Let’s dig in and land on a satellite internet plan that’s just right for you. An easy way to check is to use our zip code tool. Just enter your zip code and we’ll show you all the internet options available in your area. Easy peasy. But large buildings or trees around your home could limit satellite internet access, so check with your potential ISP to make sure nearby obstructions won’t interfere with your signal. Because of the particular positioning and extremely hands-on installation, both Viasat and HughesNet require you to pay for professional installation. (And you’ll likely have to pay if your satellite dish needs to be relocated too.) Here’s a quick look at how much your satellite equipment and installation costs for both Viasat and HughesNet:
Monthly enrollment cost: $8.99/month Service call fee: $0 (normally $95.00) Dish relocation fee: $95.00 (normally $200.00). Must be relocated to a location at the same address, and can be relocated only once a year.
Onsite service call within vesting period and new contract signed: $99.00 copay Onsite service call within vesting period and new contract not signed: $199.00 copay Onsite service call after vesting period: $24.99 copay
We don’t think that’s a good policy. It’s too complicated, and we don’t like that you’re asked to sign a new 24-month contract to get the lower price if you need a technician to fix an issue before those 30 days are up. To make matters more complicated, there are also two levels of the Express Repair program: Basic and Premium. Both require the same 30-day vesting period, and here’s how they compare. It’s worth asking whether these equipment upgrades are free and how you qualify for them. We don’t expect these costs will come around often, but it’s still good to have a heads up rather than a surprise. Your satellite internet service can be disrupted by extreme weather, but it isn’t a regular occurrence. It’s also a good idea to regularly check your satellite dish and the cables attached to it to make sure they haven’t been damaged or aren’t buried under debris. (These issues can affect your satellite internet speed too.) To get a general idea of how many outages Viasat or HughesNet experience, you can check each ISP’s DownDetector page:
Viasat internet status HughesNet internet status
If you scroll down the page, you’ll also see a spot for “Resolved issues” and a link to see an archive of past issues just below it. Now you can check how many outages each ISP had in previous months. Just keep in mind that some reported outages may be the fault of the person reporting them, or may be tied to a weather event in a specific area. Still, DownDetector’s archives give you a general idea of how reliable your potential new satellite ISP is. If you do end your Viasat or HughesNet service before your contract is up, you’ll be charged an early termination fee (ETF). Depending on how much time you have left on your contract, those ETFs can really add up.
Viasat early termination fee: $15 for every month left on your contract HughesNet early termination fee: $85–$400
Viasat, on the other hand, offers you anywhere from 12 to 100 Mbps download speeds. Of course, you’ll pay more for faster speeds. We recommend at least 25 Mbps download speeds if you can afford them. That allows you to handle basic online tasks and even stream a few TV shows in HD. But internet speed and data go hand-in-hand when it comes to satellite internet, so you’ll also want to consider how much data you need, which we’ll get to next. Here’s an overview of the internet speeds and costs you can expect for both Viasat and HughesNet. Every Viasat and HughesNet satellite internet plan includes data caps, and you’ll either need to pay extra for more data or deal with slower download speeds. We created guides to both Viasat data caps and HughesNet data caps so you can dig into the nitty gritty details. But to give you an idea of what to expect, here’s how each satellite internet provider handles data caps and overages. One of the best ways to get a deal is to ask for one, so don’t hesitate to press the representative you speak with about current discounts. We’ve also got a list of the best internet deals each month, and we’ve seen some discounts pop up for both satellite internet providers there.
