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


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 08-14-2020, 04:26 PM   #1
Member
 
Freeman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2019
Location: Norfolk
Posts: 85
Internet access on the road

I am curious to hear from everyone with recommendations and testimonials as to how to access the internet while traveling around the country in their RV. We have a Greyhawk 26y and use it to go to antique shows and flea markets across the country. None of these venues have hookups or WiFi, so we need access to the internet. We currently have a Verizon MiFi; however, after 15 GB it throttles down to 600 Kbs. We need internet for obvious reasons — email, web browsing — and to run security cameras and inside temperature for dogs. We would like to be able to access some video streaming providers, if possible.

Any suggestions?
Freeman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-14-2020, 04:40 PM   #2
Senior Member
 
Grumpy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Where ever the boss says we're going.
Posts: 15,893
Quote:
Originally Posted by Freeman View Post
I am curious to hear from everyone with recommendations and testimonials as to how to access the internet while traveling around the country in their RV.

Any suggestions?
Have you looked at the new VERIZON plans?
__________________
DISNEY LOVERS
Grumpy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-14-2020, 05:41 PM   #3
Senior Member
 
GABob's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: Atlanta
Posts: 514
Quote:
Originally Posted by Grumpy View Post
Have you looked at the new VERIZON plans?

Grumpy, really a great point that everyone should do! I've been looking into a MoFi or cell booster as my daughter will be schooling from home, and we decided that she can study on the road as long as the connectivity is decent. I went onto the AT&T site to see the limits of my current plan (unlimited data but will throttle back after 30Gig) and discovered that if I UPGRADED my plan (to unlimited up to 100 Gig and then throttle back) I can save $25 a month!!!


Great news, but kinda ticked off that you have to keep your eyes out for this stuff.
__________________
2019 Entegra Odyssey 31L
GABob is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-14-2020, 05:45 PM   #4
Member
 
barryfriedman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: West Hills
Posts: 55
I use a WeBoost to maximize my wireless signal and an AT&T Unite Pro as a stand alone hot spot. Seems to work well for me.

Barry
2020 Entegra Accolade
barryfriedman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-14-2020, 06:01 PM   #5
Member
 
Freeman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2019
Location: Norfolk
Posts: 85
Thanks for the suggestion.

The MiFi I already have is through Verizon. It and two iPhones have unlimited data. But, “unlimited” means about as much as “organic” or “one size fits all.” Each of the iPhones have 50 GB with hotspot capability. The MiFi has 15 GB. All three of them throttle down to 600 KB after they reach a certain point of usage each month. 600 KB gives you about enough internet speed to read and send emails without any attachments.

What I will do is go back to Verizon and see if they have another unlimited plan that has a larger amount of data before they throttle.
Freeman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-14-2020, 06:46 PM   #6
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: San Antonio
Posts: 2,872
Quote:
Originally Posted by GABob View Post
Grumpy, really a great point that everyone should do! I've been looking into a MoFi or cell booster as my daughter will be schooling from home, and we decided that she can study on the road as long as the connectivity is decent. I went onto the AT&T site to see the limits of my current plan (unlimited data but will throttle back after 30Gig) and discovered that if I UPGRADED my plan (to unlimited up to 100 Gig and then throttle back) I can save $25 a month!!!


Great news, but kinda ticked off that you have to keep your eyes out for this stuff.
T Mo has contacted me twice in my 15 years with them to increase my service and lowering my bill. They earned my loyalty.
__________________
2017 JayFlight 21QB
2021 Ford F150 SCrew 3.5 Eco, 157”, 3.55, Tow Pkg
TaftCoach is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-14-2020, 07:24 PM   #7
Senior Member
 
tom463219's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Portage
Posts: 479
I pay $20 a month for unlimited wifi in my GM car. Gotta leave the key on accessory for it to work. I put a charger on the battery and have internet throughout the campsite and in the RV. Use it on mobile devices and ROKU. Works good.
__________________
Tom
2016 Greyhawk 31DS
2016 Chevy Equinox LX
Blue Ox Baseplate w/Aventa LX Tow Bar & KarGard II Deflector
Blue Ox Patriot Brake
tom463219 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-14-2020, 09:13 PM   #8
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Denver
Posts: 4,195
I gotta say that if Internet access is *critical* then you can't rely on just one medium. You should have a hotspot on one carrier, and then maybe your phones on another.


There are so many places out here where we'll get good signal from the ATT phones while the Vz MiFi says "no signal".


