Your Local IT Company Does Great Work. Just Not For You.
Most MSPs won't take home networking jobs. The ones that will charge enterprise prices for residential work.
Let's talk about local IT shops and managed service providers. If you're reading this, you've probably already tried calling one.
Either they said “we don't really do residential work” and wished you luck. Or they quoted you $200/hour with a two-hour minimum for a job that might take 45 minutes.
Why MSPs Avoid Home Users
This isn't a secret in the IT industry. MSPs are built for business clients. Monthly contracts, managed endpoints, recurring revenue. A home user with a network question is a one-time job that doesn't fit the business model.
Your $200 job doesn't make financial sense when they have business clients paying $1,000-$5,000 a month. You're at the bottom of the priority list.
The Pricing Problem
Typical MSP Pricing:
- Hourly rates: $100-$250/hour
- Minimum charges: 1-2 hour minimums (a 30-minute question costs $200-$500)
- Trip charges: $35-$55 on top of the hourly rate
- Monthly minimums: $500-$1,000/month contracts
- After-hours rates: evening and weekend premiums
Rogue Support:
$120/hour. No minimum. No trip charge. No contract. No after-hours premium. If your question takes 30 minutes, you pay for 30 minutes.
The Expertise Mismatch
Local MSPs often have serious networking expertise. But that expertise is pointed in the wrong direction for home users. They know Cisco, Fortinet, Meraki. Ask them about UniFi and you might get a blank stare. Or worse, they'll try to sell you a $3,000 Meraki setup for your three-bedroom house.
Rogue Support technicians work with UniFi and prosumer networking gear regularly. They won't tell you to rip out your Dream Machine and replace it with a Cisco Catalyst.
The Availability Gap
MSPs work business hours. Monday through Friday, 8 to 5. But when do home users need networking help? Evenings. Weekends. When you're home and notice the WiFi is acting up.
What MSPs Do Well
I want to be fair. There are things a local MSP can do that we can't:
- Physical work: Cable runs, rack installations, access point mounting
- Full-scope projects: New house builds with cabling and infrastructure
- Ongoing business support: Monthly monitoring, patching, and management
When to Use Each
Use a local MSP when:
- You need physical cable installation
- You're building a new home
- You run a business that needs managed IT
- The project genuinely requires on-site presence
Use Rogue Support when:
- You can't find a local MSP that'll take the job
- You don't want to pay a 2-hour minimum
- You need UniFi or prosumer gear expertise
- You want evening or weekend availability
- You want to choose your tech by qualifications
No Strangers in Your Home
When an MSP sends a tech to your house, you're letting a stranger into your home to work on your network and personal computer. With Rogue Support, nobody comes to your door. Your technician makes a secure remote connection, you can see everything they're doing on your screen, and when the session is over they disconnect. For configuration work, that's not just more convenient. A lot of people are more comfortable with it.
The Bottom Line
$120/hour. No minimums. No contracts. No one telling you your three-bedroom house needs a Cisco Catalyst stack. Just networking help from people who understand what home users actually need.
Quick Comparison
| Rogue Support | Local IT Shop / MSP | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | $120/hr, no minimum | $100-$250/hr, 1-2 hr minimum |
| Trip Charge | None (remote) | $35-$55 |
| Monthly Contract | No | Often required |
| Minimum Invoice | None | $170-$500 |
| Availability | Evenings & weekends | Business hours |
| Home User Priority | Primary focus | Low priority |
| UniFi Expertise | Yes | Maybe |
| VLANs & Firewall Rules | Yes | Yes (business pricing) |
| Physical Installation | No (remote only) | Yes |
| Cable Runs | No | Yes |
| Choose Your Tech | Yes | No |
| Nationwide | Yes | Local only |
Tired of Being Told 'We Don't Do Residential'?
Rogue Support was built specifically for home users who need real networking expertise. Submit a ticket and get bids from professionals who want to help.