hughesnet hn7000s setup & commissioning process · the following guide contains information and...

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HughesNet HN7000s Setup & Commissioning Processcompiled by Montana Satellite Services

www.montanasatellite.com

Disclaimer

This information is provided for information only! Montana Satellite Services is not responsible for the use of this information or any damages orinjuries that may result from how the information contained in this guide may or may not be used!

The following guide contains information and images relating to the setup, registration, commissioning and activation process for the HughesNetHN7000s Satellite Internet modems and systems! In order to go through this process you must have an HN7000s modem that is in good workingcondition! In order to complete this process, you must have an HN7000s modem that is not tied or locked to an existing account at HughesNet andthe HughesNet satellite dish must be installed and pointed correctly!

Please keep in mind that this process might be easier for some than for others! This system was never designed for installation by anyone otherthan a trained and certified HughesNet installer. The process is tedious, time consuming and can be very frustrating for some! We stronglyencourage you to have your system installed by a HughesNet Certified Installer.

HughesNet requires a certified installer for the installation and repair of HughesNet Satellite Internet Systems. HughesNet does not allow orsupport self-installations, maintenance, repair or the portable use of this system! If you contact HughesNet for information and support relating tothe installation or the portable use of this system, HughesNet may flag your account and suspend your service until a work order is created to havea certified installer verify that the system has been properly installed!

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This manual is available in print and online editions, so we have expanded the hyperlinks so that they can be manually entered when necessary!

Preparation:

If you need to assemble and install the satellite dish, you should download the correct manual for that dish!We have several HughesNet satellite dish manuals in our downloads section! http://www.montanasatellite.com/downloads

If you are not sure how to connect the HughesNet HN7000s modem to the satellite dish, you will also want to download the HughesNet HN7000sInstallation Manual that is also available in our downloads section! http://www.montanasatellite.com/downloads

If you have not done so already, it is very important that you download the latest SBC (Satellite Based Commissioning File) for the HN7000smodems. We have it available in our downloads section at http://www.montanasatellite.com/downloads ! This file contains the most recentsatellite parameters (frequencies, symbol rates, etc.) that are required for connecting to the satellite! If you do not have the latest information, youmay not be able to get the system online! Once you have downloaded that file and "unzipped it to a .cfg file and saved it somewhere on yourcomputer, you can continue this process!

To access the setup page in the HughesNet HN7000s modem, you must open a browser (Internet Explorer or Safari is highly recommended, in factthe process will probably NOT COMPLETE properly with Firefox, Chrome or any OTHER browser)! We have also recently learned that newer InternetExplorer browsers including IE10 and IE11 may not allow you to bypass a critical step in this process that WILL BE necessary to complete the setupand commissioning process, so we recommend IE8 or IE9 or even the Safari browser for this process!

We have detailed this issue here and offered some possible work-arounds:http://www.montanasatellite.com/hughesnet-content-blocked-invalid-or-expired-security-certificate-error-fix/

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HughesNet HN7000s SBC File Update Process

Once the modem is connected to your computer and powered up, open your browser (Internet Explorer or Safari) andenter http://192.168.0.1/fs/registration/setup.html in the address bar and click enter! Do not enter it into a SEARCH box or it WILL NOT work, youMUST enter that address in the address bar of your browser window! The following page should appear! Click on the "Config File Upload" optionnear the bottom of the page.

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Click Browse and locate the SBC .cfg file you saved on your computer and click on upload to bring it into the modem and then click OK to return tothe Setup Page!

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HughesNet HN7000s Registration Process

Click on the top "Registration - Installer" link to begin the HughesNet HN7000s setup process!

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If you are within 35 miles or so of a post office and you know the zip code, enter it here and click Next to continue!

If you are not within 35 miles or so of the post office using that zip code, or if you are in Canada, Mexico, Haiti, or another region, you must click onthe little "Enter location manually" box and then click Next to continue!

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If you did not enter a zip code in the previous step you will need to know your latitude and longitude to enter on this page! You will enter it indecimal format and click Next to continue!

