First-World Problems Are The Worst...

[Shadowrider]

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You're just messin' with me, right? Seriously... No, they don't. As I said, we get a signal (AT&T network/towers with PureTalkUSA) but it's marginal. It's supposed to be 4GLTE but downloading anything is a real struggle. It REALLY reminds me of dialup.

Did you check T-Mobile? Your profile location appears maybe to be covered. You can go to their sight and really zoom in close to see. You can also check cellmapper and open signal for tower locations.

I ditched Cox internet for T-Mobile and am pretty happy with it. It does vary in speed but that's relative as I've never got less than 65Mbps down and it's almost always at least 125Mbps down and 12-25 upstream. One single time I got 420Mbps down. If you happen to be fortunate enough to have a T-Mobile 5G tower outside your door I don't even know what speeds you'd get. I only get a "fair to good" signal strength because I'm located right smack in between towers. I ran it a couple of months before pulling the plug on cable internet. Their little gateway is Wifi 6 compatible and it's actually pretty good but I installed a Wifi 6 mesh system for wider coverage and to get the garage and sheds covered too.

No problems running two HD video streams, computer and a couple of cell phones and here's the kicker..... No data cap and a flat $50 a month.

 

[Fredkrueger100]

Part of the downside of living in a rural area is the lack of choices when it comes to things like internet and cell phone service.

Cell coverage is barely adequate at our home, even with a booster. But at least it works most of the time.

I had to go back to satellite internet. HughesNet, to be specific. Satellite internet is a small step up from dial-up. I last had satellite internet in the early 2000s living in the Colorado mountains. It sucked then and in 20 years it really hasn't improved. It has, however, increased in price for the same crappy service.

It's supposed to be 25 mbps download speeds. It actually averages more than that...when it's actually downloading something. I can't even play a 1 minute YouTube video thru the first time without buffering about every 10 seconds. It really sucks.

I've pre-ordered Starlink...but the website says it may not be available until next year sometime.

Oh, well. I'd rather live in a rural area with bad cell phone and internet service than a city. Guess that's just part of the cost of admission to the lifestyle choices.

I hope you all can appreciate the suffering some of us go through, though. I'd like to see some celebrity do one of those "starving kids in Africa" type of video for those of us with bad internet in rural areas. Might help our plight...

I know exactly how you feel. We didn’t have anything for a couple years when we bought our house. Thankfully we got fiber installed a couple years ago. Hopefully the starlink works out. I bet it’s good.

 

[Timmy59]

I was using Kevin's modem for a couple of years, but there is a cheaper option now. ZBT WE826-T2 EM12-G Wireless MODEM ROUTER UNLIMITED HOTSPOT TMOBILE AT&T VERIZON | eBay Use this item with a $20 a month ATT tablet plan. Tell the seller you would like an Ipad IMEI loaded onto it and tell ATT you are using the plan for an Ipad. T-mobile has a $10 a month business tablet plan, but I don't have t-mobile reception in my area.

That was for @OK Corgi Rancher, I'm happy with Kevin's service and ain't bouncing on a good service in this environment.

 

[OK Corgi Rancher]

@Shadowrider We're not in Olustee any longer. My service in Olustee, internet and phone, were great. But, we've moved to a new place outside Ada. As I mentioned earlier, T-Mobile doesn't work here any better than AT&T. Cell service is poor with all of the major carriers due to our location. Verizon doesn't work at all. So using a hot-spot isn't gonna work. There aren't even phone lines on the road in front of the house.

So, for now, satellite is the best option, even though "best" is a relative term. I'm hoping Starlink is in the not-too-distant future and works better. People seem to be very happy with it. It's just at capacity in many places...including here.

That was for @OK Corgi Rancher, I'm happy with Kevin's service and ain't bouncing on a good service in this environment.

I'm not sure I understand how the Middle of Nowhere works. Does it just boost the cell signal I'm already paying for? Or does it include the cell connection in the plan?

 

[Timmy59]

@Shadowrider We're not in Olustee any longer. My service in Olustee, internet and phone, were great. But, we've moved to a new place outside Ada. As I mentioned earlier, T-Mobile doesn't work here any better than AT&T. Cell service is poor with all of the major carriers due to our location. Verizon doesn't work at all. So using a hot-spot isn't gonna work. There aren't even phone lines on the road in front of the house.

So, for now, satellite is the best option, even though "best" is a relative term. I'm hoping Starlink is in the not-too-distant future and works better. People seem to be very happy with it. It's just at capacity in many places...including here.


I'm not sure I understand how the Middle of Nowhere works. Does it just boost the cell signal I'm already paying for? Or does it include the cell connection in the plan?

I purchased the modem and it receives from my nearest tower an att about 4 miles away. $70 a month on top of the cell ph bill plus the initial purchase.

 

[OK Corgi Rancher]

Gotcha... Thanks!

 

[OK Corgi Rancher]

Woo-hoo! USCellular happened to have some great new promos. Got hooked up with home internet service (that works!) and new phones and cell plans.

I'm gonna dump HughesNet right now. I knew it would suck...I just didn't realize it's no better now than it was 20 years ago. I'll have to pay a penalty but it's worth it to get rid of the crappy service.

I'm actually getting 5G service at my house. Amazing!

ETA: Forgot... Both of us wound up with shiny new phones, too. Wife's was free (well...with a contract) and mine was a nominal cost. I don't even care about the contract since the service is so good.

 

[SlugSlinger]

Woo-hoo! USCellular happened to have some great new promos. Got hooked up with home internet service (that works!) and new phones and cell plans.

I'm gonna dump HughesNet right now. I knew it would suck...I just didn't realize it's no better now than it was 20 years ago. I'll have to pay a penalty but it's worth it to get rid of the crappy service.

I'm actually getting 5G service at my house. Amazing!

ETA: Forgot... Both of us wound up with shiny new phones, too. Wife's was free (well...with a contract) and mine was a nominal cost. I don't even care about the contract since the service is so good.

Get a speed test app and let's hear what kind of speeds you are seeing.

 

[OK Corgi Rancher]

38mbps first time I tried it.

 

[thor447]

I am calling OEC this week and will hopefully begin the process of getting transferred over to fiber.