Brightspeed vs. HughesNet Internet Providers Compared

Brightspeed offers a very good deal on fiber internet with simple and straightforward pricing

One of Brightspeed’s real strengths is transparent pricing. Currently, there are no data caps, and no required contracts, which means you won’t get hidden fees popping up on your monthly bills as you will with many other ISPs. Brightspeed internet plan prices are excellent for fiber internet. The best part is that there are no surprise price hikes after promotional rates, which is standard practice with other providers. With Brightspeed Fiber, you can count on consistent pricing that gives you a lot of speed for a very attractive monthly cost. Brightspeed DSL pricing is not quite as good a deal because a DSL user’s internet speed and performance will be so much lower. But Brightspeed DSL may still be your best option if you have no other available cable or fiber providers in your area. Brightspeed is an active supporter of the federal Affordable Connectivity Program. If you qualify for the program, which offers payment assistance for lower-income households, Brightspeed will match your ACP payment assistance. This very unusual benefit will result in your internet service being free of charge or almost free.

HughesNet offers prices similar to Viasat, but often for slower speeds

HughesNet offers its plans at rates that at first seem comparable to cable or fiber prices. The HughesNet first-tier satellite internet plan starts at $49.99/month. But there are two catches. The first is that $49.99/month is a promotional rate, and after the first six months, your prices will increase significantly for all plans. The second issue is that with HughesNet, you are paying for a consistent internet speed of 25 Mbps download/3 Mbps upload. This is high-speed internet by the FCC’s definition [2]. But it is clearly not as fast as the 100-300 Mbps you get for $50/month from a cable or fiber internet plan. And that speed also can’t keep up with the 100 Mbps or more that Viasat can offer many customers.

HughesNet uses soft data caps that may affect your internet speed

Another factor for HughesNet (and all satellite internet providers) is the use of soft data caps. When you order HughesNet service, you don’t choose a speed level as you do with other internet types. Instead, you choose your data limit for the month, ranging from 15 GB to 200 GB. If you only surf the internet lightly and use email, you can stay within a 100 GB data limit pretty easily. But if you plan large file uploads, video streaming, or online gaming, the data usage can add up fast. That’s why it’s significant that HughesNet’s maximum high-speed data allowance is 200 GB, while Viasat’s maximum is 500 GB. HughesNet does offer some solutions to help you work with their soft data caps. Their data tokens allow you to purchase extra data at the end of each month if you need more. Nonetheless, having soft data caps will affect how you use the internet. If you consistently need more data tokens, those extra charges may affect your monthly budget. Consider carefully whether you are likely to need more or less data than HughesNet will allow you under each of their plans.

HughesNet requires two-year contracts

HughesNet requires a two-year contract. If you cancel your subscription early, you will pay an early termination fee prorated by the time still left in your contract.

Brightspeed Fiber will offer premium gigabit speed and reliability, but DSL performance will vary

If Brightspeed Fiber is available in your area, you will be getting fiber’s well-known gigabit speeds as well as a fiber connection that doesn’t slow down or glitch. Brightspeed Fiber will equip you for any internet activities you like, including online gaming, videoconferencing, and HD streaming on multiple devices. Like most fiber connections, Brightspeed will give you symmetrical upload and download speeds—an amazing advance over previous technologies. If Brightspeed is still offering DSL in your area, your performance and speed will vary depending on your location. Your download speed and your upload speed with a DSL connection will be slower than with fiber internet. You also may have higher latency than you will with fiber or cable. You can check your actual speed with our internet speed test. In many areas where Brightspeed offers DSL, there is no fiber or cable option yet. So Brightspeed may still be your best bet. You can order DSL and look forward to your turn on Brightspeed’s fiber installation list. And with the rapid pace of their planned fiber expansion, you might be next!