(Example: 49.18 and choose North in the Hemisphere Dropdown Box and 114.31 and choose South in the Hemisphere box.)

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Whether you entered your zip code or your latitude and longitude, this page simply confirms your location settings!Go back if you need to edit them, or click Next to continue!

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On this page you will need to select your satellite from the drop-down menu, or if you know what your satellite settings are, you can select to enterthem manually! (Skip to the next image for instructions on that!)

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You will probably notice 2 or 3 options for your satellite in the drop-down menu! Unless you know which one to use for sure, we recommend thatyou just pick the top one for your satellite and click next to continue! If, for some reason you can't get signal strength or pass crosspole tests withthat setting, you may need to go back and pick the next one down in the menu and try again!

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If you did not select a satellite from the drop-down menu and if you know your satellite parameters, click the Enter satellite parameters manuallyoption and click next to enter the parameters!

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If you didn't select a satellite in the drop-down menu, and you are entering your satellite parameters manually instead, once you have entered thesatellite parameters, click Next to continue!

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Check to make sure all of your parameters are correct! You will notice the small box labeled "Enable OPI Display"... if you have an OPI or DAPTconnected out at your antenna, you will want to check that box and click Next to continue! If you don't have an OPI or DAPT, just click Next tocontinue!

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You can skip over this page if you wish as it is for information only, however if you know your Receive LNB type you can select it from the drop-down menu and click Next to continue!

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You can skip over this page if you wish as it is for information only, however if you know your Transmitter (Radio) wattage, you can select it andclick Next to continue or click on Select transmit radio part number if you want to enter that information as well!

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You can skip over this page if you wish as it is for information only, however if you know your Transmitter (Radio) Part Number, you can select itand click Next to continue!

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HughesNet Ku Band Antenna Pointing

This page used your location information and the satellite you selected to provide you with the settings for your HughesNet satellite dish!You should print this page or write down these settings to take out to your HughesNet Satellite dish with you!

You can click on Display Signal Strength now or later, which-ever you prefer! Now you have several options:

If you have a wireless router connected to the modem, you can visit this page from that device and take it out the dish with you so that youcan see the signal strength while you are pointing the antenna!

If you have an OPI or DAPT meter and 22khz filter connected in the receive cable of your dish between the LNB and modem, then you willbe able to view the signal strength on that!

If you have a Birdog or other satellite signal meter identifier, you can just use that and the settings above to get the HughesNet satellite dishpeaked on the satellite you have selected.

When you are ready to go, click on Display Signal Strength

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A pop-up box should appear showing you Signal Strength.

The signal strength on the OPI or DAPT or on your signal meter or on the modem signal meter should change as you move the satellite dish! When,and ONLY when you hit the right satellite, the signal quality will jump up OVER 29! If you are using a Birdog, the meter will show FOUND when youhit the right satellite, and you can peak it from there! But anything 30 or over on the OPI, DAPT, or Modem screen means that you are receiving asignal from the correct HughesNet satellite that you have selected to use!

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You will need to peak the antenna as best as you can! The longer you spend doing so, the better your system will perform and the more reliableyour service will be!

If you have fought it and fought it, and can't see to get over 30, double check your settings on the antennas! It's usually the elevation setting thatmesses people up as it's sometimes hard to tell where the elevation mark is, depending on the satellite dish you are using! This process takes a lotof patience and it is extremely frustrating! If, after checking all of that, you still aren't getting anything, we recommend you reboot the modem andstart with the Registration - Installer process again, but this time, select the next option down in the satellite selection drop-box for your satellite.It's possible that the frequency you selected the first time is no longer valid or something!

Once you get a solid signal in the green, peaked as high as you can get it, click close to close out that signal strength box, make sure the littlePerform ACP box is checked and then click Next to continue!

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This page offers you the option for an Automatic Cross Pol test or a Manual Cross Pol test! The Automatic mode tests it once to see if it's passingor failing, while the Manual mode is used for peaking the antenna to make sure it is passing more than it is failing! So, click on Manual to continue!

