good day all,we are planning a road trip for about 2-3 months to go and visit the wonderful U.S.A. and all it has to offer. Here is where we would love some advice, we work remotely and need to be connected to internet, we have a MIFI from verizon which works well but for those areas where 4glte is not available, has anyone used one of those satelite systems and how well do they work, plus if someone could recommend one that is good that would be great. We are in a class B sprinter van roadtrek, so a huge system or one that is mounted on the roof is not going to work.also, we have been searching the internet and see the ones that are available but thought it would be great to ask those who are actually using it and any problems they may have.any and all suggestions will be greatly appreciated.john

We also have to have Internet access on our trips pretty much 24/7 and for what it's worth we have only found 2 quite remote places East of the Mississippi where Verizon MiFi did not work.

Best thing that you can do in this case is obtain a hot spot device , it is in a dedicated phone line that is secure and operates any where that you have a cell phone signal, you are now self sufficient and do not depend so much on internet connections provided by parks, restaurants, cafes, etc.We do use the net to either purchase items and have them delivered to the next camp ground or to check on the bank account and balance the check book, also to plan our next add adventure, we no longer have to be hunting for internet providers with weak or shaky signals.navegator

We've traveled much of the USA (East to West) including Alaska and have never been without a Verizon phone or MIFI 2200 signal. We've had weak signals but things worked. All be it slow but they did work. We have a Grandfathered unlimited 3G plan. Only time we turn devices off is traveling through Canada.If and when we needed a signal and did not have one we would just go to a local hot spot. Not sure how that would work for someone running a business on the road but there are plenty of places providing internet connections.

I really think that you have the best internet connection device now. Thats all we use and it works well and is very reliable. 4G is the norm and now and then 3G but still very useable. A smartphone can give same results when tethered but you lose the voice communication while tethered and in use. Couple that with free wifi in a lot of businesses (McDonalds etc) should give you the adequate coverage you need. Verizon is considered the best as to coverage areas. Now and then another carrier will be available where Verizon isn;t but..........

Unfortunately not everyone reads the complete post before answering. I have been in the same situation, but for me the satellite was out of the question due to cost. My phone will do very nearly what you Verizon MiFi will do, but I had one be advantage. As a direct result of where I worked, I put a repeater in the coach early on. I suggest you look at this. The best (imho) are made by Wilson Electronics. Just be sure you get one that covers Verizon 4G (all are not the same). Even if we are out of 4G coverage, I could almost always work with 3G just slowly. These devices require some care to install correctly. But, when done right, they are a set and forget. Matt

internet access on the road | Good Sam Community

15 Replies

BubbaChris
Explorer
Jun 30, 2015
We had HughesNet satellite internet installed at my mom's new place this year. This is a permanent installation and I am NOT pleased with the performance or reliability. I cannot imagine how a portable version would work.

Plus if you're planning to camp where there are lots of trees, you may have issues getting a clear sky view in the direction you need.
DallasSteve
Nomad II
Jun 30, 2015
Brian, thanks for the reply. $70K seems like a good price considering the RV is built on a Ford F450. That's probably worth around $50K itself. I always lease new cars to be under warranty so I may do the same with a Class C. Does the original Ford warranty cover the drive train and the driver's area? I suppose it wouldn't cover the living area. Maybe we might just rent a dolly when we relocate to different areas and not when we take weekend trips. I think UHaul rents those; please correct me if you know I'm wrong. I was looking at the Chateau website and I didn't see any floor plans significantly longer than yours. Is that about the limit of a Class C? About 32 feet? My brother bought a used Class C to fulltime in and it's only about 25 feet. He might be a little jealous if I bought one of those new, not that I want to make him jealous. He's a good brother.
wbwood
Explorer
Jun 30, 2015
DallasSteve wrote:
wbwood wrote:

Mifi is just a seperate thing from your phone. It's a little box that receives a cell signal to give you internet access. A hot spot from yor cell phone, basically will do the smae thing. Some people buy the mifi to keep it seperate from the cell phone service.

Yes, you can watch netflix, but it will eat up bandwidth. It all depends how how much bandwidth you are payign for and how much netflix you are watching.

Brian

Thanks for the feedback. I think I understand.

