Electric, Cellular, TV & Internet Access

Electricity in Skyline Lakes

Skyline Lakes is *almost* fully on-grid for electricity.  Most existing cabins have electricity and you can also have a landline installed for telephone access.   Side roads and dead end roads do not have any power lines.  If you are building a new cabin and you plan to be a full time resident, electricity may be connected for free by Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative.  If you are not going to be a full time resident, significant additional cost ($8,000 per telephone pole) will be required.

Cellular Signal in Skyline Lakes

Cellular reception in the higher elevations in Skyline Lakes is good, thanks to a cellular tower at Big Meadows, in Shenandoah National Park.  But, most of Skyline Lakes has no reception at all.  Internet access is also limited.  There is no cable TV or fiber optic for land-based internet – nor will there ever be.  Skyline Lakes is too remote and has too few residents (~15 full time residents on 526 acres) to justify the cost of installing cable or fiber optic internet services.  For this same reason, Skyline Lakes will never have paved roads.  But its remote, rugged location is exactly what attracts people to Skyline Lakes.  Internet and TV options are mostly satellite-based.

Internet Access in Skyline Lakes

1. Highspeedlink Line of Sight.  This is the best option for internet access, but you must have an unobstructed view toward the North-West skyline to a tower on the top of a mountain belonging to Shenandoah National Park.   There is a coverage map on their website that will show you if your cabin will have line of sight.  Highspeedlink.com is located in Harrisonburg, VA, just 45 minutes from Skyline Lakes.
2. Hughesnet satellite dish.  The service is not as reliable or as fast as Highspeedlink, but relies on a satellite in the South sky.  So if you do not have an unobstructed view of the North-West skyline, then Hughesnet may be an option for you.
3. DSL through Centurylink via your telephone landline.  Centurylink is very slow and unreliable, and the least recommended option.  DSL is not available for most addresses in Skyline Lakes, so check their availability on their website first.
4. Hotspot on your smartphone.  If you have a good cell signal on your iPhone at your cabin, that’s another option and its a great option.  Unlike a monthly subscription cost, you can turn your hotspot on when you are in Skyline Lakes and turn it off when you leave.   Your iPhone plan must include the use of a hotspot and it will use your data minutes while your computer is connected to your hotspot.  If you plan to use your hotspot a lot, then its a good idea to increase your plan to unlimited data.  Its not expensive – typically your plan will increase by $25 a month to go to unlimited.

Television Access in Skyline Lakes

1. Satellite TV is the preferred option.  There are two satellite TV services that work up here, Dish Network for line of sight to the North-West sky and Direct TV with line of sight to the Southern sky.  Each satellite service bundles internet with local providers, so be mindful of whom they contract.  HighSpeedLink is a faster, more reliable internet provider than Hughesnet, but if you are limited on choices, go with whatever option you can.
2. Antennae-base TV.  The old fashioned antennae TV works here, but you will be limited on the channels you receive.

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