I get a call every week from people asking, what about Starlink? Why should I consider HughesNet over Starlink? What does HughesNet offer that Starlink doesn’t?
Well, there’s a reason that we’ve only lost a handful of our HughesNet customers to Starlink and it isn’t because they just haven’t heard about it yet!
Disclaimer: We will not sell anyone something they cannot use and/or will not be happy with either for their location(s), their budget, or their intended use/applications.
Why would I not choose Starlink?
Starlink is fast and awesome for sure, but is it reliable? Is it always-on? Can you count on it? Can you get a Static IP if you need it? Can you get good support when you need it? How long do you want to wait for a replacement part if you break it? What happens if a space storm wipes out some of their satellites, like recently happened? What happens if there are trees and tall buildings around you? What will happen when it comes out of beta and they actually set the cost, maybe even incorporate data caps and other restrictions. It might not be so great then.
HughesNet has been around for 20+ years. First it was DirecPC, then DirecWay, and now HughesNet. It’s been bundled and resold as DishNet and many other brands over the years. While many people have been oversold and it wasn’t made clear to them what HughesNet would and wouldn’t do for them, the bottom line is they are still the most popular satellite Internet provider on the planet.
What Value do we add to HughesNet?
We only enhance the existing HughesNet Consumer platform by offering our private HughesNet Gen5 Business Internet Value-Added Reseller (VAR) Platform which is known as ISPSAT.Â
- No more calls to India for Support.Â
- No more jumping though hoops to get support.Â
- No more waiting 2 weeks for a tech to show up if and when there are issues.Â
- No more restrictions on installation methods.
- No more waiting 2 weeks to have your system moved to a new location.
How do we add Value with our own HughesNet Platform?
- We sell, service and support our own customers.
- We allow our customers to install the system themselves or with the help of someone else.
- We allow our customers to move their system around as needed.
- We allow our customers to maintain their own equipment, which means little or no downtime on OUR platform.
- We offer 24/7 support via phone, e-mail, text, live chat and more.
With our added value of services and support, and upcoming upgrades to the HughesNet Platform, we know it is still a very viable solution for many people and many applications.
Line-of-Site
RV’ers, for example, usually want to park at a campground where there are shady areas. Campers usually want to camp by the lakes which are usually surrounded by trees. Even when you’re in a rural RV park, there are often trees or tall buildings surrounding you that may affect or interrupt your signal from Starlink as their satellites are passing overhead.
With the HughesNet platforms, once you get pointed to one of the satellites we use located in the southern sky, you’re online and have a reliable connection all of the time, not just part of the time.
We know that as Starlink launches more satellites, they will achieve more redundancy so that when one satellite passes behind a tree, another might keep you online. We expect that to be achieved around 2024. However, that still may not even help you achieve reliable service if you are surrounded by trees, tall building, mountains and more.
Billing
Starlink service are currently running around $100 per month. HughesNet Service on the Consumer platform starts at only $59.95 per month and on our private ISPSAT platform, starts at $89.99 per month. Why pay more, if you don’t need more?
Speeds
Internet Speeds are like Megapixels in some cases. The more megapixels a camera brags about having, the better, and more exciting it sounds right? But the fact is that most people cannot and will not benefit from having over 8 megapixels unless they plan on printing the photo out for a garage-door-sized picture frame!
Here’s a great article that talks about megapixels and how too many is not even a good thing:Â https://www.tomsguide.com/us/how-many-megapixels-you-need,review-1974.html
Well, you might not ever need more than 2Mbps, 10Mbps or even 60Mbps speeds to do what you do. I’ve streamed Netflix on 3 big 48″+ HD TV’s, ran a business, VoIP, and gamed online from my PC all at once from my apartment over a 60Mbps internet connection. Why would you need 200Mbps speeds? We know some people do need that, but the fact remains that most people will never see or recognize the benefits of paying for it, but it sounds great for marketing doesn’t it? The faster Internet speeds, the better right? Not always!
Portability/Mobility
Currently, Starlink does not offer you the ability of moving your Starlink system around without jumping though some hoops and waiting until the move gets apporoved.
Our ISPSAT platform allows you to take your system with you where-ever you go in the Continental US, parts of Alaska, parts of Canada and Mexico, and the USVI.
We also offer a mobile-automatic HughesNet Gen5 Solution that goes up finds the satellite to give you Internet Access within 5 – 7 minutes of pressing the button. It’s called the HN90M and it’s available here.
Static IP's
I haven’t heard whether Starlink’s new $500 a month Commercial Plan offers it yet or not, but as of the date of this post, if you need a static IP to log in to your security system remotely, or for a secure connection to a remote comuter at work, or for any other reason or application, that’s not going to happen with Starlink. With our ISPSAT HughesNet Gen 5 Platform, a Static IP is an option you can add to your monthly service plan if and when you need it.
Upgrades/Enhancements
Starlink just came out with a V2 version of their satellite dish. Some people like me had already bought into V1, and now likely have to buy into V2 if we want their latestest and greatest options, features, and services.
Meanwhile, HughesNet is launching a new satellite at the end of 2022 that will take speeds up, and possible over 100Mbps+ for existing customers, and we’ve heard that new hardware is not going to be required to benefit from this upgrade.
Customer Service / Support
We offer customers of our ISPSAT HughesNet Gen5 Platform 24/7/365 support. When you sign up for service, you get my cell number and others so that you can contact us anytime for support an assistance. We offer support by:
- Phone
- Text
- Live Chat
- Facebook Messenger
- Skype
- Teams
- Zoom
- Online Knowledgebase
- and more!
Try to find Elon’s cell number? Try to find a phone number to contact Starlink’s Customer Service and Support? Try to get that level of support from Starlink or from the HughesNet Consumer Platform or anyone else on the planet for that matter. What do you do when you’re out in the middle of nowhere with barely any cell phone service and need assistance?
Why Starlink?
We all know, and personally, I can’t wait for Starlink to become even more awsome and amazing, and for many, it is or has been better than anything they’ve ever had before! Once they get many more satellites launched, once they get portable capabilities, once they get mobile in-motion access going, it will be even more popular, but it’s just not the best solution for everyone or the best solution for every application and never will be!
We offer Starlink Installation Accessories / Support
We are happy to recommend Starlink to you if we feel it’s truly the best solution for your needs! We prefer happy customers, not making a quick buck off of a sucker that didn’t do their research!
We actually offer Installation Accessories for Starlink systems and services.
We have even offered some support to people asking us where they should install their Starlink Antenna and how best to install it, how to run the cable and more.
Other Internet Access Solutions
Why call an Internet Access Provider who only offers one or two connectivity solutions?
We offer DSL, Cable Internet, Cellular Internet, Satellite Internet and other forms of Internet access solutions.
Contact us to find the best solution for your needs, location, and application!
Why Lone Pine Technology?
We prefer happy, life-long customers who we know by name! Our experience, openness, honesty, and integrity in this industy speaks for itself. Contact us today to find the best solution for your needs!