The added benefit is that we have two caps - one from ATT and one from VZ. Together it's hard to run out.


Drop your video quality on your phones to 240p too. That saves bandwidth.



Option three would be a good WiFi extender when you're near a Starbucks, Lowes, McDonalds, etc. Which isn't that helpful in your case, but still should be in the RV.
__________________
2016 Greyhawk 31FK
pconroy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-14-2020, 09:42 PM   #9
Senior Member
 
SloPoke's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Kingman AZ and where our Seneca is today.
Posts: 3,112
sorry... but there are only so many LTE bands available. Many are shared across carriers, but use APN's to keep others from sharing. Find a plan that will satisfy your data requirements, and find a backup carrier to keep you working when one can't meet your needs.

If you buy a VXW mifi, they prioritize to band 13. Many times you will never connect to another VZW AP on other than band 13.

Tmo likes 66, but often falls back to 2,4 and 5 and the 5g is moving to the 600mhz spectrum being deployed on 71.
Attached Thumbnails
20200814.JPG  
__________________
Steve & Stacy with Jasper (Australian Cattle dog)
2015 Seneca 36FK
Custom 27' flatbed trailer hauling:
07 Toyota FJC & Yamaha Kodiak 400 ATV

SloPoke is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-15-2020, 02:10 PM   #10
Member
 
Freeman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2019
Location: Norfolk
Posts: 85
Nomad Internet

Has anyone heard of Nomad Internet?
Freeman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-17-2020, 07:11 AM   #11
Senior Member
 
Crossingover's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: Treasure Coast Florida
Posts: 643
Technomadia

These folks are have nearly 72k subscribers and know their stuff when it comes to RV internet connectivity. Check them out and spend a few hours viewing their experiences.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgM...7tTsk_gr06d17g

And more specifically:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...ml9zppYU2RlEwd
__________________
Rick with Lori and Two Pekes
'16 Jayco Seneca HJ Topaz
'13 Mini Cooper toad : Blackhawk All-Terrain tether
Crossingover is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-24-2020, 04:05 PM   #12
Member
 
Freeman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2019
Location: Norfolk
Posts: 85
Thanks.

I have decided to take your advice and the advice of others and get another "MiFi" with another carrier. I have two iPhones and the MiFi with Verizon with their "unlimited" plan. (I've been with Verizon since 1986 when Verizon was Contel, cell phones were in big bags, and they charged 25 cents per minute --- free weekends.)

I plan to go to ATT and to get a data plan and one of their devices. I've found that they have a 100 GB plan and the device is a Netgear Nighthawk.
Freeman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-25-2020, 11:22 AM   #13
Senior Member
 
GABob's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: Atlanta
Posts: 514
Quote:
Originally Posted by Freeman View Post
I have decided to take your advice and the advice of others and get another "MiFi" with another carrier. I have two iPhones and the MiFi with Verizon with their "unlimited" plan. (I've been with Verizon since 1986 when Verizon was Contel, cell phones were in big bags, and they charged 25 cents per minute --- free weekends.)

I plan to go to ATT and to get a data plan and one of their devices. I've found that they have a 100 GB plan and the device is a Netgear Nighthawk.

I went into AT&T website to look at my contract options, and by switching to this UPGRADED plan I saved $25 a month as noted above. Anyone who has AT&T it's worth looking into. They never just reach out and say "hey, we can save you money!"
__________________
2019 Entegra Odyssey 31L
GABob is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-26-2020, 01:51 PM   #14
Member
 
Freeman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2019
Location: Norfolk
Posts: 85
Updated Frustration

Not that COVID hasn't made life more of a challenge, but navigating the world of cell phone data is just incredible.

I went to an ATT store to inquire of another data account using the Netgear Nighthawk mobile hotspot router. The young man was very helpful, even though he at first said that ATT did not have any of these devices. That issue solved, we started the process of choosing a plan. According to the computer screen (he showed the screen to me), ATT had a 5 GB plan and a 10 GB plan. You cannot stream four short movies with 10 Gb. As I said, the young man was very helpful. He commented that the web site may give me a better deal?!?!

I came home and went to the ATT web site. The better deal is an "unlimited???" plan with 10 GB for $50 and $10 per GB overage rate?????

Either I do not know what I am doing --- or cannot explain what I want to do --- I cannot say --- but I already have a Verizon MiFi and an "unlimited" plan with a 15 GB throttle limit which costs $10 @ month. Of course the 600 KB is pretty useless after the 15 GB.

