Viasat Reviews

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2.1/5

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10%

Recommended

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Viasat Satellite Internet Review

Company Overview

Viasat has a long history starting from when it was founded in 1986, providing satellite solutions for both military and commercial use. Viasat introduced it's first commercial satellite networking system in 1995 and has its headquarters in Carlsbad, California.

Viasat acquired Wildblue Communications in 2009, a satellite Internet service provider, and then introduced its own satellite Internet service offering that they called Exede by Viasat in 2012, debuting with the fastest download speed at that time of 12Mbps. For completeness, all the Wildblue and Exede user reviews submitted through WhichVoIP have been included in this review page.

The Good

Viasat is a company with over 2 billion in annual revenue and over 5,000 employees. Providing satellite Internet service is just one segment of their business. In this review we focus mainly on their residential home satellite Internet service offering which is available across all 50 states of the USA.

There are multiple plans available which are based around download speeds (as all Internet plans typically are regardless of technology) and also data usage limits. All plans include "unlimited data" but after you exceed the monthly data usage limit for that plan then your data connection may get moved to a lower priority when compared to other customers during high usage times or during network congestion, meaning slower speeds. The plans available will depend on your exact location. The following tables provide a selection of plans that may be available to you, depending on your location.

Video streaming is by far the most data intensive Internet download activity being between 1-7GB per hour, dependant on video resolution (i.e. 360p, 480p, 720p, 1080p). To help manage data usage each plan has limitations on what video streaming resolution is delivered. The idea is to help customers manage their monthly data usage so they do not reach their upper data limit in the first few days of the month by streaming high resolution 1080p video. So you need to consider how you want to use your Internet service and pick your plan accordingly. For example, web browsing has a much lower data usage, with Viasat quoting a typical usage to be 60MB per hour, and social media usage being quoted as 120MB per hour. The below table details some available plans and includes their adownload speeds, data limits and video resolution limits.

Plan Name	DL Speed	Data Cap	Video Resolution
Bronze 12	12Mbps	40 GB	Upto 360p
Silver 25	25Mbps	60 GB	Upto 480p
Gold 30	30Mbps	100 GB	Upto 720p
Platinum 30	30Mbps	150 GB	Upto 1080p

Each plan is offered with a discounted first 3 months. The Bronze 12 plan starts at $69.99 per month, rising to $99.99 per month. The Silver 25 plan starts at $99.99 per month, rising to $149.99 per month. The Gold 30 plan starts at $149.99 per month and rises to $199.99 per month after the first 3 months. The Platinum 30 plan starts at $199.99 per month, switching to $299.99 per month after the first 3 months. The table below provides a plan pricing summary. There are plans available up to 100Mbps, but they are only available in certain locations.

Plan Name	DL Speed	Starting Price	Price after 3 mos.
Bronze 12	12Mbps	$69.99/mo	$99.99/mo
Silver 25	25Mbps	$99.99/mo	$149.99/mo
Gold 30	30Mbps	$149.99/mo	$199.99/mo
Platinum 30	30Mbps	$199.99/mo	$299.99/mo

Additional costs associated with these plans include an equipment lease fee of $12.99 per month, plus all fees are subject to taxes and regulatory fees. A onetime standard installation fee may also be required (between $100 and $300) and there is no self installation option (it must be installed by a trained technician). Please also be aware that a minimum 24 month service term commitment is required for all plans noted above.

Add on services are available to bundle including home phone service for $29.99 per month (for the first 6 months) and you can also bundle DISH satellite TV (prices vary). Viasat Shield provides protection against online security threats and the Premium option costs $5.99 per month. EasyCare is another add-on option that provides additional protection, assistance, and support for $8.99 per month (first 3 months are free). With this coverage service calls are free (typically $95) and you get priority customer support with a dedicated support line.

An Internet service help center is available online accessible through their website. It includes sections for billing, plans and products, account admin, speeds and connectivity, technical troubleshooting, and new customers. You can call a customer care agent via a toll free number, sign up for text alerts or login to their secure online portal to access your account information. You can also download the "My Viasat" mobile App from the Apple or Google stores.

Viasat also offer small business Internet plans, as well as solutions for aviation and maritime segments. For small business they have 35 Mbps download speed plans with metered data caps, from 1GB up to 200GB. Pricing ranges from $50 per month to $400 per month, based on the amount of metered data per month.

The Bad

Like other satellite Internet service offerings it is expensive when compared with alternative Internet technology solutions such as Cable, DSL and Fiber.

The download speeds are reasonable but much lower than is possible with other services like Cable and Fiber options.

Data caps are another downside of most satellite Internet options. This means once you reach a certain data usage limit during the month you may well find your download speeds being limited during times of network congestion.

