The “Fair Access Policy” :

 

 Both HughesNet and WildBlue employ what’s called a “Fair Access Policy”, which regulates how much data a user can upload and download over a given span of time.  While the concept behind both are the same (regulate users data transfer amounts), the two companies differ greatly in the way their policies work. Which “Fair Access Policy” best suits you would depend largely on how you use the internet.

 When the FAP limits are reached, both companies slow a users connection speed down considerably. The reduced speed is typically around 2x that of dialup.

 

 The overall basic difference between the two FAP’s is that WildBlue allows a user to upload/download to the total limits of their subscribed package at high speed. Once the limit is reached, a user might find themselves operating at the reduced speed for a couple of days or more. 

 With HughesNet the user has a much smaller limit as to how much data can be uploaded/downloaded. However should one reach the package limits, the recovery time to get back to full speed is also much less. (Typically around 6-8hrs.)

 

 Which FAP is ‘better’ depends most on the way you download. If you regularly download large files (over 400+ Megs in size) then WildBlue’s FAP would probably be a better fit.

 If you’re not much of a downloader then HughesNet’s FAP would likely suit you better.

 

 The biggest negative to WildBlue’s FAP is that they really don’t prefer you hit the limits too often. More than a few times and they may cancel your service completely.

 While the limits on HughesNet are different, they don’t care how often you hit them. There is no penalty (other than the temporary speed reduction) for hitting the FAP limit .. no matter how regularly you do it.

 

 Like I said earlier, which FAP is ‘better’ really depends on your downloading habits. Neither package would ever hit their limits from simple web-surfing, online games, IM’ing, eBay, etc..

 If money was no object, then I’d favor a HughesNet business grade package. On their higher (business level) plans the FAP limits & recovery rates are extremely good, and would make even a heavy downloader happy. For home level packages though, it’s just a question of which FAP

fits your internet use best.

 

 Rating (5=Best):              WildBlue : 3                DW7K/.74 : 3                 DW7K/.98 : 3

 

 

 

 

 Modem Features..

 

 Both a good and bad part of the WildBlue design are it’s DOCSIS roots. On the plus side, the WildBlue modem is more like a modified cable-modem than a specialty satellite modem. In the cost department, this is one of the big things that helps keep WildBlue inexpensive to purchase.

 On the negative side, when was the last time you used a cable modem you considered to be “full featured”?. Probably never.  The WildBlue modem has no user-accessible interface to check signal strength, settings, diagnostics, and the like.

 

  Unlike the WildBlue unit, the HughesNet DW7000 is a custom designed satellite modem.

Users can access a compete internal diagnostics & setup menu. Signal strength, device coordinates, setup parameters, error statistics, and countless more information is available. If for some reason service is down or problematic the modem can even tell you what the nature of the problem is.

 I found this information to be extremely useful. Reliable satellite based internet service depends on very accurate aiming of the satellite dish, decent weather conditions for reception, etc. If & when something seems to be not working properly it’s great to have diagnostics available, as it can save the time and trouble of a call to tech support.

 

 I couldn’t find anything in the DW7000 diagnostics menus that was lacking. If anything, it contained much more information than I’d probably ever need.

 

  Rating (5=Best):             WildBlue : 0                DW7K/.74 : 5                 DW7K/.98 : 5

VOIP (Internet based phone service)

 

 There’s no lack of voip software & carriers these days. It continues to grow in popularity because of how inexpensive it is compared to typical land-line based phone service.

 

 Alike gaming, voip suffers a bit from the lag (latency) inherent to satellite communications. As such, finding a voip service that works well over satellite can be a hit-and-miss procedure.

 

 When I tested the ping times for WildBlue they typically came in around 600-700ms. HughesNet ping times came in around 800-900ms on the .98m system, and averaged just slightly worse on the .74 at around 900-1000ms.  While all these ping times are considered high for voip, I was still able to find a couple of services that worked pretty well.

 

 For the services that did work, the difference in the ping times between the systems didn’t seem to matter. I expected the WildBlue system to work slightly better since it’s ping was consistently lower, but overall the different systems worked about the same.

  

 It’s worth noting though that if you plan to use voip with your satellite internet system, it’s probably best to subscribe to a package that has a higher upstream speed. WildBlue’s value-pak for example would not be ideal for voip.

 Also, calling another person using satellite voip definitely highlighted the latency. A delay of about ½ second was noticeable through most of the conversation. While still functional, it was a little more like a walkie-talkie (taking turns) call than a full-duplex conversation.

 

 Rating (5=Best):             WildBlue : 3                DW7K/.74 : 2                 DW7K/.98 : 3

 

 

  Online Gaming…

 

 While we’re on the subject of satellite unfriendly applications, let’s take a look at online games over satellite.

 

 Unlike voip, I couldn’t find an online game that simply wouldn’t connect.  It was more a matter of whether the game would be playable after it connected.

 

 Popular adult web gaming sites like pogo.com, as well more child oriented sites like neopets.com all worked quite well over satellite. Some pogo games are time & (slightly) reaction sensitive, but the latency in satellite didn’t cause any problems I could detect on either the HughesNet or WildBlue systems.

 

 Games that rely on split-second reaction are the ones that are typically troublesome over satellite. Generally speaking, I found that games which claimed they would play well over a dial-up connection also worked well over satellite. Games that claimed to require a

broadband connection were on average not nearly as playable.

 

 The slightly lower ping times on the WildBlue and HughesNet  Small Office system appeared to make a minor difference in some games I tested, giving the games a few less ‘lag-spikes’ than the HughesNet .74m system.