I have an off-thread question, if you want to answer (you could PM me, if you prefer). I'd like to know what you think of your Thor Chateau 31L and toad. I've always said that I wouldn't want an RV+toad, but I'm starting to question that point of view. I looked at the new listings for your RV on RVtrader.com and the prices range from $69K to $107K with $85K about average. What should I expect to pay if I wanted that model? Is there anything you don't like about your RV? Would you buy it used or new? Thanks

We like our Thor Cateau 31L. It was listed (MSRP) at $96k and we got it for $70k. We prefer to buy new. But that is just us. If you are one that has no problem buying used, then I would not let it make a difference. We just like the warranty and even purchase the extended warranties. We get little time to camp as it is and we are usually on a tight schedule. We don't want to waste time fixing things or not being able to go campign because something is broken. We like the floor plan of the 31L. We like the big wardrobe wall. One of the pet peeves of the TT we had was that the closet space was short. Shirts would not hang right. They would bunch up at the bottom. I'm not a big fan of the bathroom set up, but it works. The shower you have to step up into. It's not a short step either, lol. I would prefer if the shower, toilet and sink were all in one closed room. Make sure you get fantastic fans in it, a 2nd battery and some LED lighting. Ours did not have those, but I am noticing that newer model RV's are starting to come with this type of stuff. Also, be aware that they don't come with a spare tire or place to mount one. At least ours didn't. I called Thor to see if there was a mount I could buy from them and they said there wasn't. The new brochures are listing it as an option on the new ones. Check to see if you can get one with a mount. We carry our spare in the one big compartment.

We no longer have the toad. It was totaled in a car accident about a month ago. The new car can not be towed on a dolly or 4 down (AWD automatic Subaru). I purchased it knowing this and we will just rent a car when we get to destinations far away. Otherwise, if we only drive a few hours away, then my wife can follow in the car or we can rent if we decide to. Most of our weekend trips are within an hours drive, so she will just follow me. I sold the tow dolly a week ago. Bought it for $1300 last year and sold it for $1000. It was a good dolly. They have actually raised the prices on them to around $1600 new.
2gypsies1
Explorer III
Jun 30, 2015
Nowadays internet can be had just about anywhere - even in the boonies.
ncrowley
Explorer II
Jun 30, 2015
Your Verizon MiFi will create a wireless signal you can connect to using computers and other devices. Yes you can stream video using it BUT it will cost you a fortune. You have a plan that allows so many gigs per month. After you use that, you pay a lot of money for more bandwidth. Streaming video needs a lot of bandwidth. You generally cannot use the WiFi at campgrounds for streaming video - that is assuming the WiFi even works.

It is not a good idea to get your internet through a satellite dish. There is room much latency and it is not cheap.

What you want is to keep your MiFi for internet and get a satellite dish for watching movies using Dish or DirecTV.
DallasSteve
Nomad II
Jun 29, 2015
wbwood wrote:

Mifi is just a seperate thing from your phone. It's a little box that receives a cell signal to give you internet access. A hot spot from yor cell phone, basically will do the smae thing. Some people buy the mifi to keep it seperate from the cell phone service.

Yes, you can watch netflix, but it will eat up bandwidth. It all depends how how much bandwidth you are payign for and how much netflix you are watching.

Brian

Thanks for the feedback. I think I understand.

I have an off-thread question, if you want to answer (you could PM me, if you prefer). I'd like to know what you think of your Thor Chateau 31L and toad. I've always said that I wouldn't want an RV+toad, but I'm starting to question that point of view. I looked at the new listings for your RV on RVtrader.com and the prices range from $69K to $107K with $85K about average. What should I expect to pay if I wanted that model? Is there anything you don't like about your RV? Would you buy it used or new? Thanks
Free_Range_Huma
Explorer
Jun 29, 2015
I would join Cherie & Chris' FB group for mobile internet, Internet for Rvers. Technomadia (that's them) are the ultimate go-to authority on all matters mobile internet. Their website is a valuable source of information.
MrWizard
Moderator
Jun 29, 2015
MiFi is the name of the Verizon device
It is one version of the generic term (cellular Wi-Fi data hotspot)
Which is a Wi-Fi access point that connects to cell towers, to provide an easy Wi-Fi connection to the internet
Using cell towers instead of cable or dsl
wbwood
Explorer
Jun 29, 2015
DallasSteve wrote:
I have a few basic questions on this subject:

Are MiFi and HotSpot the same thing?

Is it like having an Internet connection from my cable company except it comes through the air from cell phone towers instead of from a wire or a satellite signal?

Will they provide enough bandwidth for watching programs like Netflix?

Mifi is just a seperate thing from your phone. It's a little box that receives a cell signal to give you internet access. A hot spot from yor cell phone, basically will do the smae thing. Some people buy the mifi to keep it seperate from the cell phone service.

Yes, you can watch netflix, but it will eat up bandwidth. It all depends how how much bandwidth you are payign for and how much netflix you are watching.
DallasSteve
Nomad II
Jun 29, 2015
I have a few basic questions on this subject:

Are MiFi and HotSpot the same thing?

Is it like having an Internet connection from my cable company except it comes through the air from cell phone towers instead of from a wire or a satellite signal?

Will they provide enough bandwidth for watching programs like Netflix?