Share on Social Media:

 100 MB/S Satellite Internet Service in 2021

Launching a New Satellite

HughesNet already offers the fastest consumer satellite internet service in the United States. The ISP isn’t finished upgrading its system, though. On August 11, it announced plans to launch a new satellite to enable download speeds of 100 megabits per second (100 MB/S).

The company said its new satellite will be operating in early 2021, and will be dubbed Echostar XXIV.  HughesNet says the new bird will serve “key markets” in the U.S., Mexico, Brazil, and several other countries in South America, doubling the company’s Ka-band capacity in the Americas. The 100 MB/S service tier will be  available where HughesNet currently offers Gen5 service.

Following Gen5

In March, HughesNet inaugurated what it called the Gen5 service platform. Since, then, it’s been moving subscribers into Gen5, which offers download speeds of 25 MB/S.

This is the the fastest speed available with any satellite internet service.

Peter Gulla, HughesNet’s SVP of marketing, spoke to Multichannel News last week. Gulla said, “Right now, it (25 MB/S) seems to be meeting the needs of our customers. But that doesn’t mean that’s the end of the line.”

Hughes has offered its internet services primarily in rural areas. It plans, though, to move into some suburban and urban markets where DSL service is weak.

About HughesNet:

HughesNet has provided satellite-based communication services for more than forty years. It serves government residential, and commercial clients, chiefly in the U.S.

In March 2017, HughesNet became the first satellite internet system to offer FCC-defined broadband service from coast to coast. Its Gen 5 tier operates at download speeds of 25 MB/S and upload speeds of 3 MB/S. With Gen5, the company offers integrated modems with built in WiFi. All Gen5 plans include 50 gigabytes of Bonus Zone capacity for use between 2 a.m. and 8 a.m.

The FCC has ranked HughesNet first among all major ISPs for consistency in reaching advertised speeds. This ranking is for all ISPs, not just satellite.

About Satellite Country:

Satellite Country is one of America’s largest retailers of TV, internet, home security, and home automation services. It has been in business since 1999. Satellite Country offers a full range of home services, and can find the best deals available where you live.

 

(For the internet service that’s best for you, talk to us. We can help.)

 

Share on Social Media:

RURAL VS URBAN BROADBAND

Image result for cowboy on horseback monument valley

Why Are You Left with So Few Choices?

People who live in densely populated urban areas usually have several options for high speed internet. In most cases, these will be cable or fiber-optic connections.

But what are your choices if you live in a rural area? You’re short of practical options there. Cable and fiber systems almost never build their networks far beyond their urban cores. You can find DSL almost everywhere, but it’s usually far too slow to be called genuine broadband. It’s unlikely to be fast enough for video streaming or for most business functions. You can get satellite internet service almost anywhere in the continental U.S., but it’s often even slower than DSL.

The Best Option

If you reside in a rural or exurban area, your best option is almost always going to be HughesNet. It is a satellite network, but very different from the others. HughesNet upgrades its satellite fleet almost constantly, which expands capacity and increases data speeds. The FCC, in fact, lists HughesNet as the only satellite system that consistently delivers broadband speeds.

HughesNet has also been independently rated first among broadband providers for consistency in reaching advertised speeds. This is a first-place rating among ALL broadband providers, including cable and fiber systems.

If you’re a new customer, you can get 10 GB of data per month for $49.99, and 50 GB for just $99.99 per month for the first year. The latter rate reflects a $30.00 discount for the first year. In the thirteenth month, the 50 GB tier will be priced at the standard rate.

Data Plan Features

With all HughesNet service plans, you’ll find the following features:

  • Built-in WiFi
  • 25 megabits per second (25 MB/S) download speed nationwide, 3 MB/S upload speed
  • No hard data limits
  • Video Data Saver

The Video Data Saver automatically adjusts your video streams to use less data. Its default setting is DVD quality (480P), but if you want to watch HD video, you can opt out of the Data Saver temporarily. And you can “snooze” it for four hours at a time.

Exceptions

We don’t claim HughesNet is for everyone. Though it’s available nationwide, apartment dwellers may face difficulty getting it. Landlords often refuse to allow satellite dishes on their buildings.

Because the HughesNet signal is beamed from a satellite 22,500 miles high, it takes half a second to complete a round trip. This time lag is called “latency”. It makes HughesNet impractical for interactive video games or other purposes requiring low latency.

Final Thoughts

If you live in a rural or lightly populated suburban area, HughesNet is almost certainly your most practical broadband option- and an outstanding value.

