As a greater number of activities we perform daily involve the use of the internet for work, entertainment and other functions, it can be very advantageous to have an unlimited data plan. Hughesnet is located in the category of satellite internet service providers and promises the speed of cable and DSL internet services; nevertheless, it seems that the company does not offer an unlimited data plan. Let's take a look.
Hughesnet Data Plans provide customers with the option to purchase additional data in increments of 5 GB for $10 more per month.
Hughesnet offers four different data plans for residential customers:
- 10GB per month
- 20GB per month
- 30GB per month
- 50GB per month
All of these plans share the same characteristic where the user is given a specific amount of data that is allowed for usage during a billing cycle, and if this amount is used up, the internet speed is significantly reduced. Therefore, Hughesnet does not have an unlimited internet usage plan as you can use the internet without limitations but not at full speed.
However, that does not mean the owners of the premises cannot obtain an unlimited internet connection from Hughesnet. The provider does have a plan it calls “50GB Unlimited,” which provides you with first 50GB of high speed and then unlimited at slow speeds. As for the specifics of this plan, we’ll discuss more about the general concept later.
How the Hughesnet ‘ ‘50GB Unlimited’ ‘ Plan Works
Although it is not a truly unlimited plan that offers high-speed data, the 50GB for $70/month plan is quite satisfactory as it offers the first 50GB at full speed and the following data at a slower connection speed.
For example, within the period of your billing cycle, you are allowed to access 50GB of high speed internet data. Hughesnet says this is enough data for Web browsing, Email, social media, streaming (about 700 hours) of SD video, and more.
Even if you are not a power user, these speeds are provided for the first 50GB of usage; after that, your speeds get slashed – slowed down – for the rest of your billing cycle. Hughesnet does not reveal the actual throttling speed to their subscribers; however, most of the users claim that the speed is limited to 1-3 Mbps. It is significantly slower than the 25Mbps (download) and 3Mbps (upload) it promises but adequate to accommodate simple browsing and communication. It may take time to stream a video on this reduced speed, maybe it will buffer a lot.
And then at the beginning of the next bill cycle, the high speed usage amount is reset to zero and you are able to use those 50 GB all over again.
Other things to note with the Hughesnet 50GB Unlimited plan:
- It cannot be added with further data tokens for additional high-speed data. It is important to understand that while the company offers 50GB a month basic plan, this plan does not allow the user to stream at full speed.
- There is no additional charge regardless of the data usage and it goes up to 50GB and beyond. It simply slows down to a different, considerably lesser pace.
- Even after crossing the free 50GB mark, the upload speed comes down to around 128 Kbps which does not allow them to easily share large files.
Therefore, you sign up for one monthly price and get 50GB at one bandwidth and as much data as you want at a much slower speed for which streaming may be problematic.
Benchmarking Hughesnet Data Plans against Other Providers
Leading cable or DSL home internet services such as Spectrum, Xfinity, and AT&T Internet are among those that we saw earlier that provide limitless data. However, those providers are not present everywhere and in some areas such as rural areas there providers are scarce. That is where satellite internet like Hughesnet can play its role and attract the consumers.
Satellite internet is the main area of rivalry where Viasat stands as Hughesnet’s main competitor. Another disadvantage of Viasat is that they do not have an unlimited high speed internet service for their customers like Hughesnet. The company offers an unlimited plan on the top tier with up to 150GB of high speeds before the speeds reduce to between 3-5 Mbps.
For the rural people who cannot access cable /DSL Viasat gives the 150GB high speed data while Hughesnet offer 50GB limit. But again, Viasat is usually costly compared to Hugnesnet for an unlimited data plan considering the equipment costs. Hughesnet’s typically has better pricing than regional carriers which is a good thing for the consumers.
The Bottom Line
Like with any satellite internet plans, these cannot be compared to true unlimited high-speed data from cable/DSL providers; however, there is the “unlimited” 50GB Hughesnet plan. This ensures that you are offered up to 50GB of high-speed data in a month before your internet speeds are throttled for unlimited but low-speed usage.
Hughesnet has an unlimited satellite plan and can handle most households internet usage if one is able to remain under 50GB monthly. However, the users who watch lots of HD video would feel the painful pinch when the rates are throttled back after the user has utilized 50GB. If one wants to get the best connection for home internet that can handle the most demanding loads, cable or fiber optics is preferable to satellite.