Plans require a 24 month commitment, with termination fees if you cancel early.

You will most likely have to pay an installation fee in the $100 to $300 range. Keep a look out for special deals with free installation which are sometimes available.

Extreme weather can impact your service the same as any satellite connection.

The Bottom Line

Various plans available depending on your exact location.
Plans vary by download speed, data caps and delivered video resolution when streaming.
Plans can range from starting prices of $69.99 through $199.99 per month and higher.
Most plans have a reduced rate for the first 3 months then increase to standard pricing.
Add-on services available, including home phone service, DISH TV, online cyber threat protection, and priority customer service.

Overall Thoughts

Viasat Internet service, formerly known as Exede and also Wildblue, is an alternative solution to those homes that do not have access to DSL, Cable or Fiber technologies. The download speeds can be reasonable and sufficient for most people's home Internet needs. The biggest disadvantage revolves around the cost of service and the data caps enforced on monthly usage.

Overall though it is a viable option for many people and in the 21st century it can be a case of having the option of Internet in your home is better than not having the option.

Please consider leaving a review based on your experience with Viasat, Exede, or Wildblue Internet services.

All User Reviews (Page 1 of 10)

Viasat reviews are listed in chronological order.

(2.3)

Number 91 : JUL 23rd, 2024 : Peggy (VA)

Recommended: No

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Two years ago I advised Viasat two months in advance that I needed to discontinue the service. Would they come to my home to dismantle the dish. The answer was NO. Since I was unable to do it myself I hired someone who did take the part off the dish. Viasat said they would send a box. Two months later and several phone calls NO BOX. When I advised them of my new address they said again they would send a box. Again several phone calls and three months later I got the box, put the parts in the box and took it to UPS. Viasat now claims that they did not receive everything from the dish and I have been harassed by phone calls, text and now a letter claiming I owe $159. The box was received and most likely the parts are somewhere in their warehouse or factory. A thoroughly unpleasant and upsetting experience with this company.

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(1)

Number 90 : JUL 12th, 2024 : Abba (CA)

Recommended: No

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Viasat left my business without service between July 4, 2024 till July 15, 2024, because they had sent an initial technician out which is 3rd party contracted and while the first technician came out and said they fixed everything, in reality though my service was never back up but the technician had already taken off. I was then forced to keep my businesses neglected by Viasat because they mentioned they couldn't expedite or escalate a work service call because their initial 3rd party technician was recently there on July 9, 2024, but between July 4, 2024 till July 15, 2024 I incurred losses in sales exceeding thousands and thousands of dollars in sales, because my sales were being processed through Viasat's internet service and I had no service which I paid for continuously for over the last four and a half years as a customer of Viasat. My business has again incurred losses potentially exceeding thousands and thousands of dollars in lost sales as this business is a multifaceted business. Viasat and their representatives do not care and cannot do anything especially since their central office is in Mexico, but based on the fact that my business follows corporate regulations, I did place an FCC FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSIONER COMPLAINT, based on my incurred losses, continuous outages of service for almost two weeks is unacceptable. Had the location been a residence I would've understood. And on top of all of that Viasat wanted to credit me $50, while continuing to ignore and neglect my business and the continuously incurred losses. Today is July 12,2024. I will have lost by Corporate calculations anywhere from $25,500 to $40,000 in internet payment transactions. Commercial customers beware. The losses incurred were calculated by Corporate, and that the losses would be no less than $25,500 and well likely in excess of $40,000 because Viasat didn't provide the service I paid for on any level even though I'd been a customer continuously for 4 and a half years, I still had issues in general but this month is when things really got out of hand and Viasat became extremely negligent with my business being down without internet service for nearly two weeks.

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(1.6)

Number 89 : DEC 7th, 2022 : Saravana (FL)

Recommended: No

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Unreliable, horrible service. I used it for cameras in my farm, and they do not function most of the time. When he disconnected and switched over to Starling, even when I had used 0 data for the preceding 3 months I have to pay. I sent the equipment in the same package but they claim to receive only 1 equipment and they sent the bill to collections without informing me in a matter of 5 days. Do not ever sign up with them. The customer service is also horrible and lie and are evasive.

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(1.1)

Number 88 : MAR 27th, 2022 : Michael (PA)

Recommended: No

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Hello all, This will be my first and hopefully last one star review of a service. To start, Viasat is completely overpriced and you won't receive the download speeds that are advertised and that you pay for. While you have not surpassed your "soft" data your speeds will be low and when you surpass the cap you'll often find the service completely unusable most of the time. Including high traffic times, low traffic times, and almost every moment in between. Their customer service representatives will be evasive, if not lie to your face, and that's if you can even get in contact with them. They get away with it by stating that you "SHOULD" get speeds of 1 - 3 megabits/second after you surpass the soft cap. It's more along the lines of 0.01Mbps. UNUSABLE. Viasat is at best an overpriced scam with no care for the customer. If you value your time and money DO NOT PURCHASE.

