Are There Any Wi-Fi Plans That Are Unlimited at Hughesnet?
Hughesnet is one of the acknowledged satellite internet service providers that delivers internet connection to the majority of states in the USA including the rural and remote areas where it is difficult to establish cable or fiber optic internet connection. A typical question arising from the service providers is whether Hughesnet provides an unlimited data plan for its satellite internet. The short answer is negative; Hughesnet does not provide an unlimited plan with no restrictions whatsoever regarding speed limits. However, the plans they provide have a relatively high data allowance and do not limit late-night browsing.
The Hughesnet Gen5 Plans
The current generation of satellite internet plans offered by Hughesnet include what is referred to as Gen5. These plans come with finite data quotas that are offered for the month, and after using the data, you may be slowed down. The higher-tier plans have higher data thresholds: The higher-tier plans have higher data thresholds:
- 10GB per month (1–3Mbps after reaching the limit speed)
- 20 GB per month (Upon reaching a threshold speed of 1-3Mbps)
- 30GB per month (after which the threshold speed dropped to 1-3Mbps)
- 50GB per month (after the threshold of speed is set at 1-3Mbps)
That said, these plans do indeed offer unlimited in the sense that your usage does not result in your being disconnected after you have gone through your allotted amount, although your speeds will be throttled to levels that may potentially make streaming video and music difficult. The throttling makes such options hard to consider when speaking of these strictly ‘unlimited’ plans.
Hughesnet Gen5 Plans with Unlimited Night Data Affordable satellite internet service providers can sometimes be difficult to come by.
In addition to the Gen5 plans above, Hughesnet offers Gen5 plans that include Unlimited Data during specified Nighttime Hours: In addition to the Gen5 plans above, Hughesnet offers Gen5 plans that include Unlimited Data during specified Nighttime Hours:
- All our plans come with 10GB of data for use during the day and UNLIMITED data for use between 2 AM and 8 AM.
- 20GB data daily + any amount used from 2 AM to 8 AM is free.
- 30GB data in the daytime + Unlimited data in the nighttime ranging from 2 in the morning to 8 in the morning.
- 50 GB for daytime Internet usage + unlimited Internet usage between 2 AM to 8 AM.
The specific period during which the functionality of unlimited data usage at night is active is from 2 AM to 8 AM in the user’s local time. This is the period each night where you can use as much high-speed data as you want without worrying about closing in on the monthly allowance or being slowed down after that. This can be good for use in streaming, gaming, and large downloads.
However, important to note the normal Gen5 plan data restriction and slow down are active during other parts of the day and night, excluding the 2 AM-8 AM period. Hence, these are not yet universally ‘unlimited’ during the ‘day and night’.
There is No Such Plan Identified as a Strictly Unlimited Hughesnet Plan
However, although having unlimited data at night is beneficial, the service provider doesn’t provide any plan at the moment that offers high-speed data access day and night during the whole billing cycle. Most Hughesnet plans offer some kind of promotion that ensures that if you go over your high-speed data limit, your speeds will be throttled.
The form of unlimited data that lasts only at night is somewhat helpful in reducing the burden on households that require a lot of data usage but it may not sufficiently address the needs of users who require unlimited high-speed data at all times. For the time being, Hughesnet cannot probably provide an unlimited data plan, but in the future, this may change with the advancement of satellite technology and the availability of more data capacity. However, for the time being, it might be pertinent to note that strict unlimited data seekers may have to look for other internet service providers.
Hughesnet Data Limit Tips If you find yourself facing Hughesnet data limits, here are some tips for surviving them:
All Hughesnet plans come with a form of data cap and throttling limit hence, subscribers must find ways to reduce the use of their high-speed data if they have to continue enjoying their high speeds. Here are some tips for living with Hughesnet data limits: Here are some tips for living with Hughesnet data limits:
- Make sure that you monitor your data usage and make sure that you do not exceed the amount of data that your carrier offers you in a month.
- Reduce the use of video streaming by reducing the quality and the number of videos that are watched.
- Have access to unlimited data in the evening for such activities as downloads and streaming.
- Turn off the auto-play of videos and music while on web browsers
- Establish quotas in the amount of data usage for each device to avoid any specific device utilizing all the highspeed data.
However, for customers who heavily consume their data allowance, Hughesnet’s plans can offer reasonable internet usage in most cases if the customers are cautious of the amount of data they and their families use. Spending a balance between data preservation and unlimited data at night can enable Hughesnet users to accept the limitations of satellite internet.
Future Prospects of Endless Satellite Data
Satellite internet technology has also been advanced over the last few years by increasing its capacity as well as its speed. This is because new satellites over time have enabled providers such as Hughesnet to enhance the speeds and permit more data than earlier. Thus, there is a hope that, in the future, the concept of unlimited data satellite plans will indeed be feasible considering the current progress in the use of satellites and underlying technologies.
So to this day, unlimited data is still sort of hypothetical for satellite internet. However, Hughesnet and other satellite providers have not ceased to provide increased broadband access to rural areas and increasing data capabilities. An unlimited high-speed satellite data plan that we expect today or tomorrow may not be available this year or next, but only in the next 10 years with the deployment of new satellite constellations. The vision for satellite internet beyond the short-term objective of service availability is to achieve high bandwidths with download and upload capabilities for all customers, regardless of their geographical location.
