BajaNomad

HughesNet Satellite Internet Service Going STRONG!

losfrailes - 5-23-2009 at 06:58 AM

Note that there is no diminished service for HughesNet Satellite Service.

Bajabus - 5-23-2009 at 07:05 AM

Right, it's just the regularly provided diminished service.....on an overloaded sat mex 5 and 6 bird.....LOL

losfrailes - 5-23-2009 at 07:09 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Bajabus
Right, it's just the regularly provided diminished service.....on an overloaded sat mex 5 and 6 bird.....LOL


Right! Which the majority of people in Baja are happily using and not wondering what to do because their service provider is going to virtually discontinue service.

Hook - 5-23-2009 at 07:20 AM

Wow...........Star Wars on Nomads.

Light sabres, gentlemen?:biggrin:

Bajabus - 5-23-2009 at 07:29 AM

I guess it's working so well that BCStech wants to drop it/stop selling it and is looking for an alternative.....LOL

losfrailes - 5-23-2009 at 07:39 AM

BCStech, like everyone else has his choices.

It is a perogative open to all, and he makes his choices without taking a shot at that of others.

I am not trying to start, nor will I continue, with a P---ing contest with anyone on the virtues of HughesNet Services. Only to state that it is still working reliably, and appreciated by those using it.

Bajabus - 5-23-2009 at 07:48 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by losfrailes
BCStech, like everyone else has his choices.

It is a perogative open to all, and he makes his choices without taking a shot at that of others.

I am not trying to start, nor will I continue, with a P---ing contest with anyone on the virtues of HughesNet Services. Only to state that it is still working reliably, and appreciated by those using it.


I guess your opening post was not taking a shot......I am sure it was just an innocent well intentioned heads up...NOT

gpm414 - 5-23-2009 at 08:02 AM

We have used HughesNet for several years while in southern Baja and are happy with the service. It's not perfect, but what is in life. Just glad it's still available, since the options in our area are few if we want to have internet at our home. It works fine for email and general surfing the net, but not so well with Skype or large video files. But now we've added a Mexican cell with the Amigo plan so we can call family in the US for a reasonable price...works for us.

astrobaja - 5-23-2009 at 08:19 AM

We used the Canadian hugesnet service for a few years while in Canada and hated it! Rotten customer support that always put the blame on the customer, and a very arbitrary policy on excessive bandwith use.
Starbands service with the 7 day rolling average for bandwidth use has been far more workable and fair here in Baja Norte for us.
In terms of speed and reliablity they seem comparable. I would never go back to Hughes unless it was the last resort.
Just my experience with both....

Russ - 5-23-2009 at 08:36 AM

I don't know of anyone using Starband in Chivato. Hughes isn't a great service but has filled my needs for 6+ years now. As the wide band service improves there will be fewer Sat. users if it proves more dependable/faster. So far I know of two people happy with the wide band.

BCSTech - 5-23-2009 at 09:02 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Bajabus
I guess it's working so well that BCStech wants to drop it/stop selling it and is looking for an alternative.....LOL
OK, since my name was mentioned...

We've installed/serviced perhaps 50 HughesNet systems here in BCS. For the most part, it's been a mixed bag of results. Some users have pretty good speeds from day one, others pretty poor. Some can use limited VoIP, others not.

Almost all have had erratic service, depending on the time of day. We've gone back on a number of installations and almost always the problems seem to result from the luck of the draw on the initial account setup. Some transponders on SM-5 and SM-6 are good and some are pretty bad/overloaded. In some cases, we were able to request sat/transponder changes and get improvements, but overall we've spent a lot of unpaid time trying to squeeze out any improvement.

Lately, though, Hughesnet has not been allowing us to finagle new accounts on either of these satellites, and recently we were turned down for a sat /transponder change. That pretty well shuts down new business since the sats HughesNet does allow are just not available here, at least on the smaller systems.

We have been able to "recycle" some existing accounts for new clients but this is drying up. This is making it a whole lot harder for us to continue to offer HughesNet. Now with the newer HughesNet 9000 modems being commissioned exclusively on the Spaceway US spot beams, the handwriting is on the wall.

I have to keep an eye on where this industry is headed, and it doesn't look like the prospects are good for BCS. The commercial gear, however more expensive, has been almost totally trouble free, with a good selection of sats and better tech support who know we're in Mexico and don't give a flip about that.

You literally get what you pay for here.

