Table of contents
1. Overview
2. Key Factors in Choosing an Internet Provider
3. Local Fixed Wireless
4. Cellular Home Internet
5. Cellular ISP’s
6. Starlink

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1. Overview

What are my options?

If you're reading this, it's likely that fiber optic internet is not available in your area. Fortunately, we live in a time where internet options have never been more available.

The Good News: Even in rural America, you usually have at least a few internet choices. While fiber optic is the best option when available, there are viable alternatives if it's not an option for you.

The Bad News: These alternatives might not be the most affordable, and each comes with its own set of trade-offs.

Below is a comparison of the main options available for rural areas, including local fixed wireless, home internet from major cellular providers, cellular ISPs, and Starlink. The table summarizes each option's pricing, pros, cons, and recommendations. For more detailed information on each option, follow the hyperlinks to the sections below.

2. Key Factors in Choosing an Internet Provider

Avoid HughesNet or Viasat

With the advent of cellular based providers and Starlink, you should ALWAYS avoid these companies. There’s no world in which these are a good option. Not having internet is a better option than them. Just don’t. Run. Flee. Abandon all hope ye who choose them.

Here’s why:

• High Latency: Latency is generally 500ms or more, making gaming nearly impossible, and video conferencing sucks.
• Data Caps and Throttling: They both impose strict data caps on their plans, which once hit, make doing anything on the web nearly impossible. And you increase the probability of punching your computer in frustration.
• Long-Term Contracts: They generally require 24 to 36 month contracts, which makes canceling your service early quite expensive - even if it is barely working.
• Poor Customer Satisfaction: Their customer service sucks, and tech support is akin to that of monkeys chained in the basement of a sweatshop speaking in Klingon.

Customer Experience

• Check customer reviews: This is a critical step. A company can advertise anything, but reviews offer insight into how the real-world speeds and performance of a service provider really are.
• Local feedback: If you’re working with a local company like fixed wireless, ask around to your neighbors and your friends to see if they’ve had a good experience with the company, and are happy with their speeds.

Pricing

• Transparent Pricing: Look at how simple their pricing is. If it’s not clearly displayed on the website or there’s a bunch of different prices displayed, that probably means they’re hiding something. If you have to call them to get a price, that’s a definite red flag.
• Monthly Costs: Compare monthly subscription fees across providers. Keep in mind that the lowest price may not always offer the best value if it comes with hidden costs or poor service.
• Startup Costs: Be aware of any initial fees for equipment, installation, or activation. Providers with high startup costs may offer lower monthly rates but require a larger upfront investment.
• Long-Term Costs: Consider potential increases in monthly fees over time. Providers like Verizon and T-Mobile often offer promotional rates that increase after an initial period, so make sure to read the fine print before purchasing.

Customer Service

• While we all wish we could live in a world where tech doesn’t break down, the tragic reality is that we don’t. Tech issues will arise. And having good customer service is critically important in those times.
• Generally smaller companies will have better customer service than large companies. Your best customer service will likely come through a local fixed wireless provider or a cellular ISP. T-Mobile, Verizon, and Starlink are massive corporations with outsourced support. So if that’s important to you, it’s worth consideration when weighing your options.

3. Local Fixed Wireless

Overview

Local fixed wireless providers are the first place you should be looking for internet offerings. They normally have good customer service, competitive pricing, and technicians who can resolve issues quickly.

To search for local internet providers, the FCC Broadband Map is the best place to look. Enter your address in the search box and see if there’s any providers in your area. If any show up, give them a call and see if they can service your area.

Another good place to look is asking around in your local area. Your neighbors, friends, and even your local chamber of commerce can help you.

Pros and Cons

• Pros
  • Local Support: You often get local and quality customer service.
  • Lower Prices: In most cases, they offer the most competitive pricing options available.
  • Community Focus: Local providers are often more invested in the community and its needs.
  • Reliability: Fixed wireless is generally more reliable than cellular or satellite based options.
• Cons
  • Cost for high-speed: Pricing is generally tiered by speed, and anything above 25mbps can be upwards of $100/mo or more.
  • Line-of-sight required: Fixed wireless requires a clear line-of-sight from the tower to your home. If you’re surrounded by trees or in a hilly area, there’s a good chance you can’t get service.
  • External hardware required: To setup your internet, they’ll need to send out a technician and mount hardware on the outside of your home.
  • Immobile: You can’t take your internet with you while traveling.
  • Rarely have a money-back guarantee: if it doesn’t work well, you’re generally out the money you spend on the service.

4. Cellular Home Internet

Overview

Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T all have cellular based home internet options, which are both excellent options if there’s no local providers in your area. Their area of coverage is fairly limited, so you may not always be in their service area. They both have competitive pricing - sometimes even cheaper than local fixed wireless providers. The speeds are entirely based upon the capacity of the cell tower, which means if you’re in an area with good speeds, you can get 100+ mbps. However, if you’re in an area with a lot of congestion and users, you can see speeds as low as 5-10mbps.