A HughesNet internet connection is slower than most other ISPs

The nature of satellite internet technology means that satellite internet has always been different from wired internet in three ways. 1) Slower speeds: HughesNet’s maximum speed right now (25 Mbps/3 Mbps) is much slower than speeds for fiber and cable internet that can often reach Gigabit speeds (1000 Mbps and up). HughesNet’s maximum speed is also slower than other satellite internet providers Viasat and Starlink. 2) Weather interference: Bad weather can sometimes cause temporary slowing or outage in a satellite signal. 3) Latency: The distance of a satellite from Earth causes latency, which is a slight delay in data transmission. Despite these drawbacks, satellite service can still give you a solid connection if you live in a rural or underserved area. In today’s digital world, high-speed internet may be your ticket to education, a job, and even medical care. Satellite internet can support high enough speeds to provide you with access to these opportunities. HughesNet has attempted to address latency with their new HughesNet Fusion plans, which launched in 2022. This hybrid technology uses a satellite connection but can also route signals through wireless towers when necessary. HughesNet has not released data to prove lower latency yet. We will track the performance of HughesNet Fusion in the next year or two to see if it lives up to its promise.

Brightspeed offers advanced Wi-Fi in combo modem/router

If you order a Brightspeed Fiber plan, you will get free access to a premium Wi-Fi modem with Wi-Fi 6 technology. That advanced capability will give you 3 to 4 times faster connectivity. The modem will have greater data capacity and support extended battery life for in-home devices. (Your devices will need to be compatible with Wi-Fi 6 in order to perform at this higher level.) Modems that might come with your package would include the Actiontec C3000A, the Axon C4000, the Zyxel C4000, and the Zyxel C3000Z [3]. For some other Brightspeed plans, you may pay a $15/month equipment rental fee for your combo modem and router. Installation fees will also vary with your plan. You will get free installation for a DSL self-install or a technician installation of higher-speed fiber packages. A technician installation for DSL or a first-tier fiber plan will require a one-time $99 fee.

HughesNet equipment requires initial investment or monthly rental fee

HughesNet equipment fees

Buying satellite equipment can be expensive. The dish and gateway for the regular HughesNet Gen 5 plans runs around $450, while HughesNet Fusion is $550. If you don’t want to invest and would rather try out service first, you can rent the equipment for $15-20 a month. Buying the equipment outright will save you money if you end up using your service for more than 2 years.

HughesNet plans include free installation

HughesNet’s installation is free. This is a nice bonus and ensures that a technician can get the best angle for your satellite dish. The technician will connect two of your devices in addition to setting up the antenna and modem/router.

Brightspeed’s customer support begins well

Brightspeed receives 4 stars for Customer Service, with a promising beginning for a new company. Brightspeed provides a 24/7 chat interface for support as well as a helpline. The company also has a website with resources and FAQs to assist with simple questions. Some helpful features on the website include a troubleshooting & outage check, a tracker to tell you where your technician is, and a service appointment manager. A “quick bill pay” function will come in handy too. The Brightspeed Fiber network is very strong and is now producing a lot of customer satisfaction. With their rapid fiber buildout and commitment to customer service, we recommend Brightspeed as a good choice for your internet service, both now and for the future.

HughesNet customer satisfaction rates lowest in national survey

HughesNet has sometimes received low customer satisfaction ratings. It’s hard to know how much of that response is related to unrealistic customer expectations about satellite internet performance. Certainly, when HughesNet gets online comments from unsatisfied customers, they tend to focus on internet performance. In the J.D. Power 2021 Residential Internet Service Provider Satisfaction study, HughesNet ranked at the very bottom of the provider list for the South region [3]. (If you’re wondering why HughesNet did not receive a mention in other regions, it’s likely that the South has the most rural customers using HughesNet, and an ISP must serve a minimum percentage of a region’s customers to receive a rating.) So how much of this customer dissatisfaction is related to the innate limitations of satellite internet? And will HughesNet solve some of these issues by updating its technology? The J.D. Power organization believes that customer satisfaction depends on price, as they say any prices above $70 correlate to a strong decline in customer satisfaction [4]. We’ll soon see whether technology gains can help, as the next two years unfold and HughesNet deploys a new satellite. Meanwhile, remember that while satellite internet service has limitations, it can still provide high-speed internet access when your only alternative is slower DSL or no internet at all.