Home Based Business Internet: Residential or Business Plan?

Your business has a registered agent, a logo, and a tax ID. Its headquarters is the spare bedroom, and its internet is the same connection currently streaming cartoons in the living room.

That is completely fine for most home based businesses. For some, it is not. We sell two plans, one at $74.99 and one at $149.99, and we would rather you pick the right one than the bigger one. This guide helps you decide in a few minutes.

The two plans

Residential, $74.99 per month. Unlimited data. One modem. Works anywhere with signal.

Business, $149.99 per month. Unlimited data. One modem. Works anywhere with signal. Plus a static IP, priority support, business invoicing, and expedited replacement.

Both are month to month. Both have no contract, no activation fee, no credit check, and no promotional period. Both come with a modem that is free to use, secured by the same $100 refundable deposit.

What is the same on both

This matters, because a lot of providers make the cheaper plan worse on purpose.

• The data. Unlimited on both.
• The portability. Both go where you go.
• The qualification. A $100 refundable deposit. No credit check, personal or business. No address eligibility check.
• The terms. Month to month, cancel from your account, deposit back when the modem comes home.
• The shipping. Free, both directions.

The Business plan is not "the good internet." It is the same unlimited internet with four business features added.

The four differences

1. Static IP

A fixed address on the internet that does not change. You need one when something outside your network has to find you at a known address, or when a system checks your address before letting you in.

For home businesses that usually means:

• A client or employer whose systems only allow approved IP addresses.
• A VPN that your IT provider configures against a fixed address.
• Remote access to a computer, server, or recorder at your home office.
• Certain security camera systems.

Most home businesses need none of these. Some cannot operate without one. Our static IP explainer goes through it in plain English.

2. Priority support

Support requests are handled in order. Business plan requests are pulled ahead in that queue. It does not mean a separate phone line or a dedicated engineer. It means when your connection is down, you are the next problem we work on.

3. Business invoicing

Proper invoices in your company's name, ready for your accounting software or your accountant. Residential customers get ordinary receipts. If your bookkeeper has ever sighed at a personal receipt, this is for them.

Whether and how you can deduct internet costs is a question for your tax professional. We just make the paperwork clean.

4. Expedited replacement

Defective modems are replaced at no charge on both plans. On Business, the replacement ships fast, because a down business connection is an emergency.

The Business modem also includes an Ethernet port, so a desktop, a printer hub, a recorder, or your own router can connect by cable.

The two question test

1. Does anything outside your home need to reach in at a known address, or check your address before letting you in? Client allowlists, VPN, remote desktop, cameras. If yes, choose Business.
2. Does an hour of downtime have a dollar figure? If a dead connection means missed client sessions, lost sales, or blown deadlines, choose Business for the priority support and expedited replacement.

If both answers are no, Residential does the job for $75 less per month.

Who is usually fine on Residential

• Freelance writers, designers, and developers working in cloud tools.
• Online sellers managing a store, listings, and shipping labels.
• Consultants and coaches whose work is email, documents, and video calls.
• Bookkeepers using cloud accounting software.
• Side businesses that run evenings and weekends.
• Remote employees whose company does not require a fixed IP.

If everything you use connects out to a website or an app, a dynamic address works perfectly.

Who should look at Business

• Anyone whose client or employer IT department has said the words "static IP" or "allowlist."
• Professionals handling records through systems with address based access controls.
• Anyone who remotes in to a home office computer from elsewhere.
• Home offices with a server, a recorder, or other equipment that gets accessed from outside.
• People who bill by the hour or the session, where an outage is directly lost income.
• Anyone whose accountant wants invoices in the business name.

One modem for the household, or one for the business?

There are no per device fees on either plan, so one modem can serve the household and the business together. Many home businesses run that way.

Reasons to give the business its own modem:

• Clean books. A separate plan with its own invoices is a clearly separate business expense. Ask your tax professional what works best for you.
• Separate networks. Client data is not sharing a wifi network with the kids' tablets and the smart doorbell.
• No competition at 3 p.m. when school lets out and the streaming begins.
• It can leave with you. Take the business modem to a client site or on a trip, and the house stays online.

Each modem is its own plan and its own deposit. A common pairing is Residential for the house and Business for the office.

The portable angle

A home based business is rarely only at home. Client sites, trade shows, coworking days, a working week at the lake. The modem goes with you, and on the Business plan the static IP goes with it, because it is tied to your line and not to an address. Whatever your client's IT department approved keeps working from wherever you are.

See working remotely from anywhere, and for market and event sellers, internet for pop up shops and market booths.

No business paperwork on either plan

A brand new sole proprietor and a ten year old LLC sign up the same way. No EIN required, no business credit lookup, no personal guarantee. A $100 refundable deposit per modem is the whole qualification. See the No Credit Checks page and the modem deposit, explained.

Start small and switch later

If you are unsure, start on Residential. Contact us through Support to switch to Business when a client asks for a static IP or the business grows. The new price applies from your next billing date. Same modem, same deposit, same wifi network. No fee to switch in either direction and no minimum time on either plan.

Home office setup tips

• Placement first. Near a window, up high, away from metal. If your office is in the basement, put the modem on the floor above and let wifi reach down. See the placement guide and the hard buildings guide.
• Secure the network. Strong password, not shared with guests. See our wifi security guide.
• Have a backup. A phone hotspot covers the rare bad day. See backup internet for small business.
• Check signal before you order. See how to check coverage before you buy.

Frequently asked questions

Am I required to buy the Business plan if I run a business from home?
No. Choose the plan whose features you need.

Can I add a static IP to Residential?
No. There are two plans and no add ons. Static IP is part of Business.

Is the Business plan's internet better?
Both plans are unlimited. Business adds a static IP, priority support, business invoicing, and expedited replacement.

Can I use the Business plan at home?
Yes. The plan does not care where the modem is.

Can I get an invoice on the Residential plan?
Residential includes standard receipts. Business invoicing in a company name is part of the Business plan.

Is there a contract on Business?
No. Both plans are month to month. Our Subscription Policy lists them side by side.

The bottom line

Two questions decide it. Does anything need to find you at a fixed address? Does downtime cost you money? Yes to either means Business. No to both means Residential, and you keep the $75.

See How it Works for what happens after you choose.