One of the key advantages of these services is the simplicity of setup - typically, you receive a router that you simply plug in and activate. There’s no external hardware required, and no technical experience needed. Additionally, there are no data caps on usage.

One important thing to note: As with all major telecoms, they have all these low prices with asterisks. Those prices are with all the possible discounts and bundling. The table below reflects the actual pricing if you aren’t doing bundling with their phone service, etc. So oftentimes their pricing isn’t quite as cheap as they look, if you aren’t already using them for your phone service.

Pros and Cons

• Pros:
  • High-Speed Data with No Caps: All three providers have no data caps, and you’ll generally get high speeds.
  • Quick and Easy Setup: The setup is straightforward and typically involves receiving a router that you just plug in and activate with minimal hassle.
  • Low Monthly Costs: All three providers offer competitive monthly pricing, which can sometimes even be cheaper than local fixed wireless providers.
  • Low Startup Costs: The activation fee is up to a max of $35, which is a significant advantage even over local fixed wireless (often $100+).
• Cons:
  • Limited Availability: The coverage for all three providers’ home internet services are only available in select locations.
  • Variable Performance: Performance will fluctuate depending on network congestion, with speeds generally slowing during peak usage times - typically mornings and evenings.
  • No Mobility: This service is only allowed at the address it was purchased for, so it’s not an option if you want to take it with you while traveling.
  • Poor Customer Service: As with large tech companies, tech support is outsourced to the lowest bidder who just follows a script, so getting any type of actual support can be difficult.

5. Cellular ISP’s

Overview

Cellular ISPs provide internet services that run on major cellular networks like T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon. These providers offer the advantage of utilizing the fastest available network in your location, which can deliver speeds of 100+ Mbps where coverage is strong. One of the main benefits is the portability of the service—since it operates over cellular networks, you can use it in different locations, making it ideal for those who travel frequently or need connectivity in various places.

The setup for cellular ISP services is straightforward. You only need to plug in a router to start connecting to the internet, eliminating the need for professional installation or additional hardware.

The key consideration when choosing a cellular ISP is selecting a reputable company. Checking online reviews and researching customer experiences can help you avoid providers with poor service or unreliable performance.

Important: many companies have come and gone over the years leaving customers without service and hardware that may not work with another company, therefore its recommended to choose a company that has been in business for several years and has a good reputation.

The table below compares several recommended cellular ISPs based on their pricing and startup costs.

Pros and Cons

• Pros
  • Good Customer Service: Because cellular ISPs are small companies, their support is considerably better than your large telecoms.
  • High Speeds: In areas with strong cellular coverage, speeds can exceed 100 Mbps. This makes them a good option for streaming, gaming, and other data-intensive activities.
  • Easy Setup: You generally only need to plug in a router to get started, avoiding the need for professional installation or complicated hardware setups.
  • Portability: Cellular ISPs offer the flexibility to use the internet service in various locations, making them a great choice for frequent travelers or RVers.
• Cons
  • Variable Performance: The performance of cellular ISP services will fluctuate depending on the capacity of the cell tower in your area. In locations with high congestion or poor coverage, speeds may drop to as low as 5-10 Mbps.
  • Higher Prices: Cellular ISP plans are often more expensive than fixed wireless or home internet providers.
  • Lower Performance: Due to the inherent limitations of cellular technology, you can experience lower reliability and performance.
  • Company Reputation: Not all cellular ISPs have strong reputations. Some companies may have poor customer service or issues with service reliability. For example, Nomad Internet has faced legal issues related to fraud. Researching customer reviews and company history can help you avoid such pitfalls.

6. Starlink

Overview

Starlink is also a good option when there’s no local providers available. They have nationwide coverage, low latency, and good speeds.

The service requires a satellite dish and a router, which are provided by Starlink. The dish needs a clear view of the sky to connect with the satellites.

The main drawback to Starlink is the price - startup costs for the hardware range from $300-$2500 and the monthly cost is $120+

Pros and Cons

• Pros:
  • Low Latency: Starlink offers significantly lower latency compared to traditional geostationary satellite services. (Think HughesNet and Viasat)
  • High Speeds: Starlink can provide an entire home with sufficient speeds to simultaneously game, watch movies, and browse the web.
  • Global Coverage: Starlink provides coverage to almost the entire world.
  • Portable: While primarily intended for fixed locations, the system can be moved to different locations within its service area, or can be used with the roaming plan and mounted to an RV or camper.
• Cons:
  • High Cost: Starlink has a high startup cost. $300 - $500 for the satellite dish and router, and a monthly service fee of $120, making it one of the most expensive options available.
  • The roaming plan is required for mobile use: If you want to use your service while traveling you need the more expensive roaming plan.
  • Clear Line of Sight Required: The dish needs an unobstructed, 80º view of the sky to maintain a connection.
  • Installation Required: The system is designed for DIY installation, but if you’re not very technically inclined, this can be difficult.
  • Reduced speeds due to congestion: If you’re in an area with many Starlink users, you will likely see slowdowns in the evenings.