Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 09-01-2015, 04:35 PM   #21
Rivet Master
 
1974 Argosy 20
2014 20' Flying Cloud
Kooskia , Idaho
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 4,591
Quote:
Originally Posted by jerhofer View Post
As was said earlier in this thread, we have found the Wi-Fi at campgrounds to be terrible. I wonder if that is by design to prevent the streaming of movies and the resultant large data usage. It would not bother me to pay more for my space to get a system that works.
Many campgrounds are located where there simply is not bandwidth capacity available to them for many users to do things like streaming video at the same time. They cannot get the capacity at any cost. When having wifi meant that people wanted to check email only, that was one thing, when it became streaming video the capacity needed went up by factors of 100 or 1000. It is simply not available in a lot of rural locations.

Then there is a pretty significant cost involved to provide the service to 25 to 200 RV's spread out over a large area. That infrastructure does not come cheap, and the technical expertise to design, install and maintain it is not readily available in a lot of areas.

I do feel sorry for the campground owners. It is not an easy thing to resolve for them. I know that if I owned a campground (shudder) I would simply make no effort to provide wifi service, it brings lots of headaches and few benefits. What they should NOT do is advertise wifi, and then have a poor, marginal or basically useless system. That makes for unhappy campers, to be told it is available then to find it really does not work.

People like me, who have lived with low or limited internet service areas understand that it does not just appear at no cost. If you live in a city with vast internet infrastructure, you tend to think it is universally available at no cost or very low cost. That is not true in rural locations.

I cannot even get any cell phone service at my home and if you go east from there, it is over 100 miles until there is a signal. A cell tower costs about half a million dollars to install. I am not going to pay it.
idroba is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-03-2015, 11:25 AM   #22
Newbie
 
joemikeb's Avatar
 
2013 Interstate Coach
Fort Worth , Texas
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 290
I found a cost for the ka band receiver system at $5995. That would buy a lot of 4G and/or LTE data — if it were available and of course that is the problem. I may not be as addicted to the internet as i thought. ��
__________________
Make errors — otherwise the Great Spirit realizes
you have finished your purpose on earth.

— Navajo saying
joemikeb is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-03-2015, 11:38 AM   #23
Figment of My Imagination
 
Protagonist's Avatar
 
2012 Interstate Coach
From All Over , More Than Anywhere Else
Join Date: Dec 2011
Posts: 10,868
Quote:
Originally Posted by joemikeb View Post
I may not be as addicted to the internet as i thought.
This is a good thing, of course.

I have stayed at one campground— actually the fairgrounds at Robbstown, TX for the most recent WBCCI Mid-Winter IBT meeting, where I had phone service but no reception at all on my Verizon MiFi even with the booster and external antenna. I used the smartphone as a hotspot but kept my usage to a minimum.

I also stayed at one campground, Lake Bruin State Park, St. Joseph, LA, that had neither cell phone nor MiFi reception at my campsite, so for my entire four-day stay there, I was incommunicado. I didn't mind too much. It was only four days, and I had my inflatable kayak to keep be occupied. I'll have to go back now that I've traded my old flip-phone for a smart-phone, to see if the phone is smart enough to give me a connection.
__________________
I thought getting old would take longer!
Protagonist is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-03-2015, 11:51 AM   #24
Moderator
 
jcanavera's Avatar

 
2004 30' Classic Slideout
Fenton , Missouri
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 10,403
Images: 143
Send a message via AIM to jcanavera Send a message via Skype™ to jcanavera
I really believe the best way for a campground to deliver wireless Internet service is at a focused point in a campground. Either in a lounge area or an outdoor or covered seating area where you can use your laptop or tablet. That way you can concentrate the best and highest speed service at that locale. I would rather take a morning walk to that area, sit down and do my work and then go back to my site. No playing around, no slowness, no trying to get signal through the trailer.

