Internet acess
How can I set up my motorhome to get the internet?
Forum Discussion
10 Replies
strollin wrote:
There you go yourself. Yes, your smartphone will work as a hotspot too. You just need to change your plan to a GB plan and lose your unlimited plan. You choose not to.horton333 wrote:
All modern Android smart phones work as hotspots with no extra equipment too.
The trouble with making statements like this is that there are bound to be exceptions.
I have a phone with a grandfathered unlimited data plan and cannot use the built-in wifi hotspot app. However, I am able to use PDANet to create a hotspot.
In almost all cases the GB plan is going to be able to cover your unlimited plan. The best part? You won't experience the throttling of service that occurs with the unlimited plan. As the services have updated the phones, you hit the key for accepting the terms and agreements, which you acknowledged that the more your data usage is, the slower tiers will be. Not the case when switching to the pay as you use, plan.
Nobody really, truly rides for free anymore. AT&T continues their unlimited plan so people are less willing to jump to a new carrier.
bhorton333 wrote:
All modern Android smart phones work as hotspots with no extra equipment too.
As said, that depends... The Tracfone family of prepaid Android phones for instance, are not allowed to be tethered or used as hotspots per their terms of service. Some Tracfone brands do offer standalone hotspots though, using the major carriers for service.horton333 wrote:
All modern Android smart phones work as hotspots with no extra equipment too.
The trouble with making statements like this is that there are bound to be exceptions.
I have a phone with a grandfathered unlimited data plan and cannot use the built-in wifi hotspot app. However, I am able to use PDANet to create a hotspot.horton333 wrote:
All modern Android smart phones work as hotspots with no extra equipment too.
Depending on the service provider. My Verizon smartphone works great for that. When I had Sprint, last year, I could tether the phone with a USB cable and use it (PDANet/FoxFi to the rescue), but it would not do WIFI.- All modern Android smart phones work as hotspots with no extra equipment too.
- IPad Air model tablets can also act as WiFi hotspots to cellular carriers, all on their own...no additional equipment needed.
- I would look into getting the VERIZON MIFI - JETPACK along with a WILSON SLEEK CRADLE with outside antenna to be your DOCKING STATION. This setup will give you a secured local WIFI HOTSPOT and with the VERIZON NETWORK will give you INTERNET coverage just about anywhere you go. This will work stand along anywhere you are in range of the VERIZON CELL PHONE TOWERS.
We get a great 50-60 feet WIFI coverage area around our MIFI unit and can connect up to 5 of our WIFI enabled devices such as computers and tablets etc... Using the WILSON SLEEK with the passive connection to outside antenna will increase this local secured WIFI HOTSPOT big time.
I would mount the WILSON SLEEK up high somewhere perhaps beind VALANCE type curtains and have a 120VAC receptacle close by to plug in the transformers to supply power for the cradle and MIFI/JETPACK unit. The WILSON SLEEK CRADLE is also a great setup for the vehicle which it was originally desgned for. You can set you cell phone into the cradle and it will make a passive connection to the outside antenna for better cell phone coverage. Mine works great moving down the roadways using either my MIFI unit providing a WIFI HOTSPOT inside the truck or my CELL PHONE sitting in the cradle. I do have a problem at times going between cell phone towers and having to LOGIN again when using the MIFI unit. No problems at all using the cell phone sitting in the WILSON SLEEK cradle for better coverage moving down the roadways.. Our MIFI unit really works best at a destination and setting up being stationary at a VERIZON TOWER for instance...
When we are at the beaches camp grounds kinda neat carrying the small MIFI unit in your shirt pocket and carrying this out to the beaches using our tablets or laptop computers on the internet... My MIFI unit also has a four hour internal battery which makes it real handy to take along to beaches.
The MIFI JETPACK units does not tie up your CELL PHONE ACCOUNT and works totally stand-alone... These are assigned a separate CELL PHONE identify on your account.
VERIZON MIFI 5GB DATAPLAN
VERIZON JETPACK 5-10GB DATAPLAN
WILSON SLEEK CRADLE with OUTSIDE ANTENNA
Lots of info on the RV NET using these unit setups...
Be sure to discuss all of this at your local CELL PHONE dealer for best details...
Another proven system setup is the WILSON PRODUCT line. Be sure to check this out as well on using OUTSIDE mounted cellphone antennas and producing great quality cellphone coverage all thoughout your MH. Wilson has a whole line of professional/commercial amplifiers and repeaters for mobile operations etc... This enhances getting your internet connections through your cell phone carriers...
SATELLITE INTERNET still is a hit and miss for mobile operations... Even stationary SATELLITE INTERNET operations has alot of pitfalls..
Trying to live off the so called FREE WIFI connections all over the country side was a hugh nightmare for us. You never know what to expect.. It works great at one place and just 50 miles down the road you are dead in the water again for many many more miles.
Then at almost all of the campground WIFI signals get overloaded big time between 6PM and 11PM when all of the campground RV'ers are competing for the same internet connection. Of course being "FREE CONNECTIONs" draws alot of customers...
I would prefer having my own secure password protected login capable through a well known system. Having said that no system is really 100% protected...
Just some of my thoughts on best approach for internet usage - I'm sure you will find many other approaches out there...
Roy Ken - For your phone try this thread
http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/15038442.cfm
In a formal camping site make sure they have WiFi, or a McDonald's ect nearby that has it.
Those are the two most common.
There are satellites if you really need a connection and are in a place pretty much off all the other grids. - Nothing to set up. Get a jetpack or mifi and you can connect at least five units to it. Laptop smart phone printer and taplets. You are off and interneting. You can also use a smart phone as a jet pack.
- What you want is a wireless hotspot. Creates your own wifi circuit to the phone company. You can get standalone devices that do just this. Also most recent smartphones can do the same function, sharing their internet connection with computers, tablets etc.
