Anything New In Internet For RV's?

[rfsod48]

Is there anything new in Internet service for RV travel?

Looking at cost and data amount. Would like something that can be turned off when not traveling. 

Thanks,

Roland

[geeksontour]

We highly recommend the information from our friends at rvmobileinternet.com. They keep up with the changes and trends of mobile technology. 

You need to determine how much you are using now and how much you think you will need in the future.

[sespesteve]

I always use my cell phone which has a free hotspot I can turn on and it broadcasts wifi throughout my RV and Im just using the data from Verizon. And there 4GLTE is very fast. I can allow up to 10 others to log onto it if I give them my password. I always use my laptop PC to upload pictures to Facebook or watch TV show at night, since I have HBO, Showtime,CMaxx and Starz at home, I just log on with my name and password I have registered with TWCable. And all cell phone companies sell small wifi hotspots that you dont have to use your phone with as not to wear out a more costlier cell phone. Works great for me and I am almost always with a cell phone signal on VZWireless, but not always.

[manholt]

Quote

 

Steve.  Welcome to the Forum!  Interesting Post.

Carl

[moonwink]

I bought one of these phones last November and it's been working great for me.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/321895421294

The phone can only be used as a WiFi hotspot, uses the Verizon 3G network and there are no limits on your usage.  The monthly cost is only $15 a month.  If you use this link and there they're sold out, don't be discouraged, check back every day to see when the seller gets more in.

The 3G isn't the fastest service out there but it gets the job done.  Last winter, I watched live newscasts from St. Louis about the terrible flooding in late December with almost no buffering.  I've been very happy with mine. 

[hermanmullins]

Thanks Moonwink, I have been using my ATT phone for our internet connection for several years now. We live in the country and the only phone service is Verizon which doesn't have Fiber Optic so all we could get would be dial up. We didn't even put in phone cables when we built the house. We use the phone at home and while on the road anywhere there isn't free WiFi.

This works for us.

Herman

[epstep]

I would only need this for say 6 mos.  Can you turn service on and off or must you pay by the year

[BillAdams]

If you have a smart phone you just use the existing data plan.  When you travel you just increase the amount of data on the plan and then turn it back down to the minimum you need when your 6 months is up.  If you don't have a smart phone there are pay-as-you-go plans like Trac-Phone and others.

[wayne77590]

Verizon Warns huge data plan to switch or else.

Verizon overhalls its data plan.

Verizon doesn't seem to be the less expensive way to go anymore. According to the article, there 24Gb plan is $110 a month.  I have AT&T 30Gb plan for $70 a month for my MiFi.  Problem is we cannot turn it off when we re not traveling but we typically go out every month and this trip will be 4 consecutive months.

 

[moonwink]

Epstep, I just checked with the seller about interrupting your service when you're not using your RV.  Here's their reply:  "yes they can, they would just message us and we will stop service for them and when they ready to resume, they would just let us know when or what day or month"

Besides the Optimus HotSpot only phone, they also sell at MiFi HotSpot with the same unlimited 3G Verizon service for $15/month at this listing:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Verizon-Wireless-UNLIMITED-3G-Data-MiFi-2200-For-15-A-Month-Prepaid-RV-Trucker-/222101003099

 

[rfsod48]

Moo wink,

Do you still like your hot spot phone? Have you had any problems? Do you feel the phone would be better or one of the mifi units?

Thanks,

Roland

[moonwink]

I'm still paying the $15 fee every month and intend to continue.  Last winter when I depended on it most (as a snowbird), we were mostly in urban areas in Florida.  This winter, we're heading out to less populated areas like Quartzsite and the SW.  Around the campfire, Verizon is said to have the best coverage nationwide.  I have found a couple of campgrounds here in Missouri were we didn't have a Verizon signal - one was in a remote campground a few miles south of Ironton and the other was in Mark Twain Cave CG just south of Hannibal which is back in it's own "hollow."  Our cell phones are on the Sprint network and I can't recommend anyone else go that route. 

When I bought the phone last November, the seller said the phone was better than the MiFi hotspot.  I find that hard to believe because the range on the phone is about than 30 feet.  I shared it with my neighbor for a couple months last winter but they sat outside to use it and the phone was on our window ledge facing them.  I figure the dedicated MiFi hotspot should do better than that. 

I prefer to use my own hotspot rather than attach to a public WiFi for security reasons - I'm paranoid when it comes to security.  With your own hotspot, it's extremely difficult to eavesdrop on the digital cell phone signals.

You can use the eBay listing page to contact the seller for more details, they're quick to respond (even after the sale) to your questions.

[rfsod48]

Has the 3G speed been a problem? Do you use a signal booster?

[moonwink]

I haven't used a signal booster.  We're from Eureka, MO.  Back in late December our little town made the nation news with record floods and we followed those events by watching the St Louis news livecasts with no problems (We were in south Florida at the time) and also watched some YouTube videos folks had posted of the drone footage flying over the area.  Buffering wasn't a big problem.  The seller would prefer you don't watch any full length movies or try to use Netflix but we never had any complaints with how we were using it.

Speedtest.net indicated we had speeds around 2.5 to 3 Mbps most of the time. 

[rfsod48]

Moonwink,

Thanks for the help! I ordered the phone tonight and hope to test it in the northern Michigan boonies this coming weekend.

Roland?

[moonwink]

Keep us all posted on your experience with it.