Posted on 07/23/2016 1:25:01 PM PDT by Yaelle
What is the cheapest way to get decent "cable" tv and Internet service in a very rural place, when you only need it a few times a year when there? Has a FReeper solved this problem already?
The people going up there will be elderly and/or not at all techie. They just want to turn on a tv and see the regular typical cable channels and they want to surf the web in normal ways as well as use texting etc.
The home might be used less than once a month, or even just a few times a year. It happens to be in the state of California but I assume any solutions anywhere can be copied.
Any ideas welcome. Thanks!
Well then, it sounds like the traditional choices of a) satellite, b) Cable, and c) ADSL over telephone.
The real problem will be whether or not you can turn it on and off at will. If it has to be available year round, or if the companies you deal with require either year-long contracts (some cell companies) or have turn-on/turn-off fees (like Comcast Cable), that will figure into your cost calculation.
Sounds like you’re looking at some sort of satellite dish system by default for both cable and internet, but to my knowledge there’s no intermittent use package that would reduce cost. Here, the cheapest rate is $50.00 per month with a two year rate guarantee.
Only other option would be a cellphone hotspot for internet, Roku or similar for specialty tv programming and a big antenna for network broadcast tv. Given that those using it will not be techie at all, I doubt that this would work for you.
So, look for the cheapest monthly dish package with both cable and internet. Directv, Dish Network, etc.
I have a private campground i get away to. I need internet because i am on call from work at all times. I use my cell phone as a hot spot with at&t. If you cannot get cell service you will have to go satellite or dsl or whatever is available. If you go satellite (ie. Hughsnet or Exede) you will have to sign a contract but you can suspend it 6 months out of the year.
For TV i use directv. I put a dish in and take a spare receiver from my house with me and hook it up. It is quite simple and align the dish myself. For the TV, I use a portable GAEMs tv. It is very handy as the case is used also for holding the directv receiver. https://gaemspge.com/black-edition-vanguard.html
Living off the grid ain’t FREE!
Depending upon your area location something like DISH Network maybe your solution.
But I suspect is will be an ongoing monthly charge that you’ll have to deal with.
You would have to provide the Hot Spot (the physical device would sit in the home) and give them the WIFI password. That’s all. If you are able to stream live TV from your cable provider, then guests would need to have your log in information in order to view from their browser, so be careful who you give it to. Sounds like you’re too far out to get DSL or any land-line services other than phone. Satellite services can be expensive. Some rural communities have built a sort of co-op WIFI. So you might look into that possibility
I wish I did know a way to get high speed internet in the remote rural area I live in-SATinternet-Hughesnet or one of its clones is the only game in town-there are not enough people to justify Uverse or anything similar, so I have a cell phone, a land line and SAT internet-but I live here fulltime, so it is a fair trade for having a few of quiet, neighborless acres and being able to do as a I please...
I hope you find a solution to your dilemma...
Use your smart phone as a hot spot and watch TV on your laptop. HDMI to a flat-screen and you are good to go.
Vue also supports Amazon Fire TV device, or Roku streaming device), as well as ios and Android devices. They do month to month billing, and have a free trial so you can try it out.
No cable in this region for us rural folks. Cable rarely, if ever, invests that kind of outlay for such a sparse population. Not worth it to them. Satellite is the way to go, if you can get a sight on the satellite. That depends on the amount of trees. A smart phone with a hot spot is another alternative, but again iffy. If they will bring cable to you then that should work, and if the usage is going to be sparse, then the major consideration should be cost. No use paying high monthly fees for something rarely used.
For the very rural, satellite is usually the only option for either. Unfortunately, they’d be looking at monthly subscription for them. A wi-if hotspot would work if there is cell service nearby. If there is phone line, DSL could work. Normally satellites require a fixed location for television service, but they do offer roaming versions for those with RVs. Check with the provider.
Instead, we go outside, start a fire, talk, drink beer and count the stars. We can't see the stars back home because of all the city lights, but we can upon the mountain. It's better than re-runs.
Maybe there's some 4 G solution for you to try, good luck.
I use T-mobile and tether to my computer for internet.
I use a tailgater from wineguard with dishnetwork for my cable TV. about 130.00 month for both services.
The answer is, "it depends".
If the location receives signals from a (Sprint, AT&T, Verizon, etc.) Broadband tower, buy the respective hotspot device, which will give you access to the Internet.
E.g., Sprint has a pay-as-you-go hotspot device: re: https://www.amazon.com/Sprint-Internet-Go-Mobile-Hotspot/dp/B00LTBSNVM?ie=UTF8&SubscriptionId=AKIAILSHYYTFIVPWUY6Q&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B00LTBSNVM&linkCode=xm2&tag=duckduckgo-d-20
Once you have a working hotspot, you have Internet. Next, buy a Pay-as-you-go Internet cable subscription to SLING. Go to SLING.com to see what they offer.
The key here is being able to receive Internet signal from a Broadband tower - and then connect the dots.
Check out Google Project Fi. It’s a cell phone service, cost is $10 per GigaByte for data, and you can suspend and restart the service at any time. Google Fi uses T-Mobile, Sprint and US Cellular so if any of those providers cover your area, you should be OK. Also it’s no contract, try it out, it it doesn’t work out, cancel it. The only drawback is that it works with only two phones at this time, Nexus 5x and Nexus 6p.
Add to post #34. You’ll need a device for accessing SLING and streaming. I suggest a ROKU device.
You are right, star gazing is such an experience that far too many no longer can enjoy. If we turn off all of the lights we can see them perfectly
Also you have the right attitude, get away from the TV & internet when at a rural home for short periods of time. Otherwise, you might as well have stayed at your primary home and sell the vacation home, because you are not utilizing it right in the first place.
Bottom line: The combination you want cannot be done. You will have to pay lots of money and be tech savvy. Walmart can sell you a Hotspot IF you have landline phone service. You can hotspot a phone but it won’t be cheap.
You can use a tablet with 4G and hook it to a TV but you need to be fairly tech savvy and it also isn’t cheap.
You are better off buying an expensive package and hooking it up full time if you really want TV and internet. If it were me, I would do ...nothing and just enjoy the home. If someone wants to bring a PC/tablet with a hotspot, that’s fine.
Review of rural Internet service options - the good, bad and the (especially) ugly
That’s my kind of living. Can’t wait for camp.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.