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My wife and I will be hitting the road full time in June '17.

 

We currently have a Verizon 16gb plan with carryover gb's into the next month if we haven't exceeded our allotment. We have never hit the full 16gb's but we haven't used our phones as internet hot spots (our plan includes this).

 

We have currently made an offer on a Class A (still waiting for the owner to accept it) and I want to prepare ahead of time for life and internet on the road.

 

I know the internet will be dependent on signal strength and availability. What are the up and down sides to using our phones to connect to the internet at least until we recover a bit from the cost of the RV and taxes. Will this work until I can purchase the correct equipment and directional antenna? Please if I am way off base on my idea don't hesitate to tell me so.

 

Thanks in advance.

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You may get better answers if you tell us what make and model phones you have. I say this because in my experience all phones are not created equal and your experience may depend on what phone you have.

 

I have a Pantech ADR930L phone that I use as a hotspot or tether. It will not recognize a 1X signal and does not like a 3G signal for an internet data connection. My previous Pantech modem worked fine on both. And yes, there are still lots of places that 4G is not available and I seem to be good at finding them. The phone seems to slow down after a short period of time when used as a hotspot even on 4G and has to be rebooted. If I tether the phone to a router, this slowdown does not occur.

 

I am sure others will be along to tell you how great their phone works as a hotspot, but as I said, I think performance depends on the make and model of the phone just as it did for stick modems and hotspot modems/mifis.

 

We also have the Verizon 16GB plan with carryover and safe mode. For us, it is not enough if we can not supplement it with Wifi, which we usually can. The safe mode is OK for email and very basic web pages. I tried to do a speed test and the test site would not load before my computer timed out.

The one that dies with the most toys is still dead!

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My wife and I will be hitting the road full time in June '17.

 

We currently have a Verizon 16gb plan with carryover gb's into the next month if we haven't exceeded our allotment. We have never hit the full 16gb's but we haven't used our phones as internet hot spots (our plan includes this).

 

We have currently made an offer on a Class A (still waiting for the owner to accept it) and I want to prepare ahead of time for life and internet on the road.

 

I know the internet will be dependent on signal strength and availability. What are the up and down sides to using our phones to connect to the internet at least until we recover a bit from the cost of the RV and taxes. Will this work until I can purchase the correct equipment and directional antenna? Please if I am way off base on my idea don't hesitate to tell me so.

 

Thanks in advance.

With a good amplifier kit you will not need a directional antenna.

Keeping You Connected

Proud Commercial Member #129 http://www.maximumsignal.net/

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You may get better answers if you tell us what make and model phones you have. I say this because in my experience all phones are not created equal and your experience may depend on what phone you have.

 

I have a Pantech ADR930L phone that I use as a hotspot or tether. It will not recognize a 1X signal and does not like a 3G signal for an internet data connection. My previous Pantech modem worked fine on both. And yes, there are still lots of places that 4G is not available and I seem to be good at finding them. The phone seems to slow down after a short period of time when used as a hotspot even on 4G and has to be rebooted. If I tether the phone to a router, this slowdown does not occur.

 

I am sure others will be along to tell you how great their phone works as a hotspot, but as I said, I think performance depends on the make and model of the phone just as it did for stick modems and hotspot modems/mifis.

 

We also have the Verizon 16GB plan with carryover and safe mode. For us, it is not enough if we can not supplement it with Wifi, which we usually can. The safe mode is OK for email and very basic web pages. I tried to do a speed test and the test site would not load before my computer timed out.

Yes, sorry I meant to provide that information. We both have Samsung Galaxy S7's.

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We spent the $10.00 a month extra for a i pad and went back to a flip phone. Way better surfing experience. Never would go back to surfing the net with a i phone.

2002 Beaver Marquis Emerald   C-12 Cat 505 HP

2014 Volvo 630 D-13 I Shift SOLD

2017 New Horizons SOLD

 

 

 

 

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This is the one thing about the RV life that bothers us....not enough data for streaming. Thankfully though we are only snowbirds and not fulltimers. We enjoy the warm winters in the south and then are glad to be back home where we have unlimited data and can catch up on movies and tv shows as well as our regular surfing.

<p>....JIM and LINDA......2001 American Eagle 40 '.towing a GMC Sierra 1500 4X4 with RZR in the rear. 1999 JEEP Cherokee that we tow as well.

IT IS A CONTENTED MAN WHO CAN APPRECIATE THE SCENERY ALONG A DETOUR.

