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  1. #1
    Left The Driveway
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    Best Way to get good Internet when RVing

    Hi guys, as a new RV full timer Im trying to close a lot of open ends, one big one is Internet, we need decent internet coverage, we intend to use it for TV too,, not sure how complicated this can be. Any suggestions on providers and the best way to steam TV and movies etc ? We will be in the Wiliamsburg VA area for a few months,

    thanks

    WM

  2. #2
    Site Sponsor
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    It’s going to depend on what kind of cell coverage is available where you are. A hotspot is usually the most flexible, but you may need a booster with an outside antenna to have service in the fringe areas where many campgrounds are located.
    John & Kathy
    2014 F250 Lariat FX4 6.2L SBCC
    2014 Reflection 303RLS
    SW Indiana

  3. #3
    Site Sponsor orbiker's Avatar
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    I'm using a T Mobile hotspot for internet. I have a pay as you go account. I pay for 6GB. We get the 6GB of 4 G and then unlimited 3 G. We stream Netflix with no problem as long as there is some signal Here in remote areas of Oregon. KEN
    Backpacker and tent camper all my life, including BSA as a kid and adult.
    Motorcycle trips across the USA with a tent - 1978 to Present.
    02-10-2005 - 2002 F350 SWD PSD and 2003 Citation 10'8S mostly for Crater Lake Ski Patrol.
    10-29-2015 - 2016 Grand Design 380TH. It's HUGE compared to a camper.
    10-19-2018 - traded truck for a 2016 Ram 3500 DRW Laramie CC 4 X 4 Long Box.
    03-16-2019 - Traded Momentum for a New 2018 374TH-R Solitude
    FULL TIME RV'er Nov 2021

  4. #4
    Left The Driveway
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    Radiolabs. Google it and read about the RV antenna. I had one on my boat and pulled in signals 3-4 miles away. These signals come from unsecured internet sites. For example Daytona International Speedway has an open signal. My boat was docked in Halifax harbor and I was able to pull in and use their signal for free.

  5. #5
    Seasoned Camper
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    Quote Originally Posted by Wildman View Post
    Hi guys, as a new RV full timer Im trying to close a lot of open ends, one big one is Internet, we need decent internet coverage, we intend to use it for TV too,, not sure how complicated this can be. Any suggestions on providers and the best way to steam TV and movies etc ? We will be in the Wiliamsburg VA area for a few months,

    thanks

    WM
    Just used a weboost this past weekend and it work. Increased signal from 0 to 4g 3 bars. I use a telescopic painters pole and raised the outside antenna 20 feet. So far worth the money.

  6. #6
    New Member
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    Quote Originally Posted by Maximus216 View Post
    Just used a weboost this past weekend and it work. Increased signal from 0 to 4g 3 bars. I use a telescopic painters pole and raised the outside antenna 20 feet. So far worth the money.
    I purchased the WeBoost Drive Reach, the OTR Antenna, and the Internal Wall Mount Antenna and I'm highly disappointed so far. I'm at a campground in the Colorado Springs area with ok signal (I can work, watch netflix, etc.) but the Booster is doing nothing. I contacted WeBoost and they would only tell me "the light is green so it's working" and that "it's not meant to boost data, only your phone calls"

    So far, seems a waste of ~$700

    I'm trying to research and figure out what other troubleshooting options I have, because I plan to do a lot of remote boondocking, but need to have signal for work.
    Shaun (and Dagny, 7 y/o Beagle)
    2002 Ford F-250
    2020 Imagine XLS 22RBE

  7. #7
    Big Traveler CWSWine's Avatar
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    Deals come and go but this is the best one I know of right now.

    https://www.rvmobileinternet.com/att...o-roadlink-c2/
    Dennis & Ellie
    Current 2017 Newmar Ventana Class A & 1994 Airstream Excella Classic Limited Project
    Sold - 310-GK-R Delivered 28 Oct 2016
    2016 GMC Denali 1 Ton Diesel SRW Payload 3727LBS B&W Hitch

  8. #8
    Long Hauler geotex1's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by CWSWine View Post
    Deals come and go but this is the best one I know of right now.

    https://www.rvmobileinternet.com/att...o-roadlink-c2/
    Contemplating this myself. We could actually use it all the time even though we're still trip-based. Our home is so far out, we only have DSL or cellular for internet options. The price is better than our DSL cost by almost $200/yr. The camper is parked in our driveway when home and always connected to shorepower.

