Rural Mobile Internet

[7Wannabe5]

I'm trying to help somebody figure out what would currently be the best, least expensive, option for mobile internet connection in very rural location with very poor cellular signal strength? Basically, they will be camping in the middle of a deep forest, but attempting full-time WFH.

[theanimal]

Starlink.

The other old school satellite providers (Hughes Net and similar) are woefully slow (max speeds of 3 mb/s), have very limited data and are only $20-$30 cheaper. Starlink offers 100 mb/s + download speeds at $120/month. There are other companies similar to Starlink (like OneWeb) but I'm not sure if their availability is as widespread. Besides their direct competitors, there is nothing comparable for those in rural areas without access to fiber optic service or cell coverage.

[loutfard]

Some context would help:
- Is this a flat area? What does https://www.solwise.co.uk/wireless-elevationtool.html say between this spot and the nearest cellphone antenna?
- I assume the forest is somewhat close to production pine forest, so fully grown trees up to about 30m high? Or are there any historical higher trees present?
- How permanent is this WFH arrangement?
- What bandwidth is required?
- Any open spot in the forest near where this person is working?

Some very general hints, without too much context:
- Make sure you have reliable electricity.
- Look up where the closest cellular towers are.
- Check if you have line of sight/near line of sight/partial line of sight to one or more of them.
- Get a parabolic directional antenna. Aim it at the cellular towers, fine adjust based upon better signal/noise values. Hint: Mikrotik makes some very nice and affordable ones compatible with European radio spectra at the very least.

If this doesn't work, there's always Starlink...

[AxelHeyst]

+1 starlink. It's the slamdunk solution. Heads up, though, about the energy consumption, could be a dealbreaker depending on your friend's infrastructure and time zone schedule. Confirm the operating continuous wattage vs. rated wattage with the heater element running.

Another option, I had a cell signal booster in Serenity when I was nomading around and WFH-ing, and IF I could get even a little signal, this device did wonders. I did some significant realtime bandwidth WFH stuff off this thing. It's worth checking out. This is what I had fwiw.

[7Wannabe5]

Thanks very much for the recommendations. I will pass them along, although I think she is going to ultimately decide that driving out of the woods and "renting" a table at local cafe or nearest McDonalds will be her best option. IME, typing in the woods is not so much fun.

[IlliniDave]

The other problem with the woods is that IIRC Starlink requires a clear view of the north sky. Some of my neighbors have it and they work from their place, and have the dish mounted on their roof to get a LOS above the trees in the right direction. A suggestion besides a local establishment that doesn't mind if you spend very low $/hr is to check out a local library if there is one. The challenge there is they are stuck with whatever the local provider has which is often DSL rather than fiber.

[Gilberto de Piento]

Relatives have starlink. Works well. They also have it mounted on the roof like Dave said.

Also look into gear for boosting cellular signal as ah said. I don't know how well this actually works but it used to be a thing for people with cabins right on the edge of a good cell signal.

[7Wannabe5]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I think she has come to the conclusion that buying a very basic cabin on the edge of the forest, rather than camping, might be best option given her particular highly renumerated job's need for very good, stable internet connection.