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What are the up and down sides to using our phones to connect to the internet

 

That's the only way we have to connect to the Internet, even when we're in our sticks & bricks house. It works just fine unless we're in an area with no cell signal, which isn't very often where we travel.

LindaH
2014 Winnebago Aspect 27K
2011 Kia Soul

 

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This is the one thing about the RV life that bothers us....not enough data for streaming. Thankfully though we are only snowbirds and not fulltimers. We enjoy the warm winters in the south and then are glad to be back home where we have unlimited data and can catch up on movies and tv shows as well as our regular surfing.

That is when you get a tablet or phone on T-Mobile to watch your shows at DVD resolution. Not as good or anywhere as large as a TV, but it works

2004 40' Newmar Dutch Star DP towing an AWD 2020 Ford Escape Hybrid, Fulltimer July 2003 to October 2018, Parttimer now.
Travels through much of 2013 - http://www.sacnoth.com - Bill, Diane and Evita (the cat)
 

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The thing to do is try it before you hit the road. We use our phones and/or a tablet we got free when we set up with ATT. We decided we weren't going to pay for dish TV and we were going to be without landline or cable internet when we hit the road. so we set up at home for 6 months the same way we would eventually be when we were on the road, It worked great and taught us some valuable lessons on how much data various things took (like streaming movies).

By the time we were ready to go we had a smooth transition, and it's worked for the last 15 months.

http://banbrv.blogspot.com/2014/12/that-internet-thing.html

BnB

 

PS we've never used the Pepwave once since we bought it!!

2009 Monaco Cayman DP 38'

bnbrv.blogspot.com/

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We use pay-as-you-go phones with the Verizon network and 3GB of data per phone. The hotspot feature works great, but obviously we don't stream. When I need more data flow for projects, I take my laptop and head to free WiFi areas (McDonalds, Starbucks, etc.). The laptop does not have any personal information and it does not connect to any of my personal websites (banking, google, etc.), so I'm not worried about being hacked.

Rex & Karen

Libre y pobre en La Casa Rodante

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There are pros & cons to using personal hotspot on your phone versus getting a dedicated data device (like a Jetpack or mobile router).

 

The pros of course, you already own your phone - so you don't have an extra device. It's also a pretty straightforward and simple solution.

 

For those who rely on mobile internet, sometimes however having a dedicated device handling the internet is a better choice.

 

All really depends on your goals & desires.

 

We have an article and short video covering more of the considerations here:

www.rvmobileinternet.com/mifi

 

- Cherie

 

 

Cherie & Chris (and Kiki *meow*) / Personal Blog: Technomadia.com
Technomads (technology enabled nomads) since 2006

Our Nomadic Fleet:
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Zephyr: 1961 GM 4106 bus conversion / Blooper: 2020.5 Winnebago Travato GL Boat: Y-Not: 1999 Bayliner 4788

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There are pros & cons to using personal hotspot on your phone versus getting a dedicated data device (like a Jetpack or mobile router).

 

The pros of course, you already own your phone - so you don't have an extra device. It's also a pretty straightforward and simple solution.

 

For those who rely on mobile internet, sometimes however having a dedicated device handling the internet is a better choice.

 

All really depends on your goals & desires.

 

We have an article and short video covering more of the considerations here:

www.rvmobileinternet.com/mifi

 

- Cherie

 

 

Thanks Cherie,

 

I have been following your blogs, videos and posts for a while now. I am retired, my wife is a Massage Therapist and professional Genealogist. She uses the internet for research a lot.

 

We rarely get close to our 16gb limit on Verizon but we are also not streaming video with internet at this time and I am sure we will want to do that. At that point I think a dedicated device might have more validity. As suggested above by scouser we will be adding equipment as we go, testing them to see if they meet our needs. We/I hope to have most if not all of the required puzzle pieces in place when we start full time next June 1st.

 

Since my wife needs to be connected for her business I am certainly motivated to provide what equipment she needs to do that in the most efficient and cost effective way.

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So, as an add on to this topic. A few questions for the collective.

 

1. What Cell Boosters are most of you using?

2. Do you use an external antenna?

3. Do you use a omni-directional or directional antenna?

4. What device do you use as your stand alone hot spot?

5. What carrier do you use? Do you split data between carriers ie: ATT and Verizon?

6. What data plans do you use on your standalone hot spot?

 

Thanks in advance.

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Yikes, that's a lotta gb's.

