If you have slow internet you can still work from home. Wondering how to do it ?
You might think that looking for online jobs when you don’t have high-speed internet is a waste of time.
Fortunately, there are several work from home jobs you can do with a slow internet connection.
But before we get to the jobs, let’s quickly talk about internet speed:
The Two Speeds You Need To Consider
Internet speed can be fickle because there are many factors that determine and affect it. Your physical location, the number of people sharing the internet, even the internet service provider. One minute you might be enjoying super-fast speed; the next, you’re barely chugging along.
When it comes to working from home, there are two internet speeds you need to consider:
- Your upload speed, and
- Your download speed
In basic terms, upload speed tells us how fast it’ll take to send an email, play an online game and do video calling.
Download speed determines how long it takes to download data from a server (images, videos, text…basically any kind of internet surfing).
What Internet Speed Is Needed To Work From Home ?
Ideally, your work from home internet speed should be at least 25Mbps to ensure you meet the standards of just about any remote job out there. However, you can still get an online job with a much slower internet speed. Speed of 1.0Mbps download and 600kbps upload still offers many options, as we’ll go over later in this article.
The internet speed you need to work from home depends on two main factors:
- The speed requirements of the actual job, and
- The speed requirements of the tools you’ll use for that job
And here’s a secret:
Many companies don’t specify a required internet speed, so as long as you have an internet connection that doesn’t always disconnect and you’re able to view websites and do online shopping with few problems, there’s no reason you shouldn’t apply for ANY remote job. And a lot of companies tell us we can work from anywhere…not just at home with our slow internet.
Let’s take a look at some examples of work from home internet speed requirements pulled from real job descriptions.
Example #1, VIPKid requires you have wired high-speed internet connection of at least 25Mbps. With this particular company, the job is communicating with small groups of students therefore you need a pretty fast internet speed.
Example #2, Support.com tells us they expect their remote Service Technicians have 10Mbps download and 2Mbps upload speeds.
Looking at these two jobs descriptions, your internet speed depends on the kind of work you will do, with the job heavily based on online communication requiring a much faster speed and the one that is more customer service based has a lower speed requirement.
Now let’s take a look at the internet speed requirements of some of the tools you might use with your online job.
| Tool | Recommended Upload Speed | Recommended Download Speed |
|---|---|---|
| Zoom 1:1 calling | 600kbps – 3.8 Mbps | 600kbps – 3.0Mbps |
| Zoom group calling | 1.0Mbps – 2.0Mbps | 600kbps – 4.0Mbps |
| Skype 1:1 calling | 300kbps (minimum) – 1.2Mbps (minimum) | 300kbps (minimum) – 1.2Mbps (minimum) |
| Skype group calling | 128kbps (minimum) | 512kbs – 4.0Mbps (minimum) |
| Slack 1:1 | 100kbps | 200kbps |
| Slack group | 600kbps | 600kbps – 2.0Mbps |
| Google Meet | 2.6Mbps minimum | 3.2Mbps minimum |
As you can see, if your internet connection has an upload speed of at least 100kbps and download speed of at least 200kbps, you should be able to communicate with your employer and co-workers with few internet interruptions.
Now let’s quickly check how fast YOUR internet speed is.
Here’s How To Check Your Internet Speed
To get an idea how fast (or slow) your internet connection is so you know if you’re missing out or wasting your time on certain jobs, you need to do a speed test. But mainly, this is to satisfy your curiosity.
It’s really simple to do. Just do a Google search for ‘What Is My Internet Speed’ and click the blue Run Speed Test button.
It’ll take a few seconds for your speed test to run then it will present you with the results of both your download and upload speeds.
Here’s mine:
By today’s standards, my speed is slow.
But I’m not too discouraged because I’m still able to work remotely. In fact, while working from home I can still participate in group Zoom meetings even while other people in my home are using the internet.
Work From Home With Slow Internet
Here are the best options for working from home when you don’t have high-speed internet.
Customer Service
You may think that you need lightening fast internet speed to do any kind of remote Customer Service job.