Jack
__________________
Jack Canavera
STL Mo.
AIR #56 S/OS#15
'04 Classic 30' S.O.,'03 GMC Savana 2500
jcanavera is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-04-2015, 07:18 AM   #25
2 Rivet Member
 
Malmills's Avatar
 
1992 35' Airstream 350
Ocala , Florida
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 31
This site may be helpful to you.
RV Mobile Internet Resource Center
Malcolm
Malmills is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-04-2015, 10:14 AM   #26
Rivet Master
 
2005 19' Safari
GLENDALE , AZ
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 2,453
Re: Mobile Broadband Equipment

We use a Verizon MiFi with an external antenna (on a flagpole-type mast) and a cellular-frequency amplifier; and there are very few camping locations where we've traveled where we've been without mobile broadband.

After the initial equipment investment a few years ago, our monthly Internet expense on Verizon is now $100 (for a grandfathered "Millenicom" 20GB plan); and this works so well for us that we cut off our DSL line at home and use this setup exclusively whether at home or on the road. However, we do NOT stream video content, like Netflix, HULU, etc.

For more info, see these links:
Phoenix is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-04-2015, 10:38 AM   #27
Rivet Master
 
mefly2's Avatar
 
2015 25' FB Eddie Bauer
2013 25' FB Eddie Bauer
2012 20' Flying Cloud
Small Town , *** Big Sky Country ***Western Montana
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 2,860
Quote:
Originally Posted by Phoenix View Post
We use a Verizon MiFi with an external antenna (on a flagpole-type mast) and a cellular-frequency amplifier; and there are very few camping locations where we've traveled where we've been without mobile broadband.

After the initial equipment investment a few years ago, our monthly Internet expense on Verizon is now $100 (for a grandfathered "Millenicom" 20GB plan); and this works so well for us that we cut off our DSL line at home and use this setup exclusively whether at home or on the road. However, we do NOT stream video content, like Netflix, HULU, etc.

For more info, see these links:
VZW will no longer grandfather the larger GB or unlimited plans ...
__________________
2015 25' Eddie Bauer Int'l FBQ / 2023 Ford Lightning ER
2022 Ford F350 6.2 V-8; equalizer hitch + Shocker air hitch
Honda Eu3200; AIR# 44105; formerly WBCCI 2015.1
Terminal Aluminitis; 2-people w/ 3+ dogs
mefly2 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-04-2015, 10:50 AM   #28
Figment of My Imagination
 
Protagonist's Avatar
 
2012 Interstate Coach
From All Over , More Than Anywhere Else
Join Date: Dec 2011
Posts: 10,868
Quote:
Originally Posted by mefly2 View Post
VZW will no longer grandfather the larger GB or unlimited plans ...
Not if you upgrade the hardware, but as long as you keep the same old device they will. If you upgrade the hardware or add new hardware, you've got to upgrade the plan as well.
__________________
I thought getting old would take longer!
Protagonist is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-12-2016, 09:48 AM   #29
4 Rivet Member
 
trekerboy's Avatar
 
1979 31' Excella 500
Charlevoix , Michigan
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 350
RVDataSat 840 on an Airstream

Quote:
Originally Posted by MacPDX View Post
I've been camping in a remote spot in Alberta (1 hour drive from the nearest cell signal) for a week now and as a "remote" employee of a major company I rely on an internet connection to do my job. Fortunately, my internet needs are basically just email, IM and the occasional file download (i.e. not very demanding), so Satellite internet, despite being slow and relatively expensive, is an attractive solution for me.

I emailed mobilsat and they recommended the RV Datasat 840 as well. The even sent along the attached images of an installation they did on an Airstream. Thought y'all might like to see.

