Frequently Asked questions
While the phone has unlimited data, tethered devices only have 10-30 GB of data before the device is throttled to .1-Mbps speeds, making working, watching a video or the other things we love to do almost impossible. With an ORI Data Plan, you are getting a lot more data to use each month and with no limits on devices that share that data.
Each plan has a different amount of data that the tower providers will allow us. So obviously, the plan with the most data is the best deal; however, if you don’t have one of those towers close by you won’t get usable speeds. Unless you know what cell tower from a major carrier works best for you already, we will put our team to work for you. We’ll verify tower locations in relation to you, along with calculating the hills and terrain between you in efforts to find out if the tower will perform for you.
We love helping people find reliable Internet and put great efforts into each service order to make sure your location fits well with a tower plan. If it doesn’t, we would rather get you in contact with a Satellite provider than have you unhappy with subpar Internet. If you purchase service, there is a 15-Day Return Policy*. Also, our service doesn’t have contracts, so even if you use it for a couple of months and change your mind, you just cancel. No penalties for canceling service. We’ll even help you find other services that are available in your area!
The data you use that is under the “Soft Cap” amount is not throttled. Once you reach that soft cap amount of data you become “deprioritized,” which means if the tower is busy, you may be subject to slower speeds. However, if the tower isn’t busy, you might not be able to see a difference at all. However, once you reach the hard cap, you will be throttled to a slower speed which could be sub-1 Mbps. This isn’t an ORI controlled option: it is forced by the tower carrier that you would be riding on for your access.
*COVID EXCEPTION* We have found that in some heavy population areas, the tower can get overwhelmed causing a slow-down in speed. In the past this hasn’t really been an issue, but during COVID-19 shutdowns, this has been a new problem facing cellular, satellite and cable companies. We’ve not really seen it be a huge issue, but at ORI, we want you to know exactly what you are getting and the issues you might face.
Unlike cable connection, cellular speeds have a lot of variables that can affect the speeds. While you can reach speeds in excess of 80-Mbps, if there are hills between you and the tower, and that hill is taller than your location and the tower, well, the speeds could be 1-Mbps (or even not at all). This is why we work hard to check out your location and make sure the plan will work well for you. Typically most happy users are between 15-Mbps and 50-Mbps though. By the way, towers are capable of pushing 150-Mbps and some companies like to claim that, but unless you take your device and climb a cell tower that nobody else is using, that just isn’t realistic and we like being honest about what you can expect.
There isn’t a rule of how many devices you can use with your service. However, think of the incoming service as a pie and each device takes a slice of the pie. The more devices, the smaller the slices of pie they get. It also depends on what they are doing. If you have 10 people just surfing the Internet, you won’t notice a difference in speed. If you have 10 people watching streaming video, you might start to notice speed issues.
While we and every cable, cellular, or satellite Internet company would love to say yes, nobody has the power to say there won’t ever be an issue. COVID-19 has completely changed the Internet Service Industry and unprecedented demands have caused issues on all networks. However, our service utilizes the 3-Major Cellular Networks and they work very hard to repair an outage quickly. While ORI doesn’t have a truck to roll to a tower to fix an issue, we must rely on the tower providers we partner with to fix their issue. But you know their names and they are the 3 most reliable cellular carriers.
Each customer’s needs are different, most people would never need additional services to meet their needs. However, if you are the exception, there is no limit to the number of services you can buy. We’ve had some that have ordered multiple types of plans, because they need services at multiple locations and they want to have the best service for each location.
For orders of 5 or more devices, we do offer discounts. Contact sales@ourruralinternet.com to work out a plan that works for you!
Yes. By law, all customers have to be 18-years of age or older.
Not typically. The device is so easy to use, it’s just a matter of plugging it in and you are online. Some of our dealers do offer onsite service for a fee. However, we have tried to provide easy to follow videos on how to install your device and people are online in just minutes. If you are worried about it though, please reach out to us and we will be glad to better assist you.
While we try to make it as easy as possible to pay for the service with multiple forms of payment available, there are times you might not have the money. All services are pre-paid and without a contract, so if you need to cancel for a month or two, you can. When you are ready to get back on, we can typically get you back online in a couple of hours.
When looking for service, it is important to know what speeds you need for what you do. Many want to pick a number they have seen, not realizing what they actually need. Just like you wouldn’t buy a semi to haul your dog to the vet, we want you to understand what speeds you would need for what you do. Our chart will give you an idea of those speeds: