How
often has this happened to you?
You leave your house and leave for a while. You assume during your adventures
your phone is connected to Wi-Fi, to find out how this is not the case
the case when you are beaten with an astronomical data overrun on your bill.
Her
easy to blow over Wi-Fi because it’s so common. You can find these days
Wi-Fi almost everywhere. From your local McDonald’s to that laundry nearby
the corner, many retailers offer free Wi-Fi to customers. They must do that kind of thing
because people are so connected nowadays.
is it easy to stay connected when you are in your camper? After all, you might be one of those
happy people who travel the world while still making money by working
at a distance.
What kind of internet can you expect during your travels? Has your vehicle yourself
Wi-Fi or you can rely on unstable network connections that will come
and go while you travel? In this article I will tell you everything you need
know.
Do RVs have wifi?
The
answer is yes and no. If you clicked on this article in the hope that there is a way for it
make sure you have a router in your camper that has reliable internet everywhere
Sorry to disappoint you. YOU can series
a router in your vehicle (but more about that later) or connect to Wi-Fi while
parked, but as soon as you’re on your way, the internet becomes irregular.
Your
RV does not have its own network with which you can connect unless you
keep it stationary. That said, you have enough ways to get
Internet. Some require that you spend money while others need something
cunning, but you can all surf the internet from the comfort of your camper.
Internet
Your RV
There
are four ways to connect your RV to the internet: satellites, wireless
mobile internet, Wi-Fi and DSL / dial-up. I will now explain each of the four
methods in much more detail.
Satellite internet
Let’s
first get the most expensive option out of the way, because internet via satellite
certainly is not cheap. With this method you buy an extra unit or one
rooftop satellite installed on top of your RV. When your vehicle is not in
movement, you can get internet whenever you want, wherever you want.
Manually mounted
to attach units via a tripod. You pay about $ 1,300 for installation,
sometimes $ 1,700 for more expensive satellites. Oh, and installation
is just the beginning of what you get out of it. You still have to pay
satellite internet service as you would an Internet package at home. This one
can start with $ 59 monthly, depending on the internet service provider you choose.
In front of
you can get satellite internet on your RV, you have to find someone there
willing to set it up for you. In Canada, a company called Tech Mobile
offers manually mounted satellite installation. You can also watch mobile
Internet Satellite if you live in the United States.
Your
another satellite option is an automatic unit on the roof. The main company that
provided that these services for RV owners like you were known as Motosat.
However, they have since disappeared, which means that it is more difficult to find a company
to install an automatic roof-mounted satellite.
RF Mogul is the only other
comparable company, so prices may be higher due to limited competition.
These are only the companies that install the internet satellites. After that job is done, you have to find an internet provider. Forget about your AT & T or Verizon. You need specialized internet access. The options include:
- HughesNet (perhaps the most
popular option) - SkyWay USA
- WildBlue
I have
provided links to all providers so that you can compare plans and create your own
choice about which is best for your online needs.
The mandatory equipment for RV satellite internet includes PC cables, a satellite modem, indoor installation equipment and outdoor installation equipment. You could supply some of this equipment yourself if you can. Otherwise you expect to pay extra during the installation.
What
you get for all the money and the effort you have spent on satellite internet
your RV? Reliable internet, of course, even in areas where there is almost no
Wi-Fi options. If the air is unobstructed, your satellite can connect to
the net. It is that simple.
If
there is bad weather, of course you will have to protect your satellite,
most likely with a cover. If the satellite is blocked, admissibility can not
occur, which means that there is no internet for you. Others who have used satellites for
Internet access on an RV has reported access limits and slow downloads.
Nothing but
you can decide whether these disadvantages are worth the money.
Wireless Cellular
internet
If
you already have a wireless mobile internet provider at home, you can do that
trust this provider when you are traveling in your camper. Now you would use it
your plan with T-Mobile, AT & T, Sprint, Verizon and the like.
YOU
have a few options for wireless connectivity. You can get a wireless network
device, usually an air card (that’s just a nice USB) with which you can cling
your wireless network of choice. Mobile hotspots, if they exist among you
carrier, cut out all wires and can be more convenient.
Alternately,
you can create a modem via your phone. With a Bluetooth, infrared or USB
cable, connect your phone to your computer and you get internet that way.
YOU
can also simply connect your smartphone or tablet to your network and start from
there. This is how you would use the internet at home.
If
you are the type that lives full-time in your RV and you have to get work done, admittedly,
doing anything on a phone might not cut it.
Not only that, but regardless of which of the three wireless internet options you choose, you will be limited on the amount of data you can use. Service can also be spotty; these service cards that you see during advertisements of internet service providers do not exist for nothing. You may have problems with speed and downloads may also lag behind.
