Working Remotely in the French Alps: Ensuring Adequate Internet Speeds
The speed of internet bandwidth in the French Alps depends on several factors, such as the distance of the property to the telephone exchange, the technology used (ADSL, 4G, fibre optic), and the quality of the infrastructure.
This situation has been a trigger for those who considered leaving their city homes during the Covid crisis. Therefore, it’s not surprising that the second question we get about a property for sale is, “what is the internet speed?”
Another aspect related to Covid is that many people had to work from their homes. If your home no longer needs to be close to your job, then you might as well live where you want to spend your free time, in the French Alps. But in any case, you need a good internet connection!
If you want to buy a property in the Alps, you have the right to question the quality of internet connections. Real estate agents may not necessarily know. It would be wise, in our time, to indicate the performance of the internet connection in the list of property features!
The real Internet speed of the property you wish to buy
The simplest thing to do is to ask the question directly to the current owner. Unfortunately, most of the time, you will get a vague answer. So, if you visit the property, take the time to connect to their internet and go to this link https://www.speedtest.net/. After entering several secure Wi-Fi passwords, easier said than done, you will get a good indicator to estimate the quality of the connection.
There are different websites to check someone else’s internet speed. Most of the time, you will need their landline number. Sometimes an address is enough. https://www.degrouptest.com/ is a good start. Basically, these tests calculate the distance between the property and the village’s telephone exchange.
Many properties have a download capacity of around 5 Mbps, which is usually sufficient for watching a movie on Netflix and good enough for using Zoom or similar applications. However, if five people in the house want to connect at the same time, there will be issues.
Just get a fibre optic router
Indeed, the easiest option when buying a ski property in the French Alps is to purchase a fibre optic subscription with one of the many Internet providers in France.
CHECK THE FIBRE OPTIC COVERAGE IN FRANCE HERE
Fibre optic connections offer several benefits, including:
High Speeds: Fiber optic connections typically deliver very high download and upload speeds, making them ideal for streaming, gaming, video conferencing, and other data-intensive activities.
Reliable Connectivity: Fiber optic connections are less susceptible to environmental factors such as weather, distance, or electromagnetic interference, resulting in a more stable and reliable internet connection compared to traditional ADSL or mobile networks.
Increased Property Rental Value: Having a fibre optic connection can be an attractive feature for potential renters, increasing the rental value of your ski property.
Most ski resorts in France have been working on upgrading their internet infrastructure, and fibre optic connections are becoming more widely available. If fibre optic is unavailable in your area, you can consider other options like ADSL or mobile networks (4G/5G) with the same Internet providers.
Who are the most popular French Internet operators?
Free, Bouygues, Orange, Sosh, SFR. Free usually offers the best speeds, packages including Netflix/Prime Video and the best extras.
Getting fibre optic Internet coupled with streaming platform like Netflix increases greatly your rental potential.
You will get unlimited data. You can buy online for delivery or just in most French supermarkets on the way to your home.
Why not try 4G Hotspot or through a 4G router
4G or even better, 4G+ is the mobile phone signal. With 4G, the difference between downloading (download) and uploading (upload) is multiplied by only 2. As you can see from the figures above, using 4G improves my upload speed by 40 times. If a home has difficulties and slow internet use, 4G can be very helpful.
Most UK operators like O2 offer up to 25GB of data when in the EU. Another good UK operator for roaming is Lebara. You just buy a sim card and use it as you wish when abroad. With double sim card mobiles, it is effortless.
You can also use any French sim card provider and activate the hotspot on your mobile. You will need a dual sim mobile but many of the mobile models offer that. Buy from any supermarket near your home or from a phone provider agency.
Just buy a French sim card for your dual sim mobile
4G connections are independent of landline infrastructure, which means that you don’t have to rely on the quality of physical lines or local telephone exchanges to get a good internet connection. This is particularly useful in mountainous areas, where the quality of landline infrastructure may be compromised due to challenging terrain or extreme weather conditions.
