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Montana Satellite & Wireless
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Toll Free Phone / Fax: 1-888-608-2299 |
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We have done our best to answer these questions as best as we can from our experience with HughesNet! We cannot guarantee that these answers are totally accurate or politically correct, and in accordance with HughesNet policies and procedures at the time you are reading this information.
In most browsers you can hit CTRL-F and type in a keyword to find the answer to your question!
Q: Do I need a telephone line? A: No.. everything is sent and received over satellite... BUT... if you expect to obtain service repairs / parts replacements etc. under warranty you MUST be able to contact HughesNet support from in front of your computer and satellite modem. If you cannot, HughesNet will not be able to troubleshoot the problem with you and therefore WILL NOT issue a service order, which is REQUIRED for warranty coverage.
Q: Is it better than dialup? A: Yes! Almost everyone is really excited when they go from dial-up to satellite, but... going the other way... like from DSL or Cable Internet to satellite is much less exciting, however since satellite was intended for areas where DSL and Cable Internet are not available... I guess you take what you can get... and for that... satellite is probably the best if not the only other solution available if you are looking for "better than dial-up" service.
Q: Is it better than DSL or Cable Internet A: No... however, depending on the plan you choose, satellite may offer you faster download speeds than some DSL and Cable Internet services.
Q: What is a "FAP" (Fair Access Policy)? A: A is in place with most satellite based Internet access providers to ensure that customers are not "hogging bandwidth" or uploading or downloading over and over! Since HughesNet and other satellite Internet providers offer "shared" internet access with up to 399 other customers who share the same "pipeline" to the satellite at any given moment, a FAP helps to ensure that one person doesn't hog all of the bandwidth, so that hopefully everyone has "reasonable" upload / download speeds. Typically... HughesNet allows up to 500mb of downloading in one 24 hour period, and if you go over that amount, they reserve the right to slow you down to "dialup" speeds until your "bucket" is refreshed, which could take 12 - 24 hours to get back up to speed. The bigger monthly service plans usually have higher FAP limits.
Q: Can I use HughesNet for VOIP (Telephone over Internet) services such as Vontage, Skype, Net2Phone and others ? A: Sure... you can try... but HughesNet was not designed for and does not properly support any VOIP services. This is primarily because it is a shared service with limited bandwidth, and high "latency" which causes most VOIP services to have long delays and even drop calls after just a minute or two. Even if you pay HughesNet $200 a month for service, have a commercial .98m dish and a 2 watt radio, chances are that you are NOT going to be happy with any VOIP service over HughesNet... HOWEVER... on the other hand... if you want something that you can use to call family and friends once in awhile, we recommend you go with or upgrade to a 2 watt transmitter, and then use a service such as SKYPE, which is a PC based VOIP type of service that allows you to call out from your computer. We also recommend one of the higher monthly service plans in order to get "OK" capabilities. Again... chances are, you aren't going to like it, but it may be OK for your needs! If someone asked us what it would take to have as close to telephone service as you can get, we would have to recommend a $3500 - $5000 satellite system and monthly service at around $400 a month... and that's minimal too!
Q: Can I use HughesNet for VPN and Remote Desktop (GoToMyPC) type applications? A: Maybe... but thanks to the latency issues and so on, it is very slow... almost "dial-up" speeds, and according to HughesNet... the system will only work with approx. 75 - 80% of the VPN connections, so you may want to see if anyone else in your company or accessing the same VPN is having any luck over satellite first! HughesNet does not offer support for VPN services, but we know some work and some don't!
Q: What is the difference between the residential .74m 1 watt system and the .98m 2 watt commercial system ? A: Like almost anything...bigger is better! While the .74m 1 watt system offers great service in most areas under normal conditions, it will slow down and may even disconnect during heavy cloud cover, rain and snowfall. The .98m 2 watt dish typically receives about 15 points higher signal strength, and therefore will typically stay connected under those conditions... plus the 2 watt radio offers higher speed capabilities, less latency, and greater reliability than the 1 watt. Not only that, but HughesNet will not offer you any speed packages higher than 256k upload speeds UNLESS you have a .98m dish and 2 watt radio, or AT LEAST a 2 watt radio.
Q: Can I have a 2 watt transmitter (radio) installed on a .74m dish ? A: Yes... although HughesNet doesn't support the idea, in our experience it works fine and adds much more capability and reliability to your system over the standard 1 watt radio.
A: Yes and No! According to HughesNet, you must have a certified installer install your system, HOWEVER... we have not heard or seen any official ruling from the FCC that states that the systems MUST be installed by a certified installer... HOWEVER... if you expect any service under warranty... you will need to have the system installed by a certified installer. There are thousands of RV'ers and others running around with "portable" HughesNet systems, setting them up wherever they go and seemingly without too much trouble... but again, don't expect HughesNet to help or support you if you call them because you can't find the satellite, etc. And... just so you know... if you read up on all of the forums, you will find many, many people who are unhappy with their HughesNet service, and this is commonly because their system was not installed or peaked properly. This isn't like a TV dish that you can just slap up and be online, and I would guess that the average setup time is approx. 45 - 60 minutes... even when you are good at it, in order to get reliable service... and if it moves a centimeter... you will be offline! We will sell and ship you a system, and you can install it on your own, HOWEVER we cannot offer you any of the promotional pricing or warrantees that you would get if we or a certified installer installed it for you.
Q: I bought a used DirecWay / HughesNet system off of eBay... how do I get it going? A: We provide an account setup service and if you fill out our online form at: http://www.montanasatellite.com/hughesnet/service_request.htm , we will setup a HughesNet account for you and provide you with a Site Account Number (SAN) and Personal ID Number (PIN), and related satellite information, which is pretty much all you need to get online once your system is setup and pointing correctly. WARNING: The modem may be worthless to you if the person who used it last did not pay off his bill or fulfill his contractual obligations, etc, as HughesNet will not allow you to activate it until it has cleared in the system. IF everything goes well, you can be online within 12 - 24 hours of applying for your account!
Q: Where does the dish have to point to receive service? A: Unlike some other similar services (such as WildBlue), HughesNet has several satellites to choose from depending on your line-of-site or lack of it... so... if you have trees to the south, we can probably do a satellite change to get you on one in the south, south east, or maybe the south, south west. The satellite you are assigned to depending on what satellite HughesNet has selected as the "current default" for your area and your modem and type of service. They will change the "default satellite" from time to time so that they can try to keep from overcrowding the satellites. If you are assigned to a satellite that you cannot see from your installation location, we have a service where we can have the satellite changed for you to another satellite that you CAN connect to from your location. Simply fill out our online form at: http://www.montanasatellite.com/hughesnet/hughesnet_satellite_change_request_form.htm and we will process a satellite change request on your behalf. You must be pointing to have successfully passed crosspole tests on the satellite you wish to go to before we can make the change for you.
Q: How can I check the status of the modem, find my account number, serial number, satellite information, etc.? Q: How do I commission the modem, re-point the dish, etc. ? A: http://192.168.0.1/fs/registration/setup.html
Q: How do I check the data rates, force-range the system, etc. ? A: http://192.168.0.1/fs/advanced/advanced.html
Q: Where do I register my system and setup E-mail accounts and so on ?
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