These are the best apps for rural living, including home management, property tools, small business essentials, and everyday productivity—plus how DFN fiber helps them work better.
Around here, we take pride in doing things ourselves. Oregon living has always meant being resourceful, whether it’s fixing a fence, running a business, or keeping the family on schedule.
But being self-sufficient doesn’t mean doing everything the hard way. Today’s technology gives us simple tools that make daily life smoother, safer, and a lot less hectic.
Apps now play a big role in that — helping us manage our homes, property, pets, and small businesses with ease. And with fast, reliable fiber internet from DFN, they all work exactly the way they should.
Best Smart Home Apps for Rural Living
Your home is your command center, and smart apps make managing it easier than ever.
- Smart thermostat apps, like Google Nest or Ecobee, let you adjust heating and cooling remotely or on a schedule, helping you conserve energy and save on bills. That’s especially handy if you’re out following kids to sporting events or checking on pets and want to come home to a warm house.
- Smart home appliance apps work with bulbs, plugs, and devices so you can automate routines, like turning lights on at sunset or shutting off the coffee maker after you’ve left for work.
- Security apps, such as Ring, Arlo, or Eufy, let you monitor the security camera feeds on doors, driveways, or workshops right from your phone. While coastal Oregon crime rates are lower than in big cities, it still brings peace of mind knowing you can check your property anytime, anywhere.
Best Weather and Land Management Apps for Oregon
Oregonians have always loved our beautiful outdoors, and today’s apps are just another way to make environmental monitoring more efficient.
- Weather monitoring apps like Weather Underground help you track rainfall, temperature, and weather conditions in real time.
- Irrigation and livestock tracking apps such as Rachio Smart Sprinkler or RangeView simplify watering schedules for your gardens and fields.
- Mapping and land management tools like OnX Hunt, LandGlide, and Regrid help visualize property lines, timber regions, crop zones, or hunting areas with GPS precision.
- And of course, Google Earth remains a favorite for reviewing your land from above, tracking changes over time, or spotting points of interest around your property.
Top Apps for Rural Small Business Owners
Many small-town entrepreneurs wear a lot of hats, including owner, manager, accountant, and marketer, often all from a laptop at the kitchen table. Apps help rural entrepreneurs save time, reach more customers, and manage operations efficiently, even in areas with limited tech infrastructure.
- Point-of-Sale and inventory apps like Square and Shopify POS help you process sales, manage stock, and track revenue wherever your customers are.
- Stay in touch with employees or contractors using communication and collaboration platforms, such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, or Zoom.
- Tools like QuickBooks, Wave, and FreshBooks simplify bookkeeping, invoicing, and tax prep, all while keeping records accurate.
- Hootsuite, Buffer, Canva, and Mailchimp make it easy to manage marketing across multiple channels from social media to email campaigns.
Best Productivity Apps for Busy Families
Life doesn’t slow down just because you live a little farther from town. These apps help keep your household (and your sanity) running smoothly.
- Shared calendars and task apps, including Cozi and Google Calendar, keep everyone on the same page for practices, appointments, and projects.
- Reminders and habit trackers, such as Todoist and Focus Friend, help you remember what’s next and stay motivated and on task.
- Budget and expense trackers, like RocketMoney, YNAB, and Mint, make it easier to plan for big purchases or balance budgets.
- Health and wellness apps such as Fitbit, MyFitnessPal, Medisafe, or SleepCycle help you manage your fitness, diet, medications, or sleep. They can help motivate you to stay on top of personal goals (after all, taking care of yourself is part of taking care of your family!).
There’s an App (and a Connection) for That
Even in rural areas, technology can make life a little easier, but apps are only as good as the connection that supports them. These tools work best with fast, reliable internet. DFN Fiber gives rural Oregon homes and businesses the speed and stability needed to power today’s smart home apps, property tools, and business software–plus, of course it comes with an app to manage your WiFi!