he.net

In One Sentence

he.net (Hurricane Electric) is a U.S.-based internet backbone operator headquartered in California, offering IPv6 certification, BGP tools, IP Transit, and Colocation services. It is not a traditional VPS provider, but an infrastructure provider for professional network engineers, data center operators, and large enterprises. Users choose it mainly for its global backbone coverage, deep IPv6 support, and free public BGP diagnostic tools such as Looking Glass.

Business Overview

he.net was founded in 1994 and is a veteran player in the internet industry. Its core business is operating a large global backbone network, with more than 200 points of presence (PoPs) and extensive direct peering relationships. The company mainly provides IP Transit—offering customers routable IP prefixes and BGP sessions so they can connect their own networks to the internet backbone—Colocation, which provides rack space, power, cooling, and network access for customer servers in data centers, as well as its well-known IPv6 certification and training program. In addition, he.net operates free BGP Looking Glass and route analysis tools for network administrators to diagnose routing issues. Its customers are primarily small and medium-sized ISPs, data centers, content delivery networks (CDNs), and large enterprises that need high-bandwidth, low-latency internet access or want to colocate equipment in data centers with high-quality network connectivity.

Who It’s For

he.net’s services are not suitable for ordinary individual users or small website owners. Its target users include:

• Network engineers and ISPs: Professionals who need BGP configuration, multi-homed connectivity, and IPv6 deployment.
• Data center operators: Companies that want to host customer infrastructure in facilities with direct backbone connectivity for better network quality.
• Large enterprise IT departments: Teams that need stable, high-bandwidth enterprise-grade internet uplinks or want to colocate core servers in professional data centers.
• IPv6 advocates: Organizations that want IPv6 certification or need to test IPv6 network environments.

For users who simply want a cheap VPS to run a personal blog, he.net is not the right choice.

Key Features and Highlights

• Global backbone network: he.net operates a backbone network covering North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia, with extensive peering that enables low-latency, highly reliable internet access.
• IPv6 expertise: The company was an early advocate of IPv6 and offers free IPv6 certification courses. Its network has excellent IPv6 support, making it suitable for users who need native IPv6 connectivity.
• BGP Looking Glass: Free online tools are available for querying routing tables, testing latency, and checking packet loss, making them very useful for network diagnostics.
• Colocation services: he.net provides data center colocation in locations such as Fremont, California, supporting everything from single-rack deployments to customized solutions, including power, bandwidth, and remote hands services.
• IP Transit services: It offers native IPv4 and IPv6 BGP sessions, supports multi-homed connectivity, and provides bandwidth ranging from hundreds of Mbps to tens of Gbps, suitable for enterprises that need their own AS number and IP resources.
• Free network tools: In addition to Looking Glass, he.net offers free online services such as IP address lookup, DNS resolution, and traceroute, which are highly practical for networking professionals.

Pricing Analysis

he.net does not publish standardized pricing for its IP Transit and Colocation services; customers need to contact the sales team for a quote. Based on industry experience, these services are typically in the mid-to-high-end price range because they provide enterprise-grade bandwidth and data center environments rather than low-cost shared hosting. Pricing mainly depends on bandwidth commitment, rack space, power usage, and add-on services such as remote hands or security audits. There is no clearly stated refund policy, but enterprise customers typically sign contracts, and the terms may include a service level agreement (SLA). There are no hidden fees, but users should pay attention to possible additional charges for bandwidth overages, excess power usage, or extra IP addresses. For businesses that need highly reliable networking, value for money depends more on bandwidth quality and SLA level than on the absolute price.

How Chinese Users Can Use It

• Network accessibility: he.net’s backbone connectivity to mainland China is generally average. Domestic users accessing servers hosted on he.net or traffic routed through its IP Transit may experience higher latency or packet loss. A proxy/VPN may be required to access its control panel or remotely manage equipment reliably.
• Payment methods: The company mainly serves enterprise customers, and payments are usually made by wire transfer or credit card, though details should be confirmed with sales. Alipay and WeChat Pay are not supported. Chinese enterprise customers can pay by wire transfer from a corporate account.
• Invoices: As a U.S. company, he.net cannot issue mainland China VAT invoices. If reimbursement is required, it can only provide an English-language invoice or receipt; whether this is accepted by domestic finance teams should be confirmed in advance.
• Domestic alternatives: For similar enterprise-grade IP Transit or Colocation services, Chinese users can consider enterprise leased lines from China Telecom, China Unicom, or China Mobile, or colocation services from cloud providers such as Alibaba Cloud, Tencent Cloud, and UCloud. These options provide compliant domestic invoices and better local network quality.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• ✅ High network quality: Direct global backbone connectivity with low latency and packet loss, suitable for enterprise-grade applications.
• ✅ IPv6 leadership: Provides native IPv6 support, certification, and tools, making it friendly for IPv6 deployment.
• ✅ Useful free tools: BGP Looking Glass, route analysis, and other tools are highly valuable for network engineers.
• ✅ Extensive industry experience: More than 25 years of operation and a strong reputation in internet infrastructure.
• ✅ Flexible customization: Bandwidth, rack space, and power can be customized as needed rather than sold only as fixed packages.

Cons:

• ❌ Not friendly for Chinese users: Access from mainland China often requires a proxy, latency can be high, and domestic invoices are not available.
• ❌ No public pricing: Quotes require contacting sales, which adds friction and is not ideal for low-budget users.
• ❌ No VPS/cloud services: It does not provide lightweight virtual servers, so it is unsuitable for individuals or small teams.
• ❌ No refund policy: Enterprise contracts usually have no trial period, and upfront costs can be high.
• ❌ Slow customer support response: As an infrastructure provider, technical support is mainly geared toward enterprise customers, and ordinary users may not receive timely responses.

Comparison with Similar Products

• Equinix: The world’s largest data center operator, offering Colocation and network interconnection services. It is positioned more upmarket and is more expensive, but has broader global coverage, making it suitable for multinational enterprises.
• Cogent Communications: Also provides IP Transit and Colocation at relatively lower prices, but its network quality and number of peering relationships are somewhat behind he.net, making it suitable for budget-sensitive businesses.
• China Telecom/China Unicom International: Provide IP Transit and bandwidth services for overseas nodes and are more user-friendly for Chinese customers, with no proxy required. However, pricing is high, and BGP configuration flexibility is not as strong as he.net.

Final Recommendation

he.net is suitable for professional network engineers, ISPs, data centers, and large enterprises. If your business needs highly reliable access to a global backbone network, native IPv6 support, or server colocation in a U.S. facility with strong network connectivity, it is worth contacting he.net for a quote. It is not suitable for individual users, small website owners, or small teams with limited budgets. For Chinese users, if an overseas backbone network is not strictly required, domestic cloud providers or similar services from the three major Chinese carriers should be considered first to avoid latency, payment, and invoicing issues. If you do need he.net’s services, it is recommended to first test network quality using its free tools, such as Looking Glass, then discuss specific requirements with sales and clarify the contract terms. There is no free trial, so proceed carefully before committing to payment.