Living away from urban life, far from the noise of the town and restless civilization, may sound like the beginning of a dream. But it comes at a cost. One of the things you may have to compromise is your internet connection.

Finding a reliable internet provider to keep you connected to the city lifestyle, whether for work, education, or entertainment, is difficult when you go off-grid.

So, whether you're planning to move or are already living in the mountains or some secluded forest, here are some excellent options for a fast and secure off-grid internet connection.

What Is Off-Grid Internet?

living off the grid

Living "off the grid" implies choosing to live without any physical connection to any kind of public utilities specific to the comfortable modern life. It usually means living in a house (and we use that term liberally) that isn't connected to any public source of electricity, gas, water, TV cable, telephone, etc.

With that in mind, there are still options available to those who want to live in this manner.

With internet connections omnipresent in our life and so well-integrated in our daily activities, it is crucial that you get an off-grid internet connection to safely continue your activity as you work from home, as your children get homeschooled, or simply as you want to stay connected to social media platforms.

Do You Need an Off-Grid Internet Option?

Whether you need off-grid internet and for how long depends on your situation. Are you permanently moving to live off-grid?

You'll need a permanent connection to the internet, one that is reliable and that maximizes your opportunities for connectivity. Then, you can decide upon the best option for you according to signal, speed, connection quality, etc.

Or, are you going on a mountain vacation, in a hut or cabin away from any public utilities?

In that case, you will only need your off-grid internet for a short period, and the most convenient option would be something portable and compact. In any case, going without the internet is not an option when you want to live off the grid, given what an important role it plays in our everyday lives.

The 4 Best Off-Grid Internet Options for Short and Long Term

Check out our four suggestions for the best options you can get when you need off-grid internet.

Satellite Internet

Satellite internet is amongst the most popular—if not the most popular—alternatives to a secure and permanent internet connection for people living off-grid. However, the main disadvantage of this type of connection is that it's usually significantly slower than the fiber-optic connection that ensures high-speed internet in the city. Plus, connecting to satellite internet is usually higher than those for a normal connection.

However, satellite internet may be the best long-term off-grid solution in terms of security and availability, especially convenient as you won't need any good cell service or hotspot features. All you have to do is check out all the offers from the local internet service providers to see if any of them provide satellite coverage for your location and compare their prices and speed.

Related: Starlink vs. Viasat vs. HughesNet: Satellite Internet Compared

Smartphone Data Plan

On the other hand, the best short-term solution to get a fast and secure off-grid internet connection is to use the data plan on your smartphone. It's highly convenient because it's cheap and easy to use as it doesn't require any additional piece of equipment.

You simply use the internet hotspot from your phone to broadcast a Wi-Fi signal to other devices, whether it's your laptop or your tablet. With so many cell providers offering unlimited data plans for decent monthly costs, this solution can become a perfectly practical option as long as you have a decent cell signal.

internet hotspot

However, there's the disadvantage of keeping your devices close to the phone to get a good Wi-Fi signal, plus constantly charging your phone to keep the tethering function on. Plus, you may not always be able to get a good signal on your phone.

So, make sure you check you get a good signal in your area from a particular cell provider before counting on this solution.

Smartphone Signal Booster

This one comes as an addition to the solution presented above, eliminating the disadvantage of proximity restrictions. More precisely, there's a high possibility that the internet connection won't get more than two or three bars when received from your smartphone hotspot unless you stay very close to it.

This is where signal boosters can be very useful. The signal booster is a device that captures all the incoming cell signals and amplifies them to improve your connection to the internet, getting you up to four or even five bars for signal strength.

Ham Radio

Last but not least, ham radio is one of the most convenient options—and may actually be the cheapest one you will find—to stay connected to the internet off-grid. Sure, it comes with the disadvantage of a very low speed, which means you won't be able to use streaming platforms to watch movies, play games, or make online calls.

However, for those who only need to stay connected to the internet to look up information or communicate via email, radio signals allow small amounts of data to be transmitted by licensed ham radio operators.

To get started with this option, you will need a ham radio operator's license, as well as a robust radio setup. Keep in mind that this option comes with severe limitations, like no proper encryption, low data throughput, and so on.

best off grid internet options

Identifying the Most Convenient Off-Grid Internet Solution

Depending on your location, budget, and needs, each of the options described above can become your best alternative. As a quick review of all the off-grid internet sources discussed above, here are our top suggestions depending on your expectations:

  • Best permanent solution: Satellite internet (but it's expensive and slow)
  • Best portable option: Smartphone data plan (but it depends on cell phone signal)
  • Best high-speed option for unlimited internet: Smartphone data plan with a signal booster

Hence, make sure you compare the good and the bad in all of them before deciding upon the most suitable off-grid internet option for your location and settling on a solution customized to your personal needs.