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Between Now and Starlink (Rural Internet Solution)

VA-Varminter

Bad Advice Given Authoritatively
Full Member
Minuteman
Oct 23, 2006
1,411
16,581
Morocco
We dealt with sub-par shitty end of the line DSL for way too long.
Getting less than half of what I paid for.
It got worse with the Covid lockdown.
Sometimes I couldn't even upload a photo without severely reducing the size and resolution. Forget about a video.
On a good day it was 1.3 down and .3 up, and that was after running a dedicated cat6 from the demarq to the modem jack in the office, to eliminate noise inherent with the old copper phone wiring daisy-chained from room to room.

So I finally took the time and dug into the problem.

The solution has been nothing shy of amazing.

Mofi 4500 sim7 router - $300
Ebay Page Plus (Verizon) Unlimited Data SIM- $55 month (DSL was $77)
Proxicast 7-10 dBi gain antenna - $100
Ebay 6 ft. N Male to SMA Male Coax Cables - $20

The system did OK with the paddle antennas that shipped with it, but getting the directional antenna and pointing it at the tower increased stability and speeds enough to justify the cost.

Speeds vary due to traffic tower and weather, but at its worst it's 3-5 times faster than DSL was. At it's best it's 20-40 mbps down and 6-20 up.
It will even pop a 50 down every now and then.
I settled on putting it all in my 3rd floor walk up attic. The space is semi-conditioned so heat is not a concern. The antenna is outdoor rated, but I like keeping it all out of the weather, so it's mounted in a window facing the tower.

Interesting sidenote: I setup these for a couple of friends who live in more densely populated areas, and their speeds typically are not as good as mine are.
We are pretty sure it's due to excessive loads on the towers.
These can also be setup to use ATT and other carrier SIMS. I chose Verizon because they have the best coverage in our area.

Starlink, if it delivers as touted, will be our final solution, but for now this is the best we've had.
 
Last edited:
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My smartphone with Verizon cellular service is my Internet. Unfortunately, the signal has become degraded, and keeps getting worse as time goes on. Calling Verizon is worthless, and they offer no help, except tell me I need to buy a new phone. Unfortunately, they are the only game where I live, which is remote.
Back in the analog and early digital days, coverage here was 100% better, always had full signal strength at the house, hardly ever dropped a call, etc. Now, my 4G signal is one or two bars, switches to 3G often, and the signal goes away completely at least one or twice a day.
And they call this advanced technology? 😡

Thanks Verizon!
 
We dealt with sub-par shitty end of the line DSL for way too long.
Getting less than half of what I paid for.
It got worse with the Covid lockdown.
Sometimes I couldn't even upload a photo without severely reducing the size and resolution. Forget about a video.
On a good day it was 1.3 down and .3 up, and that was after running a dedicated cat6 from the demarq to the modem jack in the office, to eliminate noise inherent with the old copper phone wiring daisy-chained from room to room.

So I finally took the time and dug into the problem.

The solution has been nothing shy of amazing.

Mofi 4500 sim7 router - $300
Ebay Page Plus (Verizon) Unlimited Data SIM- $55 month (DSL was $77)
Proxicast 7-10 dBi gain antenna - $100
Ebay 6 ft. N Male to SMA Male Coax Cables - $20

The system did OK with the paddle antennas that shipped with it, but getting the directional antenna and pointing it at the tower increased stability and speeds enough to justify the cost.

Speeds vary due to traffic tower and weather, but at its worst it's 3-5 times faster than DSL was. At it's best it's 20-40 mbps down and 6-20 up.
It will even pop a 50 down every now and then.
I settled on putting it all in my 3rd floor walk up attic. The space is semi-conditioned so heat is not a concern. The antenna is outdoor rated, but I like keeping it all out of the weather, so it's mounted in a window facing the tower.

Interesting sidenote: I setup these for a couple of friends who live in more densely populated areas, and their speeds typically are not as good as mine are.
We are pretty sure it's due to excessive loads on the towers.
These can also be setup to use ATT and other carrier SIMS. I chose Verizon because they have the best coverage in our area.