Here's a recommendation... If you already have a HughesNet system and decide to sell it for whatever reason, don't cancel your account. Instead, transfer the account to the new owner. You can bet that coverage from SatMex5 and 6 is not going to disappear.

[Edited on 5-23-2009 by BCSTech]

Does the JOB

MrBillM - 5-23-2009 at 09:10 AM

Using the Lowest level of Hughes Net service, I've never encountered a problem. Downloads, while slower than my Econo DSL, aren't a bother. And Uploads are quick enough, but I don't get involved in any of this Video or Tunes nonsense. I have NEVER come close to my FAP limits in Five years of use. Sat Mex 5 may have a high Fill, but it's never been a problem.

Even Skype is working fairly well since I downloaded their latest software. The old problem of DTMF tones not being recognized has disappeared. The Magic Jack has resolved ALL of my telephone conversation issues. From what I've read on tech forums, I'm anticipating a "slight" improvement in service when I upgrade my 6000 modem to the 7000.

No Complaints.

IF it's true that Starband is going (from Baja), there's no point in whining. Just deal with it.

Like I said...

BCSTech - 5-23-2009 at 01:02 PM

Quote:

Some users have pretty good speeds from day one, others pretty poor. Some can use limited VoIP, others not.
We put up a page of performance tips for HughesNet users here:

http://www.bajasatellite.com/hughesnet-satellite-internet-sy...

Our Hughes is just ducky!

Bronco - 5-23-2009 at 01:41 PM

Considering we had Starband up to about 4 years ago our 7000s works for all our needs, including Ebay. We have a router and let our vecinos kid use if for school work. So at times we will have 3 computers running. Of course when our young man next door downloaded some movies we got FAPed. Lasted until the next day and we were up and running. I installed the system and had very few problems. It reguired investing in some equipment but nothing major.


Starband should have gone away years ago, good riddance

rob - 5-23-2009 at 02:23 PM

Alan,

What do you mean by "The commercial gear, however more expensive . . . " - are you talking about other hardware, or simply the upgraded "commercial" levels of Hughesnet service?

Maybe it's time to revisit "the commercial gear" as broadband is ot yet an option here on this remote coast.

Hughes Net

MrBillM - 5-23-2009 at 02:27 PM

The ONLY problems I've recognized on a recurring basis with Hughes have been issues with a select group of individual Websites (Imagecave being one). Since those problems have been consistent over three different computers: Dell Desktop, Dell Laptop and Acer Netbook all running Windows XP, and also consistent with three different Browsers: Netscape, IE6/7 and Firefox, I am theorizing it has something to do with The Hughes firewall or filtering since using those same three on the DSL exhibits no problem on those sites.

BUT, it's a very minor irritation. Not enough to waste time attempting to correct.

losfrailes - 5-23-2009 at 02:52 PM

I do not want to jump on Alan's response to your question Rob, but
Commercial Gear usually entails a much larger dish (.98 meters) and a larger transmitter (usually 2 watt). The system still operates on the same satellites as the homeowner systems, so nothing new to add there.

Upgrading your service to Pro or Pro plus will enhance your system, giving you much more in terms of download and upload speed plus a much larger 'FAP' bucket.

If your use of the system is for normal upload/download, the cost of the commercial gear is hardly justified.

rhintransit - 5-23-2009 at 03:39 PM

haven't had any problems with Hughes here (Loreto area) but recently have been deluged with 'warnings' that the modem I am using is obsolete, being replaced, or some such. they offer a 'free' (haven't looked at the fine print) new one but the logistics of getting that are such that I just keep saying no thanks. any comments on the old modems? I have been assuming mine will just keep working.

Old v. New

MrBillM - 5-23-2009 at 04:06 PM

My 6000 modem works fine, but like everyone else, I started getting those obsolete notices. Having spent some time reading on the various DBS forums, the consensus seemed to be that the 7000 conversion DID result in a miniscule improvement in upload speeds. The reason theorized for Hughes pushing the changeover seems to be that it benefits THEM to a greater extent by allowing a greater fill on their satellites.

For that reason, I hadn't plunged, BUT finally decided to go ahead. Although I was told there was a two-three week delay, mine arrived within a few days. There are two deals. You can pay up front for the modem or it's FREE with an additional 12-month commitment period.

The one thing NOT included with the new modem is the power supply since it's the same as both the 4000 and 6000.

