Computer power while boondocking?

Thanks for all the input! My wife will be working in the RV during the day---running two computers and a Verizon jetpack for 8+ hours/day while I do the important stuff like operate, maintain and test the barbeque, golf clubs and fishing poles. She may also use the cell phone as a hotspot but needs phone access for her job so more likely will use the Jetpack (no unlimited data unfortunately). After reading the replies I will go with PSW inverter. Now its a matter of deciding what size. Looks like I should err on the side of bigger rather than smaller. I will look at solar panels to recharge my 2 6-v house batteries-thanks for the recommendation. Lastly, can anyone make a guess as to how long I need to run my 5500w genset to recharge the batteries?

The "brick" was a medical grade switching power supply. I.E. $120.00 for a 60 watt AC/DC 12 volt power supply. Sure convinced me...

JaxDad wrote:

Teeshot1939 wrote:
I want to SAFELY run 2 laptops and a mobile hotspot while boondocking. What are my options? What would you recommend and why? Thanks.....

Stay home.

If you have 4G / LTE service you're NOT Boondocking IMHO.

Stay home? That's the benefit of technology. If you have service where you want to boondock, then do it! We have and there's nothing better than working out in the middle of nowhere.

JaxDad wrote:

...
If you have 4G / LTE service you're NOT Boondocking IMHO.

But when you live without shore power for long periods, some connection with the outside world is still nice and actually necessary in our case as the wife is still working and needs the internet. And I would still call it "boondocking", but we're not really "roughing it" for sure. I wouldn't even call it "camping", just "mobile RV living", sometimes without shore power.

We have a 4G tablet that we use as a hot spot all the time, boondocking or not. Actually we have two, one for the USA provider and one for the Canadian provider. And generally the 4G/LTE is working better than the old 3G tablets in terms of reception.

And currently we're powering all the electronics with a C$200 1000W PSW inverter. When we had less battery capacity, and no solar or inverter, I was using DC/DC converters but do find it simpler now that I can forget about the extra DC/DC cables.

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
My palm tells me a brick under the influence of pure sine wave is a happier, cooler brick than when being fed chainsaw shaped modified sine wave.

I agree with that in general. I just wonder if it's true for a switching supply that initially runs the incoming power through a full wave rectifier? Seems to me it would be just as happy with a square wave as a sine wave. Don't know the answer, just wondering out loud. I also don't know if all switchers have the rectifier right at the ac input.

300 watt inverter, 300 watt solar and you are good to go.

Teeshot1939 wrote:
I want to SAFELY run 2 laptops and a mobile hotspot while boondocking. What are my options? What would you recommend and why? Thanks.....

Stay home.

If you have 4G / LTE service you're NOT Boondocking IMHO.

@Wiz

My Alienware 17 r3 LAPTOP has a 240w OEM power supply, so my laptop alone would be a tight fit on a 300w inverter, IMO. If the OP's running three devices 300w ought to work but IMO it's a "tight fit".

As said, best advice is for the OP to read the amp draws on each of his devices and add in 30%.

My palm tells me a brick under the influence of pure sine wave is a happier, cooler brick than when being fed chainsaw shaped modified sine wave.

greenrvgreen wrote:
In the absebce of further details I would be guided by the title of the thread:

Wait for it. . .

Wait for it. . .

"Computer power while boondocking?"

OP says he wants to run two laptops and a hotspot. Personally, I call a 300w inverter a tight fit. I would go with something larger, and I would get PSW for sure, and I would keep a sharp eye on the battery charge level.

Tight fit? God what are you using desk towers?

I have a core i5 17" HP, 4 external hard drives, 32" TV , DVD, PVR, etc., all the portable device charges and 5 small 120v fans running from 300w

And yes most of this stuff is running at the same time