A real data plan deal for owners of new Airstreams

[dst]

Originally Posted by Rocinante

Good to know, thanks. I just picked up a Mobley with “unlimited” AT&T service, will play with that instead of pining for this upgrade.

https://www.rvmobileinternet.com/att...mail-campaign/

I've had the Mobley for over a year. Normally connects my Sync 3 and phones in my F250. When parked I connect it to the Pepwave Soho Router and get past the 5 device limit, plus have a wired port for the DVD player. Their 1.03 firmware update removed the "no timeout" option, so not as convenient. And they generate a random pin now, but the RV Mobile Internet folks have a write up on how you can request unlock codes. I bought a Netgear Unite Explore hotspot on ebay for $100 and I just move the Mobley sim over to it when parked. After I get the sim unlocked I've gotten as much as 80 Mbps down and 40 Mbps up while it is all sitting in the cabinet of our FC 23FB. Still thinking about cell booster in trailer to improve signal of that and our Verizon phones. I think my monthly bill is $23 and change; looks like I've used about 25 GB of data so far this cycle.

[turk123]

Here is a link to a PDF of a document I created from the many posts about the Airstream connect issues and a solution for it. I hope this helps those experiencing problems with the Peplink modem and for those considering the new upgrade from Airstream.

The upgrade is fine, just needs this tweak to work efficiently.

[Rocinante]

Originally Posted by dst

I've had the Mobley for over a year. Normally connects my Sync 3 and phones in my F250. When parked I connect it to the Pepwave Soho Router and get past the 5 device limit, plus have a wired port for the DVD player. Their 1.03 firmware update removed the "no timeout" option, so not as convenient. And they generate a random pin now, but the RV Mobile Internet folks have a write up on how you can request unlock codes. I bought a Netgear Unite Explore hotspot on ebay for $100 and I just move the Mobley sim over to it when parked. After I get the sim unlocked I've gotten as much as 80 Mbps down and 40 Mbps up while it is all sitting in the cabinet of our FC 23FB. Still thinking about cell booster in trailer to improve signal of that and our Verizon phones. I think my monthly bill is $23 and change; looks like I've used about 25 GB of data so far this cycle.

Sounds great! We, got our Mobley today and activated it. AT&T gave us the codes needed to unlock the SIM so we can put it into another hotspot if we want to. (We already own an LTE router, so we're hopeful we can put the SIM in there. Failing that, we'll pick up a similar hotspot, as nearly anything will be faster than the Mobley.)

Meanwhile, with this approach I'm pretty sure we won't be "Jonesing" for the Airstream solution anytime soon.

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by turk123

Here is a link to a PDF of a document I created from the many posts about the Airstream connect issues and a solution for it.
. . .

Thanks.

For everyone’s information there is a new parallel thread which seems to be gaining a head of steam, with folks not migrating over here.

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f451...ed-191803.html

[UncleBad]

I still have no update on an ETA on ”Airstream Connected” from Airstream of Scottsdale, but LazyDays in Tucson says they can get the kit, part number 513675, in 6 weeks. 6 weeks?

Amazon Prime has me spoiled I guess?

I think we may just pull the trigger, as we are planning a trip in the May timeframe ( AZ to MO to OH for Alumapaluza to NC and back home) and I require Internet for work.

I know there may be “better” solutions out there but I would be buying this kit to get access to the AT&T plan that comes with it. Well, and because I don’t have the guts yet to “cut” on the AS...

Has anyone else been able to get Airstream Connected installed on their AS yet? I think splorin did from the other thread, anyone else?

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by UncleBad

I still have no update on an ETA on ”Airstream Connected” from Airstream of Scottsdale, but LazyDays in Tucson says they can get the kit, part number 513675, in 6 weeks. 6 weeks?

Amazon Prime has me spoiled I guess?

I think we may just pull the trigger, as we are planning a trip in the May timeframe ( AZ to MO to OH for Alumapaluza to NC and back home) and I require Internet for work.

I know there may be “better” solutions out there but I would be buying this kit to get access to the AT&T plan that comes with it. Well, and because I don’t have the guts yet to “cut” on the AS...

Has anyone else been able to get Airstream Connected installed on their AS yet? I think splorin did from the other thread, anyone else?

Hi

Six weeks =

1) We only put in orders every two weeks. Getting on the web is tough so we phone first and then mail in the order.

2) Order processing takes about a week or two (on a paper order that is mailed in ...).

3) Shipping takes about a week or two via the cheapest method imaginable (we like to save money).

4) Getting it from the mail room to the stock room takes several days

5) Getting it into the inventory book only happens on Thursdays

6) On Tuesday we start letting people know stuff came in.

I would *love* to tell you that this is all made up. Very unfortunately about 80% is straight from the mouth of people at various dealerships. The other 20% is guesses based on what was said.

Bob

[UncleBad]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi



Six weeks =



1) We only put in orders every two weeks. Getting on the web is tough so we phone first and then mail in the order.