Each person is different, but I've never thought about upgrading to Pro, etc because I have NO complaint on Upload speed and have NEVER exceeded FAP.

CaboRon - 5-24-2009 at 06:24 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Bajabus
Right, it's just the regularly provided diminished service.....on an overloaded sat mex 5 and 6 bird.....LOL

BCSTech - 5-24-2009 at 06:32 AM

Quote:
are you talking about other hardware, or simply the upgraded "commercial" levels of Hughesnet service?
No, this is not HughesNet, it's "business grade" satellite Internet gear.

We install a 1.2 meter dish with a 3 watt BUC and commission on non HughesNet satellites. The modem is totally different than HughesNet and can be optimized specifically for VoIP service (or any other kind of traffic). This is a managed service, which means we can call up the service provider's US technicians directly to resolve problems instead of dealing with some outsourced customer service rep trainee in India. Some of them even speak Spanish, which my guys appreciate tremendously.

Service levels and speeds are way beyond anything provided by HughesNet on a 0.74 meter dish, or even a 1.2.

The main thing? the service levels or guaranteed by a CIR (Committed Information Rate). HughesNet talks about "up to" speeds but won't guarantee you will ever receive these speeds. There are far fewer customers sharing the same chunk of bandwidth, no more than 40. HughesNet can load on a 1,000 or more (they won't reveal this figure).

Again, HughesNet is what it is. Not saying it doesn't work but it has its limits. We continue to offer it as a limited "consumer-grade" system. But it's pretty clear that we won't be able to sell new HughesNet systems for much longer.

Bajabus - 5-24-2009 at 08:05 AM

Alan, who is the provider provisioning the iDirect equipment you are using?
@contact, Ethersat, VSATUS or some other?

rob - 5-24-2009 at 08:33 AM

I was just looking at iDirect, and am staggered by the costs. For $149 a month you get a limit 1GB of data (that's upload+download).

I am no fan of Starband, but even with that I get 1.3GB a week of upload/download (and even that gets a bit tight at times) for half the price, albeit at slower (and guaranteed) transfer rates.

Must be missing something.

Bajabus - 5-24-2009 at 09:04 AM

1st, idirect is an equipment brand. In the USA alone there are probably 60 or more sat ISP's using iDirect equipment for their hubs and clients. They range from small mom and pop providers with a storefront and a big dish in the back, private govt or corporate networks, or large scale operations with dozens of employees and 24/7 help desks.

2nd, commercial service is a different animal, in order to offer guaranteed service levels and stability their contention ratios have to be far less....anywhere from 60:1 to 10:1. Consumer class service from SB and HN are on the order of 130:1 or more.......thats why it's a lot more expensive...you are trading off known guaranteed service levels for a higher price. the cost goes up exponentially for higher bandwidth caps and speeds. For instance expect to pay about $300 or so for 512kbps X 1024Kbps with about 15GB per month cap.

3rd, Regardless of what equipment the provider is using, many commercial operators have a hard cap on data moved (FAP) and throttle you if you exceed that hard number or keep you at speed and charge you for the additional data moved on a per MB basis. Others like Spacenet do not. They will talk to you about what you need and then put you in a service level that matches that.

Spacenet is a lot more tolerant about going over occasionally and are really looking at how you impact the network. If you occasionally go over they won't care, especially if it's happening during off peak hours. However if a lot of your traffic is occurring during peak hours and you are consistently exceeding what you told them and/or it's having a negative impact on their network, then they will make you go up to a higher service level or tell you you have to cut back.

[Edited on 24-5-2009 by Bajabus]

[Edited on 24-5-2009 by Bajabus]

Not for everyone...

BCSTech - 5-24-2009 at 09:04 AM

It's the difference between consumer-grade and business-grade service. If you don't need a guaranteed data rate or rock-solid VoIP then you're not missing anything.

My advice, if HughesNet/Starband continues working for you and you're happy with it, then stick with it.

losfrailes - 5-24-2009 at 09:36 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by BCSTech
It's the difference between consumer-grade and business-grade service. If you don't need a guaranteed data rate or rock-solid VoIP then you're not missing anything.

My advice, if HughesNet/Starband continues working for you and you're happy with it, then stick with it.


Sound Advice Alan, and given with no rhetoric!

BCSTech - 5-24-2009 at 10:19 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by rhintransit
Any comments on the old modems? I have been assuming mine will just keep working.
Pretty likely support for the 6000s will eventually be phased out. The HN7000S supports some performance improvements such as adaptive inroute and outroute (DVB-S2) capability.

