Best options for internet in your mountain home

Yes, we all wish we could move to the mountains to completely disconnect, but we all know that’s not a reality. Whether you work from home or just binge Netflix, we all need good, reliable internet.

In the foothills, all internet services are subject to availability based on your specific location. You may be able to get one type of internet that even your neighbor can’t get based on your house location, direction facing, trees, etc. So I recommend calling a few places to get quotes and see what service may best serve your location.

Download speeds will vary as well, of course, based on your location.

Here’s some options.

NATIONAL BRANDS

Starlink: Works well (this is what we have) and is easy to install yourself, but you do need a clear shot to the sky. $80-120 a month with set up fees from $395-600.
T-Mobile Internet: $35-75 per month depending on plan and whether or not you are bundling with cell service.
Verizon: Various plans from 5G to lighter options. They do not reveal pricing unless it’s available in your area. It’s not available for my house in Evergreen, but that doesn’t mean it’s not available for yours!
Xfinity/Comcast: Plans starting at $40-55 a month with a 5 year price guarantee.

LOCAL OR SMALLER BRANDS

Neteo: Various plan that run $55-95 a month. They also provide custom plans for those needing a more robust plan.
Clear Creek Broadband: A local mountain-based internet company. Plans around $80 a month.
Centurylink: $55-75 a month based on two options of either normal internet or fiber. Not sure how many places in the foothills fiber will reach but it’s worth a shot as they are advertising crazy speeds.
Rise Broadband: Various plans from $35-$75 a month
Hughesnet: Various plans from $39-$75 a month
Mountain Broadband: Offers fixed wireless and fiber home internet, specializing in rural and remote areas with no install fees (but can take a long time to get set up)

Things to Look for in an Internet Company

How fast of download and upload speed do they offer? How realistic are those speeds in the mountains?
What kind of plan do you need? Do you have one or two devices accessing the internet? Or phones, tvs, security systems, garage doors, refrigerators and more trying to access? That will make a huge difference on what plan you buy.
Do they charge for data? What happens if you go over?
What about contracts? Do they lock in your price for a certain period of time?
What about set-up costs? Do you have to pay for the equipment or any fees to start?
Do they come to your house to install or do they have you do it?
Do they have a customer service team that can troubleshoot?
Can they bundle with home tv service or cellphones?

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