Click image for larger version

Name:	2016-07-12 11_37_47-Product and Service for Consumers for RVs_ - trekerboy@gmail.com - Gmail.jpg
Views:	189
Size:	140.9 KB
ID:	266579Click image for larger version

Name:	2016-07-12 11_37_31-Product and Service for Consumers for RVs_ - trekerboy@gmail.com - Gmail.jpg
Views:	174
Size:	102.4 KB
ID:	266580
trekerboy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-15-2016, 07:52 AM   #30
Rivet Master
 
InterBlog's Avatar
 
2007 Interstate
League City , Texas
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 6,139
Circling back around to this thread, which was last updated about six months ago... does anyone else have anything additionally positive to report about one solution or another?

The tech is evolving quickly. I emailed Tim (@vanlifetravelogue) after reading his jaw-dropping account (that's an Insta page - you may need to have an Insta account to see it) of how he achieved a connectivity solution. He's a young vanlifer who absolutely must remain connected to his employer, so his solution is high-end.

My question at this point is, what if someone needs something better than a dinky air card, but not total bleeding edge? Where is the sweet spot of expenditure vs. coverage and what components does that sweet spot consist of?

Tim's initial thought was that perhaps Cradlepoint offers something more mid-range. I'm going to phone their sales people and see what comes of that.

The issue pushed to the forefront of my awareness again after my recent trip to west Texas. I had moments when I felt like shooting myself because the cell coverage was so pathetic. Forget campground insufficiency - I pulled into the town of Junction Texas and lost all coverage within about a mile of the danged freeway! There I was in the middle of neighborhoods and commercial areas with no data whatsoever! (My carrier is Verizon). Come on! We have to be able to do better than that without spending thousands of dollars. Surely there is a reasonably attainable solution somewhere.
InterBlog is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-15-2016, 08:11 AM   #31
2020 Classic 33
 
Box Elder , South Dakota
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 1,731
Images: 1
Interblog, just looking at the Coverage? app from the folks at Technomadia the I10 corridor from just west of Junction all the way east to About Mountain Home is white space with no signal. Big white space hole in that area of Texas from Brownwood to the NE south through junction and then off to the west. Looks like AT&T and Mobile are better in this 'hole'.
__________________
Gary
2020 Classic 33 Twin, 2019 Ram 3500 Longhorn, ProPride
NØVPN
ghaynes755 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-15-2016, 10:38 AM   #32
Rivet Master
 
InterBlog's Avatar
 
2007 Interstate
League City , Texas
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 6,139
I had a LONG conversation with a Cradlepoint rep and one of his collaborators who actually takes Cradlepoint components and integrates them into Pelican cases to create complete mobile solutions. These guys are building systems for remote oil field workers and social media stars and sports people who follow bizarre caravans across the country, livestreaming the entire way, so presumably they understand what their builds are and are not capable of. I'm awaiting two comparative cost quotes from them now.

Junction Texas was one of the lowest moments of my recent life. I stepped off the freeway around dusk, following my map app which I assumed would work at least for a couple of danged miles, but the whole thing immediately evaporated. And then I realized, holy crap, I don't have a paper map as back-up of this particular section of Texas, nor do I have a complete maps database downloaded with my current phone GPS app. Furious and quickly running out of time, I had to phone my husband, get him to pull his own car off the road, and walk me verbally through my travel sequence, turn by turn. I had a strange roaming message from Verizon and just enough bare voice connectivity so that I could do this without it totally breaking up. But no shred of data, not even close.

That's when I said enough is enough. I might have gotten stuck out there after dark with no clue where I was. In addition to re-pursuing an electronic connectivity solution, I also purchased an updated Texas atlas to be placed in our Interstate permanently. The best one in production for Texas is Mapsco's The Roads of Texas. It's the only one that has all tertiary roads named.
InterBlog is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-15-2016, 11:06 AM   #33
Newbie
 
joemikeb's Avatar
 
2013 Interstate Coach
Fort Worth , Texas
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 290
Cell phone coverage is limited by technology, the laws of physics, terrain, etc. The only way to overcome those limits is by installing more towers. Towers are expensive to build and in the long run even more expensive to maintain, particularly in remote areas where electric power is unavailable and must be provided by diesel generators, windmills, solar panels, and/or batteries. So there is a solution to your problem of coverage, but at a cost. How much are you willing to pay for increased signal coverage?

