Talk to me about High Speed Internet options

[Ginevra]

I'm not the least bit "techy", so if you know the perfect thing for me, please tell me what it is.

 

I live 1/4 mile off the main road; there is no Fios available and no DSL cable, either. So, we have HughesNet. I despise it. I spend at least 1/4 of every day swearing and fuming at the darn server. If I want to do anything substantial, it busts my bandwidth. If there's a cloud within twenty miles, it's sketchy. If there's floating dust somewhere between my computer and my router, my connection is kaput.

 

What device can rescue me? I know there's such a thing as a mobil hot spot, but is this essentially a router, or is it a stand-alone receiver? Or is my solution one of those gizmos that you plug into the USB port? Or is there another gadget I'm not aware of? Please help me before I go postal.

 

P.S. I have a MacBook Pro and a Mac Desktop, so as far as the actual computers involved, we're in good shape.

[MotherGoose]

I'm in the same mess. I use my Verizon cell phone, which I tether to my computer and use it as a modem. If you call them, make sure you go to tech support. You will be getting the most basic of basic cell phones, but it has a modem inside. They sent me the wrong one the first time (their mistake). Mine is a Samsung Convoy. You could also get a data card. Mine costs $49 or so a month. Love it! This is assuming you get cell service there.

[mrs.m]

If you have decent cell service, find out what it would cost to add internet service to your cell phone. You then plug your cell into the computer for internet access. It's called "tethering". DH told me there's a way to do it with a router but the bandwidth probably won't support more than one network use. But I can watch Netflix with my tether so I like it.