How to Get Internet in Rural Areas

If you live in a rural community, you sit right on the edge of the “digital divide.” One side gets easy-breezy internet access, while the other side often gets left behind by the major internet providers.

Good news, though—a dedicated few still keep rural living in mind. If you’re moving to the country soon or unhappy with your current service, this guide on how to get high-speed internet in rural areas can help you confidently choose the right service for you.

Internet Options for Rural Areas

Wired internet connections

The most similar to urban internet solutions, wired internet for rural areas runs on underground networks of copper and fiber-optic cables. DSL and mixed networks are the most common wired services rurally, while dial-up fills the gaps and fiber internet is available to a lucky few.

• Dial-up. Up to 1 Mbps. Dial-up uses local telephone infrastructure to send data to and from your home. Thought of as an obsolete technology by many urban residents, dial-up still fills the gaps in DSL coverage and provides needed bandwidth for basic browsing.

• DSL. 10 Mbps to 100 Mbps. Like dial-up, DSL internet sends data over the copper wiring of your hometown’s local telephone grid, but the connection is “always on” and doesn’t share traffic with your phone line. Speeds vary based on how far your neighborhood is from the nearest station.

• Mixed wired network. 100 Mbps to 1 Gbps. In most areas, only one type of wired broadband is available, DSL or cable. Mixed networks such as Windstream internet, however, combine DLS, dial-up, fiber-optic, and even cable networks to give you the fastest possible speeds wherever you are.

• Fiber. 500 Mbps to 2+ Gbps. Fiber is the fastest, most advanced technology on the market. Although fiber companies are working hard to build out the infrastructure, it’s by no means available everywhere yet, even in large metros. That said, it can be available in rural areas just outside of urban centers with a robust fiber network.

Wireless internet connections

The word “wireless” has several meanings depending on context. In this case, it refers to a home internet service that broadcasts signal through air and space rather than an underground network of copper or fiber cabling.

1. Satellite internet. 10 Mbps to 150 Mbps. As the name implies, satellite internet sends data to and from orbiting satellites using radio waves. Select satellite networks offer speeds competitive with wired networks. However, satellite internet has the highest latency (lag) in rural internet because of the sheer distance the data travels round-trip.
2. Cellular 4G LTE or 5G. 25 Mbps to 245 Mbps. Just like your mobile data service, cellular home internet runs on a network of cell towers that broadcast radio signals over large areas. These days, 4G and 5G network types are common and offer speeds competitive with wired internet.
3. Fixed wireless. 25 Mbps to 50 Mbps. Fixed wireless is very similar to cellular home internet, except that rather than forming a national network, fixed wireless internet towers are usually owned and operated by smaller companies with a focus on serving local areas. Availability varies widely—and also requires a clear path to the cell tower for a reliable signal.

Compare Rural Internet Options at a Glance

Type of Rural Internet	Technology	Download Speeds	Monthly Pricing	Latency (Lag)	Data	Rural Availability
Dial-up	Wired	Up to 1 Mbps	Free–$15, requires phone line	160 ms	Unlimited	Widely available
DSL	Wired	10–100 Mbps	$55	28 ms	Unlimited	Widely available
Mixed network	Wired	100–1,000 Mbps	$40–$70	25 ms	Unlimited	Widely available
Fiber	Wired	500–2,000+ Mbps	$40–$100+	10 ms	Unlimited	Limited availability
Satellite	Wireless	10–150 Mbps	$50–$300	500+ ms	Lower speeds after soft data cap	Widely available
Cellular 4G/5G	Wireless	25–245 Mbps	$35–$50	30 ms	Lower speeds after soft data cap	Widely available
Fixed wireless	Wireless	25–50 Mbps	$45–65	30 ms	Unlimited at provider’s discretion	Limited availability

How to Get Better Internet in Rural Areas

“Better” is subjective, but we can help you define it for yourself. If you’re moving soon or your current services aren’t cutting it, here’s a step-by-step guide to help you make a decision you’ll be happy with.

1. Analyze your current pain points

• Speed. If you feel like you just can’t get anything done online, test your internet speed to see if you’re getting the advertised bandwidth. If your results are lower than you expected, reach out to customer service to rule out a technical issue. If there isn’t one, that’s your sign to shop for faster speeds.
• Latency. It’s possible to have both high speeds and a sluggish or inconsistent internet connection because of high latency (lag). Test your latency along with your speed, and if it’s above 50 ms, take it up with customer service—or shop for better internet. Providers don’t usually state latency rates, so you’ll need to do additional research or compare your test results to the typical latencies listed in the table above.
• Pricing and terms. If you’re frustrated with your monthly price, throttled data, or rigid contract, look for service plans with the terms you want. You can also look out for promotions or benefits, e.g., a money-back guarantee or reward cards, to sweeten the pot.

2. Rank your priorities

Generally, people want the highest speeds they can get at the lowest price available. But unless you’re made of money, you usually have to prioritize one over the other.