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A WARNING box will pop up... read and take note, then click Continue to proceed to the next step!

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It could take a few minutes for results to be displayed, but it should start showing you Isolation test scores and results! You will want to peak theantenna until this test shows the highest number you can achieve and it must be passing more than it is failing! This adjustment on the HughesNetsatellite dish usually has to do with the skew setting or tilt of the antenna. Small movements make a lot of difference and you must make sure yougive it a chance to score every move as you make it!

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Eventually, you should get the crosspole test passing more than it's failing! In fact the more it passes and the less it fails, the better your servicewill be!

Spend some time peaking this score as it is actually more important than the receive signal strength you peaked in the last step!Ideally, you should end up with a receive signal strength within 10 points of the Isolation score but it's not mandatory by any means!

If the test never starts or if you do not get passing results at all, you may need to start over again and select the next satellite selection for yoursatellite in the drop down menu!

Once you get it peaked and passing more than it's failing, click on Close to continue!

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This time you will need to click on Automatic to give it one final test!

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If you passed, you can close the box and click Next to continue to the next step!

If you failed you will need to figure out the problem and try again!

If you have to start over, we recommend rebooting (power cycling) the modem and starting over at the Registration - Installer link.

Sometimes it seems like the HN7000s modem can get stuck during this process, so if you aren't getting anywhere, try again!

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This next screen SHOULD be bypassed by clicking Next to continue!

This screen is used only if the default registration server at HughesNet is having issues and another server is provided!

Do not change anything on this screen unless directed to do so by HughesNet, your HughesNet installer or technician, simply click Next to continue!

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At this point, the HughesNet system will be communicating with the Network Operations Center!

When it says Authentication successful, click Next to continue!

If you get errors on this page, you may have to start over! It also could mean that your location settings (zip code or lat and long) were not enteredcorrectly!

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This is simply a message telling you that you are being redirected to the registration server, click OK to continue!

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This is important, so I will take some time to explain this message! This IS NOT a HughesNet message, this is a browser (Internet Explorer) messagethat you will get, or you will get something very similar to this message! It happens all of the time and it is somewhat normal! For whateverreason, HughesNet uses a Security Certificate that expired back in 2009 and your Internet Browser is trying to protect you! Why HughesNet hasn'tfixed this is beyond me, but we've been dealing with this message and messages like this since 2009! Again, some browsers will display thismessage, while other browsers may say something similar, but either way, it is somewhat normal!

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Now, if you are lucky... you will see a pop up box similar to this that you can click to Show Content! However, many versions of Internet Explorerand Safari will probably show something different, but hopefully it will give you a way to Display Content, Show Content, and continue! If it doesn't,you will probably not be able to continue! We have been told that Internet Explorer 10 and Internet Explorer 11 and newer do not offer an optionto continue past this content! You may have to revert your browser to an older version of Internet Explorer or something in order to allow thiscontent to be displayed and in order to be able to continue this process!

If, however, you were able to continue, and if it worked properly, it will start you back a couple of steps, but the second time through this process,it should go past this page and continue!

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This page displays the HughesNet Subscriber Agreement that talks about acceptable use and any contracts you may be under and so on! It alsoexplains that advertised speeds are the maximum speeds you can get and that those speeds are never guaranteed because it is a shared networkand so on! It talks about early cancellation fees and so on!

Obviously no one ever reads this agreement or there probably wouldn't be so many shocked and surprised HughesNet Customers complainingabout their speeds or saying they never were told about a cancellation fee and so on... but read through it if you don't like surprises!

You'll have to scroll down to continue, anyway in order to continue...

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You must Agree to the Subscriber Agreement in order to continue! This button would normally be what ties you into your 18-month contract withHughesNet IF and ONLY if you chose an 18-month service plan! If you are signing up for "month-to-month" service, any mention of cancellationfees in this agreement will not apply to you, HOWEVER, you still must click Agree to continue!

