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Home / Satellite Internet / Who Has The Best Satellite Internet โ€“ The Ultimate Comparison

Who Has The Best Satellite Internet โ€“ The Ultimate Comparison

If you want to know who has the best satellite internet, read on to find out. In recent times, providers of satellite internet to a large extent have boosted their speed and the quality of their service. In short, theyโ€™ve hit the required bandwidth that matches DSL levels.

Who Has The Best Satellite Internet

With all these new developments, one can feel a bit intimidating when it comes to choosing satellite internet. This is because it might be difficult to get to know the limitations, sort of fees, cost of equipment, etc. Hence, this write-up will serve as a guide to help you make an informed decision if youโ€™re currently in the market for satellite internet.

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The best satellite internet

In the United States, the two major satellite internet providers are Viasat and HughesNet this is mainly because their service can be received even in the rural areas but that does not mean others are not in the business. There is Starlink and others but until they commence full-service delivery, you can either choose from HughesNet or Viasat.

When comparing both in terms of speed, Viasat tops as the fastest satellite internet with a speed of up to 100 Mbps. They also have a larger cap that extends to 300GB. On the other hand, HughesNet is better when it comes to price. Their starting price is $59.99 per month with a speed of 25 Mbps and a limited data cap.

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At this point, if youโ€™re still contemplating on the one to choose, well itโ€™s expected. Most times, itโ€™s not about just price and speed when it comes to choosing an internet plan. The real point to consider will depend on what you need.

For those that fancy speed for all their internet activities, Viasat will be a better option because theyโ€™ve unlimited data options as well. However, if youโ€™re on a budget and want a lower price you can afford,ย HughesNet will appeal to you.

Provider Monthly price Download Speed Data Cap
Viasat Internet $30 โ€“ $150 12 โ€“ 100 Mbps 12 โ€“ 300 GB
HughesNet Internet $59.99 โ€“ $149.99 25 Mbps 10 โ€“ 50 GB

As you can see from the table above, Viasat currently boasts a download speed of 100 Mbps which implies that it is far ahead of HughesNetโ€™s 25 Mbps speed. For instance, when you subscribe to Viasatโ€™s Gold 50 or the Platinum 100 plans, youโ€™ll enjoy enough speed to connect your device to the internet.

This is because both are Unlimited plans. The speed Viasat offers also is enough for those interested in streaming in High-Definition or 4K but youโ€™ve to always pay attention to your data usage.

As stated earlier, the price being charged by Viasatโ€™s speed will be a better deal than HughesNetโ€™s low price. You might also wish to know that when it comes to the fastest ISP in the United States, Viasat is below HughesNet.

From all indications, this can be ascribed to HughesNetโ€™s constant 25 Mbps speed which can be accessed across the board. Remember Viasat speed starts from 12 Mbps. However, in a situation where youโ€™re able to subscribe to Viasat 100 Mbps plan, youโ€™ll enjoy surfing the web at a faster speed than what HughesNet offers.

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Choosing the best satellite internet for your home

The following factors will play a vital role when it comes to choosing the best satellite internet plan for your home or office.

Find out how much speed you might likely need

Viasatโ€™s highest plan is 100 Mbps which currently the fastest in the market. Now the question is, do you think you need that speed? But mind you that $200 per month for 100 Mbps is less expensive per Mbps when compared to $49.99 for 25 Mbps being offered by HughesNet. For those who donโ€™t know, you can achieve good browsing and stream at a slower speed. Also, there is a possibility that you canโ€™t access the 100 Mbps speed in most places.

When it comes to subscribing to satellite internet, one of the biggest fallacies is that having more Mbps translates to more serviceability. In a situation where your major activities cut across surfing social media platforms, shopping online, then you donโ€™t need much Mbps. About what youโ€™re being told by the sales agent. The table below will help you access what different speed can do for you:

12 Mbps 25 Mbps 100 Mbps
Use amount Light Moderate Heavy
Web activity Web browsing, Emailing, light SD streaming Emailing, SD & HD streaming, music, downloading, web browsing Large file downloading, Multiple devices HD streaming/4K content, video conferencing, real-time gaming

Note: The estimate is 4-8 connected devices.

How much data do you actually use?

Data usage is measured in GB in sending, receiving, downloading, uploading anything on the internet. Satellite internet is not different than your phone plan. The data you use is the one allotted for your internet activities.

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When you exceed your allotted limit, you wonโ€™t be cut off but the speed at which you operate will now be limited to about 1-3 Mbps until your next billing cycle starts. This can still be enough for you to surf the web, stream videos, and download files. For a better understanding, this is what HughesNet outlined you can do with 1GB of data:

  • Video streaming of about 2 hours
  • Stream up to 200 songs
  • Load close to 1,024 web pages
  • Send or receive 2000 emails

Those that stream video most of the time will likely scuffle with these data caps. This is because streaming alone consumes a large chunk of data. For instance, for Netflix, you need an estimate of 1GB of data per hour in other to stream a Standard Definition video. Thatโ€™s about 66 GB to binge any five-seasons TV show. Already, this is more than HughesNetโ€™s top plan of 50GB per month.

In Conclusion

Putting all these together, you just need to be aware of your habits online. This will help you outline what you need more. For heavy video streamers, you need to invest more in more data allowance per month. The good thing is that on either Viasat and HughesNet, you can check your data usage in any given month.

Frequently asked questions

Who offers the fastest speed when it comes to satellite Internet?

Well, Viasat does. They offer the fastest speed of 100 Mbps with huge data caps of up to 300 GB. However, when it comes to price, HughesNet offers a better price of $59.99 per month with a slow speed of 25 Mbps and a low data cap.

Is Viasat actually better than HughesNet?

If you compare both satellite internet majority of the votes will go for Viasat. this is because it offers a better speed and a reasonable data cap.

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Ursha Repas
Ursha Repas
With a fierce passion for internet and network security, Ursula often finds herself engrossed in the world of cryptography. Her blogs reflect her rural roots and love for peaceful country living.
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