Which Has Better Internet Service: DirecTV or Dish Network?

Both DirecTV and Dish Network offer three different levels of Internet access, each with a different cost. As of July, 2011, the basic level for DirecTV costs around $60 per month. The second DirectTV level, Power 150, costs $80 per month and the third level, Power 200, costs $110 per month. The Dish Network also offers three different levels: the silver level costs $50 per month, the gold level costs $70 per month and the platinum level costs $80 per month.

The speed of your satellite Internet connection varies depending on the level of service you choose and the provider. As of July, 2011, the DirecTV basic level offers users a 1.0 Mbps download speed and a 200 Kbps upload speed. For the Power 150 level, download speed goes up to 1.5 Mbps and the upload speed is 250 Kbps. The Power 200 level offers downloads up to 2.0 Mbps and uploads at 300 Kbps. The Dish Network silver package features 512 Kbps downloads and 128 Kbps uploads. The gold download speeds go up to 1.0 Mbps and uploads clock in up to 200 Kbps. For the platinum level, users can expect up to 1.5 Mbps for downloading and 256 Kbps for uploading.

One of the draws for one or the other of the available services are the extras that are provided with the cost of the service. DirecTV gives users access to technical support 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. Each account allows users to create up to 5 different e-mail addresses except for the Power 200 level, which allows you up to 10 e-mail addresses. Installation is also included. Dish Network also includes free technical support and installation. In addition, Dish Network offers 24 months of free anti-virus and anti-spam software.

Both companies have a Fair Access Policy to help control how much people are downloading to help prevent slowdowns for all users. DirecTV allows each user 200 MB per day on the basic plan, 300 MB per day on the Power 150 and 400 MB per day on the Power 200 as of July, 2011. Dish Network puts a cap on the download size per month instead: the download cap is 7,500 MB for silver, 12,000 MB for gold and 17,000 MB for platinum. In addition, Dish Network also caps uploads at 2,300 MB for silver, 3,000 MB for gold and 5,000 MB for platinum. For both providers, if you reach the threshold your speed may be reduced.

While both companies give new users free professional installation, responsibility for the equipment and activation of the service vary depending on the company you use. As of July, 2011, DirecTV users are responsible for purchasing their equipment at the price of $300 but activation is free. Dish Network allows users to lease the equipment for a one-time fee of $49, but activation of their service costs $100. Both companies require users to sign a 24-month contract for services.