Working From Home In Remote Locations

When we found our little mountain paradise, I had one major concern.  How in the world would I be able to continue working from home in this very rural and remote setting?  For many years, I have worked from home as a medical transcriptionist and medical editor.  Having access to fast Internet was a huge issue that I stressed over.  In case you are wondering, high-speed Internet in a mountainous, rural setting is not a given.  Obviously, I had never lived in a remote area and this was never an issue working back in South Carolina.

Satellite Internet

The very first thing I checked in to was satellite Internet.  My first instinct was this would be doable, but probably expensive.  I jumped on the Internet and started searching for companies that offered satellite service in remote areas.  To put it mildly, I was horrified by what I read!  It seemed common to be locked in a contract that did not live up to the speeds they advertised.  I read through page after page of reviews.  Not only were there complaints of slow Internet service, but sometimes no service at all for several days.  Numerous reviews were urging readers to never use these particular companies.  That was all it took for me.  There was no way I was going to get locked into one of those nightmares I read about.

Local Internet Provider

My next thought was our local provider.  I was relieved that I had seen their trucks in town and thought this would be my answer.  After doing some research, I discovered my local option was no better than the satellite service.  The reviews for this service were just as bad.  Although the trucks were visible, there was no real brick and mortar company that you could visit if you had issues or problems.  That made me nervous!  Once again, I read more reviews about poor service and speeds that scared me away from our local provider.

At this point, I was extremely glad that I had taken the time to research these various companies instead of just jumping in.  I would highly recommend if you are in a remote setting to do the same.  It’s just a hunch, but I believe those reviews saved me a lot of time, money and frustration.

However, there was one constant thing that I noticed while on our building site.  I actually did have cell phone service in our little cabin and building site.  Now mind you, when I left the building site, that usually was not the case until I got closer to our town.  One thing we have discovered since moving to the mountains, cell phone coverage is very unpredictable.  At some point, you are not going to have service.  Hey, that can actually be a good thing sometimes!  For me to have service on the mountaintop was the best case scenario when working from a home office.

Tethering

Have you ever heard the word, “tethering?”  Well, I had no clue what that meant even though I had seen it under settings on my phone.  My next step was calling my phone carrier to see what options I might have.  I had no idea that I could actually tether my phone to my desktop and have the Internet and the speed that I needed to perform my job.  And guess what, it really works!  No satellite, no hot spot, no contracts, no slow speeds, no aggravation!

It has been a year now that I have tethered my cell phone to my computer.  I spent around $20 for the USB-C cord to connect my phone to my computer and it has worked like a charm!  Of course, I already had a cell phone plan that I was paying for and just bumped the data plan up to unlimited.  For another $20 to my package, I now had the ability to work from my desktop with great Internet speed.  In a year’s time, I have never been without Internet service that prevented me from doing my job while working from home.  At most, I occasionally clear my browsing data, limit the photos stored on my phone (this slows the phone and thus slows the Internet speed) and reset my phone.  How great is that!

If you are like me living in a mountainous, remote or rural setting, it’s something to check into.  The only catch is you must have cell phone service to be able to tether to a computer or laptop.  It’s really that easy!

One Word of Caution

There are apparently inferior USB-C cords that can actually cause damage to your device.  If you want to pick one up, be sure to purchase it from your service provider.  I purchased mine through my provider and it has worked great.

Working From Home Update: June 11, 2019

After going through 2 USB-C cords from my provider, I knew there had to be a better option.  I am excited to share with you the new USB-C cord I am now using working from home.  After reading many reviews, I ordered the Anker brand.  From the moment I opened the packaging, I knew it was a much better cord.

I love the fact that the cord is double-braided and tough.  There is no comparison to the provider cord I was using.  Perhaps the best feature for me was the tight fit when plugging into my phone.  Over time, the old cord would become loose and I would lose my signal.  Not so with this Anker cord.  It keeps a snug fit after continual use!  The provider cord was over $20.00 and the Anker only $11.00!  This cord is going to last too.  My only regret was that I didn’t order the 6 foot cord.  The 3 foot cord doesn’t give quite enough flexibility for my needs.

Working in remote locations can be a challenge.  I have included my affiliate link below!