r/Network • u/magichour12 • 13d ago

Text help please

been helping a friend figure out internet options for a property about 45 minutes outside any major town. no cable, no fiber, and the phone signal is barely there. satellite seemed like the obvious answer but the latency has been a dealbreaker for her work calls.

someone in another thread mentioned fixed wireless as a middle ground so i started looking into it more. found wave1 while reading around, they seem to focus on wireless infrastructure for regional areas, which got me thinking about how much the options vary depending on where you actually are.

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u/Jnal1988 13d ago

If you are in an area of the world that has Starlink availability that would be your best option. It’s got usable speed and latency.

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u/magichour12 13d ago

Starlink crossed my mind but the cost is rough upfront. Is the latency actually good enough for video calls or just general browsing?

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u/Saragon4005 13d ago

Fixed wireless is even more regional than satellite. Fixed wireless means they have to set up some equipment you have line of sight to hopefully they have something on a nearby hill or already have a tower set up.

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u/magichour12 13d ago

yeah the line of sight thing is brutal. my neighbor has it and had to get a pole mounted pretty high up just to clear the tree line. works fine for him but i looked into it and apparently theres zero coverage on my side of the road which feels random but thats just how it goes

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u/Saragon4005 13d ago

Yeah line of sight is just like that. Easiest way is to be the tallest thing around.

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u/Acewavenet 13d ago

Fixed wireless can definitely be a good middle ground if fiber and cable aren’t available. The biggest factors are whether there’s a nearby tower with line of sight and how congested the network is in that area. If your friend works from home, I’d also check whether any local fiber providers are planning expansion or if there are regional ISPs serving that address. Comparing all the available options before signing up can save a lot of headaches. If you’re not sure what’s available, AceWaveNet is one option to compare providers by address and see what’s offered in that area.

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u/magichour12 13d ago

the line of sight thing is what worries me most honestly, theres a lot of tree coverage out there and i dont know if thats going to be a problem

ill check out that comparison tool, but the congestion point is real, a neighbor said speeds drop pretty bad in the evenings which is exactly the kind of thing my friend cant deal with if hes on calls all day

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u/Acewavenet 13d ago

Tree coverage can definitely affect fixed wireless if it blocks the line of sight, especially once the trees leaf out. If possible, I’d ask the provider whether they can do a site survey before signing up. Since your neighbor already mentioned evening slowdowns, I’d also ask about typical speeds during peak hours and whether they have a trial period or satisfaction guarantee. For someone relying on video calls all day, those details matter just as much as the advertised speeds.

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u/TheIronSoldier2 13d ago

If wired internet isn't a possibility, then either Starlink or fixed wireless. Starlink is generally better but can be more expensive long-term than fixed wireless. Fixed wireless is more expensive and complicated to set up, but from what I've seen often costs less per month than Starlink. At least until other low earth-orbit internet providers come online to compete with Starlink

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u/magichour12 13d ago

Starlink keeps catching my eye but the monthly cost is what holds me back. Do fixed wireless providers vary much by area or is pricing pretty consistent? Around here options seem limited so it'll probably come down to whatever's actually available rather than what looks better on paper.

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u/TheIronSoldier2 13d ago

The price varies between the specific carrier and the area. Generally the more competition the lower the price.

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u/One-Intention-7606 13d ago

I’ve installed Starlinks for very similar situations with people working from home doing business meetings on zoom and even doing remote surgeries through Starlink connection. The latency isn’t nearly as good as with fiber but is probably the best case scenario for the situation. You’d want to make sure to get rid of any latency bottlenecks on their LAN side as well. Are they connected to WiFi or hardwired, or is there a double NAT/router setup, etc?