CenturyLink vs. HughesNet Internet Providers Compared

CenturyLink DSL charges high prices for widely varying speeds

DSL is not one of the more consumer-friendly internet technologies on the market. Usually, DSL customers sign up for their plans because there is no cable or fiber internet in their areas. And that can be a valid choice if DSL will give you better performance than satellite internet, though you have to evaluate that on a case-by-case basis. DSL deals are what you have to take if there’s no better option in town. Many times, DSL plans are good options for customers in rural areas. CenturyLink plans are no exception to the general qualities of DSL. You will generally pay $50 for your DSL package, whether you get 10 Mbps download speed or whether you are lucky enough to get 100 Mbps download speed (very unusual for DSL and true for only 28% of CenturyLink DSL customers) [2]. In better news, CenturyLink’s DSL plans are free of data caps. So, despite the fact that CenturyLink’s DSL prices are high, at least you won’t have unexpected data overage charges.

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.

“But it was so fast in the ‘90s!” DSL shows its age in many locations

CenturyLink DSL uses one of the oldest internet technologies: copper cables originally designed as telephone wire. In some things, age is good. Age brings wisdom to people, depth to a wine, and richness to cheese. But in internet technology, age is usually a negative, and especially when it comes to internet speed. Only 65% of CenturyLink’s DSL achieves speeds over 25 Mbps, or what the FCC calls “high-speed” internet.  85% of the CenturyLink DSL network is above 10 Mbps. That means a good 15% of CenturyLink’s DSL customers have very, very slow connections below 10 Mbps [3]. If DSL gives you under 10 Mbps download speed and only 1 Mbps upload speed, you won’t be able to play real-time games online with any kind of reliability. You may also experience glitching if multiple people stream or videoconference at the same time. To be fair, some DSL connections will give you faster speeds such as the 28% of customers who will get 100 Mbps download, and  that will considerably improve your performance. But if you are considering ordering CenturyLink DSL, make sure you know what your other options are. You can test your actual speed here to see what kind of performance your current internet connection is giving you.

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.

Option to use your own modem/router or self-install your connection

With the CenturyLink DSL plan, there’s a $15 a month modem/router rental fee, which is on the high end of equipment fees. You can avoid the modem/router fee by buying your own. And that might not be a bad plan, given that you will make up the price of a typical modem/router in a year or less. You may have to pay for a professional installation, which is usually a one-time fee of $99. Fortunately, in many places you may also have the option to self-install for $15. It depends whether there is still a working CenturyLink DSL connection in your home.

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.

CenturyLink runs below average in some satisfaction rankings

CenturyLink’s customer satisfaction rankings vary widely by region on the J.D. Power survey [3]. In the North Central region, CenturyLink ranks above average. In the West, CenturyLink ranks slightly below average, and in the South, CenturyLink is second from last in customer satisfaction. The North Central and West regions where CenturyLink/Quantum Fiber rank higher are also the regions in which Quantum Fiber provides most of its fiber access. The South only includes one state with fiber internet coverage, which means most of that low customer satisfaction rating is based on CenturyLink’s DSL. The American Customer Satisfaction Index confirms that split in results by dividing “CenturyLink” specifically into fiber and DSL. Fiber ranks 16 points higher than the DSL service [4]. For CenturyLink and Quantum Fiber, these customer satisfaction rankings tell the story clearly. CenturyLink’s DSL service is not as likely to please you. However, be aware that there is a certain amount of online cross-marketing between the two companies. So, if CenturyLink says they are able to sell you “fiber” as they seem to imply on their homepage, all that means is that they’re going to send you to a Quantum Fiber plan if your address has fiber availability.

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.