Rural Internet Provider Input

[Olphart]

We are out of the service area for cable, so we've been with Verizon, then Frontier since 1981. Frontier is jacking us around with billing for long distance calls where we had a package without additional charges for LD up until October '18. They now tell us an "inclusive package" isn't available, so we are about to cut the cord and eliminate our home phone and DSL internet service.

I did a search and saw where some had gone with Nextlink for internet, but that was back in 2018. Are there any good companies to try and compare?

We can get by without a home phone, but prefer to keep it (I don't know why). Internet is used for searches, purchases, wife's games, email, tv, remote printer, etc. (and TBH). We don't stream movies or play PS or the other game console stuff. We also have AT&T (directv) for tv service and cell service, but I'm likely to kill that BS too.

Help!!

[Rick]

check them out and see if it will meet your needs. I came really close to trying them about a year ago and didn't ( cable company finally gave a good enough deal) It is a wifi hotspot, unlimited, unthrottled for 65/mo., with an upfront fee of about 200 for SIM card and router. It uses ATT towers so you have to have good ATT cell coverage. reviews seem pretty good

https://netbuddy.co/

[Huntindad]

I am in the sticks as well. A local broadband set up a tower a few miles from me. I have an antenna on my roof pointing to the tower and it works good.

drive around where you are and look for antennas on folks houses and stop and ask them who they are using.

[MadHatter]

Just google WHISP internet, Point to Point internet, Line of Sight, or Wireless Internet. These are the companies that provide this type of internet.
The radios are required to visually be able to see each other, hence the tall broadcast towers, and antennas, poles, etc..used for most install.
Smaller mom and pop companies usually provide faster response time to service issues, the bigger companies will generally provide faster speed, and slower service calls.
This type of service is subject to lightning strikes, surges, strong winds, and radio boards fragging, but a 1000 times better than Satellite.
It will never be as reliable as wired connection.
Lots of these companies offer VOIP which could be an option for a home phone.
If Nextlink is in your area, forget about everyone else unless there is someone local, with good reviews.
I've done contract work for several of them over the yrs, and still build towers for 2 of em. If you have any other questions shoot me a pm.

[tex4k]

I'm in town but a small podunk place with very limited internet, cable, and other related services, had Verizon then frontier phone etc., have several outfits along with frontier that offer internet service, all are limited by fiber optic capacity out here and it seems like it's maxed out all the time. Rumor has it that these companies are upgrading equipment in anticipation of 5g, taking the older stuff down just adds to the congestion of the system that are up and running. Don't know that I explained this stuff correctly, just doing the best I can from my 8-track/Underwood mentalility. The point being is ask your providers about this to see if it may cause you a problem.

[glen]

Go make your cell phone a hot spot with unlimited. That’s what we have done and I like it. I have internet everywhere my phone works

[doghouse]

Is Hughes even an option anymore?

[Texas660]

Stay fa far away from Hughes Net, crappy service, two year contract & expensive. If you have an AT&T tower within 4 or 5 miles check out UBIFI.

[Olphart]

Thanks for your input, guys. I'll be researching these.

[DosToros]

We just got a plan with T-Mobile for about $100 a month. we got a tablet and a cell phone. The tablet offers unlimited Internet and Is mobile hotspot that covers the whole house. We don’t even use the phone. We leave the tablet on a bookshelf in the middle of the house. Then you enable your personal cell phone to make phone calls over Wi-Fi and connect your phone to the mobile hotspot. Of corse you need phone service to do this. We just somehow happened to get T-Mobile phone service at our house out there.

[1riot1ranger]

Go make your cell phone a hot spot with unlimited. That’s what we have done and I like it. I have internet everywhere my phone works

I did this, but instead of making a hot spot I bought the AT&T wireless router. So far so good, it's been in place a couple of weeks. Haven't hooked internet TV up yet - that will be the real test.

[150class]

Is Hughes even an option anymore?

Yep. Still the largest sat internet provider in the country followed by Viasat.

OP-Id look into nextlink if it’s in your area followed by one of the hotspots running off cell phone towers like in the first response. I think BlazingHog is one of the options. It doesn’t seem like you guys use a ton of data so should be good with those options.

[friscopaint]

We have Rise Broadband, runs off cell towers. Was great but now towers are getting overrun I guess. Its slower and same woth phones

[Burnadell]

Mason, I researched this for you and found that you have only one option. You HAVE to move into town, preferably a larger city like Austin.

Don't worry. You will adjust in no time at all.

[Atfulldraw]

we are on one of those point-to-point services at the ranch, we have a tiny dish mounted on the roof.

It's.....uhhh.....some service, sometimes. But not during a storm, when a cable gets cut, or on Sundays, holidays, and sometimes for no reason at all.

Two other houses we have that are in the city where we have blazing fast, streaming quality service, which makes the ranch internet service look like it's operated by a drunk rat on a poorly greased wheel.