

Thanks again.

BTW, I don't know if you saw it above because I edited it afterward to ask the question, but I was wondering if there was any possible way I might be able to somehow get the tracking information, whether by entering the order number on a site (I got the email from Hughesnet regarding the order) or just asking for it like this, or even calling.  It's not that I'm anxious, it's just so that I can keep an eye out for it the day it's scheduled to come, or if I'm going to be gone for the day I can let my neighbor (my folks) know that it's coming so if they see that it did, they could grab it for me so it doesn't get stolen or rained on or such.  I've never had a delivery stolen, and they usually put the package in a bag if it looks rainy, but I just like to be safe when I can.  Thanks.    

Amanda
Moderator

Hi Gabe
Since this system is still fairly new, they aren't posting tracking numbers with the router orders. I do know that our replacement modem orders generate a tracking number, though (for future reference). I'm really sorry about that.

I'm actually still waiting on someone who is supposed to send me some questions they wanted feedback on with the router testing... Let me touch base with them today and get this finished up before your router arrives. We won't need you to connect your DTV box to the router, though, so hopefully that is happy news! I'll come back later today to give you an update.

Thanks
Amanda
GabeU
Distinguished Professor IV

VERY happy news.  Thanks for the relief.  LOL. 

Amanda
Moderator

Hey Gabe!! Just a heads up, the search for who wants to know what has been extended. So far we only have 5 things for you to do, but you can do the first three already:

1.            What’s your current router’s range (at what distance from the router do you lose connection)?
2.            How many concurrent devices can your router handle before browsing is negatively affected?
3.            What is your average speed on Wi-Fi (during non-peak times) when you’re in the same room as your router? (average out of 5 tests on all your wireless devices, please list the devices)


Good luck!!


P.S. Let me know when this is done and I can token-refund you the data for the tests 🙂
GabeU
Distinguished Professor IV

The first two I can answer now.  My current router is a Netgear WNR2000 v4.   

1.  The range is approximately 70ft, and that's through one wall (perimeter wall of house), using a Dell Inspiron 15 (3521 laptop).  I went outside and just continued walking until it lost the signal.

2.  I've only ever had two devices connected at the same time.  One was the aforementioned Dell Inspiron 15 (3521), and the other an Acer Aspire V5-122P-0889.  Until I started having problems with it losing connectivity, I could update both of them at the same time, and other than dividing the bandwidth available from Hughesnet at that particular time of day, there was no problem.  Nothing was negatively affected.

3.  With this one I can tell you that up until the problems started, when I was on my Dell Inspiron laptop, my speeds were pretty much the same as they are with my desktop directly connected to the modem, which would be in the high teens to low 20s.  Many of the tests I did at  http://testmy.net/quickstats/Gabe1972  up until the end of April were with my Dell Inspiron connected through the router. 

I will go ahead and get my laptops out (the Acer is more like a netbook) and start testing now and will come back and give you the results.  Hopefully my Netgear router will hold up while I do this.   

GabeU
Distinguished Professor IV

Amanda,

Well, it looks like the peak period is starting, as my speeds are dropping, so I'll have to do the tests tomorrow morning.  I'll post the results when they are finished. 

GabeU
Distinguished Professor IV

Amanda,

Here are the speeds.  I didn't know which way you wanted them, so I gave the link and pic.  The tests were done this morning.  The first five are from the Dell Inspiron laptop, and the last five (most recent) were done with the Acer Aspire laptop. 

Also, I took the Dell laptop outside again this morning to test the range and it's WAY down from what it was when new.  It gets to about twenty feet (again, going through one outside wall) then drops the signal.  I barely got off my porch before it lost it. 

Also, the initial tests that I did with the Acer laptop were really skewed.  I don't know if it's because of the computer being so weak, or it had something to do with the router, but when I would click on the 15MB to start the test, it would hold for a few seconds, then switch to the test screen, where it would slingshot the test from the beginning to about 80% or so, then would finish the last 20% normally.  It was giving me test speeds in the 50s, so I knew that was VERY wrong.  I deleted those tests from the chart.  I've had this happen before, once in a while, but not three times in a row.  I honestly think it's the Acer laptop itself, due to it being so weak and not handling the test smoothly.  The last five tests with it ran the way it was supposed to.     

http://testmy.net/quickstats/Gabe1972


GabeU
Distinguished Professor IV

To add, don't worry about the tokens.  I have plenty of allowance left, plus Hughesnet continued to give me a token for the first two months after I switched to the new plan.  I only had four when I upgraded.  Now I have six.  They stopped, so they caught the mistake.  So, again, please don't worry about any tokens for doing the tests.  I should be giving YOU tokens for the router.  LOL.   
Amanda
Moderator

Hiya Gabe

Thank you so much for all this! Think of the tokens as a thank you for helping and a replacement for the data used for these tests. We're going to put this all in a spreadsheet and save it for when you get the router in. This is good stuff!! Thanks again!

