How to Find Good Internet!
Internet can be a challenge for those of us on the road., whether we are traveling for pleasure and like to stream movies, or we need to work on the road and desperately need internet. It comes and goes, depending on where you are. Forget about the internet you had at your house, because it will not be as good as that! However, there are some ways to achieve internet if you are looking how to find it!
No internet! That is a contradiction in terms for this blog post, but hear me out. There are people out in the world that do not have a need for internet. They would rather live quiet, but adventurous lives without the entanglement or frustration of internet. Maybe they slip in a DVD from time-to-time, when relaxing, or even just listen to music. No worries about driving to a local coffee shop or library to send an email. Snail mail works best!
Campground internet: OMG, this can be the worst! Imagine 100 plus people trying to connect on the internet with one signal or one line. Can it be done? No! You will have very slow internet or none at all. It can be incredibly frustrating, especially if you remote work and need that internet connection. Might as well find that local coffee shop or library for an internet signal.
Hot spot: Hot spots can be good, but for a limited time. I think that is why they are called HOT SPOTS. Maybe it can give you 15 gb per month, and even streaming a video could gobble that up in one day. So if you need to quickly send an email, upload something to your boss, or watch one movie, then a hot spot might be for you.
Visible: This is a cheap plan that is a starting point for a lot of fulltime rving peeps. Here is a link for Visible. It is $40 a month, unlimited data and uses the Verizon network. However, Verizon customers will get the service first before Visible. Speeds can slow down due to high internet traffic. You can bring your own phone or buy one from them. YouTube has many videos about this.
WeBoost: This is also a popular one among fulltime rving peeps. Here is a link for WeBoost. It is not internet, however it helps to “boost” your signal. There are a lot of places, especially in rural areas that do not have towers for the internet. Where is Elon Musk when you need him??? This device can help boost your cell phone’s “signal” so you can receive internet. YouTube has many videos about this.
Mofi: What the heck is Mofi you may ask? Strange name, but it works pretty good with the internet. Here is a link for the Mofi. We had a Mofi router, I believe the 4500 model, and it was decent. How this works is through cellular plans. You purchase a sim card from your local carrier, like AT&T, and place the sim card in the router. Once it is on and activated, you should be able to use the internet, like in your previous house. But I will be honest with you, if you are in a rural area, it might not work. Verizon is the best so try to get a Verizon sim card. I do believe you need to have a plan with them first. We did have problems with this trying to get internet through AT&T. There is only one sim card slot, so you can only choose one plan. I had to change the bandwidth (channel) each time we moved and it was a bit of a pain.
Mobile Must Have: this is what we have and it works great! Here is the link for this. Now, some of the things on this Mobile Must Have website may seem overwhelming. I would like to suggest to you to go on YouTube and watch their videos. They are very easy and concise. What they sell are routers like the Mofi, only a step up. Some of their routers have up to 4 slots for sim cards! So you can have up to 4 different plans going on, delivering great internet. The router will pick the service to use depending on the area you are in. No more having to change bandwidths to get better service! We use both Verizon and AT&T sim cards, and so far, so good. Take your time reading and watching videos about this one as there is a lot. But I highly do recommend this one out of all the others.
Elon Musk: He is making satellites for travelers, like us, but they are not ready yet. I know there are beta testers, but personally, we are not doing that now. I heard the service will be $110 a month which is a steal, as many fulltime rving peeps can spend up to $200 per month or even beyond! He will have satellites in space that will send signals back to our RVs as we travel, and we will have a satellite also. What I am hearing is that he is targeting rural areas, especially areas without trees as this can hinder the signal. But someday it may expand. This is one to watch and wait for!
I realize that this is a lot to consume and think about. Please take your time and click on the links I have added for your benefit. Internet can be a challenge as we travel in our RVs, but not entirely possible. Sometimes you will need a dose of patience as even with our own internet service we have slow speeds or a drop in service.
Share with us what you chose for internet as you travel!