If you are like the many people who do not have access to High Speed Internet through their phone line or cable company, you are probubly trying to find a solution. There are two popular ways for people who live in rural areas to have a broadband connection. The first is from a cell phone service provider, the other is from a satellite internet provider.

First we will look at the wireless data plans that are available from many cell phone companies. These plans start around $50 per month and most include up to 5GB per month of download usage. If you go over the 5GB threshold you will be charged $10 additional dollars per 1GB. The cost of the hardware for these plans vary depending on promotions and the provider. The signal is usually transmitted via a usb adapter plugged into your computer. The advantage of this type of connection is, if you plan to use a laptop you will have the ability to carry your laptop anywhere within the signal of the cell phone tower. However, for the connection to count as high speed it will need to be a 3G signal. If the signal is not 3G “AT&T EDGE for example” the speed of the data will only be slightly better than dial-up. So if you plan on using your computer where the signal is not within a couple of miles from the cell phone tower, this type of connection will not be very useful for you.

One major disadvantage of wireless internet from a cell phone company is many homes today have more that one computer. If you are one of these homes “or plan on upgrading to more computers” you would need a separate usb adapter for each computer. Each separate adapter would need its own plan as well, so if you have 2 computers, you would need 2 usb adapters and 2 service plans. This can get pretty expensive if you have a large family with multiple kids in school who need to do their homework online. This is where satellite internet can help you. The major advantage of satellite vs wireless internet is you can share a satellite internet connection with multiple computers, and it does not cost you a penny more per month. In order to do this you would need a separate piece of hardware called a router.

Most of the time your Hughesnet installer will have a wireless router you can buy from them. If you would like to buy and install your router yourself we have a video that will show you how. Connect your Hughesnet modem to a wireless router. If you need help to configure it we have a video for that as well Configure your wireless router for a Hughesnet modem.

With satellite internet the only requirement is you need a clear view of the southern sky. It is available –anywhere– even if you live where power and water does not run, “really”. Ha, that might seem like a joke but about 3 years ago I installed a system for a man in Dundee Mississippi “a small city in the delta region of Mississippi with ~ 1400 people” that needed his internet connection in a duck blind. It was in the winter time and the blind was in the middle of a flooded field. The only way to get there was on an all terrain 4×4 vehicle. We had to load the Hughesnet dish and all the installation tools and drive 8-10 minutes through mud and water. It was a very memorable day.

Oh yea, I did not have cell phone service at this location so satellite internet was his only option. He had a generator and a battery pack connected to the blind providing power. His purpose for this was he wanted to stream live duck hunting on his website during the hunting season. This is one example on how versatile a satellite internet connection is, it will work literally in the middle of a nowhere.

Hughesnet plans start at $49.99 per month. The basic plan has a speed of 1MB Download, and 200MB download. You will have 250MB as a daily download threshold “which is a little over 7GB per month, but unlike the wireless data plans you will not be charged if you go over. Contact us to find out how you can get your setup and installation FREE.

If you are interested in getting satellite internet through Hughesnet give us a call: 1-877-815-6092, or visit our main website Brads Electronics. We will be happy to answer any questions you might have.