Amanda
GabeU
Distinguished Professor IV

Amanda,

When I got home yesterday evening the router had been delivered, but I was too tired to set it up.  I've been quite busy today so I haven't done it yet, but I will set it up this evening. 

Now, I imagine the three tests I did with the Netgear router will need to be done with this router, as well.  Do you know what the other two things are that need to be done? 

Also, that's a lot of token bytes!  You gave me a lot more than was/is needed to do the tests...a LOT more.  The two 500MB tokens that they accidentally gave me after upgrading to Gen4 were more than enough to cover the tests that needed and need to be done.  I don't know how to thank you for all of this.  I really do appreciate it. 

GabeU
Distinguished Professor IV

Amanda,

When I got home yesterday evening the router had been delivered, but I was too tired to set it up.  I've been quite busy today so I haven't done it yet, but I will set it up this evening. 

Now, I imagine the three tests I did with the Netgear router will need to be done with this router, as well.  Do you know what the other two things are that need to be done? 

Also, that's a lot of token bytes!  You gave me a lot more than was/is needed to do the tests...a LOT more.  The two 500MB tokens that they accidentally gave me after upgrading to Gen4 were more than enough to cover the tests that needed and need to be done.  I don't know how to thank you for all of this.  I really do appreciate it. 

Amanda
Moderator

Hi Gabe!

This is a special case 🙂 We're gonna work you! Haha


Basically you are now going to repeat steps 1-3 with the new router, then an additional 3. Here is the full list now: 

1.            What’s your router’s range (at what distance from the router do you lose connection)?
2.            How many concurrent devices can the router handle before browsing is negatively affected?

3.            What is your average speed on Wi-Fi (during non-peak times) when you’re in the same room as your router?

4.            Is the instruction manual easy to follow? Do you think it’s easy enough for someone who is not tech literate? Is the printed text easy to read?

5.            Was router setup easy? Can you see where an inexperienced tech user might have difficulty getting online?

6.            Is it clear who you should contact for support?

Bonus: If you notice anything odd or something that you'd like to point out, feel free to let us know that too.

Thanks!
Amanda
GabeU
Distinguished Professor IV

Amanda,

Here's the info for the new router,

1.  The D-Link router has a range of about 75 feet.  Again, this is through one outside wall and using my Dell laptop. 

2.  I had three devices connected to the router and all seemed to work at nominal speeds, with no connection loss.  The aforementioned Dell Inspiron laptop and Acer Aspire notebook, and my LG 305C Tracfone.  

3.  The speeds are as follows.  Again, I didn't know which way you wanted them, so I posted the link and the pic.  The first five (starting at 11:33PM) were from the Dell Inspiron, and the last five from the Acer Aspire.  I couldn't do any tests with the cell phone as trying to figure out how to get that thing signed in to a site and use the site is more difficult than finding all of the gold bars in Pitfall.

http://testmy.net/quickstats/Gabe1972



4.  The instruction manual was very easy to follow and the instructions were simple.   The text is easy to read. 

5.  The router setup was also simple, due to following the steps outlined for setting it up.  Afterwards I did a little tweaking with help from a couple of people in here, but the tweaks that I did weren't necessary for it to work properly, nor be secure.  I just changed a couple of the security settings, changing the encryption to "WPA2 Only" and the Cipher to "AES." 

    I don't see where an inexperienced tech would have any problem getting online.  It worked perfectly for me without having to alter any of the setup instructions.  I followed them to a T and it worked perfectly.  Once everything was set up, the only thing I had to do to connect my laptop wirelessly (after disconnecting the LAN cable) was to, in Windows , enter the password of the router and click connect.  No problems at all. 

6.  It is clear who to contact for support, as it lists the www.dlink.com website after the troubleshooting section on the last page, but the only problem is that the DIR-619L isn't listed on the dlink website.  I can find no support for it there.  I haven't registered it or anything, but when searching for the model in support, it doesn't come up.  It's also not in their list of routers in the support section.  Odd.

As for anything else, the only thing I see in the instructions that may be a little confusing to someone, although it won't affect the setup, is the mydlink service.  It doesn't really say whether the service and/or downloadable aps are really needed.  At the end of the setup it prompts you to create a mydlink account, which I did, but it doesn't really explain what it's for, other than being able to be used with "cloud cameras" and such.  That's a D-Link problem, though, not Hughesnet's.  Other than creating the account, I don't know that I have to use it for anything regarding the router.  I guess I will find that out as time goes on, and if I do find that it is definitely needed for something with the router, I will let you know.

I really do appreciate all of this, including the ridiculously large amount of token bytes that you gave me.  LOL.  If you want me to do more testing or have any other questions about the setup, the use, or whatever, please ask.  Again, I don't know how to thank you enough for all of this. 

To add, I haven't mentioned anything on the board about how I acquired the router.  If I did so I'm sure there would be glut of people asking for free routers.  LOL.  That's also why I made this thread private.