2) Order processing takes about a week or two (on a paper order that is mailed in ...).



3) Shipping takes about a week or two via the cheapest method imaginable (we like to save money).



4) Getting it from the mail room to the stock room takes several days



5) Getting it into the inventory book only happens on Thursdays



6) On Tuesday we start letting people know stuff came in.



I would *love* to tell you that this is all made up. Very unfortunately about 80% is straight from the mouth of people at various dealerships. The other 20% is guesses based on what was said.



Bob

I bet those are spot on! I needed that! [emoji23]

The person helping me did order right from his register / computer. He said “Monday Airstream should expedite this because I asked for it before the end of March.” [emoji848]

I felt so 80’s.

Maybe Airstream has a nostalgic thing going on?

I actually hope the delay is to take care of some of the issues with the system ~ THAT would be worth the delay!

[OTRA15]

Just a reminder that there is a newer thread with more current info, including possible AS router issues:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f451...ed-191803.html

Peter


FYI/FWIW

[wulfraat]

Originally Posted by Rocinante

Sounds great! We, got our Mobley today and activated it. AT&T gave us the codes needed to unlock the SIM so we can put it into another hotspot if we want to. (We already own an LTE router, so we're hopeful we can put the SIM in there. Failing that, we'll pick up a similar hotspot, as nearly anything will be faster than the Mobley.)

Meanwhile, with this approach I'm pretty sure we won't be "Jonesing" for the Airstream solution anytime soon.

So benefit if Mobley is:

1. Can activate vehicle plan with 22GB data and network-congestion-based throttling after that

2. Can unlock SIM and move to a separate hotspot device

So basically working around the traditional hard throttling caps of hotspot plans because the SIM was originally provisioned as a connected car device.

Did I get that right? Sounds appealing. I turned off my built-in GMC connected car line because it was a PITA to keep the car ACC on to provide hotspot to my trailer (my pepwave SOHO)

[wulfraat]

OK, after coming close to pulling the trigger on the new airstream prepaid AT&T plan ($999 for hardware, $500+ for install, $360/yr for the plan), with Airstream-locked Pepwave BR1 cellular modem and 2x2 Mimo roof antenna, I ended up going with the new Verizon Prepaid Unlimited plan, provisioned against a new, state of the art category 18 cellular Inseego 8800L Mifi with 4x4 internal Mimo antennas and connectivity for a 2x2 Mimo exterior antenna.

The performance is impressive.

Plan details here:

https://www.rvmobileinternet.com/ver...-for-jetpacks/

https://youtu.be/-cpDI05aRUc

and hardware details here:

https://www.rvmobileinternet.com/ver...he-mifi-8800l/

https://youtu.be/HVrVgXUnDAM

I couldn't be happier. This plan is $65 / month with unlimited data and no throttling. You always have the risk of being temporarily network managed (temporarily de-prioritized / slowed during network congestion), but thus far in my testing I have seen no slow down in speed whatsoever, even here today at 7pm on a Monday night.

I am able to see great download speeds of 25Mbps+ without any external antenna with a mediocre signal of -105dBm (RSRP).

Here is an example of streaming movies on 5 screens simultaneously attached to the jetpack, with 15Mbps d/l speed to spare. In the past 90 minutes I've push over 5Gigs of data through the jetpack, no problem.

The modem technology in this little unit is 2 generations ahead of the current pepwave BR1 category 6 modem that airstream is deploying and the throughput shows. The equivalent generation hardware from pep wave is $3,500 for a category 18 modem, and the exterior antenna adds another $1,500.

In comparison I paid $199 for the mini inseego category 18 MiFi unit.

I have a 2x2 portable netgear directional mimo antenna on order which I can place in the appropriate window of the airstream to improve signal strength.

In times where the signal is absolutely pitiful, I will backup to my weboost / sure call system.

More to come, the hardware and network advancements that are out in the wild are great these days, and now there is finally a data plan to match from VZ. get it while you can.

This is one of the best plans and hardware combo on the market for the money.

[nryn]

Awesome. This was the plan and device I was planning on getting to supplement my AT&T service for our trip out west. Did you go to a Verizon store or order online? I find navigating their online offerings frustrating (and so are AT&T’s).

[wulfraat]

I just walked into the store after calling to ensure they had an 8800 in stock. I was out with a functioning hotspot within 10 minutes, which is a new record for visiting a Verizon store.

[nryn]

Originally Posted by wulfraat

I was out with a functioning hotspot within 10 minutes, which is a new record for visiting a Verizon store.

No doubt. I was helping my (elderly) parents out by troubleshooting their home network and the problem turned out to be a faulty Comcast modem. So off to the Comcast store I went.

No joke: 8 employees, 2 customers. Took me an hour to get out of there.

Hoping for the same luck you got at Verizon...

