Where do I even start with RV media??

[spindrift]

I, like so many others have said before, have not been too interested in being up to speed on all of the latest and greatest electronic technologies.  I have a cell phone so I can talk to my wife and kids, take pics and surf the internet.  I know it can do much more but I have no clue.  I consider myself mechanically inclined, but technology and I simply don't get along.  So that's the backstory.

We went camping this past weekend and I ended up climbing onto the roof to clean the vent covers.  While I was up there, I noticed that the top of my Magnadyne WF-B1B antenna was missing.  Apparently, I hit a low hanging branch on our way to the campground and broke the top of the antenna clean off the base mount.  There are three cables coming out of the roof.  One is marked "AM/FM antenna", the second is "TV antenna" and the third is a blue ethernet cable that isn't connected to anything.  The antenna is circa 2019 so it has a 1' diameter dish that sits on the base plate.  The AM/FM and TV antennas were hooked up to their counterparts in the dish which broke off.  We have two smart TVs in the camper that I've never been able to work properly.  I suppose I could order a new dish and simply connect the two cables and attach the dish to the roof mounted base.  I have no clue why the blue ethernet cable was all alone...future WiFi maybe?  Anyway, I got to thinking that since we've had problems with the TVs since new (whether hardware or operator error I don't know), maybe it's time to upgrade to something...just because I honestly would like to get a handle on this stuff.  We absolutely need access to the internet because of my wife's work, we need our phones to work and we really would like to watch some TV when the spirit moves us.  We also travel to remote areas.

So, how in the world did you folks know where to start?  Is there a particularly good product that has a caring and knowledgeable sales staff for this kind of thing?  Are there particularly good resources available to study or RV dealerships to visit?  I'm really at a loss as to where to begin.

To make matters worse, my Android cell phone gave up the ghost this past weekend as well and I don't expect my new one until tomorrow at the earliest.  I was crucified by two of the kids for not having an iPhone because, allegedly, that wouldn't have happened with an iPhone.  I can't win.

[sandsys]

6 minutes ago, spindrift said:

To make matters worse, my Android cell phone gave up the ghost this past weekend as well and I don't expect my new one until tomorrow at the earliest.  I was crucified by two of the kids for not having an iPhone because, allegedly, that wouldn't have happened with an iPhone.  I can't win.

My iPhone works but my iPad's video died a sudden death and could not be fixed. No, Apple is not perfect.

Linda

[Chalkie]

26 minutes ago, spindrift said:

I have no clue why the blue ethernet cable was all alone...future WiFi maybe?  Anyway, I got to thinking that since we've had problems with the TVs since new (whether hardware or operator error I don't know), maybe it's time to upgrade to something...just because I honestly would like to get a handle on this stuff.  We absolutely need access to the internet because of my wife's work, we need our phones to work and we really would like to watch some TV when the spirit moves us.  We also travel to remote areas.

.....

To make matters worse, my Android cell phone gave up the ghost this past weekend as well and I don't expect my new one until tomorrow at the earliest.  I was crucified by two of the kids for not having an iPhone because, allegedly, that wouldn't have happened with an iPhone.  I can't win.

I would bet that you are correct about the future WiFi for the blue cable. If your phone provider allows WiFi calling I would say get Starlink Internet. You will have internet anywhere you go as long as you can see the sky. It is a bit pricy but as you said you need service for work it may be the best solution. Your Smart TVs may only be semi-smart (I have one of those) but with a Firestick or Roku and can easily stream TV and find a lot that is free or you can subscribe to a multitude of premium channels. If you have them at home then you should be able to use them through the streaming devices as well. 

As to the phone, there is a reason that Android phones have 80+% of the market. You will see a lot of features in the Android arena before you do Apple. For example, I had a water resistant phone years before Apple came out with one much to the chagrin of my granddaughter that managed to knock both of our phones into the swimming pool. Her Apple was toast and my phone was fine after drying it off. 

[rpsinc]

6 minutes ago, Chalkie said:

You will have internet anywhere you go as long as you can see the sky.

Isnt this considering that availability exists in the area you are in?  I thought that the honeycomb area on the map had limited access to only a certain number of subscribers and that beyond that, it is not guaranteed.

[Dutch_12078]

27 minutes ago, rpsinc said:

Isnt this considering that availability exists in the area you are in?  I thought that the honeycomb area on the map had limited access to only a certain number of subscribers and that beyond that, it is not guaranteed.

The new Starlink RV service works nearly everywhere, albeit at reduced speed  in "full" cells:

"Starlink for RVs is ideal for customers travelling to locations where connectivity has been unreliable or completely unavailable."

"Users can expect high speed, low latency internet in areas marked "Available", and notably slower speeds during hours of peak usage in areas marked as "Waitlist" or during events with many collocated users."

"Starlink for RVs is not designed for use while in motion."

https://www.starlink.com/rv

[spindrift]

1 hour ago, Chalkie said:

I would bet that you are correct about the future WiFi for the blue cable. If your phone provider allows WiFi calling I would say get Starlink Internet. You will have internet anywhere you go as long as you can see the sky. It is a bit pricy but as you said you need service for work it may be the best solution. Your Smart TVs may only be semi-smart (I have one of those) but with a Firestick or Roku and can easily stream TV and find a lot that is free or you can subscribe to a multitude of premium channels. If you have them at home then you should be able to use them through the streaming devices as well. 

As to the phone, there is a reason that Android phones have 80+% of the market. You will see a lot of features in the Android arena before you do Apple. For example, I had a water resistant phone years before Apple came out with one much to the chagrin of my granddaughter that managed to knock both of our phones into the swimming pool. Her Apple was toast and my phone was fine after drying it off. 

Starlink looks like a very good choice for when we go full time.  But its $135/month fee and $600 hardware set-up is too rich for my blood.

[Kirk W]

13 hours ago, Chalkie said:

As to the phone, there is a reason that Android phones have 80+% of the market.

Quote

According to Statcounter, the global market share looks like this:

Android: 72.2%

iOS: 26.99%

However, within the U.S., that market share looks like this:

iOS: 59.17%

Android: 40.54%

The primary reason why Android rules the global market is cost.

Why is Android more popular globally, while iOS rules the US?

12 hours ago, spindrift said:

Starlink looks like a very good choice for when we go full time.  But its $135/month fee and $600 hardware set-up is too rich for my blood.

Probably the best source of information on what will work and which equipment is best and most cost effective is Technomadia a couple who are active Escapees and fulltimers.

[spindrift]

Maybe a repost of what you Starlink folks already knew.

https://www.rvtravel.com/china-hints-threat-starlink-satellite-constellation-1054b/

[spindrift]

1 hour ago, Kirk W said:

Why is Android more popular globally, while iOS rules the US?

Probably the best source of information on what will work and which equipment is best and most cost effective is Technomadia a couple who are active Escapees and fulltimers.

Thanks, Kirk.  I'll be reading for days.

[Dutch_12078]

2 hours ago, spindrift said:

Maybe a repost of what you Starlink folks already knew.

https://www.rvtravel.com/china-hints-threat-starlink-satellite-constellation-1054b/

Apparently Ukraine's use of Starlink for communications has China worried, but the article author used the loss of 40 Starlink sats as a demonstration of how resilient the constellation is. He completely overlooked that those 40 sats were not yet in service and had no effect on the constellation one way or the other. They were damaged by a solar storm shortly after launch and well before they were in position to be operational.