how to get off grid internet – EASILY!

the internet (not the music group) has allowed us to create connections all over the world. however, if you’ve ever considered living off-grid, you may have had to consider whether or not you can live without the internet, and obviously the answer is a resounding

NO!

at least for me. i’ve spent too many times sitting in the middle of nowhere with a No Service message sitting at the top of my phone. 

you need the internet for everything. you need it to work, to keep in touch with your loved ones since you’re already so physically detached from them.

cutting off your internet is like cutting off your lifeline, and that don’t vibe with me, fam.

living off grid doesn’t mean that you have to be without internet access. you can if you want to… it’s all about personal preference. but just because you may not be connected to the local water system or power grid doesn’t mean you can’t have internet.

now, let’s think about our options.

depending on how off-grid you are location-wise, you might find that it’s difficult to even get basic cell reception, so we’re gonna give you a few options. you might have to be creative, but we got solutions for all of you.

Your cell phone data plan

there are many off the grid internet options, but one of the most popular and easiest to get is to use your cell phone data plan. it’s actually probably going to be the most easily accessible option.

if you need to connect your laptop to the internet, adding a hotspot to your plan would be the easiest option. you’ll easily be able to connect everyone else’s laptop or device, which is important if you’re living off the grid with the whole family.

one caveat is your data is capped and your speed is generally limited. you can blast through data pretty easily if you’re watching Netflix or something.

you’ll first have to check with your cell phone provider to find out what kind of signal you’ll be able to get where you’re at. 

second, find out what kind of data you expect to use. this could end up costing you a whole bunch of money.

if you’re creative (youknowwhatimtalkinabout), then you could find ways to bypass your phone provider, but that’s all on you.

Wireless hotspot in town

if you’re on a budget, like i am perpetually, then you really ain’t tryin to spend all your money on something you can’t even see, am i right?

the best off-grid internet option if you don’t want to expend a lot of cash money is to find a wireless hotspot in town. plenty of places offer free Wi-Fi as long as you’re a patron, so you should be able to use their Wi-Fi without any problem.

you can find hotspots at libraries, coffee shops, malls, fast food restaurants, and even gyms. in some places like the library, the service is entirely free. however, in other places, you usually have to buy something, but if you absolutely need off grid internet, it’s worth the cost of the coffee.

cons are public Wi-Fi tends to be both slow and insecure, like some of my exes. i don’t recommend doing anything too crazy.

Satellite internet

satellite internet (theoretically) is considered one of the best off-grid internet options because it doesn’t matter what the weather is like, your internet connection isn’t going to fail. however, everything isn’t peaches and cream – your accessibility is going to depend on where you are.

sadly, we can’t expect an incredibly fast off grid internet connection from a signal we’re getting from space. think about how often your TV goes out when it rains. even clouds screw up your connection.

for these reasons, satellite internet is pretty much hit-or-miss, so if you’re hoping for reliability in your internet connection, we can’t recommend it.

when it works, it works. but when it doesn’t, it doesn’t.

Ham radio

it may sound a little bit crazy, but ham radio is the predecessor of the internet connection. it’s useful when you need a basic internet plan without the necessity of downloading heavy files since you’re highly limited by your transfer rate. think plain text  pages. the cool thing is you don’t even need electricity to use it.

so this means it doesn’t matter if you are off the grid because ham radio works with repeaters technology to create a network. with this network, you can do simple tasks like send an email or text messages.

it’s obviously not the most convenient option, but if you were trapped in the woods, just you and your ham radio, you might have a fighting chance of staying connected.

maybe it’s not the best off the grid internet options, but it’s very useful for those people who live in very remote zones where the cell phone and satellite signal do not work very well. of course, there’s the issue of security or privacy, but it’s better than nothing.

so there are options. some much better or more easily accessible than other.