Working Remotely Over the Holidays? What to Do When Your Family’s Internet Is Too Slow
Short answer
Test your family’s connection first: a 1080p Zoom call needs about 3.8 Mbps up and 3.0 Mbps down, so upload is usually the problem. Try the free fixes (sit near the router, plug in by Ethernet), then a phone hotspot if cell signal is strong. If the house is rural with slow DSL and weak cell service, a rented Starlink kit (from $25/day, about 10-15 Mbps up) shipped to the house is often the most reliable option.
Key takeaways
- Test before you trust it. Run a speed test where you’ll actually work, at the time of your meetings.
- Upload is usually the bottleneck. Calls need about 3.8 Mbps up for 1080p Zoom; many older DSL lines can’t keep up.
- Try the free fixes first. Moving closer to the router or plugging in by Ethernet solves a lot of holiday Wi-Fi problems.
- A hotspot works only with strong signal. Check your plan’s hotspot data, not just phone data.
- Bring your own internet. Borrow Starlink ships kits to your family’s address from $25/day with unlimited data.
Why is the internet at my family’s house so slow?
Usually it’s one of three things: an older, slower plan, a router at the far end of the house, or too many people online at once. Holidays make the last one worse. Everyone is home, streaming and gaming in the evening.
For remote work, upload speed matters most, because your camera and screen share go up. Many home plans have far lower upload than download, and older DSL lines can be especially slow. A 1080p Zoom call needs about 3.8 Mbps up and 3.0 Mbps down, and Microsoft says Teams works best with under 100 ms latency.
How do you test your family’s internet before you rely on it?
Run a speed test from your work laptop, in the room where you’ll work, at the time of day your meetings happen. A test next to the router at noon tells you little about a call from the guest room at 7 p.m.
Quick checklist:
- Upload of 4 Mbps or more where you’ll sit (more if others share it).
- Latency under 100 ms on the speed test.
- A test Zoom or Teams call with your camera and screen share on.
- A VPN login, if your job needs one.
- Cell signal bars at the house, for a hotspot backup.
- The router’s location, and whether you can plug in by cable.
Tip: Ask a family member to run a speed test a week before you arrive and text you a screenshot. You’ll know whether to pack a backup plan.
How can you get better internet at your family’s house?
Start with the free options and work up. Here’s how they compare, ranked roughly from easiest to most effort:
| Option | Cost | Best when |
|---|---|---|
| Work near the router | Free | Wi-Fi is weak, line is OK |
| Ethernet cable | ~Free | Router is reachable |
| Mesh Wi-Fi | Buy a system | You visit often |
| Phone hotspot | Your plan | Strong cell signal |
| Coworking space | Day pass | Town nearby |
| Rented Starlink | From $25/day | Rural, slow line, weak cell |
Move closer, plug in, or add mesh
If the speed test is fine next to the router but poor in the guest room, the problem is Wi-Fi, not the internet line. Set up your workspace near the router, or plug in by Ethernet. Walls, furniture and other obstructions weaken Wi-Fi, so a mesh system with extra points can help, but it’s a purchase that only makes sense if you’ll visit often. None of this helps if the line itself is slow.
Ask the family to ease off during calls
A short schedule of your meetings on the fridge works wonders. Pausing 4K streams, game downloads and phone backups during calls frees up bandwidth, especially upload.
Coworking space
If there’s a town nearby, a coworking day pass gives you a desk and business-grade internet. Prices vary, and some spaces close or cut hours around the holidays, so call ahead.
Our recommendation
Ship a Starlink kit to the family home
Book a Roam (Gen 3) or Mini kit from $25/day and have it shipped to the address where you’ll be staying. It arrives pre-activated with unlimited data, so there’s no Starlink account and no change to your family’s internet. The rental is in your name, as the person using it, and it goes back with a prepaid UPS return label.
Ship one to meReserve local pick-up (UT)Is a phone hotspot enough to work remotely over the holidays?
A hotspot is enough if the house has a strong cell signal and your plan has the data. Check your hotspot allowance, which is often smaller than your phone data: T-Mobile includes 60GB on Experience More and 250GB on Experience Beyond. A day of 720p group Zoom calls uses about 16GB, so a week of meetings can use up a smaller allowance.
Hotspots struggle at rural houses with one bar of signal, and a busy tower can slow down when the whole town is home. Our Starlink vs mobile hotspot guide covers the trade-offs, and how much data Starlink uses breaks down call data.
When does renting Starlink make sense for a holiday visit?
Renting Starlink makes sense when the house is rural, the line is slow, cell signal is weak, and you have real meetings you can’t miss. It gives you your own connection that doesn’t depend on the family’s plan or the local tower. Typical speeds are about 65-130+ Mbps down and 10-15 Mbps up.
How it works with Borrow Starlink:
- Book in your own name and ship it to the family’s address. The rental agreement is with the person using it.
- It arrives pre-activated in a hard case with the dish, router, cables, power supply and a Wi-Fi name/password card.
- Set it up outside with a clear view of the sky and a 110 V outlet nearby. Ask before you put a dish in someone’s yard.
- Unlimited data, from $25/day, plus a $350 refundable deposit. Ship it back with the prepaid UPS label.
Thanksgiving is November 26, and the holidays run through New Year’s, a busy time for shipping. Order so the kit arrives a day or two before you do, and set it up before your first meeting. Download the Starlink app before you leave home.
When not to rent: if the family has fiber or cable and the speed test passes where you’ll work, fix the Wi-Fi instead. Heading somewhere even more remote? See our guide to remote work from a cabin with Starlink.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the internet at my parents' house so slow?
Usually it’s an older, slower plan (often DSL or a basic tier), a router in a far corner of the house, or the whole family streaming at once. Upload speed is often far lower than download, which is what video calls need.
How can I work from home over Christmas with bad internet?
Test the connection, sit near the router or plug in by Ethernet, and limit streaming during your calls. If that’s not enough, use a phone hotspot, a coworking space or a rented Starlink kit.
Can I use my phone hotspot to work at my family's house?
Yes, if you have a strong cell signal and enough hotspot data. T-Mobile includes 60GB on Experience More and 250GB on Experience Beyond. A full day of 720p group Zoom calls uses about 16GB.
How do I get better internet at my family's house?
Move your workspace closer to the router, use Ethernet, or add a mesh system if you’ll be there often. For rural homes, a phone hotspot or a temporary Starlink kit can add a second connection.
Can I ship a rented Starlink to my parents' house?
Yes. Borrow Starlink ships nationwide, and the kit arrives pre-activated with a prepaid return label. Book it in your own name, since the rental agreement is with the person using it, and ask before you put a dish in their yard.
Visiting family where the internet can't keep up?
Rent a ready-to-connect Starlink kit from Borrow Starlink. Starlink Mini and Starlink Roam (Gen 3) from $25/day, unlimited data, no Starlink account needed.
✓ Pick up in American Fork, UT · ✓ Ships nationwide with a prepaid return label · ✓ $350 refundable deposit
Reserve for local pick-upGet it deliveredEvents & businessMore guides
Sources
- Zoom Meetings bandwidth requirements (Zoom Support)
- Understand Teams network requirements (Microsoft Learn)
- Cell phone plans: hotspot data (T-Mobile)
- What is a mesh network? (Google Nest Help)
Prices and plan details were checked in October 2026 and change often. Confirm current Starlink pricing at checkout. Starlinkâ„¢ is a trademark of SpaceX; Borrow Starlink is an independent rental company.