Keeping it simple

[docque]

I have my T-mobile and it has always worked great for many years. I will be getting some form of booster next year for it.

But I want a second way to connect and I think Visible would be the best bet.

I have experienced zero bars in the RV and one or two if I step out the door. So, what device is a good one to plug that Visible sim into?

I keep looking over some of these websites and it seems some are very complex to manage multiple carriers. I like simple.

 

[MoonShadow_1911]

I have my T-mobile and it has always worked great for many years. I will be getting some form of booster next year for it.

But I want a second way to connect and I think Visible would be the best bet.

I have experienced zero bars in the RV and one or two if I step out the door. So, what device is a good one to plug that Visible sim into?

I keep looking over some of these websites and it seems some are very complex to manage multiple carriers. I like simple.

With Visible, it is a phone only plan. It will not work in a hotspot.

 

[docque]

With Visible, it is a phone only plan. It will not work in a hotspot.

Well, that keeps it simple then.

 

[MoonShadow_1911]

Well, that keeps it simple then.

You can put the phone in hotspot mode, but it is limited to 3-5 mbps speed.

 

[docque]

You can put the phone in hotspot mode, but it is limited to 3-5 mbps speed.

Didn't know that. Not worth the $30 then.

 

[Riverbug]

There are so many options out there. Since you are on T-mobile already and familiar with their cell coverage, check out TravelData Unlimited.

 

[docque]

There are so many options out there. Since you are on T-mobile already and familiar with their cell coverage, check out TravelData Unlimited.

What a horrible Website. The layout is so odd. If they do T-Mobile, not interested.

 

[Riverbug]

What a horrible Website. The layout is so odd. If they do T-Mobile, not interested.

Apologies for trying to help. Best wishes.

 

[llr2800]

Didn't know that. Not worth the $30 then.

what do you expect? I typically get close to 5 on visible and no issues streaming with it. I do have a cell amp and need it most places. The only times I am much under 5 is when my work Verizon phone is too, so not much you can do about that. My wife has a purtalk/AT&T phone as rare times it is better then Verizon but generally the same or worse.

I don't know if they raised the price but mine is $25 as long as you are in a "group", the group is just random people and all separate billing, no idea why they do it.

 

[Keebler]

I have a Verizon hotspot that works well; when there is a decent signal. The hotspot does have ports that allow for the connection of an external antenna with TS9 connectors. I use a small, indoor MIMO antenna that can help slightly, but there has to be a signal to begin with. For the places I visit, my experience is that the Verizon signal is typically as good or better than ATT or T-Mobile (based on comparing cell phones with neighboring campers).

I don't rely on internet enough to warrant spending more to try to improve my situation. It works well for me in 85% of my use cases. Bearing in mind that I tend to do a lot of camping in areas to visit cities (Asheville, NC; Charlottesville, VA; Charleston, SC; etc) versus going out into remote areas.

Regarding Verizon; Pros: their coverage is good. Cons: they are pricey and their customer support is not the best.

Bottom line, for me; this has been simple and relatively cheap; literally just had to buy a hotspot, add that hotspot as a device to my plan, and I chose to also get a cheap, indoor antenna.

 

[docque]

Apologies for trying to help. Best wishes.

It wasn't a jab at you. I expected a normal website. You know, here are the plans, here are the devices. Instead you search through what looks like a forum.

 

[docque]

I have a Verizon hotspot that works well; when there is a decent signal. The hotspot does have ports that allow for the connection of an external antenna with TS9 connectors. I use a small, indoor MIMO antenna that can help slightly, but there has to be a signal to begin with. For the places I visit, my experience is that the Verizon signal is typically as good or better than ATT or T-Mobile (based on comparing cell phones with neighboring campers).

I don't rely on internet enough to warrant spending more to try to improve my situation. It works well for me in 85% of my use cases. Bearing in mind that I tend to do a lot of camping in areas to visit cities (Asheville, NC; Charlottesville, VA; Charleston, SC; etc) versus going out into remote areas.

Regarding Verizon; Pros: their coverage is good. Cons: they are pricey and their customer support is not the best.

Bottom line, for me; this has been simple and relatively cheap; literally just had to buy a hotspot, add that hotspot as a device to my plan, and I chose to also get a cheap, indoor antenna.

I am just trying to get coverage cheaply for now. I don't want to spend hundreds a month if we are not full time yet. Once we go full time the situation changes and spending hundreds for connectivity is smart.

