We are getting ready to leave NH in 3 weeks for our first extended 12 mo "camping trip". Were going south the St Augustine FL and then west to the west!We already cut the cable cord 2 yrs ago and have had more than enough good stuff on netflix streaming and DVD but I am wondering about streaming on the road. I dont want to pay for direct tv etc just to watch 2 or 3 channels.Most of the stuff available is mindless junk!The wifi in campgrounds is spotty at best and I doubt it will handle streaming.Is there a solution to this such as a wifi signal amplifier?I do have a TV antenna on the roof but have not tried it for network show reception.My questions are what experiences have you had with TV on the road and do people readily trade/swap DVDs with each other while on the road?Thanks for the input!

You are correct that most campground WiFi is spotty and will not handle streaming very well. Many campgrouds, however, now have cable television. You can search for them in the campground directories either in print or on line. Our option has been Dish Network pay-as-go servce. You pay for it when needed and cancel when not traveling. Another option for entertainment is Red Box. You can rent a DVD at one location and return it at any other Red Box. Locations are on their web site. Sounds like you have a great trip planned.

I have seen a lot of "take one leave one" for books and dvds. The over the air works fine and if you get a campground for $20 a night the WiFi is often not much good but if you want to pay a higher price I have seen several rv parks that you can stream video.

All the private campgrounds that I have stayed at have cable. Some included a movie channel (HBO, etc) and some didn't. I use Redbox mostly. It's fairly cheap, I can check what movies are available at the various kiosks and reserve the movie I want all online. I can return the rented movie at any Redbox in any state. I use Redbox to determine if a movie is one I want to buy and watch over and over. I have watched many so called "great" movies that I was really glad I did not buy.Now I just need to figure out how to get all the movies compacted into a smaller storage device. My DVD collection is getting too big but they are movies that I watch.

I agree that Redbox is a great option.Another option would be local Libraries. Depending on how long you plan to stay in any one area, you may be able to get a temporary card, to let you borrow movies, books, etc.I have an "AirCard" with Sprint, which I can use for my computer when on the road. I like the idea that it's MINE, and I'm not sharing with who knows how many other campers with a Wi-Fi connection....so I can get movies or TV shows on the computer. Cost is about $50/month...I've had mine for years, so it still has "unlimited" data plan. Not sure about now days?Have a great trip!

You can get WiFi amplifier antennas to help improve the signal. For example at one RV Resort we went from a 2 bar signal to a 5 bar signal using a USB connected WiFi antenna I got at Best Buy for $49.00. It also picked up a couple of additional WiFi sources that were outside of the campground.Another option is to load movies onto an external hard drive while you are at a location with good WiFi service to watch at a later date. You'll need to get a software that provides the ability to transfer or convert from DVD or Streaming source to the external hard drive.

DVD Movie Swaps | Good Sam Community

TinyoneRV
Explorer
Jan 02, 2014
You are correct that most campground WiFi is spotty and will not handle streaming very well. Many campgrouds, however, now have cable television. You can search for them in the campground directories either in print or on line. Our option has been Dish Network pay-as-go servce. You pay for it when needed and cancel when not traveling. Another option for entertainment is Red Box. You can rent a DVD at one location and return it at any other Red Box. Locations are on their web site. Sounds like you have a great trip planned.
K_Charles
Explorer
Jan 02, 2014
I have seen a lot of "take one leave one" for books and dvds. The over the air works fine and if you get a campground for $20 a night the WiFi is often not much good but if you want to pay a higher price I have seen several rv parks that you can stream video.
moonlightrunner
Explorer
Jan 02, 2014
All the private campgrounds that I have stayed at have cable. Some included a movie channel (HBO, etc) and some didn't. I use Redbox mostly. It's fairly cheap, I can check what movies are available at the various kiosks and reserve the movie I want all online. I can return the rented movie at any Redbox in any state. I use Redbox to determine if a movie is one I want to buy and watch over and over. I have watched many so called "great" movies that I was really glad I did not buy.Now I just need to figure out how to get all the movies compacted into a smaller storage device. My DVD collection is getting too big but they are movies that I watch.
PapPappy
Explorer
Jan 02, 2014
I agree that Redbox is a great option.
Another option would be local Libraries. Depending on how long you plan to stay in any one area, you may be able to get a temporary card, to let you borrow movies, books, etc.
I have an "AirCard" with Sprint, which I can use for my computer when on the road. I like the idea that it's MINE, and I'm not sharing with who knows how many other campers with a Wi-Fi connection....so I can get movies or TV shows on the computer. Cost is about $50/month...I've had mine for years, so it still has "unlimited" data plan. Not sure about now days?

Have a great trip!
the_bear_II
Explorer
Jan 02, 2014
You can get WiFi amplifier antennas to help improve the signal. For example at one RV Resort we went from a 2 bar signal to a 5 bar signal using a USB connected WiFi antenna I got at Best Buy for $49.00. It also picked up a couple of additional WiFi sources that were outside of the campground.

Another option is to load movies onto an external hard drive while you are at a location with good WiFi service to watch at a later date. You'll need to get a software that provides the ability to transfer or convert from DVD or Streaming source to the external hard drive.
tonyandkaren
Explorer
Jan 02, 2014
Flea markets and thrift stores are a good places to look too. We have some traveling RV friends whom we meet on the road several times a year and we always trade our DVDs so checking with other RVers in campgrounds is a good idea.

Our antenna works great for picking up broadcast TV channels.
PawPaw_n_Gram
Explorer
Jan 02, 2014
Some pawn shops take DVDs and sell DVDs for decent prices.

Personally I like Redbox. It's nationwide with 34,000+ locations. And I don't have to return the DVD to the specific machine where I rented it.

I have not yet seen a RV park with WiFi whose rules do not prohibit streaming video/ TV / movies. Though I've also not found a RV park non-pay WiFi that can support streaming.
AprilWhine
Explorer
Jan 02, 2014
If you have a way to play a movie file on your TV, you should consider downloading movies. Here's a site that offers public domain movies free to download: Free Movies
ronfisherman
Moderator
Jan 02, 2014
Moved from Class C.
obgraham
Explorer
Jan 02, 2014
I have a bunch of DVD's converted to computer files for use on airplane trips with my tablet computer. In fact we have so many that we just crank up one of those if we are in a campground that has no cable or over-the-air stations.

Like all the original Mission Impossibles -- a never ending source of mirth!

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