Internet Solution! Help Newbie here

[Bambii]

So Ive read many of these threads and I don't know where to start : (

We need an internet solution for our 2016 international airstream. We have Verizon and recently purchased a MiFi hotspot from them. As I understand it, this is only a solution when we have good cell signal. We are going to be mostly in the West and dry camping a good bit.

We are looking at getting a cell signal booster to increase chances of internet. We are considering the Weboost 4GX whatever and I understand I will need to purchase an additional external antenna

Can you please provide me with your best solution for internet?

Preferably one that has minimal setup or as minimal as it gets?

Thank you!!!

[joshjack]

You're very best solution is going to be a CradlePoint and use a SIM card adapter so you can use the card out of your MiFi. You'll get the best cell signal and stronger wifi that way. The MiFi will struggle to fill the trailer, and will not reach outside at all.

Call 3gstore or another knowledgeable retailer and they will put a package together for you

[Bambii]

So, as I am researching we are deciding to just use unlimited Verizon data and can use our phones as a hotspot. From my understanding- I wont need a verizon jetpack then.

For boosting cell signal we are going to get the Weboost 4GX RV and maybe install a directional antenna Yagi (?) in addition to the omnidirectional one that comes in the box.

Does this sound like a good plan?

Do most people using a Weboost use their smartphones for a wifi hotspot?

This maybe a silly question but- do you have to manually climb on top of the trailer to change the direction of the yagi antenna? BC, ugh...

Thanks for your help!

[joshjack]

You won't mount the Yagi to your roof, it will be on a pole mount that you either setup upon arrival or mount to the rear of the AS. You can rotate the pole to turn the Yagi

[Eagle & Bear]

Unless you are working while traveling full time and need the connectivity you should not have problems with reception using Verizon. We have been traveling full time in the western US for the past 10 years and have had problems with reception in very few remote places. Even Yellowstone has new cables installed to a tower near Fishing Bridge and if you are in view of Navajo Mountain (AZ/UT) you should get a signal. Maybe 3G but that will work for most applications.

If a problem crops up determine what it is. Even a booster will not receive a signal through a mountain or inside a canyon like Zion (don't know if they have a new tower at Zion). If you do experience a signal loss and determine that you do not want to move for a month or so drive to a spot with a bar or two, contact 3G, tell them what your problem is and have them send you a booster via General Delivery where ever you find yourself.

Hope you have a great time. Full timing in the western US is the best. Almost unlimited boondocking available on BLM and USFS managed land. If you are not familiar with web sites that show where the free sites are let me know. I can send you several URLs.

[wulfraat]

I agree. Start with the jetpack only. You can connect multiple devices to it for networking and see if that works for you.

The jetpack wi-if signal will absolutely reach through the entire trailer to provide wi-if network to your laptops, iPads, phones, Apple TV, etc...

I'm sitting in my 30' with 2 bars on my jetpack watching Netflix via Apple TV on the VZ unlimited plan right now.

Note that after 10 GIG usage in a billing cycle they throttle you down to 600kbs throughput but that's still enough for Netflix streaming, internet, email, etc.... (I am currently being throttled as I passed 10 GIG several days ago.)

Also note that other HD video apps on Apple TV, etc.. likely wont work for streaming at 600kbs, but Netflix does... haven't tried amazon video yet at the throttled data rate...

[kdickinson]

Verizon is the best for the western US states. I have a standard hot spot I bought at Walmart. I started with a pre-pay plan but it was a pain to manage. Now I have a monthly plan which I am able to adjust data amounts in 1GB increments as I need to. Since we don’t travel all year I adjust it down during the off months and then bump it up for road trips. I ignore the “free wi-fi” at campgrounds which is quite literally worthless - you get what you pay for. I don’t blame the campagrounds by the way - there is nothing it for them but headaches. The Verizon service is expensive (about $100 / month for 16 GB) but it is by far the best quality and speed service. I tried other less expensive brands/services and have found that they resell the primary provider’s bandwidth service at a discount and the primary provider then throttles the cheaper services at peak periods - like down to a trickle for hours at a time.

[GammaDog]

I agree on Verizon. We are on their unlimited data plan and find that we frequently have service when our neighboring campers do not. I use my iPhone as a hotspot for other devices to get wifi service when on the road. We experience marginal or no service quite often (most recently in the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia... zero service in spots). For fringe areas I use a weboost drive (the unit you've chosen is stronger and would work better) and I have a 20' extendible flagpole with steel "L" brackets bolted to the top and use standard weboost antennas (your chosen antenna is also more powerful). I bungee the flag pole to the awning bracket next to the door, pop an antenna onto the bracket, extend the pole and run the antenna wire through the trailer door to the weboost. The booster helps in fringe signal areas, the antenna height helps in line-of-sight situations. I'd say we need boosting about 10-15% of the nights we camp. About 50% of the time I deploy that it allows me to get service I want. Those other times we just do without.

[BDowse]

You might try this site before you dump a ton of money into a solution. I used this and pretty pleased, cost was around $150. Mounted antennae on a piece of pvc conduit and ran the cable through the slot in the window opener.
Just have to remember that if everyone has one of these gizmos in their rig we're right back where we started from and the playing field is level again.