    Anyone already doing this, or maybe at least test the range reach away from it?

  9. #9
    Big Traveler boyscout's Avatar
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    @Wildman, before someone tells you to look for the MANY other threads here on this topic, take the advice you've (mostly) got so far and commit yourself to a cell-based solution.

    I say that because there are well-meaning people here who will probably soon jump in to tell you - as they have in other threads - about all the best ways to boost wi-fi signals and the great (and sometimes-complicated) systems they've devised to do that. Some threads here have at least several dozen messages that end up giving EVERY kind of advice, including not-great advice, about all the different ways to approach the requirement for internet.

    You've said that - like us - you need good reliable service and you want to stream video. I've gone deep into both approaches - wi-fi and cell - and hope that gives me some credibility.

    With all due respect to @Firescue above who is as I write this the only one so far promoting a wi-fi solution, boosting wi-fi signals is a very hit-and-miss and usually unsatisfying way to get internet. Boosting to get a better connection to your campground's wi-fi service may get you the best connection in the park but the park's inadequate wi-fi will still be inadequate. We were in dozens of campgrounds in the S.E. U.S. with our very good wi-fi equipment and were pretty much always dissatisfied with the service. A system that can reach outside the park to other sources of wi-fi as @Firescue suggests - I used a commercial Ubiquiti system that could find signals as much as a dozen miles away - will usually show you a list of possible connections but they will nearly always all be password-protected. You would generally be suspicious of any that are not protected unless they are provided by reputable companies such as Daytona or McDonalds or Starbucks, and these are not generally visible in campgrounds.

    The only ray of hope for people who choose the wi-fi approach is that some companies (Xfiniti is one) are already claiming, and may one day actually provide, nationwide wi-fi networks. Their systems are often based on sharing equipment that their existing customers have installed. My experience late last year and early this year with my see-everything wi-fi booster system was that we did NOT have access points visible in many of the places we traveled, so I didn't subscribe to the expensive and obviously-spotty service.

    What I did instead was what most of the people (so far) in this thread have suggested: buy a hotspot or "MiFi" device from one of the big carriers and purchase a pre-paid or monthly plan for data (pre-paid plans generally seem to be better value). We used Verizon and - after some frustrating startup problems - were very pleased with it in the S.E. U.S.

    If you're going to be camping well outside developed areas consider also picking up a cell phone booster system after learning what they can and can't do, and how best to deploy them. As someone here has noted already they don't offer night-and-day improvements, especially with data use, but they can make the difference between having a connection and not having one.

    Good luck with your choices.
    Last edited by boyscout; 10-18-2019 at 08:43 AM.
    Mark - 2018 Solitude 310GK - 2017 F-350 diesel SRW short box - Pullrite Superglide hitch

  10. #10
    Left The Driveway
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    We use an unlimited data plan (truly unlimited) that covers the US and Canada, a WeBoost Drive X RV and a Pepwave Max BR1 router. We have generally good download speeds wherever we are although we do not tend to go miles off grid, but do camp in the mountains in Canada.

    Each month we use around 200GB of data - for internet and streaming live TV. In the last year I have only had 2 places where the download speed was too slow for TV - and both of them were in cities so I assume that was just an overloaded network issue. The system works so well we never bother trying to connect to park wifi now, as soon as I power up the trailer I have a my own hotspot working and all our devices connect.
    2020 Solitude S Class 2930RL-R
    2019 Chevrolet Silverado Duramax LTZ

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