Viasat or Hughsnet satellite internet and phone service? (USA, well, school)
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These companies say they can offer our family fast internet, phone, good video gaming speeds. Has anyone with kids used either of these services for gaming, tv, streaming, phone? One of my kids may need Zoom etc for live school classes.
Please share how satellite internet has worked for your whole family. We'll use Direct Tv for tv.
On a typical night, 2 different tvs are using On-Demand to watch a show or movie, my husband is usually researching on the internet, one child reads using internet and the other video games.
Will we all be able to continue doing this each evening using satellite internet and Direct Tv? Thank you.
Last edited by Withinpines; 07-28-2020 at 06:59 PM..
I found Hughes to be terrible. Laggy connection, streaming would buffer all the time, and the data caps will kill you.
It sounds like you may not have much option, but I can promise you will not be happy with Hughes. We got lucky, and a wireless company (NextLink) put a tower a couple miles away. We went from always unhappy with Hughes, to it works like a charm with this new Internet.
I would talk to neighbors, and see what they use.
DirecTV is fine, but that's a satellite dish, not Internet. We also have DirecTV, and I love it. No problems at all. Not cheap, but great picture and channel choices. We do NOT have DirecTV connected to our Internet. No reason to. If we want to stream, which was can finally do with this new Internet, we use a Roku.
Thank you. I asked my husband about Next Link and "line of sight towers". We're way out in the middle of no where. There aren't permanent neighbors, they live part time and have no internet .
It's a choice between Viasat, Hughes, and CenturyLink (through phone line). Unless our cell phone carrier can offer us satellite internet. But no one can receive a cell signal out there.
With Direct TV how do we watch Netflix and You tube videos? What about "on-demanding shows and movies? Or do we hookup our Internet to the TV as well and use a streaming box? Thanks, we've been really spoiled with the all in one service from Comcast. This is all so new to me.
Thank you. I asked my husband about Next Link and "line of sight towers". We're way out in the middle of no where. There aren't permanent neighbors, they live part time and have no internet .
It's a choice between Viasat, Hughes, and CenturyLink (through phone line). Unless our cell phone carrier can offer us satellite internet. But no one can receive a cell signal out there.
With Direct TV how do we watch Netflix and You tube videos? What about "on-demanding shows and movies? Or do we hookup our Internet to the TV as well and use a streaming box? Thanks, we've been really spoiled with the all in one service from Comcast. This is all so new to me.
Your lifestyle is not compatible with where you are planning on living.
You may be hoping for more than can be provided in a remote location. Internet access comes first for the children.
You husband can check out the sports packages on DirecTv and watch his fishing stuff there. He may have to “suck it up buttercup” regarding watching his favorite YouTube videos
Somehow it isn’t clicking that you cannot livestream, watch Netflix, Hulu, or any other of those streaming networks on DirecTv. DirecTv is DirecTv and Dish is Dish. You pay for whatever packages they offer and that is it
They are NOT the portal to the internet. You have either of them install a dish somewhere in your yard that has a good view of the southern sky and that is how you receive their channels
The internet is a totally separate thing, that you will either need yet another installed dish from the company of choice, OR a jet pack if you go with WiFi
I found Hughes to be terrible. Laggy connection, streaming would buffer all the time, and the data caps will kill you.
THIS!
We had Hughesnet. The biggest plan they had at the time. Anything else would be better.
Satellite TV is OK. But until they fix the billing structure on internet to remove the cap - (they slow you down slower and slower and slower if you go over the limit) - Satellite internet is no good.
Thank you. I don't know how Dish works. There used to be on-demand type "hopper" boxes with dish, similar to a dvr. I just wasn't sure if dish has a menu where one can on demand/ watch old episodes of a show or even on demand a movie. This is how we watch now.
We turn on our tvs and video game at about 8 pm or later each evening as wind down time. It's a few hours each night we all sit together this way. Unless my daughter attends a Zoom school class by day, we check email, or do work from home; we keep the WiFi off. Then turn it on each evening for the kids to use. We don't watch live channels, but instead access menus of old shows and movies.
Satellite TV does not have a menu feature? Only "live time" channels to join an already in-progress show or movie? We have limited watching time and only on- demand. I may need to find a strictly streaming service to replace Comcast, rather than dish TV if there is no on demand menu of programs and movies.
With Direct TV how do we watch Netflix and You tube videos? What about "on-demanding shows and movies? Or do we hookup our Internet to the TV as well and use a streaming box? Thanks, we've been really spoiled with the all in one service from Comcast. This is all so new to me.
The answer is... you don't.
DirecTV (and its crappy little sister, Dish) are satellite TV services. They install a dish, you get a great signal, and can watch whatever channels you pay to have. HBO, CNN, ABC, etc. That's DirecTV. It is NOT on demand, it is "live" TV. Of course, you can get a DVR and record shows, and watch at your convenience. But no OnDemand, no streaming, no YouTube.
To get those, you need Internet. And it sounds like your choices are satellite Internet (not to be confused with satellite TV) or maybe a cell service. Neither of which is a good option.
The worst part of living in the country (for me) was lack of Internet. Getting NextLink was a godsend.
Starlink(SpaceX) is planning gigabit consumer services in the Northern US/CA
If you live in the northern USA or in Canada, don't sign any long term contract with Hughesnet/Viasat, once Starlink goes live they're going to have to slash their fees to keep customers.
Unlike Hughes (geosynchronous at 22,000 miles up), the new SpaceX Starlink satellites are low earth orbit ( 340 miles), so latency and effective bandwidth can be much better. Initial starlink coverage is 44 - 52 degrees north latitude.
These companies say they can offer our family fast internet, phone, good video gaming speeds. Has anyone with kids used either of these services for gaming, tv, streaming, phone? One of my kids may need Zoom etc for live school classes.
Please share how satellite internet has worked for your whole family. We'll use Direct Tv for tv.
On a typical night, 2 different tvs are using On-Demand to watch a show or movie, my husband is usually researching on the internet, one child reads using internet and the other video games.
Will we all be able to continue doing this each evening using satellite internet and Direct Tv? Thank you.
Anything live and interactive (phone, FaceTime, Zoom meeting) will and I mean WILL suffer due to the latency associated with ALL satellite connections. It's not even a matter of technology at this point it's physics. The round-trip time for the signal has a theoretical minimum of 500 ms (which you won't ever get) and is already 5x the tolerance for any live session you may be planning on having.
Is there ***ANY*** cell signal out there that you might be able to salvage with use of a repeater or booster?
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Starlink(SpaceX) is planning gigabit consumer services in the Northern US/CA
