By
Moe Long Senior Writer
Updated

Rise Broadband
4.5 out of 5 overall

Exceptional rural and suburban internet coverage

  • Up to 100Mbps fixed wireless internet
  • Low-latency signals
  • Growing fiber internet service
View Plans & Prices

Rise Internet offers fixed wireless internet for rural areas. With fixed wireless internet, Rise Internet beams high-speed internet signals from nearby towers to roof-mounted antennas. Rise also offers fiber connections in some regions.

Because Rise Internet's service is reliable and low-latency, it's a great alternative to satellite internet or DSL. Therefore, for gaming, video streaming, and working from home, it's a great option where available. 

In this article, we’ll detail Rise’s plans, coverage areas, and connection speeds to help you decide if they are a good option for you. 


Internet Plans

Rise Internet
Rise Internet

1 Gig

  • Fiber 1000/1000 Mbps
  • Unlimited Data
$61.99/mo
($50 plan + $11.99 modem)
with AutoPay. Available in select rural communities.
+ $150 Upfront
Is Rise Internet for you? Pros and cons

Rise Internet delivers stable, low-latency fixed wireless internet, so it's a solid option for folks in rural regions of the United States.  

What we love
  • Up to 100Mbps fixed wireless internet
  • Excellent rural coverage
  • Generous data allocations
  • Budding fiber internet service
What could be improved
  • Only 100Mbps download speeds in many regions
  • Limited nationwide Rise Internet availability

Rise Internet Plans


Rise Internet plans start at a reasonable $25/month and feature 25Mbps, 50Mbps, or 100Mbps download speed tiers. There's also a growing fiber network with a trio of plans: 100Mbps, 250Mbps, and 1Gbps.

While its fiber plans lack a data cap, Rise Internet fixed wireless packages come with 250GB monthly data allowances. Although unlimited is nice, 250GB is generous enough for liberal video streaming, gaming, and web browsing worry-free.

Note that pricing varies. For instance, Rise Internet's affordable $25/month introductory pricing for its 25Mbps plan may be available in some areas but not others. You can check by punching in your address on Rise's website.

It’s important to note that, like most ISPs, Rise often raises your monthly bill after a year. That's no different than Spectrum or Xfinity, who charge more after promotional pricing expires.

What we like: Excellent rural coverage

Rise Internet is an attractive rival to satellite internet and DSL if you're in a cable or fiber dead zone. Rise Internet's fixed wireless internet infrastructure reaches an impressive amount of rural areas. Although it's slower than cable or fiber, Rise's reliable download speeds are significantly better than satellite internet from HughesNet or Viasat. Even many DSL providers, such as CenturyLink, charge as much or even more than Rise Internet but for slower data speeds.

What we like: Reliable, low-latency speeds

With fixed wireless speeds up to 100Mbps, Rise Internet delivers stable home internet. Additionally, its low-latency signals work wonderfully for gaming and video streaming. In our Rise Internet speed tests, we easily pulled in the advertised upload and download speeds. 

What we like: Expanding fiber network

In addition to its fixed wireless service, Rise Internet features a growing fiber network. You'll mostly find its fiber in areas of Illinois and Texas. Although a larger footprint would be nice, we appreciate Rise's dedication to bringing fiber to more rural regions.  

What could be improved: Data caps

While its plans vary, many Rise Internet's fixed wireless packages feature 250GB monthly data caps. That should be plenty for streaming Netflix, online gaming, listening to Spotify, and working from home. 

Unfortunately, Rise charges overages, so we recommend monitoring your monthly internet usage and sticking to the data cap. Although we'd prefer unlimited data, 250GB is more generous than most satellite internet plans, the alternative for many folks in rural regions.

What could be improved: Fixed wireless internet issues

Fixed wireless internet is faster and more reliable than satellite and DSL. However, it requires line of sight to wireless towers. And during inclement weather, you might experience outages or disruptions. There’s also limited Rise Internet availability. However, it's tough to knock Rise Internet for those problems, which are pain points for fixed wireless internet, not ISP-specific issues.

Rise Internet Coverage


Rise Internet maintains a presence in 16 states. You'll mostly find Rise in rural and suburban parts of the Southwest, Midwest, and Rocky Mountains. Most areas include fixed wireless access, while parts of Texas and Illinois enjoy Rise Internet fiber. Here's where Rise Internet internet is available:

  • Colorado
  • Idaho
  • Illinois
  • Indiana
  • Iowa
  • Kansas
  • Minnesota
  • Nevada
  • Oklahoma
  • South Dakota
  • Texas
  • Utah
  • Wisconsin
  • Wyoming

Rise Internet vs. Competitors


Now that we've reviewed what we like and what could be improved about Rise Internet, let's see how it stacks up against the ISP competition.

Rise Internet vs. rival ISPs

Rise Internet  HughesNet Viasat CenturyLink
Internet connection  Fixed wireless
Fiber
Satellite Satellite DSL
Cable
Fiber
Max internet
download
speeds
100Mbps (fixed wireless)
1GBps (fiber)
25Mbps 150Mbps 100Mbps (DSL)
940Mbos (cable or fiber)
Starting
monthly price
$25 $39.99 $99.99 $55

View plans View plans View plans View plans
Rise Internet vs. HughesNet

HughesNet is one of the most popular satellite internet service providers. Its fast, completely wireless internet starts at just $45/month, and you'll enjoy 25Mbps download speeds. In our testing, we liked its affordable prices and nationwide coverage.