[UncleBad]

Originally Posted by UncleBad

Has anyone else been able to get Airstream Connected installed on their AS yet? I think splorin did from the other thread, anyone else?

We have an install date for Airstream Connected - March 21. LazyDays was able to work with AS to get the parts here in time. We shall see.

Wulfraat sounds like you have also found a nice setup! I hope the AT&T plan has similar performance. I look forward to comparing.

Also we stayed at LazyDays KOA resort this weekend and was surprised at how well their campground WiFi worked. It worked as expected! I have a pepwave router and mimo antenna just perched inside the media cabinet, not even properly mounted. Had to authenticate each day with their system but streamed directv now when we needed too with no issues. All devices on our AS network had zero issues. So they are one campground with decent WiFi.

[Bgkirk]

We had our Airstream Connect installed on Tuesday. Easy setup with ATT and it is working great with my Pepwave SOHO MK3. I wanted to share a couple installation notes since this is new to the dealers also:

1) The antenna does not come physically configured correctly for the Airstream install. The antenna is configured for the wires to come out of the bottom of the antenna whereas the Airstream install requires the wires to exit the side of the antenna. The instructions that come with the antenna in the box cover the conversion.

2) A cover plate required for the installation is not provided in the box (at least in the box for my installation at the dealer). This may have been an oversight on my particular connect hardware box. My dealer had the cover plate part in stock so no big deal and it may be a generally stocked item.

Hope it helps.

[Bigventure]

Thank you for the updates. Please keep them coming. I really like the videos.

[UncleBad]

Originally Posted by Bgkirk

Hope it helps.

Thanks! I will show this to our dealer when they install next week. I have the same pepwave you do as well, we will have the same setup!

[UncleBad]

So much for install this week.... After trying for about 4 days to actually talk to someone is service department, I gave up and called the parts department at LazyDays in Tucson.

Airstream Connected has STILL not come it -it’s been “very popular” and now they won’t have the part until middle of April.

Has anyone else had this problem?

[OTRA15]

Thanks for the updates.

For those who might have missed it:

Originally Posted by OTRA15

Just a reminder that there is a newer thread with more current info, including possible AS router issues:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f451...ed-191803.html

Peter

FYI/FWIW

[pdavey]

Originally Posted by turk123

Here is a link to a PDF of a document I created from the many posts about the Airstream connect issues and a solution for it. I hope this helps those experiencing problems with the Peplink modem and for those considering the new upgrade from Airstream.

The upgrade is fine, just needs this tweak to work efficiently.

First of all turk123 thank you so much for taking the time to thoroughly document your issues with the Airstream Connected.

Like many of you I was very interested in a system that could be dealer installed and support the Airstream. I have a 2020 GT 27FB and was considering getting the AS Connected installed but having done the research and seeing what everyone is going through, like many preinstalled systems they take great components and screw them up.

After doing even more research on the various systems I decided to piece mine together and install it myself. A few things I learned in my research:

- First, AS cheaped out on the Pepwave router. The mini is known to have problems and doesn’t have the scalability as it is a single modem with two sim slots instead of a dual modem that can support load balancing and bonding. I ended up going with the newer Pepwave transit duo which is a cat12 dual modem so I could support load balancing or bonding of the signals over two carriers working simultaneously.

- Airstream should have gone with the Pepwave Max BR1 MK2 at a minimum instead of the mini given the issues with the mini supporting multiple networks

- That said from other research I have done the mini can be fixed if configured correctly. Turk123 figured out the key issue with the WiFi and worked around it. From what I have read about the Pepwave systems when supporting load balancing over WiFi, the system uses the same antenna for broadcasting as it does for pulling the existing wifi from the campground. This causes the wifi broadcasting to your devices connected to the network to literally crawl. People have gotten around this by using one of the networks to pull and the other to broadcast (say use the 2.4Ghz network to connect to campground wifi and use the 5Ghz network to broadcast for your network

- The other option there is to potentially use an external wifi anteanna to connect to the wifi network of the campground like the MikroTik Grove and plug it into your WAN port therefore dedicating the entirety of the Pepwave wifi to your broadcasting network (not sure if this would screw with any of the CZone stuff in the Classic or not) https://seabits.com/mikrotik-groove-...p-setup-guide/

- The Poynting antenna they use is one of the best. I believe they use the 5-in-1 but I ordered the 7-in-1 for my system since I have the dual modems

- I can’t remember who said it on this thread but also having a weboost in addition to the airstream connected or any other system is a good idea especially for boon docking or more remote camping as it will help broadcast and amplify the signal for the Pepwave when you aren’t getting very good coverage

I hope some of this information helps as people look to use the connected or build out their own systems.

I ordered my system from MobileMustHave.com and a special shout out to the folks over at the Mobile Internet Resource Center Cherie & Chris and all of their contributors and forum members. If you are considering doing any of this yourself you should subscribe to their site.

Peter

Grace - 2020 Airstream Globetrotter 27FB