Where is my data going?

[EricB]

Only been with Hughes since mid October. Just started out second month with 50GB and in a week we are down to only 5GB. We did have a big storm and a small branch fell onto the dish beginning of November. Could that have something to do with it? 

[maratsade · Accepted solution]

The HughesNet reps are here M-F during business hours. They can check to see whether your dish became misaligned due to the branch incident.

That wouldn't affect data usage, though.  

For a few days after your subscription begins, your data refills constantly. HughesNet does this as a courtesy for new users so they can, if needed, upgrade their software and devices.  After this honeymoon period ends, the constant refill stops and whatever data is used by you is deducted from your monthly allowance. 

With the 50 GB package you can use an average of 1.6 GB per day. That's not a lot, and if you're using the system for streaming, the data can go very quickly, depending on the resolution of what you're streaming. Satellite internet is not ideal for streaming due to issues inherent to the technology, such as latency and the finite amount of broadband that must be shared by all subscribers. The data packages are small, and data-intensive activities such as streaming drain them quickly. You can buy tokens to extend your data. They're $3 a GB, with the smallest token package being 3GB for $9. 

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@EricB wrote:

Only been with Hughes since mid October. Just started out second month with 50GB and in a week we are down to only 5GB. We did have a big storm and a small branch fell onto the dish beginning of November. Could that have something to do with it? 

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[EricB]

Thanks. That explains why my data lasted so long the first month but then tanked. I read on another post that a misaligned dish could also use more data so that's why the branch became a suspect. It doesn't appear to have damaged the dish so that's a plus. We do stream at our house with Netflix and Disney, I didn't think that we would be using 4-5 GB a day but this is my first time on satellite. 

[maratsade]

The reps (@Liz , @Remy , @Damian)  can check your modem remotely and see if there's a misalignment; hopefully they will do that when they come back tomorrow.

And streaming will eat your data very quickly. You can lower the resolution, and that will help a bit, but you will still need to budget your data so it lasts the whole month. 

[GabeU]

@EricB 

The amount of data streaming uses varies with both the resolution and the service being used.  With Netflix it's about 300MB/HR for LD, 700MB/HR for SD and 3GB/HR for HD.  With Disney+ it ranges from about 600MB to 2.5GB per hour, again depending on the resolution.

[Liz]

Hi EricB,

I'm glad you found the community, thank you for posting. Just checked your site's diagnostics- the HughesNet system is working normally and the alignment is still good. If you have any other questions the community is a great resource!

-Liz

[EricB]

Thanks everyone for helping me understand this more and checking the dish. Good information to know also about the streaming.

[Caw19caw]

Had hughnet for a few years never had a problem until now. It uses the mgbt so quickly. What is going on? I am not happy at all. My bill is getting higher and the service is getting terrible. Other people are having the same problem. Bill went higher and I don't know why. I would hate to cancel the service. What can be done?

[maratsade]

@Caw19caw ,

Ads, videos that play automatically, and other Internet processes eat up a lot of data.  Do you have ad blockers? If not, installing them may help.

To see where your data is going, try installing the free Glasswire software. It works for Windows and Android. There may be alternatives for Mac and Linux too.