Is Hughesnet Good Enough for Streaming and Video Conferencing?
Most people consider satellite internet a sad excuse for connectivity. However, we beg to differ from that uninformed opinion. It is true that most ISPs that are offering connectivity services for telecommunication indeed use terrestrial network connections like cable, fiber-optic, and DSL. The issue or the concern that exists does so for all those residents that are living in the rural districts of the United States.
Every citizen of the US as well as of any other country of the world deserves some basic facilities. These include reliable internet connections at affordable speeds. That isn’t the case though. The prices for internet connections vary from location to location, with fiber-optics being the fastest of all.
Fixed broadband is a choice that remote area residents simply do not have. They have to rely on less than perfect services due to the unavailability of multiple choices for internet connectivity. Satellite internet becomes the only choice in such situations. During the recent pandemic, most people regardless of their locations were forced to remain indoors due to lockdown.
Most companies sent their employees on extended leaves and ordered work from home to prevent the spread of the virus. And this happened all over the world, to people of every race and country. Because that problem is persisting, the internet has become even more of a necessary requirement for every household and individual.
Satellite Internet Providers
Satellite providers are offering outstanding speeds with valuable services for customers throughout the USA. HughesNet is one such ISP with widespread reach. HughesNet Internet is an amazing facility for rural area residents and also for anyone who doesn’t like the hassle of wired connections.
HughesNet is trying to provide the best of its services with the most optimum of charges. They and Viasat are the only ISPs, which are providing connectivity to the whole of America. There is literally no area that they don’t cover. All 50 states come under the umbrella of satellite internet.
The speeds that are offered over satellite internet connections range between 15 Mbps and 100 Mbps. HughesNet with its new Gen5 technology has upgraded the download speeds to 25 Mbps. A huge perk of their service is the fact that they offer consistency with all their data plans.
With the Gen5 technology launch, now HughesNet is also ranked under the larger umbrella of broadband providers. The minimum speed required for an ISP to be considered a broadband provider is 25 Mbps. This speed is good enough for most internet usages.
Hughesnet Data Plans
HughesNet is offering four data plans to its customers. They are named after the amount of data that each plan offers. These are the plans:
- The 10 GB plan costing $59.99
- The 20 GB plan costing $69.99
- The 30 GB plan costing $99.99, and
- The 50 GB plan costing $149.99.
There is a 2-year contract with each plan. The prices of these plans will not be compromised during the and neither would the speed. HughesNet also offers free standard installation to all its new modem leasing customers.
Considering the 25 Mbps download speed, most customers have questions regarding some basic internet usage. If you have recently moved to the rural areas and were previously using faster speeds with a cable or fiber connection then these questions become even more relevant.
Video Conferencing
All sorts of communication and office work have been limited to online meetings and uploading and downloading of data content. Most of these meetings have been taking place through either Skype or Zoom. Now since both these services require a decent download as well as upload speed, a reliable internet connection is an absolute need of the moment.
Zoom requires a minimum download and upload speed of 3 Mbps, while Skype requires around 600 Kbps for video chats and conferences. As you can see, both these speeds come under the available speed limit of the HughesNet connection. The 25 Mbps speed is more than enough for major downloads and uploads, official and unofficial meetings, video conferences, online schooling, social media, and all kinds of internet usage.
Similarly, since there aren’t many options for outside entertainment left at the moment, most people are now investing in good internet connections. This way, they can access unlimited titles and shows, download and watch their favorite movies, and use streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon.
HughesNet Benefits
With HughesNet internet, customers can access many benefits and perks. These include the Bonus Zone free 50 GB additional data. So, whichever plan that you end up choosing, you get extra high-speed data for free so that you don’t have to worry about exceeding your data limit. The only limit is that this bonus data is available every month, only between 2 am and 8 am.
Then HughesNet comes with a free dish antenna that is required for transmitting data in the form of radio signals to the satellite, orbiting in space. You can either buy or lease their built-in Wi-Fi modem/router. It will spread the internet signals evenly throughout the house. This way you can make calls to loved ones, stream your favorite titles, and stay connected to your work from anywhere in the house.
HughesNet offers soft data limits. It may sound confusing so let’s just clear this up. Customers get a set data limit with all the internet plans. In case, you end up using all the data due to any number of reasons, you may find your services are terminated with many ISPs. However, with HughesNet, you will not face any such troubles. You will keep getting internet connectivity but the regular speeds will be reduced to 1 to 3 Mbps.
HughesNet offers value for money considering there aren’t many options for people living in rural districts. Unavailability of resources is definitely a major handicap for them. The Federal Government is trying to deploy relevant infrastructure and optimized services, so that every citizen within the States can get benefits from innovative tech advancements, happening around the world.
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