Satellite WIFI is expensive but it may be the only means you have at this time to access the internet. There’s no way to sugar coat the reality that satellite internet is going to run you between roughly $50 and $300 a month, plus equipment rental, taxes and fees. You’ll also have an installation fee for the required equipment unless you choose to buy it up front, install it and maintain it yourself. Some satellite providers require you to do so (Starlink) while others don’t (Viasat, Hugesnet, Frontier).
All forms of internet access are “expensive” compared to free WIFI. Perhaps one day all internet access will be super cheap. Remember what happened with calculators? The first ones costs hundreds back in the day but today you don’t need one if you use the free calculator app on your phone. Even if you need to buy a desktop or hand-hold calculator today is a few dollars. For now, accessing the internet on a secure network at your home has a fee.
With satellite internet the more you pay, the more high-speed data you get. Depending on your street address a legacy provider should be able to offer you two to three or more plan options. Starlink is a new company and there are no plan choices; everyone who signs up pays the same fee per month and there are no data caps as of yet. Starlink isn’t available in all areas yet because it takes time to roll out new satellite service.
In rural and remote regions it’s tough to find fast cheap internet unless you’re within yards of a public Wi-Fi location. Allow a brief digression here about public WIFI. It can be awesome and convenient to be sure. But, it’s not secure, period. It’s as secure as the establishment can make it and larger companies work hard to prevent interference. But all it takes is one break-in. Try not to use a public network for much beyond internet browsing. Don’t input any passwords especially if you use one blanket password for everything (please stop doing that). Don’t shop on a site where you need to log in, create a login, or input a credit card number with expiration code and security code. No-No-no. This even goes for using a mobile phone app on public WIFI. It’s a good idea to set up two-factor authentication for any site where you have a credit card on file or which houses your financial information. This would require a separate code being sent in a text or email to your device. You then type that code into the login for the website. This is a good additional barricade against bad actors.
Bearing these realities in mind, satellite internet service is most often your best option for secure internet at your home.
Part of satellite WIFI feeling expensive is that satellite providers other than Starlink require a 24-month minimum contract. Canceling before the two-year period has costs associated with each provider. The contract is a commitment. The upside is, you can ask to lock in your monthly plan price for the full two years.
Installation costs, if your satellite provider does it, will be somewhere between $100 - $400. Starlink requires customers to purchase a kit for $500 as of this writing and then install it yourself. The equipment, whether you rent or own, will include a satellite dish-style unit, at least two cables, and a modem and a Wi-Fi router or a combined modem-router. Some legacy satellite companies let you buy the equipment outright for about $400-$500 or pay under $20 per month to lease. If you buy it then you are responsible for maintenance and troubleshooting.
Monthly plan fees range from $55 to $300 per month after introductory promotional pricing runs out, which it typically does after 90 days. All in all, the upfront costs plus a monthly bill for satellite WIFI are an investment. The upside is, for those with no other means of a private WIFI network at home, satellite WIFI beats the alternative.