I often drive a route through west Texas into eastern and central New Mexico on U.S. and state highways (not interstates) where there are stretches of 100 miles or more with no cell phone coverage or phone with no data coverage and that is independent of the carrier I am using. The population and traffic is simply too sparse to justify the cost of the towers. I live near the top of a hill in a hilly area of the 17th largest city in the United States and on a good day I have ½ bar cell coverage from AT&T and my next door neighbor has about the same coverage from Verizon. Half a block away. there are 4 bars. (I solved the problem at my home by purchasing and installing a "microcell" that rides on my internet connection.) Where my son lives in the mountains of Colorado the only way to reliably get cell coverage is to climb 300 to 500 feet up the mountain. Few coverage maps are available in fine enough detail to reveal the voids in their coverage.

If enough residents of Junction, Texas give up their landline phones and go to cellular and enough of them choose Verizon as their carrier that could solve your problem there, at little or no cost to you but it still wouldn't increase the coverage on my route. Even if the carriers added cell towers along the highways hundreds and thousands of square miles of open land that would still be without coverage.
__________________
Make errors — otherwise the Great Spirit realizes
you have finished your purpose on earth.

— Navajo saying
joemikeb is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-15-2016, 11:45 AM   #34
4 Rivet Member
 
Currently Looking...
Rockwell , North Carolina
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 308
Interblog's issue with her phone map app is why I still use a standalone GPS for routing. Even in rural areas here in NC one will often be outside a coverage area, especially in the mountains. And the problem is worse out west.
jerhofer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-15-2016, 12:07 PM   #35
Rivet Master
 
2006 22' Interstate
League City , Texas
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 698
I use offline maps on my phone to get around the cellular connectivity issues on the road.
LB_3 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-15-2016, 03:35 PM   #36
Rivet Master
 
2016 Interstate Grand Tour Ext
Bellevue , Washington
Join Date: May 2016
Posts: 689
Quote:
Originally Posted by jerhofer View Post
Interblog's issue with her phone map app is why I still use a standalone GPS for routing. Even in rural areas here in NC one will often be outside a coverage area, especially in the mountains. And the problem is worse out west.
Indeed this is a few times the Kenwood Garmin map has earned its keep for us. We lost all reception in remote forest land and were very happy to have it going.
amirm is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-16-2016, 06:44 AM   #37
Rivet Master
 
InterBlog's Avatar
 
2007 Interstate
League City , Texas
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 6,139
Quote:
Originally Posted by jerhofer View Post
Interblog's issue with her phone map app is why I still use a standalone GPS for routing. Even in rural areas here in NC one will often be outside a coverage area, especially in the mountains. And the problem is worse out west.
Yes, I'm going to start using standalone GPS as well, obviously. On my most recent trip, if I had planned to be overnighting in "remote" areas, I would have taken more preparation and care. But it was mostly a working trip and I had planned to overnight within about three miles of interstate highways in each case, and it turned out that I had no signal with any of it. Verizon has a very different interpretation of "remote" than I do.

Data for purposes such as mapping is the lesser part of the battle, though. I'm an independent technical consultant, so for me the biggie is being able to communicate in real time with my clients. I discovered last night that Chris and Cherie provide individualized connectivity assessments for a fee. With the mountain of diverse content presented on Technomadia, I had missed that. Right now I'm working my way through their free content on the topic of connectivity, but chances are good that I will book a session with them.