I am looking at a booster to put on a pole outside the TT. I know that if I have no bars chances are the booster will give me no bars.

 

[Second Chance]

I am just trying to get coverage cheaply for now. I don't want to spend hundreds a month if we are not full time yet. Once we go full time the situation changes and spending hundreds for connectivity is smart.

I am looking at a booster to put on a pole outside the TT. I know that if I have no bars chances are the booster will give me no bars.

Do you know about these folks?

https://www.rvmobileinternet.com/

Even their free sections have lots of useful info.

Rob

 

[Riverbug]

It wasn't a jab at you. I expected a normal website. You know, here are the plans, here are the devices. Instead you search through what looks like a forum.

Ok, I should have included the URL. It's pretty straight forward once you are at the right page. I've had my shortcut for so long I haven't had to Google for it. Now I see that there are lots of results that aren't related to where I was directing you. Go to the URL below and you'll be able to see what I was referring to. Scroll to the bottom for YouTube videos that cover it as well if you are interested. If not interested, no skin off my teeth, just trying to help with options.
https://traveldata.page/

 

[Keebler]

I am just trying to get coverage cheaply for now. I don't want to spend hundreds a month if we are not full time yet. Once we go full time the situation changes and spending hundreds for connectivity is smart.

I am looking at a booster to put on a pole outside the TT. I know that if I have no bars chances are the booster will give me no bars.

In my case, since I already had a cellular plan with Verizon; it costs me $20 extra a month to add a hot spot as a device with 50GB of premium mobile hotspot data.

Regarding boosters; it all depends on your use case; i'd recommend reading on the links provided above to understand the limits of a booster before shelling out $500 on a booster. I am not saying a booster is bad for everyone; I am saying that they aren't right for everyone; in many cases a booster will have no impact or can even slow down performance.

 

[docque]

Ok, I should have included the URL. It's pretty straight forward once you are at the right page. I've had my shortcut for so long I haven't had to Google for it. Now I see that there are lots of results that aren't related to where I was directing you. Go to the URL below and you'll be able to see what I was referring to. Scroll to the bottom for YouTube videos that cover it as well if you are interested. If not interested, no skin off my teeth, just trying to help with options.
https://traveldata.page/

Ok, I see what is going on. It is very slow for me. When I click on a link it just sits there. Then info will pop up. Taking about five minutes for the page to come up.

 

[docque]

Do you know about these folks?

https://www.rvmobileinternet.com/

Even their free sections have lots of useful info.

Rob

I have them book marked for later. But I am trying to get to the fine print on some of these things. I want true unlimited (which I currently have). I don't want to figure out how much data I use and I sure don't want to get throttled back if I am doing something.

I am leaning towards keeping my T-Mobile and probably using Visible as a backup. May not be able to stream but I can upload/download if working.

 

[Second Chance]

I have them book marked for later. But I am trying to get to the fine print on some of these things. I want true unlimited (which I currently have). I don't want to figure out how much data I use and I sure don't want to get throttled back if I am doing something.

I am leaning towards keeping my T-Mobile and probably using Visible as a backup. May not be able to stream but I can upload/download if working.

There's a thread going on another forum right now regarding Visible. They limit speeds to 5 GBPS and only one device connected to a phone used as a hotspot.

Rob

 

[docque]

There's a thread going on another forum right now regarding Visible. They limit speeds to 5 GBPS and only one device connected to a phone used as a hotspot.

Rob

Easy fix. That one device will be my little router. I used to do this with my old phone. They are not the greatest hotspots but they can server up data. So, the router can handle many connections.

 

[llr2800]

There's a thread going on another forum right now regarding Visible. They limit speeds to 5 GBPS and only one device connected to a phone used as a hotspot.

Rob

the hotspot limit is 5Mbps, I use a portable router to get around the one device limit. I also have a work phone with a direct Verizon plan, as long as I can get over 5Mbps on that then visible delivers the full 5Mbps. I have not had any issues with streaming at this speed, of course if you are streaming to multiple screens or 4K content it may be an issue but I haven't tried either. I have even been working, which doesn't require a lot of bandwidth while the grandkids stream without issues.

I wish they would allow a true hotspot device instead of a phone hotspot, but with a router and a booster with outside antenna for weak signals it is not much of an issue. In my opinion it is hard to beat unlimited for $25/month.