Rural Internet Guide from DISH

Dial-up

Dial-up internet for rural communities remains common due to the simple fact that it uses existing phone lines. In other words, no additional infrastructure, like cable lines or hubs, are needed so it’s cheap for telecommunications companies to maintain. A modem sits in your house, connects directly to your computer and phone line, and makes a call to your Internet Service Provider (ISP) to establish a connection.

Sounds pretty straightforward, but in the age music-and-video streaming, dial-up internet definitely has some drawbacks:

• It takes a several seconds to establish a connection.
• The connection can be terminated by the user, ISP, or phone company at any time.
• You get charged per minute instead of a flat connection fee.
• Slow upload and download speeds, making it impossible to stream music or video, or transfer files.

DSL

A Digital Subscriber Line, more commonly known as DSL, is a step above dial-up internet. While it runs on the same wiring as telephone line, you can still make and receive calls while surfing the internet. DSL connections are generally more reliable than dial-up, and are “always on.” However, DSL internet isn’t always available in rural areas.

And the drawbacks don’t end there:

• Inconsistent speeds since the farther you are from the provider, the slower your connection speed.
• Spotty connections as providers may use the DSL lines to handle large call volumes.
• Slow upload speeds, making sharing data and files challenging.

WISP

A Wireless Internet Service Provider, or WISP, is also known as mobile broadband. Not quite like Verizon since your laptop or desktop isn’t connected by default. You generally install an app that searches for—and connects to—a WISP.

Benefits of a WISP connection over dial-up or DSL include faster speeds and the ability to connect wherever you can find a hotspot. With WISP, there’s no need to trek all the way back to the house or wait until the end of the day to upload and share photos or update and share a spreadsheet. You can do that from a laptop while sitting in your truck. Before you get too excited, though, consider the following:

• It often requires large equipment on your property.
• That equipment requires a fixed line of sight, or a clear line of sight, to the tower in order to establish and maintain a signal.
• Rain, snow, and poor weather conditions can interfere with sight lines and connections.

Cellular/4G

The beauty of cellular/4G is speed. Smartphones are ubiquitous, and nationwide cellular coverage continues to get better, making it easier to share photos, buy products, stream content, chat via messenger apps, and make the occasional phone call. Cellular and 4G connections offer superior speed and reliability compared to dial-up, DSL, or WISP. However, for rural communities, cellular and 4G internet connections have a few drawbacks:

• Spotty, inconsistent coverage.
• Often costs more per gig of data.
• Poor battery life for connected devices.