Living in a rural area and looking for good internet connection? HughesNet internet might be the best bet you have.
It is a satellite broadband internet service provider that offers services in almost all areas of the US including rural areas and big cities. That makes it one of the largest internet service providers in the States by coverage.
So, even if you are located on a remote farm or in a small town away from cities, there are good chances that you will be able to get Hughesnet internet services. Moreover, the internet speed is good and the prices are also affordable compared to other satellite internet providers.
However, one biggest concern for customers with HughesNet is the amount of data. But before we get into that, let’s see how it actually works.
How does HughesNet work?
As mentioned earlier, HughesNet is a satellite internet service provider. It uses satellite in space that is connected to dish antennas placed at customer’s house and the HughesNet network center.
Whenever you open a website, that information is transmitted to the satellite which in turn transfers the information to HughesNet NOC. The NOC located that website or information and transmits it to the satellite. The satellite then transfers that information to the modem.
This whole process might seem a lot difficult and long, but it merely takes a fraction of a second. That is because HughesNet uses advanced Gen5 satellite technology that is much faster that other satellite options. And that is the reason HughesNet is the #1 satellite internet choice in the US.
The only problem is that this whole setup is expensive and it costs a lot to deliver internet services to customers. That is why HughesNet internet prices are higher compared to other connection types such as cable or DSL and there are soft data limits.
HughesNet Data Plans
All of HughesNet plans have specific soft data limits. That means once the customers run out of data given to them based on their plan, the internet speed slows down is managed by HughesNet instead of charging customers extra or disconnecting the internet. So you have to choose your plan carefully and manage your usage to avoid getting your speed reduced.
There are four data plans with HughesNet in total. Though these plans offer the same download speed of up to 25 Mbps and an upload speed of up to 3 Mbps, the major difference is in amount of data they offer. These plans include;
HughesNet 10 GB
HughesNet 10 GB is the most basic and economical internet plan that is offered by HughesNet. As the name suggests, this plan offers 10 GB of high-speed data to its customers and costs $59.99 per month.
The benefit of this plan is that if you are looking for basic internet and don’t stream much or have various devices to connect, you don’t need to pay a huge amount.
Moreover, if you run out of data, the throttled speed of up to 3 Mbps is still good enough to perform basic tasks such as sending emails, paying bills, or checking your social media feeds.
HughesNet 20 GB
The second plan offered by Hughesnet is the 20 GB plan that offers 20 gigabytes of high-speed data to its customers. This is the most commonly used internet plan as the people in rural areas don’t have an extensive usage and usually use it to stay connected or stream movies every once in a while.
This plan costs $69.99 per month and the price is good for next 2 years from the time of signing up. The good news is that if there is a promotion going on in your area, you can also save $10 additional for the first 6 months and get the same plan for $59.99 per month.
HughesNet 30 GB
For those customers who don’t have an extensive usage but the 20 GB plan doesn’t work for them, Hughesnet offers the 30 GB plan.
Since the data offered is more, customers can stream movies, make video calls, or even work from home if it doesn’t involve sharing large files or a lot of downloading. On top of that, this plan is also good if you have kids in the home who would be taking classes online.
This plan costs $99.99 per month while the same promotional saving of $10 applies if there is a promotion available in your area at the time of signing up.
HughesNet 50 GB
Hughesnet 50 GB is the most expensive internet plan offered by Hughesnet as it costs $149.99 per month. Moreover, it offers the highest amount of data, 50 gigabytes per month.
For those customers who don’t want their speeds throttled and don’t mind paying the cost, this plan works the best. It allows users to connect multiple devices simultaneously and stream on their smart TVs.
The only downside is that it is expensive and not everyone can afford to pay $150 per month for internet services.
The Bottom Line
Hughesnet internet plans might seem expensive but based on the areas customers live in and the connection speed, it is worth it. And if you are afraid that the data might not be sufficient, HughesNet also offers 50 GB additional data every month for free during the bonus time zone of 2 am to 8 am.
So, use that data effectively and schedule downloads during that time. It will help you to avoid extra costs or subscribing for any higher plan.
