Snowbird Internet: One Connection for Two Homes (and the Drive Between)

Snowbirds have figured out something the rest of the country has not: you do not have to be cold. What they have not figured out, because nobody makes it easy, is internet. Two homes usually means two providers, two bills, and one of them is always paying for a connection to an empty house.

This guide covers the ways snowbirds handle internet, what each one really costs in money and hassle, and how a single portable connection can cover both homes and the drive between them.

The snowbird internet problem

Traditional internet is sold to an address, not a person. If you live at two addresses, the industry's answer is that you are two customers. That leads to three common setups, none of them great.

Option 1: Pay for both homes all year

The simplest option and the most expensive. Two full time plans, one of which serves nobody for half the year.

Upside: nothing to manage. Internet is on when you arrive.

Downside: you pay twelve months for six months of use, twice. Add equipment rental on both ends, and promotional rates that expire on two different schedules. You are also subject to two sets of fine print. We decode what that fine print looks like in the hidden internet fees guide.

Option 2: Seasonal hold or vacation pause

Some providers offer a seasonal suspension. You pause service while you are away and resume when you return.

Upside: cheaper than paying full price for an empty house.

Downside: it is commonly not free. Many providers charge a monthly hold fee, limit how long and how often you can pause, and some charge to reactivate. You have to remember to call before you leave and call again before you come back, and if you time it wrong you arrive to a dead connection. Not every provider offers it at all. Ask for the hold terms in writing before you rely on it.

Option 3: Cancel and restart every season

Cancel when you leave. Sign up again when you return.

Upside: you only pay for the months you are there.

Downside: with a traditional provider, every restart can mean a new application, a possible credit check, equipment to return and re-receive, an install appointment, and new customer pricing that may or may not apply to a returning customer. You do this twice a year, in two states.

Option 4: One portable connection that travels with you

This is the option the address based model cannot offer. A portable cellular modem is not tied to either house. It is tied to you.

When you are up north, it runs the summer house. When you head south, it goes in the car. When you arrive, you turn it on and it runs the winter house. One plan, one bill, twelve months, zero empty houses being paid for.

With Beakom that looks like:

• $74.99 per month. Unlimited. Same price in both states, all year. No promotional period.
• No seasonal hold to arrange. There is nothing to pause, because the service goes with you.
• No reconnection fee. There is nothing to reconnect.
• No address to update. The modem works wherever there is signal. You do not need to tell us you moved for the winter.
• No contract and no credit check. A $100 refundable deposit is the only qualification.

Internet on the drive

The migration itself is part of snowbird life. Two or three days of driving, a couple of hotel nights, maybe a stop to see the grandkids.

The modem works in the car for passengers, in the hotel room instead of the hotel wifi, and at your daughter's house where nobody remembers the password. It has a battery for short stretches and runs on its charger anywhere there is an outlet. If you make the trip in an RV, our RV internet guide covers placement and power in the rig. For the hotel nights, see hotel wifi vs bringing your own.

Will it work at both homes?

It needs usable cellular signal at each place. Many snowbird destinations are well populated areas with solid coverage. Lake cabins and mountain places up north vary more.

Test both homes the same way. Walk the house with a phone and check for usable signal near the windows where the modem would sit. If you are at one home now, test that one and try the other when you get there. The plan is month to month, so there is no risk in finding out. If it does not work at one of the homes, you can cancel, return the modem within 30 days, and get the deposit back. The method is in how to check coverage before you buy.

Setting up at each house

Find the best spot once at each home and remember it.

• Near a window, up high, away from metal and large appliances.
• On the side of the house facing the nearest town or highway.
• Test two or three windows the first time. Keep the winner.

Put a small shelf or a marked spot at each house so setup on arrival is thirty seconds: plug in the charger, turn on the modem, done. Your devices remember the wifi network, so phones, tablets, and the TV reconnect without anyone typing a password. The modem placement guide has the full method.

What about the house you left behind?

This is the honest limit of the one modem approach. One modem covers one place at a time. If the empty house has devices that need internet while you are away, such as cameras, a smart thermostat, or a leak sensor, taking the modem with you takes their connection too.

You have two choices.

• Order a second modem for the empty house. Each modem is its own plan and its own deposit. Because it is month to month, you can run the second one only for the months you are away, then cancel and return it.
• Keep a minimal wired plan at that house if one is available and you prefer it for always on devices.

If remote access to cameras matters to you, read our static IP explainer first. Some camera systems need a fixed address to be viewed remotely, and that is part of the Business plan. One more thing worth saying plainly: the service is not for life safety or emergency use, so do not make it the only link for anything critical.

If you would rather cancel for the off season

Some snowbirds only want Beakom at one home. Maybe the other has good wired service included in the HOA. That works too.

Subscribe when you arrive, cancel from your account when you leave, ship the modem back with the prepaid label, and the deposit returns within 10 business days of the modem arriving. Reorder next season. There is no penalty for leaving and no fee for coming back. The full exit is in how to cancel and return the modem.

The math, without made up numbers

We are not going to invent your current bills. Here is how to do the comparison yourself in five minutes.

1. Add up what you pay per year for internet at home one, including equipment rental and fees, for all twelve months.
2. Do the same for home two. Include any seasonal hold fees and reactivation charges.
3. Add them together.
4. Compare with twelve months at $74.99.

Most people have never added up line one and line two in the same place. It tends to be motivating.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to tell you when I change homes?
No. The modem works wherever there is signal. Keep your account and billing details current and that is all.

Is there a different price in different states?
No. $74.99 for Residential everywhere in the country.

Can my spouse stay north with the modem while I head south?
One modem covers one place at a time. Two places at once means two modems, each with its own plan and deposit.

Is setup hard? I am not a computer person.
Turn it on. Join the wifi network from your device. That is the setup. Our step by step walkthrough covers everything from checkout on.

What if it breaks while I am away from my main home?
Contact Support. Defective modems are replaced at no charge, shipped to wherever you are.

The bottom line

Snowbird internet is hard because the industry sells to addresses and you have two. A portable modem sells to the person. One plan, one price, both homes, and the hotel in between.

Read How it Works, test the windows at whichever house you are in now, and pack the modem next to the golf clubs.