(We serve rural and exurban areas all over the U.S. Find the internet connection that works best for you. Talk to us. We can help.)

Share on Social Media:

MYTHS ABOUT SATELLITE INTERNET

Image result for images of satellites

Myths can obstruct our understanding of the world. They can keep us from seizing advantages we otherwise would have had.

Some people hesitate to acquire satellite internet service because what they’ve been told about it isn’t true. The most common myths about it are that it’s expensive, it’s too slow, and it won’t work during or after bad weather. Here we’ll examine each myth in turn.

Myth #1:   It’s Expensive

This was true several years ago. It’s not anymore. Huge advances in technology have multiplied speed and bandwidth, and greater efficiency has dramatically reduced consumer price. Seven years ago, the most basic satellite internet service cost $79.00 per month. Today, HughesNet’s entry-level tier, with a download speed of 5 megabits per second (5 MB/S), costs just $29.99 per month. This is highly competitive with DSL and cable broadband services.

Myth #2:   It’s Too Slow

One if the most persistent myths about satellite internet is that it’s too slow to be practical. It was true several years ago, but not now. At the dawn of satellite internet, download speeds averaged about 750 kilobits per second (750 KB/S), and upload speeds averaged about 256 KB/S. HughesNet now offers plans with top download speeds of 5 to 15 MB/S- comparable with cable internet- and upload speeds of 1 to 2 MB/S.

Myth #3:   The Signal Lags

You need only about half a second. There is some latency in sending and receiving signals, because they bounce off of a satellite 22.500 miles high, but this limitation has been highly exaggerated. You’re unlikely to be hampered by signal latency unless you’re playing interactive games. You probably won’t notice any effect on your e-mail, web browsing, social media posts, or sharing of photos.

Myth #4:   Bad Weather Critically Disrupts the Service

Extremely severe thunderstorms or blizzards can interrupt the signal temporarily.  This condition, though, is not as serious or as frequent as it’s been made out to be. You’ll begin receiving the signal again once the storm passes.

By contrast, severe weather can knock out cable service, for entire neighborhoods, for days or even weeks at a time. This is especially true if the cables are flooded or cut by falling trees.

Don’t let myths keep you from the internet service that works best for you. If you have any questions, talk to us. We can help.

Share on Social Media:

MACHINE PREDICTS HUMAN BEHAVIOR IN VIDEO

Most of us can predict what will happen just after we see two people meet: a handshake, a punch, a hug, or a kiss. We’ve honed this ability through decades of experience in dealing with people. Our ‘intuition’ is thoroughly trained.

A machine, no matter how competently programmed, has trouble evaluating such complex information.

If computers, though, could predict human action reliably, they would open up a host of possibilities. We might wear devices that will suggest responses to differing situations. We might have emergency response systems to predict breakdowns or security breaches. Robots will better understand how to move and act among humans.

in June, M.I.T.’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) announced a huge breakthrough in the field. Researchers there developed an algorithm for what they call ‘predictive vision’. It can predict human behavior much more accurately than anything that came before.

The system was trained with YouTube videos and TV shows, including The Office and Desperate Housewives. It can predict when two characters will shake hands, hug, kiss, or ‘high five’. It also predicts what objects will appear in a video five seconds later.

Previous approaches to ‘predictive vision’ have followed one of two patterns. One is to examine the pixels in an image. From this data, the machine tries to construct a future image, pixel by pixel. MIT’s lead researcher in this project calls this process “difficult for a professional painter, much less an algorithm”.

The second approach is for humans to label images for the computers in advance. This is practical only on a very small scale.

MIT’s CSAIL team instead offered the machine “visual representations”. These were freeze-frame alternate versions of how a scene might appear. “Rather than saying that one pixel is blue, the next one is red… visual representations reveal information about the larger picture, such as a certain collection of pixels that represents a human face”, the lead researcher said.

CSAIL uses ‘neural networks’ to teach computers to scan massive amounts of data. From this, the computers find patterns on their own.

CSAIL trained its algorithm with more than 600 hours of unlabeled video. Afterward, the team tested it on new video featuring objects and human action.

Though CSAIL’s algorithm was not as accurate as humans in predicting human behavior, it is a huge advance over what came before. Very soon, it’s likely to outperform humans. When it does, its impact on our lives could be revolutionary.

(Editor’s note: machine learning is another term for artificial intelligence. The enclosed image is the cast of ‘The Big Bang Theory’.)