[BDowse]

http://www.technorv.com/
Sorry, forgot to attach the link :-(

[alantbird]

I have Verizon and always have a good signal
been using the jet pack for a few years
I'm getting ready to move over to unlimited data

[windfallsp]

The best resource for cell-based internet is, IMHO, rvmobileinternet.com

That said, I have used a prepaid (no contract) Verizon MiFi 5510L mobile wireless hotspot for several years. It's 4G capable and has provided good internet service for my laptop, tablet and Kindles from Maine to Florida and New Jersey to Wyoming, Texas, California, Oregon and places in between. The only things I haven't liked about it is the cost per GB and the limits of Verizon's plan for prepaid MiFi.

FMCA has recently cut a deal with Verizon that offers FMCA members unlimited internet and a spiffy new hot spot, no contract, terminate any time w/no charges (and keep the hot spot), with a 12-month guaranteed price of $43.99. There's only one downside for Airstreamers: folks without a class A, B. or C motorhome don't qualify for FMCA membership.

[Tomhenritze]

On Facebook, check out internet for rvers. All your answers will be there. Make sure you understand the difference between unlimited data on your phone vs hotspotting. Most carriers have roughly a 10gb limit on hotspotting. Most carriers have the right to manage your speed on a congested tower after you hit roughly 22gb. I also am in the west, and here is my solution. I have a T-Mobile hotspot, an att mobley, and a sprint iPhone. I have lots of hotspot data, lots of unlimited data, across 3 carriers to wat h Netflix, social media, email, etc. I pay roughly $125/month. That way I can get coverage wherever I am. I will swap out the sprint phone for Verizon as sprint is great in cities but not so much in the desert.

[tjdonahoe]

We used the midi from Verizon , worked fine at about 60/ month, our new I pad has a SIM card, it works fine also....either way is good

[switz]

Used Verizon exclusively since 1988. They had the best coverage driving from AZ to Indiana in the early 2000s and coverage has just gotten better with time.

Had the 24GB plan that I thought I could make work at our summer Airstream only RV park in Lakeside, AZ.

I was able to cut back to the Verizon 8GB plan and use the local CableOne with one cable modem for wifi both in the trailer and our shed that is 15' from the trailer. The cost works out the same and we have 300 GB of data with 100 Mb down and 3 Mb up which works out well for movies, Roku, Apple TV or Amazon Prime over the laptop.

[Eagle & Bear]

Full timing in the western US is an exceptional opportunity to do whatever you have wanted for the past 20-40 years. I have gotten several messages asking for the apps that show where the free and cheap camp sites are. There is some redundancy in the sites but they all have different capabilities and are more user friendly than others. We have camped for 30 years and been boondocking in our Airstream for the last 10 years. It is nice to wake up at night because the Coyotes are right under the window and entertain ourselves watching a road runner pecking at his reflection just above the rear bumpers. Unless you have traveled in an RV before it will take 6-8 months to get the hang of traveling this way. Wish you the best. The URLs are:


https://www.blm.gov/az/st/en/prog/re...dev_camps.html
http://www.ultimatecampgrounds.com/i...ducts/full-map
https://freecampsites.net/#!(40.24616,+-117.04389)
https://overnightrvparking.com/index.php
http://www.freecampgrounds.com/

[hhendrix]

I've been using Verizon MiFi for years. You can spend thousands on amps. antennas, mounting systems as I have. For the money a very good option for signal amplification is the Wilson Cradle Amplifier for about $200 last time I check.
It comes with an magnetic mount antenna that works best mounted outside the Airstream. I just put mine on the awning drum and run the antenna wire thru the screen door. If your on the move just put the antenna on top of your tow vehicle. Its not unusual to get a 2 or 3 bar increase.
Keep in mind that even if you have 4 or 5 bars in a rural area, that doesn't always translate to faster download speeds.

[Lily&Me]

I am another decades-long Verizon devotee, and have found it delivers signal almost anywhere in the US.

We had a MiFi for years, but went to an IPad mini with a SIM card two years ago, and love the mobility plus not having an extra item to keep charged.

One of these is arriving today...for a single device, 4G, 12volt...@$179.99 it was affordable for me. I called Verizon for recommendations, who said that any would do.

Neighbors at a recent rally were using a multi device 12volt one, and reported significantly increased signal and connectivity, while I struggled with 2 bars of 3G most of the time.

As a solo traveler, it will be enough for me.

Maggie

[Bambii]

Thanks everyone for such great info! It seem like a lot of ppl are using the mifi/ jet pack option exclusively.

Just to give you some background on our needs we will be full timing for three months and working remotely. Luckily we don't really need to donwload/ upload large amounts of information (though it's nice) but we do need to have the best connectivety to the internet for emails.

We will be hiking in Alberta and British Columbia (where Verizon has service- TG) and then driving all the way down the west coast and back east across iutah, Colorado etc.

We are millennials and are basically addicted to the internet (part of the reason why we are taking this trip ) but we'd still rather pay more to make sure we have the best connectivity possible. If this works out well, we'd like to spend every summer this way

[openroad118]

I'm sure everyone knows this by now but I found out the other day that if you are a veteran you can get 12% off of data and 10% off of accessories. I am now saving $30 a month with my unlimited data plan with Verizon.