Rural Internet, Wide Open Spaces, and the Internet

Rural Internet, Wide Open Spaces, and the Internet.

For the most part, living in a small town is a great idea. While rural living is not for everyone, it’s definitely high up on my list of places to live in. People who live and work in rural areas can testify to how amazing it is—As it is a more desirable alternative to the stress and strain of living in the big cities.

Most people chose to stay in rural America for:

  • Fresh Air
  • Peace
  • Quiet, and of course
  • Wide-Open Spaces

    As with everything having both advantages and disadvantages, we move on to the limitations of living and working in rural areas.

    Limitations of Living in a Small Town

    Besides the obvious of not having as many opportunities as people who live in the cities, there’s a massive gap between rural and urban areas regarding technological advancements—particularly access to the internet. And when you live and work from home, crappy internet should be the least of your worries.

    Trust me, access to the internet is a huge struggle in the rural areas of America. And when rural Americans finally gain access to the internet, here comes new struggles! 

    Having to walk a distance to get a signal. Which can negatively affect your workflow and productivity 

    Slow and unreliable internet. You can’t work when you want to because the internet service is down. 

    To give you a mental picture of how crappy and slow rural internet can be, if competing in a race with a snail, the snail would win by a mile.

    
LOL


    I know I sound a little bitter right now. It’s from a place of frustration; I had to deal with crappy rural internet from those days. But, thanks to Nomad Internet’s work from anywhere plan, those days are over. 

    When talking about access to the internet, especially for nomads and people who work from home, just having internet service isn't enough. You need an internet provider that offers you reliable high-speed internet. And this is where Nomad Internet comes into play—High-Speed Internet Designed for Rural Residents and Travelers.

    Nomad Internet for rural

    Ways to Stay Connected in Rural Areas

    While Nomad Internet is the first step to reliable high-speed rural internet, depending on how close your home is to a cell tower, you might need to make some tweaks to your step up. These steps are especially recommended for digital nomads living in small towns in and around Texas, Virginia, and California.

    • Find the Right Location for Your Router/Antenna

    This is the first thing you need to do more often than not. Find the location with the best signal in your home. I once found that my bathroom was the best place for my router, and while that seems weird, it’s still there today. 

    Decide where the right place is for your router. Don’t keep it in the bathroom like me, whether it is your child's bedroom, the living room, or home office. 

    • Reposition Your Router

    I know this sounds very similar to the first tip, but it’s not. You might be surprised to hear that if you place your router close to a microwave or Tv, it can decrease your connection speed.

    nomad internet for TV
    • Get a Wi-Fi Extender 

    If the best place for the router is far from the living room or home office, while the router might be getting a great signal, you won’t be getting a great signal from the router. A Wi-Fi Extender will do exactly what it implies boost/extend the signal of your Wi-Fi to reach you where you need it. 

    • Give your Router a Break

    Reset your router every month to give the device a break and refresh your internet connection. If you experience serious speed issues, you might consider resetting your router every day.

    If you have a modem separate from your router, reset that too. Resetting the modem stimulates your connection to your ISP, and that’s what turning it on and off again is all about.

    Keep in mind If you decide to hit the reset button, have all of the information necessary ahead of time to avoid losing anything. We handle this one ALOT over technical support calls with customers. So please be sure NOT to hit reset when you are just looking to do a quick power On/Off maneuver.

    • Block Ads

    The internet is full of ads, and a lot of them; everywhere you go online, there are endless ads, pictures, GIFs, and auto-played videos. These ads have a way of slowing down your Internet connection. 

    You might not mind watching/seeing advertisements, but trust me, your internet connection does. Ad media slows down your internet connection, so sometimes it’s easiest just to block them. Install an ad-blocking plugin that will shut down those data-heavy auto-play videos, and you’ll free up some breathing room for your connection.

    Conclusion

    Any digital nomad would tell you that the biggest issue faced when you live in rural America is an unreliable internet connection. But that is an issue you can avoid by joining the Nomad Internet family and taking steps to optimize your connection. 

    With Nomad Internet Living in Rural Areas doesn’t limit your access to Reliable High-Speed Internet, and you don’t have to take just our word for it. Hear from satisfied customers.

    reviews on nomad

    Remember to use the code WELCOME25 at checkout to get $25 OFF your first order.

    This article was written by Dennis from OneCareer.

    5 comments
    • IL
      Ilya

      Rely on the provider, but do not blunder yourself. The article suggests that the digital nomad not only choose a good rural Internet provider, but also be sure to follow a few simple but important steps that will increase the speed of the Internet connection. Choose a location for the router, install an ad blocker, regularly reboot the router – these three simple steps alone can significantly increase your connection speed.

    • AN
      Ana Rys

      This is an interesting article. It deals with the topic of internet in rural areas and its accessibility. The author makes a point that getting the connection there may be a big challenge. I have always lived in a big city and never ever had problems with the internet till one month I had had to live in a small countryside house. It was only then when I understood the problems rural dwellers have to face evry day. I was a nightmare! Back to the article, the author gives excellent tips on how to stabilize your internet and always stay connected. It was especially surprising to me that ads can badly influence the internet. Overall, the article is very well-written and contains a lot of good tips for those struggling with slow internet.

    • CI
      cindy martin-curl

      We were using Hughes Net and after spending a good deal of money for unsteady data, plus having the best streaming and connection at 2-6am we were not impressed. The customer service was out sourced and after 20 calls within a year and multiple unscrupulous contract installers sent to our home with no changes to the service quality we were ready to just give up and use our phone mobile hotspot which would have been to pricey leaving us broke just to watch a few movies or series a week.
      I found Nomad by accident on YouTube, when I was researching what people who live off the grid do. When I called to make sure I understood how Nomad worked I was treated with respect, even when I disagreed with which phone tower we should use. I was so positive I was right but was politely persuaded to try the option Nomad looked up in my area. I was told about how easy it was to just return the router and they would try another tower if the one suggested did not work at my address. When our equipment arrived I plugged it in and it worked. Because of my experience with Hughes Net Gen X and their customer service with all the problems and issues we had dealt with for over 2 years, I was going to put this service and it’s equipment and their promises to the test. It was a pleasantly surprise after many days, then weeks, then months of streaming every series on the weekends at all different hours the equipment worked and I could finally watch Disney, Prime and other services without 100 messages and the “circle of death”. I do have to reset it on occasion by unplugging it, but this is a small inconvenience to have here in my rural area in Texas. I
      finally canceled Hughes Net and the week I sent my equipment back with a tracking number $324 was subtracted from my account without my permission. The after Hughes Net received the equipment and I was supposed to receive a credit for the equipment I received a credit minus $108 dollars for a tech who showed up after they had received the equipment. All of this situation was recorded and documented from the time I canceled to the month later when I am still fighting to get the complete amount they took from our bank account. I will never regain the over draft fees from Hughes Nets unscrupulous business practices. I am still waiting for a return of the $108 dollars for the removal by the contractor they sent after they received our equipment. The worst part is I told the lady 3 times do not send a service tech the equipment is removed and on its way and also showed the technician our tracking number, our print out where Hughes Net had received it. The point of my statement today is Nomad Internet services, even when the service can not be used in very few areas has never not stood for all they say they are and do for their customers exactly what they advertise.
      Thank you for being honest with your customers!
      Cindy Curl
      Nomad Customer in Texas

    • DO
      Dorothy Gill

      My zip is 71469

    • MA
      Mary

      I live off grid , in az. We don’t have internet, are 3 miles from town that does . Can we get internet out in az off grid in rv?

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