Hughesnet is known to be an excellent satellite internet service provider that provides internet services to various areas in the United States. This is most evident in the fact that one of the key propositions that they currently popular is what they refer to as ‘‘unlimited’’ data plans. Are these plans as unlimited as they claim to be? That is where it will be beneficial to take a closer look.
What Hughesnet Claims
For example, on its homepage and across its commercial messages, Hughesnet uses such slogans as “Unlimited Data – No Hard Data Limits”. Deals: They have several unlimited data plans with speeds of download ranging from 25 Mbps to 50 Mbps.
And this sounds good but in reality. In theory, having unlimited data should mean that one never has to use more than the data allowance and be penalized, slowed down, or charged extra. Well, it is not as easy as that.
The Fine Print
In this particular aspect, HughesNet does not completely disable the internet service once a user exceeds a certain usage per month; however, it has stringent limitations in the small prints regarding users who use a lot of data.
However, one significant loophole is that the company only allows video streaming up to 10GB on their basic package known as “unlimited data. ” This encompasses streaming from services such as Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, and many more. Ten GB would mean that one could download high-definition streaming video, which would last for approximately 3 hours. We have realized that for a household that routinely streams, their “unlimited video data” slogan cannot be fully trusted.
HughesNet also says that your speeds will reduce to terribly slow as soon as you use up the monthly plan data, and therefore, this also affects the unlimited claims of the service. It also slows down speeds to 1-3 Mbps in case the user crosses 50 GB in a month with their mid-tier plan. This peak plan allows limitless data usage and slows down after 100 GB. To be more precise, the most common consumption in the year 2022 as seen in Figure 4 is 50 GB, which is easily exhausted in the first week with normal usage of video streaming, downloads, and web surfing.
At the end of it, HughesNet itself will tell you that their unlimited data should not be used to replace a cable internet service. It is ideal for people who spend moderate time online or as an alternative source where cable or fiber subscription is inaccessible. Folks have gotten into the bad habit of labeling such plans as ‘unlimited’ even though they are accompanied by way too many speeds and usage limits.
HughesNet Gen5 Plans
Currently, HughesNet offers three Gen5 unlimited data plans: Currently, HughesNet offers three Gen5 unlimited data plans:
25 Mbps Plan
- $59. 99 per month
- High-speed data on 10 GB per month to watch videos
- Streaming but with throttled download and upload speeds after 50 GB of usage per month
50 Mbps Plan
- $69. 99 per month
- 20 GB of high-speed data a month for watching videos.
- Unlimited data though speeds are reduced to 1-3 Mbps after consumption of 50 GB of data.
100 Mbps Plan
- $149. 99 per month
- This plan comes with 60 GB high-speed data which is again much higher than Talk n Text’s offer.
- For data, there is no limit while the speed is limited to 4G after using 100GB.
As you can see, it does not mean that one can request an unlimited number of books to be delivered; the “unlimited” label has a few asterisks. Some speeds are faster initially but then are followed by significantly lower speeds when some limits are surpassed. Moreover, high-speed Internet users like Netflix consume a significant part of your confined high-speed data in a single month.
HughesNet vs Other Providers
So while HughesNet does offer unlimited data, it is important to note that this is concerning most cable or fiber optic providers. Here's how they stack up: Here's how they stack up:
- Most mainstream cable providers such as Xfinity, Spectrum, Cox, AT&T Fiber, Verizon Fios, etc., do offer unlimited data with typical connection speeds of 200 Mbps and above. But their video streaming is unlimited to speed if you access it at the fast category. HughesNet, for instance, has a policy of limiting the amount of data that is used by video streaming very early into the service.
- HughesNet has a much faster base speed than the older DSL internet plans that were available. Most DSL providers also boast of unlimited data but actual speeds are relatively low, ranging from 10- 25Mbps at most.
- Traditional satellite internet offered by Viasat, among others, is highly limited in terms of data allowance, offering data quotas that completely terminate the internet connection when consumed. HughesNet differs on that front as it is not as quick with the penalties.
Thus, even though HughesNet outperforms dial-up and previous-generation satellite options, most present-day cable and fiber offer superior “unlimited data” with faster long-term rates.
The Bottom Line
HughesNet Gen5 boasts its unlimited high-speed data which is rather ambitious regarding its capability. But, with video streaming restrictions and comprehensive speed reduction starting from 50 or 100 GB per month, many families will be frustrated with an Internet connection. It would be quite accurate to state that HughesNet satellite internet only makes sense for comparatively lighter internet usage. Although the heavy streaming households can be accommodated for the current price, they should consider other options for a better-unlimited data plan.
