Off-grid homeowner shares secrets of their unique Wi-Fi setup in the woods: 'I love seeing the progress'

A homeowner proudly shared their off-grid power setup for their home, including their unique Wi-Fi system.

They shared photos of their small but mighty setup in the woods in the r/OffGrid subreddit, consisting of a solar panel in a frame made of scrap metal they welded together. "Currently solar covers most of our passive load, laptops and phones, but for cooking or other heavy loads we run the generator," they explained.

As for the Wi-Fi, they explained they run OpenWrt connected by way of "omnidirectional 4g equipment, but not technically 4g, it's run by a private internet company near me." 

They noted most of their components for their system were bought secondhand on Facebook and had additional goals to add to their setup, like more solar and battery power, so they can get rid of their generator entirely.

The original poster plans to keep their fellow Redditors and off-grid fans updated, writing: "It works for now and I love seeing the progress over time, I hope to post more as we improve."

Living off-grid is a great way to save money, reducing your energy bills by relying on the sun and wind for energy and fresh water sources. It also means you can keep the lights on during extreme weather events, making the hunkering down a little more comfortable. 

As the OP demonstrated, it doesn't have to be an expensive switch to make. A similar homeowner took about four years to complete their off-grid setup after starting with, as they put it, "almost no money."

It also lessens your impact on the environment, using fewer resources and reducing reliance on the energy grid, which is often powered by dirty fuel sources like coal and gas. 

Off-grid living isn't for everyone, but there are plenty of things that can be adapted to more mainstream life that have the same benefits, like switching to solar panels as your primary energy source. 

Solar brings energy costs down to near-zero since you're relying on the sun for power, and while there are costs to install, EnergySage makes it easy to compare quotes from local installers and help you save up to $10,000 in installation costs. And if buying solar panels outright is daunting, there's also Palmetto's LightReach leasing program that can install panels for no down payment and help manage lower energy rates. 

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