Rise Internet boasts higher data caps, lower latency, and better pricing. Granted, it isn't available in as many spots as HughesNet, but if you've got a choice, we recommend Rise Internet.

Rise Internet 
Rise Broadband
4.5 out of 5 overall

  • Fast 100Mbps fixed wireless speeds
  • Generous data caps
  • Low latency
  • Limited availability
HughesNet
Hughesnet Satellite Internet Review
4 out of 5 overall

  • Large nationwide footprint
  • Affordable satellite internet
  • Low-cost installation
  • Only 25Mbps

Rise Internet vs. Viasat

Viasat is a great satellite internet provider that boasts speeds of up to 150mbps. In our experience, Viasat offers fast download speeds, excellent availability, and some nice perks like free installation depending on your credit score. However, high latency and high prices do not work in the ISP’s favor.

Rise Internet, by comparison, is more affordable, has lower latency, and also offers generous data caps. While it's yet to be as widely available as Viasat, we suggest Rise.

Rise Internet 
Rise Broadband
4.5 out of 5 overall

  • Fast 100Mbps fixed wireless speeds
  • Large data caps
  • Low latency
  • Limited coverage
Viasat
Viasat
4 out of 5 overall

  • Up to 150Mbps
  • Free installation available 
  • Expensive
  • High latency

Rise Internet vs. CenturyLink

CenturyLink is a reliable ISP that offers DSL, cable, and fiber. With a DSL presence in many areas where Rise Internet operates, CenturyLink is a good alternative with solid rural coverage and cheap gigabit fiber. We observed faster Rise Internet fixed wireless internet speeds for the same price or cheaper than CenturyLink's DSL, so we suggest Rise.

Rise Internet
Rise Broadband
4.5 out of 5 overall

  • Great rural and suburban coverage
  • Faster speeds than DSL
  • Growing fiber network
  • Small footprint
CenturyLink
CenturyLink
4 out of 5 overall

  • Solid rural DSL
  • Affordable equipment
  • Solid fiber network
  • Not as fast DSL as Rise fixed wireless

Rise Internet Routers and Modems


In some areas, Rise Internet charges $10/month for an equipment rental fee. However, some customers enjoy free hardware. Regardless, Rise only provides an antenna and modem. You'll need to pay an extra $7–$15/month for Wi-Fi service or provide your own wireless router. 

For its rentals, Rise offers Deco M4 mesh routers which deliver whole-home coverage. Smaller spaces should be fine with a single mesh router which goes for $7/month, or you can step up to two Deco M4 access points for $10/month and three units for $15/month.  

Using your own equipment with Rise Internet

While you can easily rent routers from Rise Internet, you can also use your own equipment. 

Recap: Is Rise Internet Right for You?


Ultimately, Rise Internet is a fantastic choice for rural internet coverage. Although its fixed wireless speeds lag behind fiber or even cable internet, it's a reliable low-latency alternative to pricey satellite internet. While its fiber footprint falls behind Rise's fixed wireless coverage, we appreciate the concerted effort this ISP makes to deliver blazing-fast internet to rural and suburban areas.

Here's what you get by signing up with Rise Internet :

  • Up to 100Mbps download speeds over fixed wireless
  • Fiber available in some areas
  • Outstanding rural and suburban coverage
  • Generous data caps
  • Excellent ISP-provided Wi-Fi equipment

Overall, we like Rise Internet as a rival to satellite and DSL internet providers. Especially for gaming and video streaming, this is an ISP that rises above the competition.

Check out Rise Internet's plans below to get started.

Internet Plans

Rise Internet
Rise Internet

1 Gig

  • Fiber 1000/1000 Mbps
  • Unlimited Data
$61.99/mo
($50 plan + $11.99 modem)
with AutoPay. Available in select rural communities.
+ $150 Upfront
Methodology

Our team of internet enthusiasts pored over proprietary research and analyzed real-world user feedback to review Rise Internet based on price, coverage, plans, and data speeds. Additionally, we performed dozens of hours of hands-on testing. We compared Rise Internet to rival internet providers, including Viasat, HughesNet, and CenturyLink, while also considering dozens of other ISPs to determine Rise Internet's overall standing.

Rise Internet Review: Frequently Asked Questions


Is Rise Internet fast?

Rise Interenet is fast with up to 100Mbps speeds over fixed wireless and 1Gbps on its growing fiber network.

Is Rise Internet good for gaming? 

Yes, Rise Internet is good for gaming with its low-latency signals, which are more reliable than rival satellite and DSL internet providers.

Who is Rise Internet owned by?

JAB Wireless, Inc owns Rise Internet.

What type of internet is Rise Internet?

Rise Internet is mostly fixed wireless internet with fiber-optic connections available in some areas.

What is fixed wireless internet?

Fixed wireless internet beams a wireless internet signal to roof-mounted antennas from nearby towers rather than running a cable or fiber connection to individual buildings. It’s faster than satellite internet, around the same speed as DSL, and slower than cable or fiber.

What type of router does Rise Internet use?

Rise Internet uses Deco M4 mesh routers for its Wi-Fi system, or you can use your own wireless router.

Moe Long

Senior Writer

Moe Long
Moe is a Senior Staff Writer with a passion for all things tech. As a writer and editor for over a decade, he specializes in researching and testing smartphones, gaming devices, and connected smart home systems. He’s been featured in publications including MakeUseOf, SmartHomeBeginner, TechBeacon, and more.

Read full bio


Find a Better Internet Plan

Compare providers available in your area.

Search 48 Providers

Compare broadband plans from the following providers...