Any suggestions for rural Internet?

[ncted]

My brother just moved to a new (to him) house in the country near Cooperstown, NY. He wants to go with Sling or maybe Hulu Live, but he needs decent Internet service of some kind to make that work. Spectrum is not available. When he called Frontier (LEC), they told him to try Hughesnet, which seems ill-suited for streaming video. AT&T doesn't offer fixed wireless service at his address, even though he has good signal. I was just wondering if anyone here had any other options which might work for him. He doesn't make much money, so he is looking for value over performance.

Thanks,
Ted

 

[comfortably_numb]

I believe you can get an unlimited 4G LTE hotspot through T-Mobile, if they have coverage there.

 

[navychop]

I’m afraid he may have picked a place to live that simply won’t have decent Internet service available for some years.

In a few years, he may have LEO, MEO, 5G and AT&T AirGig to choose from.


Sent from my iPhone using SatelliteGuys

 

[mdram]

he can also check for a WISP

 

[comfortably_numb]

WISP, unlimited hotspot, maybe Viasat 4. There are some options.

 

[ncted]

T-Mobile is a maybe. Coverage is "fair" according to their map. Looks like it would be $72 up-front for the hotspot and $70/month for the data plan?

Trying to figure out whether WISP is an option. Any guidance there?

Not sure how Viasat 4 would be better than Hughesnet. (exposing my ignorance here)

 

[mdram]

do a search for cooperstown wisp
see what pops up

 

[comfortably_numb]

Not sure how Viasat 4 would be better than Hughesnet. (exposing my ignorance here)

Speeds up to 150mbps and higher data caps, IIRC

 

[ncted]

Speeds up to 150mbps and higher data caps, IIRC

I don't seem to find that.

"Who is Viasat Internet not for?
Viasat Internet is not a good option for “cord cutters” who want to get all their television and movie via online streaming. Because Viasat Internet has a data allowance, it is not a good solution for families who use very large amounts of data."

 

[ncted]

do a search for cooperstown wisp
see what pops up

That seems awfully close to the edge...

 

[mdram]

maybe contact the wisp, they can come out and do a speed test

or at least they should

 

[navychop]

Doesn’t hurt to try.


Sent from my iPhone using SatelliteGuys

 

[mdram]

i had a wisp come out for a test

turns out thier signal was blocked by a huge magnolia tree the next farm over.....................

 

[sxmfan2018]

can he use his cell as a mobile hotspot that what i was doing... i am on verizon i know they will let you add on a jetpack for like 20.00 a month extra now maybe he could do that as well. if he is a gamer then satellite internet is not a good fit for him because of latency issues as well

 

[comfortably_numb]

This will be a trial & error experience. My parents recently vacated their rural home. We went through WISP testing, wireless hotspots, experiments with PDAnet running on an Android phone with unlimited data, etc. It will take some time to identify what will work in your situation.

 

[mdram]

This will be a trial & error experience. My parents recently vacated their rural home. We went through WISP testing, wireless hotspots, experiments with PDAnet running on an Android phone with unlimited data, etc. It will take some time to identify what will work in your situation.

pdanet is my current solution
you can use internet sharing to backfeed a router and deliver it to the rest of the house

 

[comfortably_numb]

pdanet is my current solution
you can use internet sharing to backfeed a router and deliver it to the rest of the house

Yes, it does work most of the time. I use an old PC running Win7 as a dedicated internet server.

 

[ncted]

I sent him a couple of fixed wireless companies which claim to serve his area. Turns out the LEC is Verizon and not Frontier for some reason, but they do not offer service at his address.

 

[comfortably_numb]

I sent him a couple of fixed wireless companies which claim to serve his area. Turns out the LEC is Verizon and not Frontier for some reason, but they do not offer service at his address.

If fixed wireless doesn't work, there are no WISP's available, and TMO coverage it too poor, PM me and I can tell you how to do PDAnet through Verizon.

 

[mdram]

almost forgot. if he is with an electric coop, some of the are starting to do fiber internet