 

 Rating (5=Best):              WildBlue : 3                DW7K/.74 : 2                 DW7K/.98 : 3

 

    

 Availability…

While both HughesNet and WildBlue are marketed as available across continental U.S., WildBlue is still experiencing the growing pains that long-timer HughesNet has already been through and conquered.

 

 For the most part, both systems are available pretty much everywhere in the continental U.S. . However, WildBlue currently covers an overall smaller area than HughesNet and is not available in as many locations.    

 People wanting WildBlue service are likely to find it available, but should check with WildBlue first. WildBlue’s website has an ‘availability page’ where you can enter your zip code to check for service. 

 

 WildBlue is generally available in the 48 contiguous states. HughesNet is available in all 50 states. Alaska and Hawaii users require the larger .98m dish for service.

 

(HughesNet also has branches that service a number of other countries as well. As this comparison is for US customers I didn’t factor that in to the ratings. )

 

Rating (5=Best):              WildBlue : 3                DW7K/.74 : 4                 DW7K/.98 : 5

 

 

 

 Stability …

 

I left both the HughesNet and WildBlue modems on 24/7.

 

 All of these systems perform generally well, and are overall very stable. The WildBlue system however is still going through some growing pains that Hughes has long since dealt with in years past.

 

 I’ve found the WildBlue system to drop service/signal at least once almost daily, for what are typically short periods of time. A modem reboot (unplug the modem, wait 3 minutes, then plug back in) resolves this about 40% of the time. (The other 60% requires I just wait a while.)

 What exactly these outages are due to I don’t know, as the WB modem lacks any user-accessible diagnostics.  I imagine at least some of the time it comes from the maintenance WildBlue performs almost daily on their system.

 Fortunately, the WildBlue service drops were typically in the late evening / early morning which for most users wouldn’t present much of a disruption.

 

 The HughesNet systems didn’t suffer these service drops, and never required I reboot them.  

 

 

Rating (5=Best):              WildBlue : 4                DW7K/.74 : 5                 DW7K/.98 : 5 

 

 

 

Final Scores …(Out of a possible maximum score of 55) 

 

  

Rating (Highest=Best):        WildBlue : 30                DW7K/.74 : 39                 DW7K/.98 : 42

 

Conclusions …

 

 WildBlue Pro-Pak : What worked most against the WildBlue system was the modems complete lack of features. No user-interface, no diagnostics, not even the ability to check signal strength. (Even my satellite TV system can tell me my signal strength and run minimal diagnostics!)

 While this helped to increase it’s scoring in the cost department, it worked against it for overall product features.

 

 WildBlue is still suffering the typical growing pains of a new company/product. It’s slightly lower scoring in areas like system stability, service areas, and even performance in poor weather are bound to get better as WildBlue tweaks and enhances their system. The launch of the WildBlue-1satellite (currently slated for 4^th quarter 2006) should offer consumers increases in most all those areas.

 For the moment though, it’s still a relatively new service. Today’s subscribers are as much ‘testing’ this new system as WildBlue is testing how their product, policies, and designs hold up under the real load of a large customer base.

 

 The WildBlue system tested is designed for home users. As such, I did like it’s packaged offerings (web-space, newsgroups, etc), these are things the average home user might use. Hopefully Wildblue will keep these features, and if anything add to them in the future.

 

 For a relatively new (slightly less than 1 year on the market) system, WildBlue scored pretty well against long-timer HughesNet.

 

  

 HughesNet Professional Pkg. :  The ‘Professional’ package seemed to me the nicest balance of features and costs of all these systems. The DW7000 modem itself is chock full of features, while the .74m dish provides a solid signal.

 

 HughesNet recently upgraded their service plans with increased email storage capacity. It was the first time in quite a while they’ve added features to their plans, rather than take away. (Anyone remember DirecWay Radio, newsgroups and direct news-feeds ?) I hope this will be the first step in a trend for them. It’d be nice to see things like web-space and newsgroups added.

 

 For mobility this package cant’ be beat .. It held out well in poor weather .. and has a reasonable pricing structure for satellite internet.

 

 It’s balance between features and cost is what gave this system it’s respectable score.

 

 

 HughesNet Small Office Pkg. :  While it’s size worked against it for mobility, it’s what helped this systems scoring in most other categories.  Teamed with the DW7000, this system had an unbeatable combination of features and rock-solid stability.

 I was truly impressed to see this system up and running during some absolutely extreme weather conditions.  If you live in an area where weather might be an issue, you’d be real happy with this system.

 

The initial cost of this system and the monthly service plan price are higher than either of the other systems. This worked against it in the scoring, and are the areas I wish were a bit more competitive.  Fortunately, HughesNet offers the option of installment plan purchasing.

 

 Because this system is so well rounded, it rated the highest score.  A solid/stable connection, full featured modem, and large scale availability … combined with respectable voip / gaming capabilities, and a service package that works well for home or small office.

 

 

 

Purchasing considerations ..

 

 While marketed under a few different names (DirecPC, DirecWay, & now HughesNet) “Hughes” has always been the force behind the product.  Early users of their satellite products experienced some of the same ‘growing pains’ WildBlue users are seeing now. (Policy changes, service and performance updates, etc.) In time, WildBlue will get through these and have that much the better product & service to offer their customers.

 For now though, customers new to HughesNet get the benefits of dealing with a company that has made it through the growing / learning stages and is now able to concentrate more on technology innovation.  

 

 All of the systems evaluated here worked  well, and none of them should be ignored if you’re in the market for a satellite internet system.  Depending on your location & use, any one might be a good choice for your home.  Hopefully the information listed here can help point you towards the system that’s right for you.