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This is where you enter your SAN (Site Account Number) and PIN (Personal ID Number). This is what will tie this HN7000s modem to YOURHughesNet account! If your modem skips you to the Welcome Page (as shown below), it means that the modem you are trying to setup, is alreadytied to a HughesNet Account and probably NOT yours!

Now if you are simply re-peaking your antenna on your existing HughesNet system, then this would be normal! But if you were hoping to use thismodem with a new account or as a replacement modem for your existing account, that's not going to happen! And in order to resolve this, theoriginal HughesNet account holder that used this HN7000s modem last will have to contact HughesNet Customer Care to have this modemremoved from the HughesNet database so that it can be used on a new or different account! However, just so you know... the last time we had acustomer attempt this, he was told "tough" by HughesNet and advised that HN7000s service is no longer available so there was no need to removeit from the database! Yes, really! So, if this happens to you... you may have to visit our online store at http://www.montanasatellitesupply.comand purchase a new HN7000s modem that isn't locked or tied to another account!

Either way, you will need a good, clear modem that is not tied or locked to a HughesNet account in order to continue! If the boxes pop up askingfor your new SAN and PIN, Enter your new SAN and PIN and click Continue!

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By the way... special thanks to Arlin for letting us use this screen capture whether he knows it or not! But this is what you SHOULD see if the laststep was successful! Now, it's important you know that IF you have requested a "month-to-month" account from us, the name on this page willprobably NOT be in YOUR name! This is because our "month-to-month" accounts are floating accounts that are shared among users as needed!When one customer cancels service that account number is handed to someone else and so on, so don't be shocked if you don't see your name on

this step! However, if you signed up for a new account under an 18-month contract, this SHOULD reflect your name! If it doesn't, contact us andwe'll see what we can do about that, but either way, when you see a name, click Continue to continue!

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This page is simply a confirmation that your account has been registered for service! You should print this page or take note of this information forfuture reference!

If you got an account from us, we will need you to send us that Site ID and some other information as soon as you complete this process anyway!

But you're not done yet... click Continue to continue!

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If you get to this page, everything is going well, but we are reaching a CRITICAL point in the process! The modem is downloading the currentsatellite parameters that you will be using for your account, and if this process does not complete, you will get to start this entire process overagain, so make sure not to interrupt this process!

Eventually it should say Registration Complete and show you a RESTART button.

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Go ahead and click on Restart, but while that is happening, PLEASE read the rest of this information before doing ANYTHING else!

Your modem is going to restart and several things could happen! Once you see the lights on the front of the modem light up and have given itawhile to reboot, go ahead and enter http://192.168.0.1 address in the address bar of your browser!

When this page opens, you will see a Green button (hopefully), but it may also be Yellow or even Red! Click on that button to check the Modemstatus!

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If the button was green, you should soon be able to see an RX and TX status and you should see activity in the Software Download Statusinformation! The modem is going to download more files and then it will reboot on its own! IT IS VERY IMPORTANT that you DO NOT INTERRUPTTHIS PROCESS and do not try to surf the net and do not try to unplug or reboot the modem! If you interrupt this process, lose power or anything,you will have to start over back at the Registration - Installer link again and go through the entire process again! If your button is yellow, it SHOULDsnap out of it sooner or later, just be patient with it! If your button was red, there is an issue and you may need to start over at the Registration -Installer link again! We've seen this happen when the zip code or latitude and longitude were not entered properly or are too far off for themodem to range properly! Either way, I would give it some time (15 - 20 minutes) to see if it will snap out of it!

Watch the Software Download Status for any changes!

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WHEN the modem is finishing downloading files you will see it say "storing received files to disk" and eventually it SHOULD reboot on its own!

Give it plenty of time to do so or you will have to start all over again!

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Don't panic when you see this next page, it simply means that your modem rebooted and you lost connectivity to it!

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Once you see the lights on the front of the modem light up and have given it awhile to reboot, go ahead and enter http://192.168.0.1 address inthe address bar of your browser to get back to the setup page!

Click on the Green, Red or Yellow button to check out the status!

