If you live in a rural area with no access to fiber optic Internet, you have two main choices for high-speed Internet. Dial-up and DSL perform poorly compared to the two best options: unlimited satellite Internet and unlimited 4G rural Internet. While both of these options are valid choices, there are three things rural residents should consider when choosing their Internet provider.

Latency

While both satellite and 4G mobile Internet perform impressively when it comes to speed, satellite Internet’s top speeds can be higher. However, 4G mobile Internet has one crucial speed advantage when it comes to speed. Because cell towers are closer to rural homes than satellites in orbit, mobile Internet providers like UbiFi can offer Internet service with less latency than satellite Internet providers such as Viasat. Internet service with lower latency is probably the best Internet for rural gaming since many high-performance online games require low latency for optimal performance.

Data Caps

Both mobile Internet and satellite Internet can carry data caps with expensive overage fees depending on who is offering the service. Look for satellite Internet companies like Starlink that offer unlimited satellite Internet with no data caps and mobile Internet companies like UbiFi which also offer unlimited 4G Internet with no overage fees.

Obstructions

Satellite Internet is notoriously vulnerable to obstructions such as trees, buildings, and even harsh weather, you may not want to choose satellite Internet if you live in a wooded or crowded area with frequent precipitation. 4G Internet is often used as a failover option for satellite Internet users, so you may want to consider a provider like UbiFi if you want to avoid these hassles.