What Are The Best High-Speed Internet Options For Rural Areas?

by Alyssa Carpenter

If you live in a rural or especially hilly part of the country, you may still be stuck with dial-up internet due to the spotty availability of high-speed internet in your area. However, with the expansion of fiber optic service and advances in wireless router technology, there are now more options than ever before for quicker internet access. Read on to learn more about some potential options in even the most rural parts of the U.S.   

What are good high-speed internet options for rural parts of the country?

In some rural areas that border major metropolitan cities (like Los Angeles or New York City), large internet service providers have expanded fiber optic services that can provide nearly instantaneous internet even to the more rural areas on these outskirts. In other cases, you may find after some preliminary research that the high-speed wireless internet available only within the city limits of the nearest city has now expanded even to more rural parts of the county. 

However, if high-speed wired internet isn't available directly outside your home, your other option may involve the placement of a satellite dish for high-speed satellite internet. There are several different service providers that can provide satellite service at a comparable price to high-speed wired internet, helping you upgrade your service without paying a financial penalty for living outside city limits. You'll need to have your satellite placed in a location where it has easy access to the sky, away from trees or tall structures that could potentially block the satellite signal. You may also be charged per gigabyte (GB) of usage, rather than having relatively "unlimited" internet for a flat fee. 

Can you use a new wireless router to improve your existing internet speed? 

Once you've gotten high-speed internet, you'll still be able to significantly improve your service quality by investing in a good router. Although most internet companies will allow you to rent a router for an additional monthly fee, this router may not always be powerful or new enough to take full advantage of your available internet speeds. Indeed, satellite internet with a high-quality router can perform much more quickly than ultra-high-speed fiber-optic internet with an underpowered router. 

When looking for a high-quality router, you'll want to keep an eye on the minimum speed rating. This allows the router to blast wireless internet throughout your house as quickly as it can be received from the satellite, increasing your speeds and eliminating any lag.   

Contact a local outlet, such as Solarus, for further assistance.

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