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(1)

Number 87 : DEC 28th, 2021 : Kim (LA)

Recommended: No

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My mom lives in a rural area where the Internet choices are scarce. She went with HughesNet and they overcharge and under provide on their services. I started looking for other possibilities and ViaSat does a lot of advertising. I called but their prices are steep, so I wanted to call around a bit more before settling with them, even though she claimed that HughesNet and their company ViaSat were the only Internet providers in town and they were the best...they offered to do a call back for the next day at 2pm. By then, I found another affordable provider and awaited their call to tell them she went with someone else. The customer service rep asked if it was a good time to talk, I said yes, and then told them we had went with someone else and he hung up ending the call which is highly unprofessional. My husband called back to see if the phone was disconnected somehow but we reached another rep who couldn't give the information of the previous caller. Don't go with this company, they are high priced, rude, unprofessional liars.

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(2.1)

Number 86 : DEC 4th, 2021 : GCS (VA)

Recommended: No

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Viasat is the true better-then-nothing option for rural users. Beyond that, expect only basic performance with near-useless bandwidth on the up-stream side. My home security cameras were barely viewable, with near slide-show or total freeze frame rates. Also, Viasat is predatory in their contract practices. To "try" their service you have to buy into a 2-year contract. Also, they only accept auto-pay account arrangements. In my case, I terminated my service when finally getting Comcast to my home. Viasat took almost 2 months to send me a "return equipment" box and included the requirement that I go up on the roof and retrieve their microwave scoop off the dish!! Despite my same-day return (once I got my box) they charged me more money without explanation or permission a few days later. When the card was declined (I blocked it after closing the service) they immediately put me in collections! Summary: Pros: Better than Hughesnet satellite. Good basic internet for web browsing and E-mail Passable downstream video streaming with occasional buffering on 720p or better, even on their "best" plan. Cons: Useless upload bandwidth video for security cameras, Skype, Zoom, VOIP, or any 2-way real-time streaming. Outages a couple times a year when they reset their Satellite "cells" to sync with your dish location. Gaming? Forget it. Ping averages 690ms... You're dead before you even see the monster come into the room! Predatory billing practices. Even if you pay in full upon termination, they can bill you again for any reason.

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(2.4)

Number 85 : AUG 8th, 2021 : Kevin (MD)

Recommended: No

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EXEDE REVIEW: For a little over $200 a month for this service the download speed was .06Mbps, upload speed was 1.7Mbps on a Sunday night at 9pm. Totally unacceptable. When they say unlimited data it's not. I have the highest data plan and look at the speed I posted.

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(2.6)

Number 84 : MAR 6th, 2019 : Not Happy Client (ID)

Recommended: No

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WILDBLUE REVIEW: Since I live way out in the country this is the only service provider I can get. You NEVER get to talk to a person that can speak English. It is all outsourced. They read from a script and half the time they do not even know there is an outage. Other than moving to HughesNet I am stuck with this service. I work from home and as much as they are down I lose a lot of money each time their service burps. I wish they would not outsource and have a team you can understand!

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(4.7)

Number 83 : DEC 19th, 2018 : Pam (AZ)

Recommended: Yes

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EXEDE REVIEW: We switched to Viasat (Exede) after years of CenturyLink being the only Internet service available where we lived. CenturyLink only provided 1.5 Mbps! We could still stream through Roku but had frequent times when there was so much buffering that we couldn't stream. It was very slow Internet. Viasat has been good, consistent and speedy. The Internet speed increased dramatically, then even faster when I upgraded to the Viasat browser. We plan to switch over to their phone service soon too. They are as good or better than the Cableone we had at another home.

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(2)

Number 82 : FEB 21st, 2018 : Kevin (VA)

Recommended: No

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EXEDE REVIEW: Horrible option for Internet. It was good for the first 2 or 3 years, but now they seem to want me to change from my "classic" plan to a plan that would cost more money. I had a Exede (Viasat) support person offer to patch me through to their "accounts" department to cancel my plan. I did not ask to cancel, they offered it. When you go over the data limit some websites and services are blocked. FTP to Wunderground is blocked! About a year ago, they started counting everything you do in their data including the warning about you approaching data limit. Can't wait to get another option. Didn't like HughesNet either.

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Page 1 of 10

Disclaimer: The opinions, views and ratings expressed in these reviews are those solely of the reviewer who submitted the review. Whichvoip.com does not necessarily agree with any of the expressed opinions, view or ratings.

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