Adaptive inroute capability dynamically changes your transmit rate code/error correction code. Inroute (or transmit /upload) is the weak end of the satellite loop. DW6000s do not have either adaptive inroute or outroute capability.

Non-technically speaking, it's just better.

Hughesnet has not only stopped supporting older modems in the past, but also crowded remaining upgrade holdouts into fewer and fewer slots causing more congestion and poorer service.

Just be aware that HughesNet may require some modem upgrades to have an antenna repoint by a certified dealer, something you may not want! It depends on where your system is provisioned now. You can find out by putting in your Site ID here to see if you qualify:

https://sf1.hns.com/upgrade/index.cfm

You get your site ID by clicking here:

http://192.168.0.1

Click on the System Info button.

flyfishinPam - 5-24-2009 at 07:34 PM

I used hughesnet then called direcway and has a 4000 system. download was great but uploads were slower than dialup, and these were ascii files. when i switched to macs i gave the direcway system away.

now i am using telcel's 3g system and it is great. I would imagine if there's cell service the 3g option is available. 429 pesos per month unlimited, uploads very quick no problems with voip or video conferencing and its faster than my dsl service in town was. i know that loreto, constitucion, la paz and los cabos have this service and i even saw a 3g antenna in el cien.

losfrailes - 5-24-2009 at 09:07 PM

Pam

Good advice, however, recognize that the 3g service in La Paz is really great but in other areas, not serviced by TelNet the 3g thing is not available and in others where it is available it is there with less than dialup speed. ex., Santa Rosalia/Mulege area. Only in the larger metropolitan areas does it come with anything near speed supported by satellite service, be it Hughes or Starband.

In most areas of Baja, the Telcel 3G is not a good option, check with the service provider before makiing a move.

flyfishinPam - 5-25-2009 at 05:47 AM

if 3g not in mulege/santa rosalia yet it will be soon. i dealt with gprs speeds for a couple of months before the 3g was ready in loreto, very slow downloads but uploads were lightning fast and it was better than nothing. telcel will have it all up and down the baja soon, probably by the end of this year. coverage is already in place from the west side of the sierra de la giganta all the way to la paz and i think the entire loop to los cabos is also ready as well.

if you have telcel service chances are that 3g is or will be soon in your area. look into it. a little usb antenna that's portable is way better than the big dish and modem with all those cables that you can't even get a proper factura for anyway and its technically not even legal here. 429/month and that includes the iva can't beat that even at 10:1 exchange. I was paying $59Dlls/month for the direcway.

BCSTech - 5-25-2009 at 06:10 AM

I agree. Given the choice between Sat Internet and good 3G coverage if available, 3G is a better deal for many users.

Downside is you can't share a connection without a heck of a lot of technical tricks and additional gear. Vonage/Net2Phone won't work at all, and some users report they've had trouble with getting Skype/Magic Jack VoIP to work. This may be due to coverage. Just because you have good cell phone coverage does not mean you have good 3G coverage.

comitan - 5-25-2009 at 07:01 AM

This last time going north I took our laptop an 3G modem, first place I tried El Rosario it worked fine didn't try it any farther north but I'm sure it would have worked fine. Coming back down we stopped in Asuncian tried it and worked fine I'm sure it would have worked at a lot of other places. One note when I went to pay for the service it was 200pesos more, I guess they charge you for roaming charges like the cell phones.

Poorer and Poorer Poor Me

MrBillM - 5-25-2009 at 08:46 AM

Interestingly, I hadn't realized that I was receiving Poorer and Poorer service with my 6000 Modem until BCSTECH made that clear.

Here it's been working just great with no problems.

Like so many things in life, we THINK things are fine until an EXPERT tells us differently.

BTW, IF Hughes tells you that you are eligible for the "Self-Install" kit, there will be no necessity to call a tech for a repoint of the antenna assy. Until you screw it up, that is.

For those interested in finding out more from sites not invested in providing service for a price, there are numerous forums available via a search. Some choices are:

www.dslreports.com
www.sadoun.com
www.tech-forums.net

flyfishinPam - 5-25-2009 at 09:24 AM

I mention the 3G in case anyone is considering buying and setting up a satellite system like hughes or starband. it is better to wait a little while or investigate to see if 3g is available in your area than sink all that $$ into a new sat system, no?

