How does weather impact my satellite Internet service?

Weather and my Hughesnet Service

Stormy weather may affect your Internet service when thick cloud cover blocks the signal between the satellite and your dish. The satellite that delivers your signal is 22,000 miles away. The signal must travel up to space when you make a request (such as clicking on a webpage) then come back down to your satellite gateway, and then carry on to your home satellite modem (when the page loads).  All of this is usually completed in seconds, but storms may interfere with the signal during any of these steps. 

Will weather affect my HughesNet Internet Service?

A cloudy sky, light rain, or fog shouldn’t impact your internet service. But heavy thunderstorms or heavy snow/ice storms may result in intermittent connectivity or a temporary loss of connection. The good news is that if the connection is lost, your Internet will restore itself on its own when the weather clears. 

If you look outside and there are clear skies but you are experiencing connectivity issues, there may be poor weather at the gateway. The gateway is a satellite ground station designed to interpret the radio wave signal from our satellite in space before sending it to your system, and can be physically located anywhere in the country. Just as if the storm was overhead, when the weather at the satellite gateway clears, your signal will restore automatically. 

Check to see how your signal is performing

Click here for instructions on how to check your signal and run a speed test.