This Green status and the RX5, TX8 and an "All files are up-to-date" message means we are in good shape!

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FORCE-RANGING

It's time to head into the Force-Ranging process! If you have a red or yellow button, you will still go into the Force-Ranging Process and hopefullythat process will fix everything and give you a green status! For the Force-Ranging process, click on that little blue man up there on the horizontalline to the right of where it says "What do these controls mean?"

This is your virtual technician and he can do some neat things for you! He is the link to access the Advanced Configuration and Statistics Page! Ifyou get tired of looking for him, just enter http://192.168.0.1/fs/advanced/advanced.html into your browser address bar and click enter to accessthe Advanced Configuration and Statistics Page!

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You will note on this page that if you look towards the bottom of the first column it will show your rate code! If you have service through us, wewill want to know what rate code you ended up with AFTER the next step!

To Force-Range your system click on the Installation option on the left bottom of the blue column!

Under the Installation tab select Force Ranging.

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In the pop-up box, select Start Ranging.

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When the status shows TXCode 8 Transmitter Ready, you are good to go and your system is online and ready to surf!

If you get an error, you may have to start over and re-peak your antenna, or at least go back through the setup / registration process again,because something didn't work right in this process!

A ranging failure could also be a sign of a bad or failing transmitter / LNB assembly, poor cable connection, etc. so make sure to look everythingover well!

Until you get Force-Ranging to pass and get to TXCode 8, your system will not perform properly!

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Verify / Record your Rate Code

Now we need to go back to the main page in this Advanced Configuration and Statistics page and check to see what our final rate code is and makea note of it!

Click refresh in your browser window or go back to the Main page or visit this link again: http://192.168.0.1/fs/advanced/advanced.html

The rate code will tell us how well you did at pointing your antenna and give us an idea of what you can expect for quality of service, speeds, etc.!

This system shows a rate code of 256 2/3, which isn't bad, however 256 4/5 would have been better! But, it changes with the weather also!

If you get 256 1/2 you should re-peak your antenna or check your cable and connections, cable distance and so on to see if you can do better thanthat or you probably aren't going to be happy with your qualify of service!

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The rate code basically tells us how hard the system is working to deliver your content! A poor rate code would be 256 1/4 or 256 1/2 dependingon your plan, course some faster plans should say 512 1/2 or 512 2/3, etc.

Once you have noted the rate code, let's go back to the Status page by either clicking HOME in the top right of this page, orentering http://192.168.0.1 address in the address bar of your browser and clicking enter! Now, click on System Info (the top right blue button) onthis page!

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This page has all of your account and satellite information in it! You should print this page for your records in case you ever need to replace yourmodem or contact technical support!

Again, if you have HughesNet service with us (Montana Satellite Services) we will need you to send us your Site ID, Modem Serial Number, and thatRate Code that you got form the Advanced page!

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Congratulations, you have completed the Setup, Registration and Commissioning Process for your HughesNet HN7000s Modem.

Be sure to check out our blog posts for HughesNet Tips & Tricks such as:

How to Troubleshoot a Slow Connection: http://www.montanasatellite.com/hughesnet-tips-tricks-troubleshooting-a-slow-connection/How to Conserve Your Bandwidth: http://www.montanasatellite.com/how-to-conserve-your-hughesnet-bandwidth/How to perform a HughesNet Speed Test: http://www.montanasatellite.com/how-to-run-a-hughesnet-speed-test/

Remember, you have a Fair Access Policy that restricts the amount of data you can download in a 24 hour period! Click here to find out How toCheck your HughesNet FAP Status: http://www.montanasatellite.com/how-to-check-your-hughesnet-fair-access-policy-fap/

Feel free to contact us or visit us online for more information!

825 Helena Flats Road #205, Kalispell, MT 59901 - Ph/Fx 888-608-2299 – Int. Ph/Fx 818-459-9388www.montanasatellite.com – www.montanasatellitesupply.com – [email protected]

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hughesnet hn7000s setup & commissioning process · the following guide contains information and...

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