Knowing how to get WiFi in rural areas is a tricky question. It’s not as simple as trying to extend the WiFi range in a problematic house with thick walls. You are looking at an issue with the internet source, a lack of rural internet options with providers.
There are often no or few base stations to provide faster speeds using 3g or 4g. And often, the motivation for larger broadband companies to install expensive infrastructure for just a few people is also low. It just doesn’t make economic sense.
With all these factors, it’s easy to see why living rurally can mean having difficulty with getting WiFi. You are much more likely to experience weak connections and even face zero internet service. So, what can you do about it?
In this guide, we’ll cover the hows and whys, creating a handy toolbook to improve your rural WiFi. Check out these details, and keep your fingers crossed!
Why Is Good WiFi Challenging To Find in Rural Areas?
Good WiFi is challenging to find in rural areas because there aren’t as many base providers and less infrastructure. Essentially, the countryside is a big gap. There aren’t enough bridges to carry that same service across from the big cities and suburbs.
This is partly due to a lack of demand. Often, there just aren’t as many people living in the countryside to make creating rural internet options worth the investment. It’s the sort of gap in profitability that even things like termination fees can’t fix. Building and maintaining the necessary infrastructure isn’t worth the upfront investment.
However, it’s also difficult for a rural internet provider to get past planning permission. In an area of natural beauty, you can imagine the last thing residents or eco-activists would want is pylons. Adding the infrastructure to offer a rural internet service is fraught with barriers. It is a balancing act of cost versus reward. And one person’s priority might not align with another’s.
This situation accounts for both the lack of mobile data signal and slower-speed WiFi in residential homes or hotels. If you are heading rural, prepare to exercise some off-the-grid patience.
Using Satellite Internet for Rural Areas
It isn’t hopeless. Using satellite internet for rural areas is a good option in some scenarios. Wireless internet services transfer waves from satellites rather than relying on cables. It works on a totally different premise.
Does this entirely solve the mission of “How to get better WiFi in rural areas”? Not quite. Let’s look at the frustrating part of debating satellite internet vs WiFi. One of the main pain points is that satellite internet does not perform well with streaming due to high latency. So, while it does reach rural areas without cables and expensive infrastructure, you sacrifice download speeds.
If you want to work from home, relying on conference attendance and the like, it’s not the solution for you. And if buffering Netflix shows is your worst nightmare, satellite internet providers are not the phrase to type into Google. Plus, some satellite companies, like Starlink, experience pretty clockwork outages in bad weather.
However, if you’re willing to compromise on high-speed internet temporarily, it could be an option while you wait for infrastructure. Wireless connections are well-suited to users who don’t need speedy downloads or particularly reliable service. Or those that need a stepping-stone solution until they can get a better offer.
3 WiFi Options for Rural Areas
Where do you even start when learning how to get WiFi in a rural area? There are a few choices, which is fortunate. When it comes to WiFi options for rural areas, it’s a bit of a pick and mix of different approaches. Think of it as a modern-day battle of trial and error.
You already know about satellite internet versus standard WiFi. There are some sacrifices involved when problem-solving to this extent. But we’ll take a more in-depth approach. These are your choices when trying to bag WiFi in remote terrain.
1. Standard WiFi
Using standard WiFi is obviously the ideal. To do this, you need to be near enough a signal tower and have connections to the mains.
If this is important, look for locations near rural villages when buying or staying in a remote area. Larger communities are more likely to tempt broadband companies to invest in necessary infrastructure than isolated two-bedroom cabins. It makes sense.
2. Satellite
Satellite uses wireless internet rather than cables. It gets its signal from satellites in the atmosphere, not a network of cables on the ground. You don’t need to be near a base station like with mobile data either. You just need to be in a fairly open space where it’s possible to receive signals from space.
This is a liberating difference and means you can dodge the main difficulty of not accessing any connection at all. But it does provide a slightly limited service. Expect slower download speeds and a bit less whizz than you’d typically expect from inner-city services.
Even if you don’t invest in satellite internet, it’s worth buying a satellite phone for emergency calls.
