You won’t get your internet turned off if you use more than your data limit with HughesNet, but your speeds will limp along at about 1 to 3 Mbps. That’s slow enough to make a turtle raise its eyebrow. So what can you do? Let’s dig into the details of HughesNet’s data limits, then look at your options when it comes to data tokens and the Bonus Zone. After you use up your set amount of data, you still get to hop online. But you’ll be surfing along at speeds of 1 to 3 Mbps until your data resets the next month. Hello, HughesNet? 2003 called and wants its download speeds back. But how much high-speed data should you get if your secret internet joy is forwarding clickbait emails to your adult children? It depends on your HughesNet plan, but your high-speed data limit can range from 10 to 50 GB. Thankfully, you have a few options for getting more high-speed HughesNet data: you can buy a data token, you can wait for the Bonus Zone, or you can upgrade your HughesNet plan to get more high-speed data each month. Here’s how to get your paws on some of those data tokens so you can finally finish streaming Tiger King and be one of the cool cats and kittens. Of course, if you have to keep buying data tokens to support your Netflix bingeing obsession, the cost can add up quickly. In that case, you may want to check out the HughesNet Bonus Zone for some late-night viewing instead. Here’s a quick look at how much each HughesNet data token costs: So even if you’ve used up all your high-speed data for the month, you can still stay up late (or get up early) during the Bonus Zone hours and catch up on all the “Holy fork!” shenanigans happening in The Good Place at 25 Mbps speeds. The highest-level HughesNet plan gets you 75 GB of data each month. That’s no small potatoes if you’re streaming videos, gaming, or working from home on your satellite internet connection. We recommend giving HughesNet a call to see if they can offer you any deals for upgrading your plan. But first, check out what HughesNet prices are available in your area so you can negotiate your bill like a boss. We put together some data usage estimates to help you get an idea of how much data you might need if you enjoy video streaming, online gaming, and more. Here’s a quick look at how much data you’ll use while doing some common online activities: Between video conferencing and large file downloads, we estimate the average home office uses about 248 GB of data each month. And that’s even if you keep your Zoom video conferences set to the lowest quality. (Plus, we threw in some music streaming and Facebook browsing because we all need to take breaks once in a while.) We estimate that you’ll need about 42 GB of data a month to stream a couple of movies in SD a week—and keep browsing the internet too. Why stream in SD, you ask? Well, take a look at how much data uses per month versus HD video, and you’ll see a huge difference. That 40 GB of data per month comes awful close to HughesNet’s highest data plan of 50 GB.
SD video: Uses about 11 GB of data per month. HD video: Uses about 40 GB of data per month.
If online games like this are your jam, you’ll likely need about 56 GB of data each month to keep playing. And don’t worry, we threw in some video and music streaming so you can chill out while you play too. The real issue rears its ugly head when you try to stream in 4K—you’ll need at least 25 Mbps for that, which is HughesNet’s max download speed. But because 4K streaming uses so much data, we wouldn’t recommend doing it on satellite internet anyway.
Sign in to your HughesNet account Download the HughesNet app on iOS or Android Download the HughesNet Usage Meter software
It’s a good idea to keep tabs on your data use so you don’t wake up to any surprises, like download speeds that are more sluggish than you are before your first cup of morning coffee. (We know the feeling.) Last but not least, if you keep going over your high-speed data limit, you can look into upgrading your HughesNet plan to one that comes with more high-speed data each month. Learn more about your data options in our HughesNet satellite internet review and compare HughesNet to Viasat in our best satellite internet providers review or Viasat vs. HughesNet review.
