Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Are there activities that are not recommended for use with a Satellite Connection?

1. VPNs.  VPNs do not work well over satellite.  You may use a VPN with HughesNet plans, but you will likely experience reduced speeds by as much as 50–75%.  You can restore your connection to full speed by simply disabling your VPN client when your session is over.  Note: HughesNet Technical Support does not provide help with configuring or troubleshooting problems associated with VPN clients.
2. Twitch Games.  Time-sensitive applications that require fractions-of-a-second user inputs (such as multi-player “twitch” games or real-time equities trading) are not recommended with HughesNet® due to latency issues.  Latency refers to the amount of time it takes a packet of data to travel across a network. With satellite service, that data must travel up to the satellite and back (about 45,000 miles). This round trip adds about a half-second delay to the total time your computer takes to communicate with a Website or host server.
3. Heavy downloading. The HughesNet Home Service plan is not recommended for heavy downloading.  The Elite Service Plans are faster and can handle heavier downloads.   Note however that the Fair Access Policy (FAP) applies.
4. VoIP.  Voice over IP doesn’t work well with satellite due to the latency issues mentioned above.
5. Video Streaming.  Video streaming does not work well with satellite due to the latency issues mentioned above.