Wireless networks while camping

[Bellpr]

How do you solve the Wireless computer network issue for all your wireless devices (Cell Phone, Computers, Tablets, etc) when camping? Most of the Campgrounds I have been to lately have had poor to none wireless service at the campsite. The main buildings are ok. Unless you are parked near a main buildings, you are SOL. How do you acquire Internet service and share it between your devices? Maybe you are Truly off the grid and don't....

[longrider1100]

Our Verizon Jet Pack works for us and we understand with no signal we'll have no service.

[ol_Bombero-JC]

Bellpr wrote:
How do you solve the Wireless computer network issue for all your wireless devices (Cell Phone, Computers, Tablets, etc) when camping? Most of the Campgrounds I have been to lately have had poor to none wireless service at the campsite. The main buildings are ok. Unless you are parked near a main buildings, you are SOL. How do you acquire Internet service and share it between your devices? Maybe you are Truly off the grid and don't....

Visit the *Technology Forum* here.

More geeks (with info) than just the 5th wheel geeks...:C

.

[Big_Shoe]

We just spent a few weeks out west. The "Free" Wi-Fi wasn't worth the trouble and my Virgin Mobile Aircard was useless because they had no coverage in the area of the Rockies.

[shadows4]

cedetom wrote:
Good luck finding a campground that actually has a good Wifi setup. They just won't spend the $$ money on them. I just use a hotspot from Straight Talk and buy a data card and it works well so long as you have a decent signal from a wireless carrier, such as Verizon.

X2 on our ST hotspot at a campground right now!!

[cedetom]

Good luck finding a campground that actually has a good Wifi setup. They just won't spend the $$ money on them. I just use a hotspot from Straight Talk and buy a data card and it works well so long as you have a decent signal from a wireless carrier, such as Verizon.

[Toolguy5]

Bellpr wrote:
How do you solve the Wireless computer network issue for all your wireless devices (Cell Phone, Computers, Tablets, etc) when camping? Most of the Campgrounds I have been to lately have had poor to none wireless service at the campsite. The main buildings are ok. Unless you are parked near a main buildings, you are SOL. How do you acquire Internet service and share it between your devices? Maybe you are Truly off the grid and don't....

We use Verizon myfi hot spot when on the road.

[justafordguy]

gkainz wrote:
I drive into the mountains until I no longer have cell service, then about 5 miles further. The only way I can be guaranteed that my weekend will not be interrupted by work!

Man I sure wish I could get away with doing this. One disadvantage of owning your own company I guess.:(

[laknox]

One thing I've not figured out is why CGs that are renovating or being built from scratch, don't simply run hard lines to the pedestal, just as they do for cable TV. Could have a small wireless router in the pedestal itself OR, have a CAT connection to plug in to.

Lyle

[MPI_Mallard]

Good topic!! So far I've never found Wi-Fi at any campground to be of any value so if you need reliable internet use your cell phone as a hot-spot, that's going to be your best bet. Frau Blücher and I retired and went full-time five years ago and found internet connectivity has been the biggest hurdle on where we go, before we started I did a house for a fellow (I'm a retired finish carpenter)who was in the internet business who told me by the time we retired we would have high-speed cheap wireless internet throughout North America and "hard wired" internet would almost be a thing of the past,,,well almost! We have Comcast at out site in Florida which is very reasonable and very good and here in Canada we use our cell phone carrier's flex-plan for up to 100 gig's a month using a jet hub motem which is very good but anything but reasonable but as the original poster put it, it was either that or we were S.O.L. so It's simply a necessary expense to us!


Red Green: If at first you don't succeed,, try doing it the way your wife told you.

[Second_Chance]

Pipeman wrote:
We've had our ONSTAR upgraded and it has it's own hotspot. The 1st 3 months were free and that was 5 gigs a month. You can be approx. 20 feet away from the vehicle and it will work. After next month we will have to pay and there are different rates for the amount of gigs you want to pay for.

OnStar data/hot-spot system is still cellular technology (on AT&T's network - which sometimes doesn't have the coverage that Verizon's network does).

[Pipeman]

We've had our ONSTAR upgraded and it has it's own hotspot. The 1st 3 months were free and that was 5 gigs a month. You can be approx. 20 feet away from the vehicle and it will work. After next month we will have to pay and there are different rates for the amount of gigs you want to pay for.

[richfaa]

We use the Verizon jet pack. On it now at a C.G. Reliable at least 98% of the time no matter where we are.

[gkainz]

I drive into the mountains until I no longer have cell service, then about 5 miles further. The only way I can be guaranteed that my weekend will not be interrupted by work!

[ken_burke]

taken wrote:
To boost cell phone signal for use as a wireless hotspot, use this:

RV Cell Signal Booster

To boost campground WIFI signal use this:

WIFI Booster

Do these boosters really work where there is a weak incoming signal? I haven't seen a booster that really works given a weak incoming signal.

[ken_burke]

Second Chance wrote:
We use a Verizon MiFi hot-spot (but we are full-time). Speed is fine and 20GB does everything we need/want except streaming movies from NetFlix or Amazon Prime. We knew we would have to give that up when we sold the house and went full time, though.

Same with us. We have used the Verizon MiFi hot spot for years. It works great at different campgrounds. And we have been camping for years.