Wifi
YOU
can also use good, old-fashioned Wi-Fi. It is not glamorous and it is not
guaranteed, but hey, it’s better than chewing your data in one
afternoon.
If
you are the type that likes to stay in parks or campsites, much of it now
provider Wi-Fi Internet for their visitors. When you camp for the night,
the children can scroll through Facebook, play games and love it differently
complain because they are bored.
From
of course, as soon as you leave the campsite, you leave the wifi with it. Happy,
it is not that difficult to find places that offer WiFi during your travels. Try one
restaurant, convenience store, department store, café, truck stop, train
station or airport and you should be able to connect for a while.
Do
Please note that some places charge you to use their internet. This is possible
happen on a campsite, so always ask before you connect.
What do you do to connect to the internet as soon as you take off in your camper? Can you still get Wi-Fi? Of course, you play the reconnect game every few kilometers while you win and lose access to networks. That is because the networks are stationary and you are not.
My
best recommendation, especially if you are traveling with children or teenagers
This: buy an extra large data plan before you leave for your road trip. Allot
your data usage wisely. Tell the children that they should not play games or streaming
videos when you are not connected to Wi-Fi. Stop often and connect to Wi-Fi when
you can.
This one
will prevent you and your family from using data too much and at the same time avoiding it
crazy because there is no stable internet.
DSL or dial-up internet
YOU
can stay at a campsite that offers dial-up or DSL internet connections.
That is your fourth option to get internet into your camper.
dependent
wherever you go, the campsite can provide cable or telephone connections for the
Internet per campsite. If so, you have scored a fairly sweet deal. You can
expect fast connection speeds, which means your files and
Watch streaming video without delay or other interruptions.
Not all campsites have such a great setup, unfortunately. Some just run on a dial-up modem. If you are old enough to remember the days of dial-up internet (and that’s good, I’m sure), then you also remember how hard it was to be online. You had to wait minutes to get internet going and it often felt like hours. If someone had to use the phone, you were bumped offline. Even being online was painfully slow. If you do not know the dial-in number, consider yourself a lucky guy.
Trusting a dial-up modem for a campsite is not only slow, but also restrictive. Just like the days you waited for your turn while your brother or sister used the dial-up Internet, you would be transported to the days of AOL disks in the mail. Now, instead of just waiting for another person, you could wait for half of the campsite. When you finally get that sweet, sweet internet, you may only get 10 or 15 minutes of use before you let someone else online.
Using
your own data is almost tempting in this scenario. (Although seriously, I do not
recommend it.)
Tips for using the
Internet without blowing your data
Even
today, data is a commodity. It is expensive, and if you or another family member
eat through data such as leftovers, you get a huge phone bill at the
end of the month.
that is
not fun for everyone. Do not be afraid. I have found some useful tips for storing
data, even if you still want to use your phone without (sigh!) wifi.
- Plan the data usage day by day and divide it by family member. This may sound a bit extreme, but trust me when I say it’s worth it to avoid a data sum.
- Track your data usage. If you have an iPhone, tap Settings and then on Mobile Here you can keep mobile data, including how much you have used this current period. Be sure to restart the data before and after your trip, as it will not be automatically updated!
- Only stream video when you use Wi-Fi or an otherwise stable internet connection. Few activities blow more data than streaming video.
- Find other ways to keep yourself and the family busy. If your family is a big fan of movies and TV series, you can always rent/purchase your favorites on BluRay or DVD. Do you have a Netflix account? Did you know that you can download films and TV programs from the Netflix library directly to your phone, tablet or laptop? Of course, you only want to do this if you are connected to the internet. You can not get every movie, but there are many available. Finally, you can get a device like Roku to watch TV on a real television and not just on your phone.
- If you are tired of slow internet, a cellular signal amplifier may speed it up. These can cost anywhere between $ 20 and $ 300, and of course, you get what you pay for. It is only advisable to follow this route if you often work on the road.
- Only let the children play games if you have a stable internet connection. Although not all games data are hogs, your children will lose a lot of data for hours if your children get lost for hours in a mobile game.
- Make sure your apps are really disabled! It is not enough to press the Start (or the equivalent of your phone) when you are done with an app. Double tap the start button and you’ll see how many apps are still open on your phone. These apps are run in the background and use data.
Conclusion
Unless you spend hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars on an RV satellite, your vehicle does not have a stable means of using the internet while driving. When you have stopped, you can use mobile internet from your service provider, WiFi or even (gulp), internet dial-up connections.
If
you are like most people and you depend on tech (or have children who are),
Make sure that you regularly plant stops on your route to areas with Wi-Fi.
The same applies if you are a full-time RVer who works on the road.
My
The final point is this: ALWAYS always keep the data usage in mind.
Follow it daily and share data usage for the day if necessary. Whatever
prevents you from paying too much on your telephone bill is a viable method.
Good luck and may your internet be abundant!