Why is the Internet on My HughesNet So Slow at the Moment?
Nowadays, many people who use HughesNet satellite internet service complain that their internet connection has become much slower. There are a couple of possible causes that can result in HughesNet connection crawling these days.
Peak Internet Usage Times
HughesNet, like most ISPs, has its ebbs and flows in terms of traffic at varying hours of the day. The lowest amount of users is usually observed in the early morning and during standard work hours as fewer individuals are engaged in web browsing and streaming. However, people who sit in offices and schools use the internet mainly in the evenings after getting home. This puts extra stress on the network and is capable of causing a slowed-down connection. It should also be noted that evenings are generally the core usage hours for the internet across virtually all home internet tariffs.
Network Congestion
Closely associated with peak usage, network congestion arises when many customers are simultaneously accessing or employing their HughesNet service. This puts lots of pressure on the network equipment and satellites that make the service possible, hence slowing down the service through lags, buffering, and slow page loads. Traffic is usually observed to occur heavily, especially in the evenings and early nights when everyone is at home browsing the internet.
Your Data Cap
HughesNet satellite internet services are very limited as they involve a limited number of plans and usage caps. This is quite shocking since if you have exhausted most of the high-speed data for the month, your internet speed is slowed down for the rest of the month. You can check this in your account dashboard where it is highlighted how many priorities are available during the current cycle. Arguing with the cap before the end of the month ensures that internet surfing slows down for the next couple of weeks.
Temporary Service Issues
Similar to any other ISP, HughesNet can experience temporary disruptions of service and fluctuations in their connection quality because of internal problems encountered within their company. Torrents, storms, hardware malfunctions, or updates to the network can sometimes hinder wireless signals or reduce their quality. Even though this is rare, there are times when the services will be temporarily disrupted and this will significantly reduce the speeds of HughesNet. There is always information on their official social media accounts if there are any active disruptions where you are.
In most circumstances, evening and night lag and buffering are fine for satellite Internet users who have to share scarce resources. However, if you still have significant chunks of open data left in your plan, call the HughesNet customer support team and inquire about any service or hardware issues with your location that may have been addressed to enhance your speed.
