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Internet suggestions, thoughts, ideas for rural area

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Robert17

Premium Member
Joined
Feb 1, 2011
Location
Republic of Texas
My wife and I are contemplating a move to a rural area, well, more than contemplating as we are about to put a sign in the yard, yada, yada, you know the drill. I've contacted 6 out of 6 listed providers for the area and 4 of 6 said 'no way' due to the location. Yeah, fairly remote. One provider is going to call me back as they didn't know upon my call, so it doesn't look good. That leaves me with two options it looks like. I work from my home so this is pretty important. Don't play on-line games, stream an occasional movie, mostly email, news, etc.

One is Hughes satellite; they said yes. Internet speed is 3MBs down, .7MBs up, max.

The other option is getting a signal booster for android phones and using it for a hotspot, 4G speeds are slower still, but the equipment is priced at around $50-200 depending on the antenna, amplifier, cabling and such.

Are there any other options? I was thinking of launching my own satellite but my wife doesn't think Elon Musk will give me a freebie. NASA, no way.

Please share your thoughts. And ED, notice how I didn't say 'little bee'. Crap, said it.
 
My experience with Hughes net was lackluster at best especially with their data cap limits. It quickly became cost prohibitive for me to do much of anything from home. The service was also spotty at best because the area I lived in had nasty frequent weather and I was without internet at least one a week.

I have never had experience with a Mobile hotspot as my main source of internet though so I cannot give you a fair comparison.
 
4G LTE/Mobile hotspot is going to depend on the quality of your signal there... that said, its a lot faster than that satellite...
 
What ED said. This is a frequent issue with my customer base as a number of them live out of town up in the hills and hollers. Mobile hotspot internet connections can range from "I can live with this" to "terrible" depending on where you are in relation to cell phone repeaters, the terrain, etc. All you have to do when you are looking at property is to check the bars on your cell phone. And it can vary significantly from one part of the property to another and from one part of the dwelling to another. So move around. Weather and atmospheric conditions may also play a part. I know people who live back in the woods who can't get any cell connectivity in their home but if they walk to the end of the driveway less than 200 yds. away they can use their phone.
 
I've spent the better part of three hours looking at 4G LTE coverage maps, plans and their rates. Also looking at signal amplifiers for reception and household sharing. Certainly what Lochekey posted is valid from what a friend told me earlier. It's not like Hughes launches a new satellite every year. Somehow I think their ground receivers play a role and probably are tweaked for performance every so often.

I read an article that said the 4G LTE maxxed out at around 17.6 Mbps. That didn't sound correct to me based upon other posts. Does anyone have any more info? I'm spoiled by DSL admittedly. When researching I also noticed that phone plans vary a lot in how much data is available on plans with T-Mobile offering unlimited data, even a package deal advertising "all the Netflix" you can view. Is anyone familiar with them? I've got AT&T now and usually have my phones WiFi'd through my DSL modem, so have no idea how much data I could potentially use if my phone were my hotspot.

- - - Updated - - -

All you have to do when you are looking at property is to check the bars on your cell phone. And it can vary significantly from one part of the property to another and from one part of the dwelling to another.

Got 1/2 bar at the gate, not encouraging which is why I'm also researching amplifiers.
 
You'll need to test the cell service you might want to use at the property, you really can't guess with coverage maps.

4G can be pretty quick if you're line of sight with the tower and the only person using it. Distance, obstructions, and number of users connected and what they're doing while connected determines just how good the 4G connection will be. I'd imagine if it's feesible from a connectivity standpoint, every one of your neighbors is using it as their primary and depending on how many neighbors share the same tower it could end up being a good solution for you in theory only.

As crappy as satellite service is, it's at least predictably and consistently crappy. :p
 
Coverage maps can be very misleading because they paint the coverage picture in broad strokes. Signal strength can vary enormously at the microcosm level within coverage swaths. And speaking of DSL, typically it is great in urban areas but usually sucks in rural areas. It all hinges on how close you are to the telephone company substations.
 
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I have no good advice for you just wanted to say , I feel for you . Planing for where I want to live after the kids move out I want remote . But the border line of how far will depend on I can get high speed . ( luckily for me there are many "cottage" areas that can still provide 100meg service even a hour + out side of town .

