Speed comparison: Verizon wireless vs. Hughesnet

[maratsade]

I have access to some GBs from Verizon wireless, so I thought I'd test performance to compare it to Hughesnet. I'm sure people's mileage will vary, but I was pretty disappointed with Verizon.  With Hughesnet, I can stream something, download a game, and check email, all at the same time, and I don't notice a degradation of service. With Verizon Wireless, I can download the game and do nothing else.  Outlook has been trying to load up for 30 minutes, and forget streaming. I think Netflix actually chuckled.  So, verdict is: Hughesnet wins. And we're talking about satellite! The info goes to the satellite in space and then comes back down to my computer, using sci-fi style technology, and it beats Verizon wireless, which does not leave Earth. Boo to Verizon, hurrah for Hughesnet. 

[Gwalk900]

Wife's GMC Terrain has WiFi, costs an arm and a leg and really is far behind my Hughes Ultra plan.

[maratsade]

I think Verizon wireless is a skosh more expensive than Hughesnet, but what's annoying and frustrating is that it seems to only work well if you just use it for regular surfing. Anything else seems to really tax the system, and this doesn't happen (well, to me) with Hughesnet.  VW does carry over data, which is nice, but what is the point of extra data if the system can't multitask??

[GabeU]

Years ago one of the folks had a USB dongle for either Verizon or AT&T for a work computer.  It would barely connect here, and when it did, it was pitifully slow.  Now, of course, the speed may have improved somewhat, but the tower is still on the other side of the hill, so the connection would be just as bad. 

Hughesnet can be confident in the fact that I'm not going anywhere, though I will admit that years ago I tried to get Verizon to install the necessary DSL equipment nearby so we could get DSL in the immediate area.  I got forty some odd signatures, all from houses right in a row.  Everyone signed.  This was back in 2007 or 2008.  They decided not to do it, then stopped installing DSL altogether to concentrate on FIOS.  DSL was a possibility here, but you know where will freeze over before they will ever install fiber optic lines down my road.  And cable?  About the same chance....ZILCH.  
 

[maratsade]

There's no incentive for them to install DSL or cable. In the meantime, HN does a good job providing high speed internet where no one else will go.  Verizon wifi is fine as long as all you do is surf. Anything else and the speed is abysmal.

[GabeU]

At the time there would have been incentive.  All the houses that I went to were limited to the same options as me.  Even if only ten people had signed up, it still would have been worth the cost of installing the used Catina Card system for them. 
 
Even the engineer I was in contact with told me that if I had done it just six months sooner it would have been installed.
 

[maratsade]

Well, that stinks. So close, and then nothing.  Where I live the cable/DSL companies are not interested at all. 

[GabeU]

Yep, and when he told me they decided not to do it, I was disappointed, to say the least.  The engineer that I was in contact with actually said, at one point, that it was "on the wall", meaning that the installation wasn't yet scheduled, but it was sort of scheduled to be scheduled.  He was genuinely trying to help.  The access panel where they would have installed the equipment is right at the corner of my road and the main drag, only about a third of a mile from here, so if we were on the beginning of the line loop, we would have gotten pretty decent speed, though it still would have topped out at about 3Mbps.  At the time, though, I had a legacy plan, and thought of unlimited 3Mbps speed was drool inducing.  LOL.  
 

[BirdDog]

For me a bit of a toss up when it comes to speed. Both are up and down but the cost is the deciding factor since I have Ultra. Never tried streaming a Netflix on the hotspot though, may give it a try tomorrow. 




PS: The lower latency is nice when on hotspot, shorter page loading time is noticeable.

[GabeU]

At 10:07PM on a Saturday night I'm getting this?  WOW!  Superbowl weekend changes people's habits, that's for sure.