3. Mobile Data
While temperamental at the best of times, mobile data is a possibility. If you are venturing to a location near a base station, you may find a bar or two of signal. Just don’t expect groundbreaking signal strength. Also, double-check your plan in advance if you want to rely heavily on hot spotting other devices.
It might be worth downloading some movies ahead of time. Then, you can treat mobile data signal as a happy bonus.
Can You Improve Existing WiFi in Rural Areas?
You can improve existing WiFi in rural areas by upgrading your provider. For instance, swapping from satellite to WiFi to speed up download speeds and kick grainy conference videos to the curb.
Just be aware that this will likely have external limitations. You might need to shop around for a company that actually operates in your area.
Before you rush to address the provider issue, though, you could marginally improve things by looking at your home layout. Maybe your router isn’t optimally placed? It should be off the ground and centrally located in the building.
Extending your WiFi may work if you have particularly thick walls or a spread-out property (popular in country residences). Learning how to extend your WiFi range can help eliminate dead zones and improve your service. Do some research to understand how WiFi extenders work and weigh up some of the options on the market.
Furthermore, it might be work looking at what WiFi frequency you’re using. 2.4GHz and 5GHz are better depending on the layout of your property and the user’s demands.
Simply put, there are a few ways to improve your WiFi inside your home before considering provider-related factors. With all these options, there’s definitely a way to improve your existing connection — even just marginally.
The Effectiveness of Mobile Data
Mobile data is usually a great solution when you have a temporary power outage. But there’s a reason that people carry satellite phones with them for safety when heading to remote areas. Getting signal is a little bit like winning the lottery in some places! And by that, we aren’t exaggerating one iota.
It is still wise to have a mobile data package, especially a flexible hotspot. Mobile data signal can often improve just by climbing to higher ground.
However, since fewer base stations exist, don’t expect data to be too effective. Similarly, with so many natural barriers — think mountains, valleys, canyons, and forests — signal struggles to travel so far. Expect slower speed connections.
Having a satellite phone for safety and a mobile data contract for if you get lucky is the way to go. It definitely isn’t a reliable solution for all destinations instead of WiFi. It’s worth a try, but don’t gamble on it being a guaranteed solution.
FAQ
We can’t let you go without really nailing your understanding of rural WiFi. That’s why we’ve scooped together some common FAQ to answer popular burning questions. These should really solidify what we’ve covered in this article.
How do you get WiFi in rural areas?
If there is infrastructure to support WiFi and broadband, you can access some sort of WiFi. It might just be that you pay extra to connect to the mains if you purchase properties that aren’t already.
If there isn’t infrastructure already within connecting distance, you might have to opt for satellite internet instead.
How do you get WiFi anywhere?
Mobile data is usually a good swap but unreliable in areas distant from base stations. Therefore, if you are in really rural areas, mobile data isn’t your best option.
You can buy portable hotspots or a satellite phone for total emergency use.
Why is it hard to get WiFi in rural areas?
Getting WiFi in rural areas is a massive challenge because of a lack of infrastructure. There’s also minimal motivation to pay to build and maintain it to facilitate WiFi.
Often, there just isn’t enough demand to make that investment worthwhile for broadbands.
Beambox: Beyond the Question of How To Get WiFi in Rural Areas
What about beyond the question of accessing rural WiFi? Assuming you do get it, what next? Well, as a business, this puts you in a fantastic position. You are in an area with a scarcity of WiFi — why not capitalize on a solution?
A captive portal WiFi system may be the way to go. This is a temporary block that stops users from immediately connecting. Instead, it sends users to a pop-up web page with a form to fill in. This form contains a mixture of questions of your choice and is a popular way to collect marketing contacts.
You could ask for an email address for future email marketing. You could also request reviews or even social media followers. If you pick a customizable portal software, the world is your oyster; you can really get creative. Once the customers enter these details, they get immediate internet access.
You could offer solace from the elements and food or a pillow for the night. But by offering guest WiFi in rural areas, you also offer connection. It’s a lot to barter with, so get your fair deal out of it with marketing contacts in exchange.
At Beambox, our customizable captive portal software does all this and more. You know how to get WiFi in rural areas. How are you going to utilize it?
Start your Beambox free trial today and launch a guest WiFi system that works for both parties!