• When to prioritize speed: when you have a crowded home or ambitious plans for using your internet. Email, social media, and banking won’t take much speed, but HD streaming, video calls, and especially gaming need a lot more.
• When to prioritize price: ultimately, only you can decide this one. Just make sure you’ve tallied all the equipment, activation, installation, or service fees you can find before you make your final decision.
• Other priorities to consider: latency and reliability. If you work from home and have to be online all the time, you’ve got to aim for the most reliable service possible. If you’re a more casual user and can afford occasional interruptions, you can leave latency out of the picture.

3. Compare, and find a happy medium

Once you’ve identified pain points and ranked your priorities, start shopping for internet services in your area. Use the handy comparison table below to compare the results against your ranked priorities. Then narrow down the options until you can confidently say you’ve got “better” internet in your rural area.

Note: If you can’t find the data policy, see if it’s in the fine print.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is all rural internet slow?

Not all rural internet. The slowest rural internet service is dial-up, and DSL can also be slower the farther you go from a network node.

Every other type of rural internet has offered higher speeds over time to match the way people currently use the internet. Most of their plans meet the FCC’s requirements for broadband or “high-speed” internet speeds (25 Mbps download / 3 Mbps upload), which is enough for social media, work from home, and basic streaming.

As VR, blockchain, and other advanced internet processes become more common, that minimum speed standard might go up. But if the past is any proof, rural internet providers will adapt to meet the demand for modern internet access.

What can I do with rural internet speeds?

Generally, rural broadband plans (25 Mbps download / 3 Mbps upload speeds) let small households do typical activities such as social media, working from home, and basic streaming. Other rural broadband plans go much higher, making it easier for larger families and more avid internet users to do their favorite activities. Keep in mind, though, that the high latency of satellite internet limits HD streaming and gaming even at high speeds.

Many rural internet plans start below broadband speeds, giving families budget plan options that support simple web processes such as email, banking, and social media, and light video calling. Dial-up, however, has only enough bandwidth for simple internet browsing and email.

What is the best internet service for rural areas?

Like anywhere else, the “best” rural internet service is different for every family and depends on your values and deal-breakers.

When available, the best rural internet speeds come from fiber or mixed networks, which easily reach beyond 100 Mbps. The next fastest rural internet speeds, which are also more widely available, come from cellular, DSL, and satellite internet plans.

As for pricing, most rural internet plans start at $40–50 per month and max out around $70 per month—except for satellite internet, which rises steeply to $300 per month for speeds of 100 Mbps.

As you can see, pricing and speeds can vary even within the same geographical area, so shop by address or ZIP code to get the most precise picture of the best rural internet near you. Use the table above to make a methodical decision, or just go with your gut.

How do people in rural areas get internet?

There are seven internet technologies available rurally, but not every area has every kind of service. Google these internet types along with your ZIP code to see available plans in your area.

Rural internet types

1. Dial-up, slow but widely available
2. DSL, speeds vary, widely available
3. Fiber network, fast but limited availability
4. Mixed wired network (e.g., Windstream), speeds vary, widely available
5. Satellite internet, fast but expensive
6. Cellular home internet, fast with 5G and widely available
7. Fixed wireless, variable speeds and limited availability

How do I get internet when there is no service?

Rural internet providers make an effort to create service in remote areas, so chances are, you have options. Wireless solutions such as cellular, fixed wireless, and satellite internet are the most likely to be available near you, and fixed wireless plans have the added bonus of being available when you’re not home but still around the neighborhood.

Farther from home, however, especially deep in the backcountry, you might struggle to get reliable internet access or lose it altogether. You can’t take your home internet network with you, so access depends on your mobile carrier network. It might take extra research and trial-and-error to check for coverage at your favorite camping or hiking spot.

Can you get internet off the grid?

This depends on what you mean by “off the grid.” Technically, any connection to the world wide web is “on the grid,” because your device can’t send or receive data requests to other servers without being on some kind of network.

But if “off the grid” just means rural or remote, you have a variety of options the closer you live to residential areas. The farther you go from population centers, satellite internet will be your best bet because it doesn’t rely on nearby towers. But ultimately, satellite internet access still depends on whether your provider is willing to come install your service.

Does portable Wi-Fi work in rural areas?

Often, yes! Your portable Wi-Fi device acts just like a mobile hotspot, channeling signal from 4G/5G cellular towers nearby. However, that doesn’t mean your Wi-Fi device can create an internet signal out of thin air. If your ISP doesn’t have a cell tower nearby, you’ll need to borrow public or guest Wi-Fi to get internet access.

Get Windstream Kinetic

It can be a real challenge to get fast internet in rural areas, but not impossible. To improve your chances of getting fast, reliable internet access, consider Windstream Kinetic. Its mixed-method network leverages the strengths of no less than four wired technologies to reach rural communities—and speeds start around 100 Mbps, where other rural services tend to max out.

Check Windstream availability at your address today to see what your life could be like with fast rural internet.

Check Windstream Availability

 

References

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