And it’s true – a lot of companies do require you to have fast upload and download speeds.
But not all of them do.
For instance, Pressable often looks for Customer Service Engineers to work from home. The job description doesn’t mention any kind of internet requirements. In fact, they even say you can work from anywhere, including Starbucks.
Same thing with the jobs at Chili Piper.
As long as you have the Customer Service attributes a company is looking for, then go ahead and apply for the job.
Content Writer
The best thing about content writing is the endless availability of options and opportunities out there.
Content writing for blogs– whether it’s yours or someone else’s – doesn’t require a fast internet connection because you can do all the writing on your computer’s hard drive and then copy/paste into the blog.
A good way to find content writing jobs is to look for a “write for us” link within any website you visit. This may be hidden in the About Us section of a website or blog or as a stand-alone link in the menu.
But to simplify the hunt for you, check out my write-up of places that pay you to write.
Also, Pro Blogger is a good place to find content writing jobs because there is a variety of niches right at your fingertips.
Here are a few tips to get you started writing:
- If you don’t have any experience, start out writing guest posts for blogs that you go to often. Look for a “write for us” or “guest writing” (or similar) link and go from there.
- Even if you’re a brand spanking new writer, don’t settle for the super-low pay outs that some of the so-called content mills offer (like Demand Studios and Upwork). You’re better than that.
- Write your best stuff, even if it is a non paying gig.
- Get to know the “feel” and writing style of the blog you are creating content for.
Digital Marketing Specialist
As a Digital Marketing Specialist, your main goal is to be responsible for creating, executing and measuring marketing programs across various platforms and digital tools. In other words, you’ll do the advertising via digital channels.
And as long as you have access to a variety of platforms like Google Analytics, Social Media, email, and know about PPC and SEM, then this is a good remote career that even someone with a slow internet speed can do.
Here are a few companies that have been known to hire Digital Marketing Specialists:
- Brilliant Metrics
- The Search Guru
- Recharge Payments
Virtual Stylist
As a Virtual Stylist, you get all the fun of fashion without having to work in a retail store. You get to work from home putting together outfits for your customers, helping them to feel and look great.
For the most part, being an Virtual Stylist is a part-time online job (10-30 hours per week) but the hours are flexible. and the pay is typically $13.00 to $15.00 per hour. Not too shabby doing something as fun as this.
Here’s what you need to be an Virtual Stylist:
- passion for fashion
- meticulous attention to detail
- know a lot about fashion trends
- really want to help people look great
Now, you will need a reliable internet connection but it doesn’t have to be speedy.
Check out Rockbox (jewelry stylist) Stitch Fix, and Trunk Club.
SEO Strategist
If you have the SEO chops to develop a strategy that brings someone’s online presence to the forefront of their potential customers, then being an SEO Strategist is the job for you.
The nice thing about this kind of work is you don’t need fast internet because what you do isn’t dependent on internet speed.
You do need to know about SEO, though. And know how to use online SEO tools like SEMrush and Majestic SEO.
The Search Guru often hires SEO Strategist, as well as any company that has any sort of marketing strategy.
But becoming a freelance SEO Strategist gives you the most potential to make a lot of money. In fact, the freelance job bidding platform Upwork has a lot of people seeking SEO Strategists.
Editing and Proofreading
An online editing or proofreading job is one that doesn’t require a super fast internet speed because it’s not completely internet dependent. As long as you can fill out the online application and submit any pre-hire quizzes, you’re pretty much set.
Places like Cactus Communications and Edit911 are legitimate companies that hire Editors
Proofreading Services hires Proofreaders to work from home.
And if you’re just starting out, or considering becoming a Proofreader, I wrote a post with some reputable companies that take beginner Proofreaders.
Teaching With Apps
Teaching apps. are very popular these days with eager students wanting to learn a second language or be tutored in any school subject.
And because this teaching method is through an app you don’t have to depend on your computer’s internet connection to get the work done.
Palfish and NiceTalk are phone apps that pay you to teach English as a second language to students who want to learn conversational English.
