diff --git a/defaults/main.yml b/defaults/main.yml
index 0c5085d..cb2b7ff 100644
--- a/defaults/main.yml
+++ b/defaults/main.yml
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 ---
 
 # minimum supported version: 0.15
+prometheus_node_exporter_local_download: true
 
 prometheus_node_exporter_version: 0.18.1
 prometheus_node_exporter_release_name: "node_exporter-{{ prometheus_node_exporter_version }}.linux-{{ go_arch }}"
diff --git a/tasks/main.yml b/tasks/main.yml
index 343613a..5087987 100644
--- a/tasks/main.yml
+++ b/tasks/main.yml
@@ -6,14 +6,23 @@
     module: get_url
     url: "{{ url }}"
     dest: "/tmp/{{ prometheus_node_exporter_release_name }}.tar.gz"
-  
+  when: prometheus_node_exporter_local_download | bool
+
+- name: download prometheus node exporter binary remotely
+  become: no
+  get_url:
+    url: "{{ url }}"
+    dest: "{{ prometheus_exporters_common_dist_dir }}/{{ prometheus_node_exporter_release_name }}.tar.gz"
+  when: not prometheus_node_exporter_local_download
+
 - name: transfer local node exporter binary
-  copy: 
+  copy:
     src: "/tmp/{{ prometheus_node_exporter_release_name }}.tar.gz"
     dest: "{{ prometheus_exporters_common_dist_dir }}/{{ prometheus_node_exporter_release_name }}.tar.gz"
     owner: "{{ prometheus_exporters_common_user}}"
     group: "{{ prometheus_exporters_common_group }}"
     mode: '0755'
+  when: prometheus_node_exporter_local_download | bool
 
 - name: unarchive binary tarball
   unarchive: