Did you know that approximately one in four workers in the United States ply their trade remotely at least some of the time? Specifically, 22.8% of U.S. employees worked from home or another location remotely as of August 2024 — working out to 35.13 million people.
Many employees dream of working from home — whether in their home office, on the sofa in the den, or at the table in the kitchen. That’s especially true for people who want the flexibility of a remote working arrangement or are introverted and wish to skip the office cooler gossip.
While the right technology will make any work-from-home arrangement plausible, you’ll have to put more thought into things when working from your home or cottage in a rural region.
According to Census.gov, around 60 million people, or one in five Americans, reside in rural regions across the country. Depending on which rural property you reside in, you might face some challenges when seeking the right internet service provider and package.
When considering options, you should also evaluate factors that affect internet speed and reliability. The type of internet connection, network congestion, performance of the modem and router, weather conditions, ISP throttling, and signal strength can impact your internet service.
Keep reading to see five internet options for people working from their country homes or cottages.
- Digital Subscriber Line
DLS, or digital subscriber line, offers reliable internet access using existing telephone infrastructure. Areas that don’t have the infrastructure for cable internet or other types of internet can benefit from DSL.
It offers high-speed internet for quicker browsing, downloads, and streaming. When considering fiber internet vs cable for your needs, you’ll want to give DSL a closer look to see whether or not it’s the right fit for your country home or cottage.
- Fiber Optic Internet
Fiber optic internet is a great option if you want lightning-fast speed and reliability — and who doesn’t? The only problem is that access to that type of internet service is limited in rural areas.
If you move to a remote region with fiber optic internet, it’s probably the option you’ll want. You can’t go wrong. Fiber optic internet means you can get unlimited data, fast speeds, and low latency. It’s worth having if you want to stream, conduct video calls, and transfer large files.
- Mobile Hotspots
If you live in an area that lacks a wide range of internet service options, one type to consider is a mobile hotspot. It’s best viewed as a backup solution over a short-term period since the costs can add up quickly.
While it’s portable and can be used just about anywhere, data caps and slower speeds will factor into the equation. Again, it’s not the sort of option you can rely on over the long-term, unless you barely use the internet and won’t come to exceeding data caps.
Consider mobile hotspots as something to use in a pinch — like when your main internet access is down during a power outage.
- Satellite Internet
One reason satellite internet is popular is that there’s no need for physical infrastructure. As long as you’re okay with a satellite being installed on the roof or elsewhere on your property, you can get satellite internet.
It’s worth noting, however, that satellite internet can be expensive. And, despite the higher price point, it often has low data caps. Exceeding those caps will increase your monthly bill.
But in some cases, satellite internet might be your only option if your home or cottage is in a remote region.
- WiFi
Depending on where you reside, WiFi might be the only viable option for internet access. Your rural region might feature a WiFi tower offering a wireless internet signal for the area.
These are some options to keep in mind if you need internet access for your home or cottage in a remote area. Finding the proper fit will ensure you have more uptime than downtime.