Starlink, if it delivers as touted, will be our final solution, but for now this is the best we've had.

Thanks for this. I live a state down from you, and have had the exact same problem, 1.3 down and at best .3 up speeds. DSL and "satellite" internet are a joke. We're going to be building a house shortly, and I'll be referencing this for internet in there.

It baffles me that good internet has to be so hard to get in 2020..
 
Have you tried using your smartphone as a mobile hotspot. I got sick of paying CumCast $90 per month and then having to pay for f phone service on top of that. disconnected CC and just use my phone. Works great but your only allowed so many GB's so I dont watch movies.
 
Yep, works alot better. I just need something dedicated for the house that's worth a dime when I'm gone..(cameras, alarm system, water meter, etc..)
 
yeah no cable or dsl here. we've been using our samsung galaxy smartphones with At&t service as mobile hotspots. for browsing snipershide and the like, and of course emails, works pretty good. forget youtube or tv/videos though, they burn up costly/sacred data limits quickly.
 
We suffered with dial-up for years but now have wireless broadband through a small local company. The tower is on the mountain right behind our house and we get 20 mbps download and 5 mbps upload. I pay $50 a month. It's not the greatest but better than living in town.
 
Thanks for this. I live a state down from you, and have had the exact same problem, 1.3 down and at best .3 up speeds. DSL and "satellite" internet are a joke. We're going to be building a house shortly, and I'll be referencing this for internet in there.

It baffles me that good internet has to be so hard to get in 2020..

PM me when you're ready if you need any help with it.
 
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Have you tried using your smartphone as a mobile hotspot. I got sick of paying CumCast $90 per month and then having to pay for f phone service on top of that. disconnected CC and just use my phone. Works great but your only allowed so many GB's so I dont watch movies.

While not something you're likely to find in black and white in any user agreement, it's widely held that cell carriers prioritize data traffic based on several factors.
Postpaid subscribers over prepaid.
Phones over hotspots (including hotspotted phones - yes, they know)

This is not throttling due to exceeded caps. Not the same thing.
 
yeah no cable or dsl here. we've been using our samsung galaxy smartphones with At&t service as mobile hotspots. for browsing snipershide and the like, and of course emails, works pretty good. forget youtube or tv/videos though, they burn up costly/sacred data limits quickly.

The setup I described is unlimited data. They somehow exploit some legacy unlimited plans that the carriers have left opened. I have no idea how these guys get to add new sims. Guessing it's a business unlimited plan that was penned in blood back in the day and they are able to add and endless number of sims to the plan.
I'm certain they're making money on it, but I don't care. I'm getting what I want.
You should look into it.
There are companies that do turnkey packages of this setup, but they are of course marking up and profiting for their efforts, so the DIY saved me about $40/month.

An activated ATT sim works in the modem with no further tinkering.
Verizon requires some tinkering.
 
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Here's the attic setup.
I don't know how to label the parts in the picture, but it's pretty straightforward.
The white wedge shaped thing on the table is the base unit for the Amazon eero mesh wifi system.
There's another one on the floor below and one on the ground floor for whole house seamless coverage.

IMG_20200528_214019[1].jpg
 
While not something you're likely to find in black and white in any user agreement, it's widely held that cell carriers prioritize data traffic based on several factors.
Postpaid subscribers over prepaid.
Phones over hotspots (including hotspotted phones - yes, they know)

This is not throttling due to exceeded caps. Not the same thing.

I dont quite follow, but Ive never had any problem. Maybe its where Im located.
 
The setup I described is unlimited data. They somehow exploit some legacy unlimited plans that the carriers have left opened. I have no idea how these guys get to add new sims. Guessing it's a business unlimited plan that was penned in blood back in the day and they are able to add and endless number of sims to the plan.
I'm certain they're making money on it, but I don't care. I'm getting what I want.
You should look into it.
There are companies that do turnkey packages of this setup, but they are of course marking up and profiting for their efforts, so the DIY saved me about $40/month.

An activated ATT sim works in the modem with no further tinkering.
Verizon requires some tinkering.
Where are you getting the unlimited internet from?