Satellite System Is Not What I Expected!!

This past January we took a big step and signed up for Hughes Net's satellite system for our internet connection. There has been many weird things about this satellite system. First of all, I contacted the Wild Blue company and my husband spoke to them on the phone and thought that was who we were talking to. He signed up for a service that was $59.00 a month. So the installer shows up on a snowy January morning and he had to put the satellite pole in the ground, which he did. But we never realized until Spring that he did not put a cover on the box on the satellite. He told us that Hughes is okay as long as you don't have to call customer service. Their call center I guess, is in a foreign country somewhere, and he said you have a hard time making them understand what you need or want. So I try to do email contact with them only. They do understand about when our bill is due though!

The good things about having the satellite is that where we live our only option was dial-up from our local telephone company, Frontier. DSL is not an option unfortunately. Neither is any of the wireless services even though all three of our computers are set up for it. So all three of the computers can be online and don't have to be connected by a wire to a box.We have a router instead. My son can take his computer out to the barn during the day and be online. That is one good thing..........all three computers with one internet connection. Fast computers going to sites and doing all kinds of things, like writing this blog, getting emails, putting photos on sites, posting on forums, etc.

The biggest complaint I have is that we absolutely CANNOT view videos, listen to music online, go to Google Earth (which I happen to LOVE!!!!) or download software of any kind.........unless we get on the computers from 2:00 AM to 7:00 AM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If we don't and do any of those things during the day, we pay for it by having slower than dial-up service. That is the reason I have kept one dial-up connection. Nowadays, video is everything! You go to a site and a video will just start without you even realizing it. To learn things and use tutorials you NEED to be able to view videos! Instead of the satellite bringing you up to par on technology it holds you back. It is so unfair.

After all, President Obama had promised in his presidential campaign that all of America would have fast internet service. He said he wanted to give rural Americans the chance that the rest of the country has. Well? How about it? Not being able to use these services is holding my business and me back. My husband recently bought a really good quality video camcorder and we have the dream of using it and putting videos online. But this Hughes Net does not allow it. For $7.50 you can buy an hour or two of usage during the day.

Another thing, remember I said we signed up for a $59.00 a month service.............but guess what? When the bill came it was $80.00 instead! Nobody to talk to. I think they moved us two levels to another level of service without talking to us first about it!

Copyright © 2010  Kathleen G. Lupole