Xplornet Satellite Internet

Our cabin as it looks today.

When we purchased our cabin in 2001 it was a vacation destination while were both working as educators in Los Angeles. Back then, we made the decision not to have either television or Internet service.

After we retired, we could only be at our cabin six months a year as Canadian visitors. We decided to continue without television and Internet and spend out time enjoying the outdoors.

Meeting the installer at the Shinglemill marina.

When we became Canadian permanent residents in 2008 we could finally live in our float cabin full time. That meant we had to make frequent trips to town for Internet access. Wayne needed it to publish his books and I'm a grant writing consultant. After a while, all the trips up and down the lake by boat got old. By 2016 Internet access was becoming a priority.

Working under the porch on a rainy day.

Living off the grid and far from town there were two options. First we tried cellular data. We're on the ragged edge of reception so we installed a booster. There are two drawbacks to cellular Internet: 1) it's very expensive in Canada, and 2) our connection isn't reliable and strong.

The dish had to be mounted on shore.

This year we saw an ad in the paper for Xplornet satellite Internet.  We researched it online (in town) and contacted the company. Yes, they offered service in our area if we could align the dish to the satellite. Fortunately we have a good view to the southeast.

Wayne feeding the cable under the deck.

Wayne helped install the coaxial cable from the dish to the cabin. It went under the deck to the kitchen wall near our "technology center." Here we have a power outlet our cellular booster, cell phones and printer. Now it includes our satellite equipment.

Making the connections indoors.

A small hole got the cable inside to hook up the the gateway. A wireless router gives us Internet access anywhere in the cabin and even outdoors. What luxury.

It's not a cheap alternative, but we get 50 GB of high speed data for $85. 

Even though we didn't get television, we splurged on Netflix.  We download movies and programs while we're in town to watch later up at the cabin. That doesn't take any data at all.

Aligning the dish.

A typical day starts with streaming the morning news and downloading the newspaper to read offline. We check email and see what's happening on Facebook and Instagram. Then we turn the system off until evening when we watch the nightly news and check email and social media one more time.

All finished and snugly attached to the shed on shore.

We've moved into the Internet age but have to be careful we don't become wireheads like the old days. We want to save our days for gardening, cabin chores, sailing, boating, quadding, reading, writing, and other active pursuits. So far, so good. -- Margy