Maybe one of the cell company's would be interested putting a tower to "provide better coverage for the area " in a out of the way place on your property if it was free =) only Idea I have for you .
Are there no cable options in your new location ?
 
No. Cable providers all have told me they don't go that far down the road. I've learned a bit about signal amplifiers for 4G which looks like the better option than satellite. Who knows, maybe I'll surf to the end of the internet before move time and won't need it.
 
I live in a rural area, and feel your pain.

One is Hughes satellite; they said yes. Internet speed is 3MBs down, .7MBs up, max.

That's about what I get with Frontier(formerly Verizon) DSL. No phone lines in area?

Nobody I ever talked to had anything nice to say about HughesNet. They advertise on TV a 25MB D/L speed, I'd be all over that if I thought that would be accurate.


For my location with HughesNet:

10 GB(data cap) at 25 Mbps per month

3-4 hrs streaming per week
$49.99

The top plan for this area with HughesNet:

50 GB at 25 Mbps per month

18-19 hrs streaming per week
$129.99 / $99.99 (2 year contract)



I'm not sure how the capped data plan would affect my lifestyle, I don't game but I do stream video, download OpenSource software and participate in Folding@Home and Rosetta@Home.
 
I run a cellular router on T-Mobile and get decent internet speeds and the de-prioritization starts at 50 GB and I have gone over 100 GB with out noticing much of a change in speed, de-prioritization depends on tower traffic.

I get 14-7 Mbps Download and 6-2Mbps Upload at my location, I setup a friend with same system and he gets 20-15 Mbps Down and 7-4 Mbps Up - I have seen as high as 48 Mbps Down and 24 Up but that was close to a tower though.

Latency is Low 20-30 ms whereas satellite is usually high latency, The Low Latency allows VOIP, Gaming, etc.. to work well

T-Mobile One plan with One Plus International (which give the unlimited data) in a Digi WR-31 cellular router which feeds CAT-6 and Wifi connections.

T-Mobile One is $70 for One line, 2 Lines for $100

And if your over 55 you can get 2 Lines for $60

You will need to add the $25 One Plus International to the line (SIM) in Cellular router so you have Unlimited data.

Also I found that in my location that Band 4 (2100/1700 MHz) works far better speed wise than Band 12 (700 MHz), So I set the modem to not use the 700 MHz bands

The Digi Transport has SMA connectors for antennas so depending on situation you may want to use a pair of MIMO Yagi antennas to boost signal.
 
Thanks for all the input and advice. I drove by the property yesterday while out of town on business in roughly the same area (I got an email that the owner had accepted my contract offer). I also had done quite a bit of homework on the cellular providers and the proximity of cell towers to the property, more in depth than originally. So a couple of weeks ago we switched to T-Mobile and at the gate I got three bars vs. the 1/2 bar of AT&T. It's now a matter of 'will we need a signal booster and/or tethering router for PC usage. More homework coming up. On the home front, the painters finished up in our current home yesterday evening so we expect a sign in the yard early next week. We'll see, but this saga is picking up the pace.

The nearest village to the property is 6 miles away, population around 600, no stores or gas station, just a couple of churches, VFD, and a water tank; next in line is 15 miles away, population 4000; the entire county population is around 44,000. The area is forested other than the ranches. I haven't lived this lifestyle in over forty years. I'm sure we'll adapt, especially the quiet, the reduced traffic, and better planning for shopping in town. And since I work from home the commutes will remain the same as I call on clients in four states. It looks like the availability of technology isn't something we'll be leaving either. We've lived in our current home for 33 years, Arlington, Texas. The population has grown from 50,000 to 460,000 in that time. So making this move is more than welcome. Property taxes are 1/2 the amount in the country, sales taxes are 1.25% less. This will be meaningful as old age sets in and income sets out.
 
This is the system I use, a Digi Transport WR31, Switch, Magic Jack Go, and WAP

f0u2ox.jpg
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The best place on my property is in the window of my shop over garage (2nd floor), from there I feed a WAP in window and via the switch-Ethernet cable to house with another WAP and wired Ethernet connections.

