DIRECTV satellite Internet Reviews

They don’t offer their own service as it is; instead they offer their internet service in bundles with their other providers. So in short, there definitely a lot of good and a lot of bad things about DirecTV.

DirecTV is no doubt one of the far more interesting internet service providers: they don’t offer their own service as it is; instead they offer their internet service in bundles with their other providers. You also aren’t provided with information about your internet connection until after you purchase a programming package (which includes TV). But at the same time, that’s the beauty about bundling: you get to bundle together your internet, phone and TV services. And more importantly at the same time, you save money.

So in short, there definitely a lot of good and a lot of bad things about DirecTV. The primary reason for why they don’t provide you with information on your internet connection is because they use third-party internet service providers. As a result the third party provider DirecTV contracts with may be Verizon, Comcast, AT&T, CenturyLink, Exede Internet, HughesNet, Windstream, Mediacom, or Time Warner Cable. These companies offer anything from dial up connections to satellite internet to cable internet to broadband access.

As a result, DirecTV varies substantially on how it runs, its speed, reliability and additional features due to the third party providers.

Speed (Download/Upload)

This is all dependent on the package you select and the internet provider that comes with it. Remember, you won’t find out about your internet connection or speed until after you have purchased the bundle. But fortunately for you, there is a general rule of thumb that you should follow: broadband internet is faster than satellite internet, and satellite internet is faster than dial up. At all costs, avoid a dial up internet connection if you can.

Cost

DirecTV offers many different packages for you to buy. Their prices per bundle range from $54.99 a month up to $124.99. They require a two year contract for the best pricing.

Reliability

The reliability of the internet from DirecTV is a little difficult to explain, primarily because it varies by the third-party providers. A good thing to do here would be to do some spare research on your own to determine which internet providers in the available bundles are the most reliable. The first thing you should do is know what kind of internet service you want. You should avoid dial up and go for broadband if you can, but if you live in rural areas or ‘away from civilization’ then satellite internet providers is the best option for you. These services are faster, far faster, than dial up connections, but lack the speed and data usage of the broadband internet services.

Generally speaking, most internet providers should be reliable, with broadband being more reliable than satellite and satellite being more reliable than dial up. A major issue, however, with satellite is that the reliability of the internet is largely decided by the dish. If the weather is bad, such as heavy rain or snow, it could affect your dish and your internet, either causing slower speeds or a cut of connection all together. Keep an eye on your dish, and your internet connection will stay up and running.

Additional Features

Again, when you select DirecTV you get internet as a bundle with TV through the third party service providers. This in and of itself is a pure additional feature to DirecTV, as it allows you to save money. Whereas before you would have had to pay money for each one, now you can pay roughly the same amount for all three at the same time.

And because DirecTV sells its services as a bundle, the additional features vary by bundle. This means that e-mail accounts, e-mail storage per account, internet security and parental controls, among other things, varies by package and by provider.

Support

DirecTV has a support staff that is available twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, have a billing center, a FAQ section on their website, can personally email their tech support staff and even chat with a customer service agent. There have been complaints from customers of receiving bills not being the same as the previous months’ bill despite not changing the bundle, or other forms of customers accusing DirecTV of trying to up the payment. But as long as you watch the numbers on your bill, you should be fine.

• Cost - 8/10
• Reliability - 9/10
• Additional Features - 8/10
• Support - 7/10

Summary

You’ll have to weigh the good versus the bad with Direct TV, or at least what you perceive to be the good and the bad. A large part of what you get is good or bad is determined by bundle you select. While you will no doubt save a lot of money due to this bundle, you will also not know how good your internet connection is until after your purchase. DirecTV is no doubt a very unique way or getting internet service, and it could either turn out for the very best or for the very worst for you. Do you want to buy internet, TV and phone services all in one bundle and save a lot of money? If so, then you definitely need to check out DirecTV. If there are other options you would like to explore, or if none of the options work for you, then don’t hesitate to check out the rest of the market.

PROS: You get to save money by bundling together your internet, phone and TV services; impressive and efficient customer support system;
CONS: You have to purchase a programming package (which includes TV) to find out about whether you’ll receive the fastest internet connection.