(Get the most out of information technology. Get the most out of your machines. For this, you need a strong web connection. Talk to us. We can help.)

Share on Social Media:

GEN4 FROM HUGHESNET

We all need speed. For this reason, HughesNet has worked for forty years to advance satellite technology.  Its Gen4 satellite internet service is one example of the company’s commitment to innovation.

Gen4 is available anywhere in the U.S., as long as your dish has a direct line of sight to the southern sky. It is much faster than competing rural internet services, and it won’t need a phone connection. Several plans are available, with download speeds from 5 megabits per second (5 MB.S) to 15 MB/S.

The data allotments are much more generous than previous generations of satellite internet offered. The basic tier, Prime Plus, allows 10 gigabytes (GB) per month. The premium tier, Ultra, allows a full 50 GB per month. With all Gen4 plans, an additional 50 GB per month is available during off-peak hours: 2:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. If you’re about to bump against your data cap, you can buy an additional allotment, $10.00 for each additional GB.

With Prime Plus, you can open up to five e-mail accounts. With the other three plans, you can open as many as ten.

With each of the plans, you get free standard installation and live technical support.

All HughesNet plans are compatible with Windows or Mac operating systems. Windows users will need Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Windows 8. HughesNet will also work with Windows 10 soon. Mac users will need OS 10.7 (Lion), OS 10.8 (Mountain Lion), or OS 10.9 (Mavericks).

Your computer will need ethernet network capability. If you wish to get your HughesNet service on a mobile device, you will need a wireless router.

In most cases, you can expect your HughesNet Gen4 internet service to be in operation within two weeks after you place your order. A certified HughesNet technician will call you to confirm your installation date and time.

(Do you still have questions about HughesNet? Do you want to upgrade your internet service? Talk to us. We can help.)

Share on Social Media:

TV EVERYWHERE

With your HughesNet service, you’ll have expanded options for TV viewing. With the ability to stream video via the internet, you are not limited to the programming choices or bundles offered by cable and satellite TV systems.

TV Everywhere is an industry term for streaming video services that don’t require conventional cable boxes or satellite dishes. It’s also known as authenticated streaming or authenticated video-on-demand. For most such services, you won’t need to have any equipment installed, and for some, you won’t have to sign any long term contracts. Access to programming is through an authentication code you enter on your device.

The pay TV industry developed TV Everywhere to answer the competitive challenge posed by streaming services such as Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video.

TV Everywhere offers flexibility in viewing platforms. Most TVE applications are compatible with iOS and Android smartphones and tablets, Mac and PC computers, Roku, PlayStation, XBox One, Apple TV, and Chromecast devices.

Most TVE services are additions to conventional cable or satellite TV subscriptions. Last February, though, Dish Network launched Sling TV, an independent web-streaming-only platform. Sling TV customers don’t have to sign any long term contracts, can pay on a month-to-month basis, and don’t need Dish Network dishes or receivers. Most programming packages are light on the wallet. The core Sling TV package of 23 channels costs just $20.00 per month.

Since then, some cable system operators are considering offering similar products. Comcast and Verizon have tested separate streaming apps in some markets. Use of these apps does not require the standard cable TV subscription, though Comcast’s streaming service is available only to its broadband subscribers.

As a rule, streaming video services cost much less than cable or satellite TV subscriptions. This is mainly because their channel bundles are usually much smaller. You will need to research TVE providers, though, to be sure you save money- and that you’re getting the channels you want.

(For access to TV Everywhere or other internet services, talk to us.)

Share on Social Media:

It may be helpful for you to know what happens when you order HughesNet service, and how your internet equipment will be installed.

When you call us to order HughesNet service, a friendly customer service agent will ask you how many people in your household will be connected at once, what you use the internet for, what your budget is, and what kind of internet service you’ve had in the past. The purpose of these questions is to find the HughesNet service tier and equipment that will best meet your needs. The CSA will explain all charges, what to expect at installation, and any promotions that may be in effect.

When you’ve agreed to schedule installation, the CSA will find the date and time window that work best for you. The window will usually be two or three hours, in case a previous installation takes longer than expected.

The technician will bring with him a satellite dish, a modem, and any cable needed for your HughesNet system.