Basically it is a Hotspot on steroids!


e-Bay is a good source for Digi Transports used as new units can run from $400-1200 depending on options...

For your needs a WR21, WR31, or WR44v2 would work just be sure it has the correct data card, as there is a lot of obsolete junk Digi Transports with older data modems. You want a unit with the MC7455 or MC7354 data cards.

Part numbers should start out like WR31-L5xx-xxxxxxxx the L5 signifies it has a MC7354 Sierra Wireless data modem card.

If you find a unit on e-bay and are not sure let me know part number and I will advise...

In North America the recommended modem cards are L5 (MC7354), M8 (MC7455), or M5 (Telit LE910-V2)<-- the M5 is a newer one so less likely to find on e-Bay used at a good price.

Note L5 does not have T-Mobile Band 12 (700MHz) and if you get T-MO band 4 you wouldn't want to use Band 12 anyhow! Band 4 is much faster as it has higher bandwidth.

Check the manufacturers specs on installed data cards in Digi Transport as far as Bands and technology (ie. 3G, 4G, 4G-LTE, LTE-A, etc..) available to suit your needs!
 
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Robert, let us know how the solution you come up with works out... I saw your moving thread in general discussion...
 
One thing I haven't seen mentioned is radio internet (small dish on the side of the house relays with a tower VIA radio signal). This is what I get in the country, it's fairly reliable, no caps but DL is only about 3 Mbps and it's a reasonable price. You do need a tower in your area but it's quite popular up here in Canada
 
I've been able to connect via phone tethering so far. I purchased an LTE signal booster and have found, more or less, the better mount area for it. There's so much to do post-move that I've got the antenna dangling from a curtain rod in my office for now. I've had to use a USB-> type C cable for USB tethering so far but ordered a wifi adapter this morning in order to 'cut the cord'. Wi-fi tethering is working out quite well for my wife's connection to Unit 2, now in the living room next to our T-Wee. We were able to stream a movie on Netflix last weekend without any buffering issues at all. I'm looking forward to not having a 3ft reach in my office as I work on the web and have phone cons at the same time.

I've noticed that my signal strength goes from 2-3 bars to 4 bars, occasionally 5 bars, with the signal booster so that's the bonus I was looking for.

Television is another matter. I purchased an antenna and mounted it on an interior wall. Occasionally get a good digital signal but there are only 5 channels and there is a lot of static. The signal source is about 35-40 miles away and there are numerous hills and trees to overcome. I need to move it to the roof or one of the taller trees; cabling would become a challenge if that is the better solution.

But we have burned 4 bonfires with boxes, leaves and pine needles so that the property isn't looking like a dump, so there's that.

Time is the premium item at the moment. I made four in-person visits yesterday, unloaded a delivery truck with 1800 lbs of shale which I laid for a walkway, and assembled a dump cart for my lawn tractor. Home made tacos, a couple of Shiners and a shot of tequila around a bonfire helped ease the strain.
 
Coworker purchased one of those 150 mile range antennas from amazon and raves about the signal strength. Prior to purchase, they got almost no channels now gets like all 12 or so available. I have a cheaper model with a 'booster' and have a much better line of sight to the transmitters, but I don't get as many as he does now.

He mounted his in the attic.
 
you might look at local wireless internet providers, like we have them around here that have antennas up ontop of water towers and grain elevators, pretty decent internet for those whos only other options are satellite.
 
@Pinky [Coworker purchased one of those 150 mile range antennas from amazon and raves about the signal strength. Prior to purchase, they got almost no channels now gets like all 12 or so available. I have a cheaper model with a 'booster' and have a much better line of sight to the transmitters, but I don't get as many as he does now.

He mounted his in the attic.]

If you come up with a make and model I would enjoy reviewing it. And I'll need to find my attic; I know it's up there somewhere.

@wagex [you might look at local wireless internet providers, like we have them around here that have antennas up on top of water towers and grain elevators, pretty decent internet for those whos only other options are satellite.]

Nothing much around here that's tall except for trees. The water is in ground tanks until the nearest town with a tower which is 10 miles away; I've got trees that are taller. And there isn't any grain farming, just hay; cattle and horse ranching predominate, other than logging.
 
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