3g and roaming. if you notice on your 3g contract, you actually have a cell phone number attached to the account, with sim card as well. when you roam out of your area code you incur roaming charges. that's why your bill was higher the month you used it in other locations. also remember the billing cut off date (corte del mes) is on the 11th of each month so any roaming taking place before the 11th gets billed that month and any roaming on or after the 11th will get billed in the next cycle. I notice that when you roam there's a charge then they charge per kb as well.

i have no problem with skype or iChat. since I am off the grid as far as phones are concerned magic jack it not something i'd use anyway. routing 3g is easier on a pc than a mac but i have been able to do it on the mac with an airport extreme and an airport express combination.

edited to add: if you will do a lot of roaming I would suggest get a sim card for the area code you plan to roam to, or do the 3g amigo plan with a sim card from the desired area code.
comitan's report of 3g in El Rosario is encouraging. I know that they wre behind in installing the 3g in Loreto but telcel has really jumped on upgrading and installing this system. if you have cell service but are still waiting for 3g that wait likely won't be very long. I'd rather go this way than send the $800USD for a new sat system plus $59/month and then not be able to write it off in Mexico.

[Edited on 5-25-2009 by flyfishinPam]

BCSTech - 5-25-2009 at 10:22 AM

MrBillM, I'm not sure why you're sniping at my comments, nor can I see where I wrote you were receiving "poorer and poorer service."

It's a fact HughesNet no longer supports the 4000 series, and it's a fact they squeezed remaining 4000 users into fewer and fewer slots. It's also a fact they no longer allow new subscribers on 6000 modems, which is yet another reason for upgrading I had forgotten. If someone thinks they might sell their HughesNet system someday, they should upgrade it so the next person has a better chance of setting up their own account.

Also, nowhere did I tell people to contact me for an upgrade, or anything else for that matter. They can get the upgrade from HughesNet and install it themselves. And nowhere did I offer to sell anybody anything.

Everything I said can be verified if people want to take the time to research this issue. Since I've been in the satellite industry and have made my living from it since 1980 and still do, I write with some degree of expertise. If you're saying that somehow I shouldn't respond on this topic because I'm in the Satellite Internet systems business, well, that just doesn't make much sense.

You may be right that your 6000 may go on working forever. If you want to stick with your 6000, then fine, no one's asking you to change it. My reply was to rhintransit's question about upgrading. It's just information. If HughesNet can't build a better modem than they never would have changed from the old 4000s. Readers are smart enough to read my comments and yours, then decide for themselves what to do.

All the way through this thread, I've told people if they're happy with their service then there is no reason to change it, That goes for you, too, Bill. Once, again...
Quote:

My advice, if HughesNet/Starband continues working for you and you're happy with it, then stick with it.

losfrailes - 5-25-2009 at 11:34 AM

Alan,

From another involved with the installation of Hughes systems, I am in total agreement with you.

If what you have, be it Starband or Hughes, is working. Don't change. I also agree that if you have the opportunity to upgrade from earlier modems to the HN7000S, do so. There is no longer any tech support for earlier modems.

As far as the 3G availability, my advice to all is that if it is available with sufficient bandwidth, it is worth of consideration, however, as you say you must resort to some manipulations if you intend to provide service to others. In the Santa Rosalia/Mulege area, the bandwidth is not even adequate to match dialup, consequently, even the local provider of the 3G in this area will verify this. SCMY in Santa Rosalia, ask for Antonio or 'Colon'.

People should take note that you do not take shots at any system out there, no rhetoric no bias in your posts or comments. If others take offense at what you say, advise or suggest, they should seek help elsewhere.

[Edited on 5-25-2009 by losfrailes]

rob - 5-25-2009 at 12:56 PM

Great advice! Two data points.

- re 3G. I have a friend who installed a YAGI antenna (www.cellantenna.com model CAY1912) and can now receive 3G on the Pacific coast into the external antenna port on her NOKIA cellphone. this is plugged into the laptop, and serves as a 3g modem . . . . cool!

- when you switch to 3G, remember there are a growing number of US sites (mainly music, video etc) that will NOT download to a Mexican IP address. This may be a reason to hang onto your Hughesnet/Starband.

- ref above - on Starband I can no longer access my Starband email away from my own system (that is on any other Mexican IP address). Real bummer when travelling. Switched to gmail - which works better for any number of reasons. Yeah - I'm a tad slow ..