 

Well, it is unlimited... :) We've been downloading and uploading some pretty large projects, including updating our personal cloud server that we use for automatic file syncing. More commonly, we use around 25-30GB/mo.

Dutch
2001 GBM Landau 34' Class A
F-53 Chassis, Triton V10, TST TPMS
2011 Toyota RAV4 4WD/Remco pump
ReadyBrute Elite tow bar/brake system

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October was our second month using the AT&T/Unite hotspot package. So far we haven't been anyplace that we didn't have a good signal, but keep in mind we also have the excellent MaxAmp RV cell booster/repeater on board. As a backup, we also have a Verizon Jetpack I had Mobile Solutions flash for a $5/mo unlimited 3G service. Be aware that Mobile Solutions has had something of a reputation for slow shipments and slow responses to inquiries. I don't know if that's improved lately, but I can say that I've received everything I've ordered, and found the wait well worthwhile in the long run.

Dutch
2001 GBM Landau 34' Class A
F-53 Chassis, Triton V10, TST TPMS
2011 Toyota RAV4 4WD/Remco pump
ReadyBrute Elite tow bar/brake system

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So, as an add on to this topic. A few questions for the collective.

 

1. What Cell Boosters are most of you using?

2. Do you use an external antenna?

3. Do you use a omni-directional or directional antenna?

4. What device do you use as your stand alone hot spot?

5. What carrier do you use? Do you split data between carriers ie: ATT and Verizon?

6. What data plans do you use on your standalone hot spot?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

1. I don't remember what brand ours is, and the FCC rules have changed since we bought ours.

2. Yes, it's a major contributor to connectivity as the antenna in the phones are small.

3. A Wilson trucker Omni directional works great for us, no need to fiddle around adjusting anything.

4. An LG 7" tablet that ATT threw in for "Free" when we got our plan with them.

5. ATT does it for us, we rarely have connectivity issues and rarely use the booster.

6. We used Millenicom who were a Verizon reseller until Verizon pulled the rug from under that, then we switched to ATT who gave us new phones, a free tablet and 30g for the price of 15g. We've stayed with them for 18 months now and been happy with them. BUT go to an ATT store, the phone help/internet help sucks.

 

One other advantage we found using the tablet as a hotspot was the antenna is better than the phone's. We can get a signal (without the booster) thru the tablet (an LG 7") when the phone next to is won't.

BnB

 

And yes Technomadia you guys are it for finding Tech solutions! It was nice meeting you in New Bern a couple of weeks back, we added your blog to our blog.

2009 Monaco Cayman DP 38'

bnbrv.blogspot.com/

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So, as an add on to this topic. A few questions for the collective.

 

1. What Cell Boosters are most of you using?

2. Do you use an external antenna?

3. Do you use a omni-directional or directional antenna?

4. What device do you use as your stand alone hot spot?

5. What carrier do you use? Do you split data between carriers ie: ATT and Verizon?

6. What data plans do you use on your standalone hot spot?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

1. We use a MaxAmp RV booster/repeater from Maximum Signal. Works better than our previous WeBoost 4G-M.

 

2. Yes, we use the roof mounted magnetic antenna supplied with the MaxAmp.

 

3. It's an omni. We use the Internet extensively while underway where a directional wouldn't work well.

 

4. We have a Netgear Unite, a Novatel 4620LE Jetpack and a Novatel 6620L Jetpack.

 

5. The Unite uses AT&T, and both Jetpacks use Verizon. We use data from each carrier based on signal quality and availability.

 

6. The Unite is on an unlimited 4G/LTE plan, the 4620LE is on an unlimited 3G plan, and the 6620L is on a 20GB 4G/LTE plan. All are month-to-month, no contracts.

Dutch
2001 GBM Landau 34' Class A
F-53 Chassis, Triton V10, TST TPMS
2011 Toyota RAV4 4WD/Remco pump
ReadyBrute Elite tow bar/brake system

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  • 4 weeks later...

Great stuff folks. Sorry I haven't checked in but we finally hit the road last week (temporary) until next June 1st, 17'.

 

So far, we've been in places where our Galaxy S7's used as a hot spot have been working. We go to Florida on the first and will be camping at Ft. Pickens where internet will be spotty at best. My wife is off work for the entire month so internet connections aren't going to be as important there (for the time being).

 

I still haven't made up my mind as to what we use for equipment as the decision has to be made with our budget in mind. In any case I need to consider this quickly so I can get things mounted, tested and ready to roll.

 

Thanks to everyone for their input.

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