Chegg hires you to do on-demand tutoring of a variety of subjects using your desktop, laptop, tablet or cell phone. And you’ll earn over $20.00 an hour.
Yup is an app designed to help students in math so if you’re a current or former teacher, educator, and graduate student with extensive tutoring experience then this is worth looking into.
Teaching apps work like this:
- Log into the app whenever it’s convenient for you.
- See which students are ready for a lesson.
- Work when you want, for as long as you want. No commitments!
- No set up, materials, or travel costs.
- You can even pick up students back-to-back, without wasting time between sessions.
Teachers Pay Teachers is an online marketplace where teachers share, sell and buy pre-K – 12 education resources. You are paid a 60% royalty on all educational material you share after your first free-of-charge shared item.
Sales
A lot of companies hire remote Sales Executives and Sales Managers.
In these work from home positions, internet speed isn’t too big a concern because the majority of the work is done either on the phone of via email
Here are a few companies that often have remote Sales jobs:
- Files.com
- Taxjar
- Uscreen
Virtual Assistant
Being a Virtual Assistant doesn’t mean you’ll be answering phones and making dental appointments
There’s a lot more to it.
In fact, the role of a Virtual Assistant has grown tremendously the last year or so, with a lot more digital-related responsibilities and many more reputable companies hiring total beginners.
Some of the most in-demand services Virtual Assistants do are:
- Blog Management
- Content Creation
- Podcast Management
- Social Media Management
- Online Outreach
And the pay ? You can earn over $10,000.00 a month if you have the right Virtual Assistant training.
Etsy Marketer
Etsy is an e-commerce site that lets individuals and small businesses easily sell handmade items, vintage goods, and craft supplies.
And because Etsy is all about selling cool things, you don’t need to depend on high-speed internet to make money from home.
To give you some inspiration, here’s my in-depth article that goes over the best things to make and sell on Etsy.
Side Gigs
If you think your internet speed is even too slow for any of the jobs I listed above, there are a bunch of side gigs you can do.
You may not be earning money by sitting in front of your computer but they are home-based.
For instance, you can make money working with Amazon. Or earn while you drive your car. You can even be a kid-friendly travel planner.
Here’s How To Get A Better Internet Speed
To improve your internet connection, there are a few things you can do.
#1, Work during non-peak hours.
Internet peak hours is when the majority of people are using the internet, which results in slowing of internet browsing and downloading. Peak time has historically been 7-11 p.m. however, as more people are at home during the day, peak hours change.
I have found that my internet speed is quicker in the morning and early afternoon, and really slow on Saturday afternoons.
Figure out when your internet speed is best and plan your work schedule around those times.
#2, Set internet boundaries for others when you have to work
If you have multiple people in your home, their internet usage is probably interfering with your internet speed. Let them know you need a few hours to work with no one else using the internet.
#3, Improve your internet signal
A simple location change of your router can improve your internet signal. And, as BroadbandNow suggests, a router antenna can help.
Most modern routers are compatible with external antennas designed to boost the range of your WiFi network.
Broadbandnow.com
#4, Use a mobile hotspot
You can use your cell phone service and a mobile hotspot device to access the internet. Some companies even let you tether, or activate, a hotspot feature directly from your phone.
I have a cellphone specifically for the purpose of having a ‘WiFi’ connection, using a Cricket Wireless phone plan with mobile hotspot. After setting up my phone with the hotspot, I just turn on the mobile hotspot connection, set the phone on my desk, and start working. Now of course the speed is as good as the cell service, but I’m still able to work online.
Other cell companies that have mobile hotspot options:
–Verizon, you can buy a separate hotspot device
–Mint Mobile, you can use a cell phone as a mobile hotspot
–TMobile, you can buy a separate hotspot device
–Straight Talk, you can buy a hotspot device
–Cricket Wireless, you can use a cell phone as a mobile device
Your Slow Internet Doesn’t Have To Slow You Down
Having a slow internet connection does suck but at least you now know of some ways to work online where your speed doesn’t matter.
So, are you ready to get started?