Rural Internet Solutions

Live in a rural area, outside of the reach of Cable, DSL or Fiber Internet service? Here are some options that may be available to you:

1)Fixed Wireless
Fixed Wireless is often the best choice for rural High-speed Internet (where available). A Local Fixed-Wireless provider offers high-speed Internet service via WiFi-esque frequencies, broadcast from water towers, grain elevators, radio towers, silos, etc. The powered receiving antenna installed at your location usually must have an unobstructed line-of-sight to the provider’s antenna. Contact your local provider(s) to check for availability at your location. For Minnesota residents, we have compiled This List of Fixed Wireless Providers.

Fixed wireless antennas can be co-located on antenna masts, towers, silos, etc.
We can assist with the installation of Fixed Wireless hardware, if necessary.

2)LTE Modems
If a decent cell signal is present at the location, an LTE modem, in conjunction with a set of high gain, outdoor antennas, can be a viable option for rural Internet access. We’ve seen LTE modems achieve download speeds of 30-50Mbps! We offer modem/antenna selection, installation and assistance with carrier setup.

3)Point-to-Point WiFi
We’ve encountered some instances where one neighbor has access to high speed Internet, but another neighbor does not. By mutual agreement between the carrier and the neighbors, we set up a point-to-point wireless link between two houses for high speed Internet access.

4)Satellite Internet
Satellite Internet service is currently available from HughesNet and Viasat virtually anywhere in the US. We would recommend considering them only as a last resort, due to the service’s relatively high cost, poor speed, lag time and data caps. Starlink looks to offer much better speed and capacity than existing Satellite Internet providers. However, is it unknown at this point when it will be available to the general public.

For more information, contact us today or call (952) 491-0643, (715) 802-6275.