[melmartin]

Hello!
I'm new to this board, and I apologize in advance if this is the wrong place to post this quesiton.

My aunt has recently moved to a rural area without a good internet connection.
She unfortunately is taking some classes online and needs solid, secure, fast internet.

She is currently using a satellite internet dish, but says the service is only good initially then starts to get worse as the reserve ends or something?

Anyway, 4 miles away, there is a neighbor that has the last available high speed connection.

I was wondering if a booster might be a good option for my aunt?
Could anyone recommend a booster for her that might allow her to receive the internet that neighbors 4 miles away have?

She has spoken to them, and they are willing to place a booster in their home as well to allow her to connect.

I have no idea how these things work and any help is appreciated.

Thank you!!

[dsenette]

Quote

Could anyone recommend a booster for her that might allow her to receive the internet that neighbors 4 miles away have?

#1 there's not a booster available that would reliably get 4 miles off of a wireless connection

#2 that's illegal even if the neighbors say she can connect.

[Neil Jones]

Most routers will only have a range of about 300m, or the standard range of your cordless telephone. Asking it to stretch four miles is pretty much impossible. No booster on the planet will do it. Unfortunately if you live in the middle of nowhere your options for broadband are limited or non-existent. In your aunt's case it sounds like satellite internet is the only option going.

Regarding question 2, connecting to somebody else's wireless internet is pretty much illegal in most jurisdictions. It's called piggybacking. Even if it weren't illegal to piggyback it it would be a violation of the terms and conditions of the neighbour's ISP to share the connection knowingly or unknowingly.

[rshaffer61]

Some interesting topics on this subject. A quick search shows the USA is getting ready to start offering broadband service to rural areas through the rural internet stimulus proposal making its way through goverment now.

[melmartin]

Thanks alot for all your help.
Much appreciated!