Newbie needs help with WiFi!

[Jas1317]

Hi we just bought our first travel trailer and are about to hit the road for a few months! What are the best options for reliable WiFi? I want to be able to run a video and temperature monitor in the trailer if we ever leave our dogs (for short periods of time) (I could use equipment suggestions here too). I also need to be able to reliably work via zoom meetings. We plan to stay at campgrounds with WiFi service but you never know how reliable that is. Any tips appreciated!!

[JJnLilly]

We have the AT&T unlimited in our Truck/Car/RV. Move it from location to location. Have only been slowed down once. Get a warning when data use hits 16G but that is it.

[Jas1317]

GDS-3950BH wrote:

Jas1317 wrote:

Gulfcoast wrote:
If you go to an AT&T store they can set you up with an unlimited plan for your GMC truck that will provide unlimited hotspot for your truck plus your RV. It's a car connect plan.

It's $20 a month and mine works fine even in my RV.

Done! Thank you. This seems like a no-brainer. And inexpensive!

That only works if you don't mind leaving your trucks ignition in the Acc position the entire time, as the GM wifi shuts down 10 minutes after closing the door with the key off. I question the $20 per month for unlimited as I have had it since GM offered it in their trucks, and its $10 / month per GB. I have also been to many campgrounds in the NE or mid Atlantic where AT&T service is iffy, overloaded with users, or non existent, and in that case the truck wifi is dead in the water.

Thank you for this insight! What do you do for WiFi?
Towers are in urban and other highly populated areas or generally are installed along major or heavily traveled routes. Truly nice campgrounds are usually in rural areas where towers may not exist or are so far away to make them almost useless unless your idea of nice is a paved parking lot KOA next to an Interstate. The maps they issue for coverage are far from accurate and are skewed by the marketing department. No free lunch.

[GDS-3950BH]

Jas1317 wrote:

Gulfcoast wrote:
If you go to an AT&T store they can set you up with an unlimited plan for your GMC truck that will provide unlimited hotspot for your truck plus your RV. It's a car connect plan.

It's $20 a month and mine works fine even in my RV.

Done! Thank you. This seems like a no-brainer. And inexpensive!

That only works if you don't mind leaving your trucks ignition in the Acc position the entire time, as the GM wifi shuts down 10 minutes after closing the door with the key off. I question the $20 per month for unlimited as I have had it since GM offered it in their trucks, and its $10 / month per GB. I have also been to many campgrounds in the NE or mid Atlantic where AT&T service is iffy, overloaded with users, or non existent, and in that case the truck wifi is dead in the water.

Towers are in urban and other highly populated areas or generally are installed along major or heavily traveled routes. Truly nice campgrounds are usually in rural areas where towers may not exist or are so far away to make them almost useless unless your idea of nice is a paved parking lot KOA next to an Interstate. The maps they issue for coverage are far from accurate and are skewed by the marketing department. No free lunch.

[Jas1317]

Gulfcoast wrote:
If you go to an AT&T store they can set you up with an unlimited plan for your GMC truck that will provide unlimited hotspot for your truck plus your RV. It's a car connect plan.

It's $20 a month and mine works fine even in my RV.

Done! Thank you. This seems like a no-brainer. And inexpensive!

[Bill_Satellite]

The SPARK is actually quite different in operation from the Mobley but you are right, it looks about the same.

[Gulfcoast]

Yes, the plan is available for $20 that will connect to a newer car or truck, or they sell a device called a SPARK which looks like a Mobley to me.

[Bill_Satellite]

Gulfcoast wrote:
If you go to an AT&T store they can set you up with an unlimited plan for your GMC truck that will provide unlimited hotspot for your truck plus your RV. It's a car connect plan.

It's $20 a month and mine works fine even in my RV.

Is the car connect plan still available? If so, it certainly would be available for the occupants of the truck but how would that get to the RV? Last I heard, when you turn off the truck the internet only stayed connected for about 20 minutes.

[Gulfcoast]

I have two older Mobley's that I use every day, but they are getting hard to find these days.

The new AT&T device is the Harmon Spark, but it's not needed in many new vehicles.

[pianotuna]

Add up your data requirements.

Decide what can be done with a throttle connection--and what can not.

In my own situation, my only wobbly wide web access is via cell phone(s).

I have two phones--both with "unlimited" data. I use the one with the least amount of "data" on it first. Then I use it throttled. When I find something that won't work on the "throttled" connection, then I switch to the other phone.

I can do netflix or zoom when throttled (0.57 megs, latency 54 ms unloaded, 1.5 seconds loaded, upload .93 megs, just measured with fast.com).

For netflix it may take a few seconds to start the stream (~30 seconds, just now)

There are devices that can be plugged into the obd port to provide internet access, such as the Mobley. They work if the ignition is turned on, and there are ways to power them without the ignition being on. Of course, there is a monthly charge to use them. For a time--they were sold with "unlimited" data. I do not know if that is the case any more.

This link is just to show you the device.

https://www.amazon.ca/ZTE-VM6200-Mobley-Mobile-Hotspot/dp/B0728FLZHD

This link is to AT&T

https://www.att.com/plans/connected-car.html

[Gulfcoast]

If you go to an AT&T store they can set you up with an unlimited plan for your GMC truck that will provide unlimited hotspot for your truck plus your RV. It's a car connect plan.

It's $20 a month and mine works fine even in my RV.

[Jas1317]

pianotuna wrote:

Jas1317 wrote:


This is exactly what I need thank you. Are you a member? I’m wondering if I sign up will they give me a direct consult. I was up for hours last night reading all the free material lol.

They no longer do direct consults.

What are your needs?

What are your questions?

I need to teach courses and/or see patients on zoom approx 15 hours/week.
I also need to be able to run a monitor - video and temp - on my dogs in the camper occasionally - maybe a few hours/week.
I have a sprint phone with “unlimited data” which I now understand is not unlimited.
So it sounds like I need to purchase a hot spot (how do I do this?!) just to connect my laptop to for the purpose of zoom.
And I’m not sure what else!
My truck is a new gmc and I understand that offers hotspot service somehow - I don’t know if that’s worth it?

[Ron3rd]

We've never been in a campground that had the bandwidth to allow streaming video

Maybe they exist. Plus when everyone logs on it gets even slower. Sufficient bandwidth is expensive and most campgrounds don't want to pay.

[Second_Chance]

Jas1317 wrote:

Second Chance wrote:
Read and research here - they are the gurus:

RVMobileInternet.com

Rob

This is exactly what I need thank you. Are you a member? I’m wondering if I sign up will they give me a direct consult. I was up for hours last night reading all the free material lol.

No - I am not a member, but I find their free stuff to be very useful for newbies. We have a grandfathered, truly unlimited plan on a Verizon hot-spot so we're covered. As pianotuna said, what other questions do you have?

Rob

[pianotuna]

Jas1317 wrote:


This is exactly what I need thank you. Are you a member? I’m wondering if I sign up will they give me a direct consult. I was up for hours last night reading all the free material lol.

They no longer do direct consults.

What are your needs?

What are your questions?