All I want is to have available data (50-100 GB) each month so I can keep up with email that I don't want to respond to using my phone, continue with my Ancestry research, watch a little YouTube, stream a movie every now and then. Just keep up with the rest of the world.

UGGGGGG.
Freeman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-26-2020, 05:22 PM   #15
Senior Member
 
GABob's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: Atlanta
Posts: 514
Quote:
Originally Posted by Freeman View Post
Not that COVID hasn't made life more of a challenge, but navigating the world of cell phone data is just incredible.

I went to an ATT store to inquire of another data account using the Netgear Nighthawk mobile hotspot router. The young man was very helpful, even though he at first said that ATT did not have any of these devices. That issue solved, we started the process of choosing a plan. According to the computer screen (he showed the screen to me), ATT had a 5 GB plan and a 10 GB plan. You cannot stream four short movies with 10 Gb. As I said, the young man was very helpful. He commented that the web site may give me a better deal?!?!

I came home and went to the ATT web site. The better deal is an "unlimited???" plan with 10 GB for $50 and $10 per GB overage rate?????

Either I do not know what I am doing --- or cannot explain what I want to do --- I cannot say --- but I already have a Verizon MiFi and an "unlimited" plan with a 15 GB throttle limit which costs $10 @ month. Of course the 600 KB is pretty useless after the 15 GB.

All I want is to have available data (50-100 GB) each month so I can keep up with email that I don't want to respond to using my phone, continue with my Ancestry research, watch a little YouTube, stream a movie every now and then. Just keep up with the rest of the world.

UGGGGGG.

You might want to try going on their website and using the chat feature. Sounds like you had a fairly green employee there.
__________________
2019 Entegra Odyssey 31L
GABob is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-26-2020, 05:33 PM   #16
Member
 
Freeman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2019
Location: Norfolk
Posts: 85
I agree. I’ll figure it out and if necessary go to another ATT store. Verizon has cooperate stores and re-seller stores. It’s easy to distinguish between the two. This is my first experience with ATT. Don’t know if they have the same corporate set up, so if I can’t get help at a store, the website may be my better option.
Freeman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-26-2020, 06:08 PM   #17
Senior Member
 
Bookemdanno's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: DFW
Posts: 3,493
Definitely cross shop if you can! All of our cell phones are with AT&T with the original unlimited plan (although they throttle you back after a certain amount of usage), but about 5 yrs ago, I purchased a Mifi from Verizon with unlimited plan. We can use my phone as a hot spot or use the Mifi depending on service in the area. Works great for our family!
__________________
Dan
'24 GMC 2500 AT4X AEV Edition
Bookemdanno is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-26-2020, 06:24 PM   #18
Member
 
Freeman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2019
Location: Norfolk
Posts: 85
Consistently I hear this as advice — have multiple plans from different companies, which sounds a little crazy to those sitting in a house in an urban area where there is competing DSL and cable internet companies. BUT, if you live in an internet access desert or travel about the country in an RV, then it makes perfect sense. Our last trip was the longest so far — 3 weeks — and we maxed out the MiFi before the first week. And, one campground had wifi access. But, it wasn’t the most reliable. So, I have to find a solution and multiple providers is a good step.
Freeman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-26-2020, 06:54 PM   #19
Senior Member
 
Thomson's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: Prescott Valley, AZ
Posts: 637
Take a look at the Mighty available from Amazon. After you buy the hot spot it is pay as you go.
__________________
Cliff and Annette
2019 Jayco 315RLTS Northpoint
Travelling with 2 Macaws, a cat, and 2 standard poodles.
Thomson is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-26-2020, 10:31 PM   #20
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Denver
Posts: 4,195
Quote:
Originally Posted by GABob View Post
You might want to try going on their website and using the chat feature. Sounds like you had a fairly green employee there.



This.
This.
This.


You're going to have to work the phones or the stores until you find someone who knows about this stuff.


I'm a professional nerd, I know what Verizon offers and I still had to burn thru three employees at a VZ store before I got someone who knew about these things.


Many (?most?) ATT stores are just affiliates. They grab someone off the street, pay 'em $13/hour, give them very little training and turn them loose on the floor. They were making burritos yesterday and today they're selling you phone plans.


Use the website and then call *real* ATT customer service. Explain what you're after then after about two minutes ask to be escalated to a manager.
__________________
2016 Greyhawk 31FK
pconroy is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
internet connection, wifi, wifi issues

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


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Jayco, Inc. or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 03:07 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright 2002-2016 Social Knowledge, LLC All Rights Reserved.