Wifi in remote areas

[speediq99]

We are back to camping after several years out. We are going to be in remote locations and need to do basic Internet work. Any better solutions out there than a Verizon Jetpack? Any antenna we can purchase to get a better signal?

Thank you!

[theoldwizard1]

Anyone use Nomad Internet It is supposed to be "true unlimited data". Also, no contract. Pay as you go. 14 day free trial.

[ford_truck_guy]

I was told about a non profit company called - Calyx Institute

They offer TRUE UNLIMITED with no throttling.. If you pay for the Contributor level, you get a hot spot ( I have the T-9 ), SIM card, and truly unlimited with no throttling.. The provider is T-Mobile

AND since they are technically a research facility, they give you a receipt for up to $200.00 in tax deductions.. so that $400.00 for the year is actually $200.00 for a year of truly unlimited.

I just received mine last week and set it up.. I am 3 days into the set up and at 34 gb and no throttling ( yet ) .

I have it on at my desk while working hooked up to my laptop streaming movies ( HULU ) in the background to rack up the data...

the friend that told me about them watches HD TV all day, everyday and never had a problem...( 3 years now )

** I AM NOT ASSOCIATED with them ** just a happy customer , SO FAR

[JKJavelin]

theoldwizard1 wrote:

JKJavelin wrote:
We use the Winegard Connect2 wifi extender +4G hotspot. As I type this we are in
the Everglades National Park campground using this device.
It is sometimes finicky and expensive if you watch YouTube. $60 for 10 gigs that seem to burn fast.

As I said before, people confuse the device with the service (which is what the service provider WANT YOU TO DO!)

That device can work on multiple networks with the correct SIM card.

Correct- You can use an ATT/Verizon sim card IF you you have an account with them. I do not, so I buy data from Winegard.

[deltabravo]

pianotuna wrote:
Starlink is open for beta and covers a lot of North America.

1 meter dish and $99 usd per month. First come first serve.

https://www.starlink.com/

Starlink is only available for stationary locations, not mobile

[theoldwizard1]

JKJavelin wrote:
We use the Winegard Connect2 wifi extender +4G hotspot. As I type this we are in
the Everglades National Park campground using this device.
It is sometimes finicky and expensive if you watch YouTube. $60 for 10 gigs that seem to burn fast.

As I said before, people confuse the device with the service (which is what the service provider WANTS YOU TO DO!)

That device can work on multiple networks with the correct SIM card.

[wa8yxm]

Verizon used to have best coverage but AT&T and T-Mobile/Sprint are .. well dang close if not better today. Best option is to have options. For example before T-Mobile and Sprint merged fully I had places where T-mobile was strong and Sprint near zero and one spot where T-mobile was flat zero and Sprint was... Well the needel on ye old internet download speedometer got bent when it slammed into the pin on the high end of the scale figuratively speaking (since it's a graphic it did not bend)

[JKJavelin]

We use the Winegard Connect2 wifi extender +4G hotspot. As I type this we are in
the Everglades National Park campground using this device.
It is sometimes finicky and expensive if you watch YouTube. $60 for 10 gigs that seem to burn fast.
JK

[theoldwizard1]

The "hot spot" used in the previous video is this one

4G LTE Router Modem

It mounts inside. It does come with some small antennas, but for best reception you nee external antenna(s).

[theoldwizard1]

IMHO, buy a "hot spot" independent of the network you are planning on Using. Also, buy one that has external antenna inputs.

There are dozens of different brands of "hot spot" available. Most will work with multiple different networks but they might require a SIM card change.

This is an interesting video FINALLY...A RURAL Internet Service that WORKS!, but they violate my first rule ! The key to their success is a mounting good external antennas as high as possible. Not easy to do with an RV.

[rlw999]

pianotuna wrote:

The problem with cell connections is distance. You can get an antenna that will dredge up a signal--perhaps even 2 or 3 bars. BUT the range is limited to about 25 miles. Anything farther away and the "hand shaking" times out.

The other problem with cell service in remote areas is that if you're 20 miles from the nearest tower, that same tower is also serving a lot of other people, so you may get very limited bandwidth even if you have good signal strength. This is especially the case in campgrounds where the entire campground may be served by a single cell sector of a single tower, so everyone is sharing its limited bandwidth.

[rlw999]

pianotuna wrote:
Starlink is open for beta and covers a lot of North America.

1 meter dish and $99 usd per month. First come first serve.

https://www.starlink.com/

Better information here:

https://www.satelliteinternet.com/providers/starlink/

Starlink, at least for now, is not meant for mobile use:

Can I travel with Starlink, or move it to a different address?

Starlink satellites are scheduled to send internet down to all users within a designated area on the ground. This designated area is referred to as a cell.

Your Starlink is assigned to a single cell. If you move your Starlink outside of its assigned cell, a satellite will not be scheduled to serve your Starlink and you will not receive internet. This is constrained by geometry and is not arbitrary geofencing.

The FAQ doesn't say anything about whether or not they'll eventually open it up to non fixed addresses. For now I think they want to have good control over how many customers are in each cell. The cells are estimated to be around 15 miles diagonal, so you'd have to be camping pretty close to home to stay in the same cell.

[pianotuna]

speediq99 wrote:
We are back to camping after several years out. We are going to be in remote locations and need to do basic Internet work. Any better solutions out there than a Verizon Jetpack? Any antenna we can purchase to get a better signal?

Thank you!

The problem with cell connections is distance. You can get an antenna that will dredge up a signal--perhaps even 2 or 3 bars. BUT the range is limited to about 25 miles. Anything farther away and the "hand shaking" times out.

I think the worlds record for wifi is something like 140 miles--but I don't think we mere mortals can afford the equipment to do that.
I had an Alfa with a high gain (omni directional antenna). It was running 5 watts. The best I ever did was about 2 miles.

[pianotuna]

Starlink is open for beta and covers a lot of North America.

1 meter dish and $99 usd per month. First come first serve.

https://www.starlink.com/

Better information here:

https://www.satelliteinternet.com/providers/starlink/

[cooldavidt]

I also set up a LAN with my setup. I set up with a directional antenna. But if there is no bandwidth it is useless. Eg 700am, dinner time etc.