After greeting you, the technician will conduct a site survey. The internet signal comes from a satellite 22,000 miles up in the stratosphere, and the technician has to make sure your dish has clear line of sight to it. He will need to point the dish to the southern sky. He will mount the dish on the house or on a fence post or pole, unless trees, buildings or other obstructions are in the way. If he can’t get clear line of sight from your house or an existing pole or post, he may recommend a pole mount. This requires extra work and material, so if a pole mount is necessary, he may charge extra for it. Pole mounts are not necessary for more than about 5% of HughesNet installations, though.

After the site survey, the technician will mount the dish, using his own mounting hardware. He will check line of sight again, and adjust the dish level and angle for the. strongest possible signal. Then he will run a coaxial cable into your house.

The technician will connect the cable to your modem, and will connect the modem to his mobile electronic device. He will bring up a screen which tells him your strong your satellite signal is. If it’s not as strong as it should be, he will adjust the dish again. Once he has confirmed that your signal is strong enough, he will give you a code to activate your service, and ask you to boot up your computer so you can verify that your connection is working.

The technician will then present your paperwork, collect any fees due at installation, clean up the work site, and explain how to contact customer service with any questions or concerns.

Your HughesNet installation is then complete, and you are ready to begin surfing the web.

Share on Social Media:

DATA CAPS & YOU

To get the most out of your internet service, it may help you to know what a data cap is, and how to avoid breaking it.

Most internet service providers, to keep their networks from becoming clogged, limit the amount of data any customer can use per month. Most providers offer tiered service, with higher prices for plans with higher data caps. If you use more than your monthly allotment, your data speeds will fall dramatically, and will remain low until your next monthly service period begins. This can be highly frustrating, and can make some internet functions impossible.

We won’t tell you to limit your use of the internet. We won’t tell you not to download music or videos. These, after all, are among the reasons most people want broadband service.

Without such drastic measures, there are a few other steps you can take to get the most out of your data plan.

First, assess your household’s needs. If only one or two people will be connected at a time, and if you use the web strictly for e-mail and light surfing, then you may not need extreme speed or a high data cap. However, if several people may be connected at once, you download video or music frequently, or you conduct business over the internet, you will need more speed and more data.

Second, consider changing your browser. Google Chrome is usually faster than other browsers, but it consumes more data. This is partly because Google- more than any other browser- scans your e-mail and searches for keywords, which it uses for precisely targeted ads. Not only is this annoying, and a possible privacy concern, it consumes data.  If wringing the most out of your data plan is more important than saving a few seconds on a search, then you may want to use a different browser.

Third, close auto-play videos whenever possible. In Chrome, pull up the ‘settings’ bar. and go from there to ‘advanced settings’. From there, go to ‘privacy’, then hit the ‘plug-ins’ tab, and disable Adobe Flash. This won’t block all auto-play videos, but it will block most of them. You’ll seldom have to listen to annoying ads, and you’ll save an enormous amount of data.

With other browsers, the procedure for disabling Adobe Flash is similar, though it may differ in one or two details..

Finally, limit the number of tabs you keep open. If you have multiple tabs open at once, some pictures and videos may be loading in the background.

(To get the most out of your internet service, talk to us. We are your source for HughesNet.)

Share on Social Media:

GETTING THE BEST DEAL IN INTERNET SERVICE

How can you be sure you’re getting the best deal in internet service? There are a few questions you should ask about any web service offered.

First, make sure you understand all charges. Many internet service providers offer low monthly rates for a promotional period, usually three months to one year. After the promotional periods, though, the rates increase sharply. Some providers offer ‘free’ equipment and installation, but they add the equipment and installation charges to the monthly fees, and they require long term contracts, with fines for early termination.

This doesn’t necessarily mean you’re being cheated. Make sure you’re getting a complete list of all charges before you sign a contract, though. Before you agree to installation, be sure you understand the total you pay in advance, the total monthly fees, including taxes and other surcharges, and the total you will pay after any promotions end.

Second, assess your needs. Consider how many people in your household are likely to be connected at any one time, what kinds of devices you connect to the internet, and what functions you want. If you will connect only one or two devices, and your web use is chiefly e-mail and light web surfing, then you might get by with fairly low speed and a low data cap. If you intend to connect multiple devices, though, or if you want to download music or video, then you will need a higher download speed and more data capacity.

Conduct a speed test of your present internet service, and monitor how much data you use. This will tell you how much speed or data capacity you will need from a new provider. If your present service is too slow or too limited, these steps will still give you a rough idea of how much extra speed or capacity you will need.

If you’re paying a low rate for your internet service, but it’s inadequate for your needs, then you’re not getting a bargain.

Finally, to be sure you’re getting the best deal in internet service, talk to us.