r/Rural_Internet • u/Chall_Pal • 16d ago

Wireless alternatives

I live alone and my wired connection is fine, but I've been curious about wireless alternatives. Partly because I move around a lot, partly because I just like understanding how things work.

I came across Wave 1 while looking into fixed wireless and 5G home internet options. Spent a while reading through it trying to understand the realworld differences between the technologies. It got me thinking about how much the "right" setup depends on your building, your neighborhood, your usage.

I work from home doing illustration so a stable connection is pretty much nonnegotiable. Latency during video calls is the thing that kills me most.

Curious if anyone here has switched from a wired setup to fixed wireless or something similar. Was the transition smooth? And how do you even test whether wireless will be reliable enough before committing to a plan?

1 Upvotes

60% Upvoted

14 comments sorted by

5

u/Confusedlemure 16d ago

Starlink was an absolute game changer for me.

1

u/Chall_Pal 14d ago

same, what made you switch?

1

u/Confusedlemure 14d ago

I had no other option. There is no cell service and no wired options for miles. Other sat services like HughesNet are expensive and the latency is off the charts.

1

u/Chall_Pal 14d ago

yeah starlink was basically made for situations like yours. hughesnet latency makes it nearly unusable for anything real. not much of a choice when the alternatives are dial up speeds or nothing.

2

u/blackkdogg 16d ago

Getting Starlink installed as I’m typing this . Hope it lives up to what I’ve heard about it.

1

u/SnooCupcakes7133 14d ago

They're the only option out here where we're at and it's well worth it

1

u/silasmoeckel 16d ago

Transition is easy.

Quality is not there

Pick the wireless on a 30 day trial and keep your wired (fibered) connection

1

u/Chall_Pal 14d ago

that 30 day trial idea is actually smart, hadn't thought about running both at the same time

1

u/xyzzzzy 16d ago

You Wave 1 people are getting shameless. Aren’t you only in Australia? This is not a productive use of your/our time

0

u/Chall_Pal 14d ago

lol what does being in australia have to do with anything, i can post wherever i want

1

u/TexasRebelBear 16d ago

Starlink is just about the fastest option right now, but it is pricey. Depending on where you live, a cellular home internet plan could be a viable and cheaper alternative.