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Mishkadad's avatar
Mishkadad
Explorer
Oct 09, 2013

Opinions regarding improving WiFi at campgrounds

Hi folks
I'm a newbie to the RV world, so please be gentle. My family and I have just moved to Canada from the UK, and will be jumping into RV life with gusto next Spring.
We're a fairly hi-tech family, smartphones, tablets, laptops etc.. I'm an IT geek, currently working from home, but had an idea for a business, and I wanted your sage opinions on whether this would fly or not..

I've been reading up on people's experiences with connecting to WiFi networks at campgrounds, and it seems that generally the experiences haven't been good.

I was wondering about branching out into providing campground owners with much improved WiFi resources, so that each pitch could be guaranteed a strong signal, perhaps even wired access to premium pitches (thinking of those Workampers), improved bandwidth management, this kind of thing.

I know I would like it if I knew the campground I was going to had a reliable, decent internet connection.

Am I barking up the wrong tree here, or is this worth more investigation?

Thanks!
Chris in Calgary

59 Replies

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  • Mishkadad's avatar
    Mishkadad
    Explorer
    Oct 09, 2013
    Thanks everyone for taking the time to reply, and for your welcome.
    This is just the embryo of an idea, I wanted to throw it out there to see if people would just say "this has been done to death, people have tried before, it never works because of x, y and z", then I could forget about it and stop daydreaming :-)

    But it sounds like it could require some more thought, and careful consideration of which CGs might be:
    a) interested in the potential returns on what they would need to spend, and
    b) technically feasible
  • Mishkadad's avatar
    Mishkadad
    Explorer
    Oct 09, 2013
    path1 wrote:
    also might help http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/27241793/gotomsg/27243229.cfm#27243229


    Thanks for that link, very interesting reading.
    I wasn't expecting to be the first person to have thought about this, and there isn't a one-stop solution that will work for all campgrounds. If the connection coming into the CG office is poor to start with, there's not much that can be done to improve it.
    I'm more surprised that some of the larger CGs in areas that are relatively well served by ISPs still don't put much effort into creating a WiFi network that is something for them to boast about and promote as a positive attraction.
  • Artum_Snowbird's avatar
    Artum_Snowbird
    Explorer
    Oct 09, 2013
    It's worth looking into for sure and draws us to a place faster than the offer of a shower or laundry facilities most often.

    I suppose one should establish baselines for campsites versus internet ability in order to first help the most frustrating, but my question is... Is the increase in connection power a cost that campsites are willing to keep up and maintain? Repairs and reboots must not interrupt the daily usage or customers get irate.

    Still, one must ask, does a camper stop there because of internet connection, or does a camper stop because of the scenery? It's a nice thing that campgrounds provide, but if we camp in scenic places until we need a connection to catch up, we will go to the library instead of an inferior campground with good internet.
  • The_Dung_Beetle's avatar
    The_Dung_Beetle
    Explorer
    Oct 09, 2013
    We've been to multiple campgrounds that advertised "WiFi", and as you've read once you get there it's a different story.

    It is ANNOYING to say the least, but we've managed to shake it off. The biggie for me is that my hub is disabled and he only has so much energy each day for exploring. Often, he just enjoys chilling out in the TT and surfing the web.

    When I make the reservation I ask if they have WiFi.. they say yes. Then, when we get there and I ask why we can't get online they inform me we're NOT in a space that's close enough to get it (and we are in a space with full hook-ups)? W-T-HECK?? THAT'S when it fuzzes me up.

    YES... I think it's VERY WORTH looking into! I don't mind paying for WiFi.. I just EXPECT it to work after I pay for it.

    GO FOR IT!!
    .
    .
  • SWD's avatar
    SWD
    Explorer
    Oct 09, 2013
    Hi Chris...and firstly welcome to Canada and secondly to the forum. My experience with campground wi-fi has been very minimal as I usually use my cell phone's hotspot to connect my netbook etc to the wobbly wide web. You'll have to see what others chime in with.
    On another note..I'm an ex-pat too living north of Med Hat. Get to Calgary every few months. PM me.
  • Dutch_12078's avatar
    Dutch_12078
    Explorer III
    Oct 09, 2013
    There are a few companies that specialize in supplying campgrounds with WiFi distribution systems that can do a good job when all the pieces come together right. The biggest drawback is usually the cost and/or availability of sufficient bandwidth to support an ever increasing number of devices using an ever increasing amount of data for various online activities such as streaming movies, etc. Signal strength won't solve the lack of bandwidth problem.
  • Old-Biscuit's avatar
    Old-Biscuit
    Explorer III
    Oct 09, 2013
    Great idea.....except CG owners aren't interested in WiFi improvements unless they 'charge' for the use of WiFi.....which a lot of RV'rs aren't interested in paying for. CG sites fees are enough let alone 'upgrades' tacked on.

    We travel full time and provide our own internet connection......no slow down, no hassles and we get internet service 98% of time....use a booster antenna for those weak signal areas.

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