Again, for me as a small business owner, it's a question of where the sweet spot of expenditure vs. improvement is located. From the research I've done to date, I've learned that I can throw money at this problem and it will, indeed, go away. But when I do the arithmetic on what I get for a blind money-throw, the value becomes questionable. If I were a full-timer, that would be a different equation and an easier decision. But at this point in time, I might be looking at a combined total of eight weeks per year on the road, during which I have to maintain at least partial business communications. Have to. So I need the sweet spot, which hopefully does exist.
InterBlog is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-16-2016, 08:35 AM   #38
Rivet Master
 
Lotus54's Avatar
 
2006 22' Interstate
Port Angeles , Washington
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 938
I spend some 25 years doing two-way public safety radios (cell is a radio, a bit similar to trunking two way, but with all the 'hand off' difficulties added).
Then I moved over to IT and worked on some various solutions to get network access to remove Park areas (I worked for the National Park Service- now retired)

We have Huges.net at one location. Customer service is atrocious. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
excede seems to be much better.
Of course sat has its own issues (especially this far north and west) and mobile even more issues.

Cell has worked pretty well. We tried a number of different ones and currently the CloudeGate worked pretty slick.
It has a built in amp and various options for Ethernet etc.

Due to very remote areas with quite little cell coverage, and external high gain antenna has been required. Rough aiming with knowing where the cell tower/antenna is located, then fine tuning watching the unit. They have been pretty reliable and even allow some port forwarding etc.
(We had additional difficulties, since an encrypted 'tunnel' is required to access the government network)

A Yagi antenna works pretty well for high gain and holds up well. To the elements.
Similar to this one

https://www.tessco.com/products/disp...o.do?sku=70647


NOTE- you must match the frequency to the band you will be using.

Setup may take a bit more than some, but options are greater.

Mark
Lotus54 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-28-2016, 10:12 AM   #39
Rivet Master
 
InterBlog's Avatar
 
2007 Interstate
League City , Texas
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 6,139
I went whole-hog on this issue, joining Chris and Cherie's pay site (www.rvmobileinternet.com) and also purchasing a full individual consult from them. We had our Facetime session for an hour this morning.

I'm not going to share publicly the details of the equipment set-up that they suggested would be the best fit to my connectivity needs. They provide a valuable service and they need to keep getting paid by others for their service.

However, if someone feels that they want a coherent starting point on the connectivity question without going as far as full individual consultation, I highly recommend their book, The RV Mobile Internet Handbook, which is available for ten bucks in PDF or other e-format.

It's 253 pages and there is no fluff built into it!! That ought to give you an idea of just how complex the underlying technical issues really are. Before reading it, I attempted to do my own research and could not get any sense of true traction. I had tentative connectivity solutions identified but nothing really gelled to the point where I had confidence in my decision tree. I kept thinking to myself, "I'm not a dumb or uneducated person, so why can't I figure this out?!"

Answer: Because it really is that complicated. It's 253-pages-complicated. And there's no sense re-inventing that wheel when others have already put years and years of effort into the research. Take whatever forms of assistance you feel are justified for your own situation. Maybe that's just the e-book, or maybe it goes as far as an individual consult.
InterBlog is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-28-2016, 12:51 PM   #40
Rivet Master
 
2016 Interstate Grand Tour Ext
Bellevue , Washington
Join Date: May 2016
Posts: 689
So what is the upshot of of it IB? You found a solution you are happy to deploy?
amirm is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Service providers in or close to Minnesota cmolcott Our Community 1 01-10-2013 03:35 PM
Internet Service Providers: Which is better? codybear Off Topic Forum 11 12-03-2006 08:36 PM
Satellite internet, telephone, TV. myrna Electrical - Systems, Generators, Batteries & Solar 24 04-10-2006 01:52 PM
Have problems with your mobile internet (computer, laptop, modem, satellite)? securtron Commercial Listings 3 03-30-2004 11:45 AM


Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Airstream, Inc. or any of its affiliates. Airstream is a registered trademark of Airstream Inc. All rights reserved. Airstream trademark used under license to Social Knowledge LLC.



All times are GMT -6. The time now is 05:18 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.