Full Time RV Communications

[SunClipper]

We are going full time this summer and are looking for solutions to our need for dependable Internet/Email/Telephone connections while we travel in USA and Canada.
At first, we will be bringing our desktop computer along, but plan to get a laptop in the future. We are considering the Hughesnet tripod mounted dish for internet & TV, but it seems a but bulky and cumbersome. For phone service a WiFi phone is a possibility but we wonder if it would work everywhere or we could VOIP over our internet connection assuming it is dependable (however that is accomplished) To add to my confusion, I just discovered (ie know nothing about) EVDO .
You can probably tell that I know just enough about the subject to be dangerous , so.........
Any help from the forum will be very much appreciated.
Thanks,
John

[SunClipper]

We are going full time this summer and are looking for solutions to our need for dependable Internet/Email/Telephone connections while we travel in USA and Canada.
At first, we will be bringing our desktop computer along, but plan to get a laptop in the future. We are considering the Hughesnet tripod mounted dish for internet & TV, but it seems a but bulky and cumbersome. For phone service a WiFi phone is a possibility but we wonder if it would work everywhere or we could VOIP over our internet connection assuming it is dependable (however that is accomplished) To add to my confusion, I just discovered (ie know nothing about) EVDO .
You can probably tell that I know just enough about the subject to be dangerous , so.........
Any help from the forum will be very much appreciated.
Thanks,
John

[Rick 2005 Dolphin 5376]

There is a wealth of info on this site but I'll tell you what we do and see if it works for you. We full time as well. We run a business from our motorhome and have done it rather successfully for about 2 years.
Phone, One cell phone each with a 2100 minutes between the both of us.
One Verizon broadband card for the laptop. Total each month for both phone and internet about $200.00. It's a write off so I can digest the expense. Now, if you want to go a little more high gizmo, you can add a router to be able to use more than one computer at a time and then you could also add a wireless print server to share one printer with a couple of computers. All of this is easy with a little money and simple common sense. One last thing we did was to add a Wilson Wireless Cellular amp to boost low signals in certain areas, add to that an external antenna for the broadband card that is attached in part to the amp setup.
Question is: How much do you want to spend? How often do you need the internet? The cost for the amp and antenna's and EVDO router was about $500.00 and our monthy price for access is about $200.00. With that we get very good reliablilty and very fast (fast enough for us) internet that can be accessed while under way. Whewww. Hope that wasn't to much info.
If you'd like to call me, I'd be happy to help you go through your options. I'd wouldn't take to much time. My number is 928-830-2248
-Rick

[JamieB]

John.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> solutions to our need for dependable Internet/Email/Telephone connections while we travel in USA and Canada </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Satellite-based internet is really the only "dependable" internet service available. You can use a cellular-based aircard (This is the EVDO that you mentioned) but they will not work everywhere. The cellular-based aircards are certainly getting better, but right now, if you need internet wherever you go, satellite is your only option.

The tripod is a little bulky, and a lot of people don't like having to set it up and take it down everytime they move. Also, there is the matter of where you store it while traveling.

Another option for satellite is a roof mounted automatic dish like the MotoSAT F1, G74, G75 etc. These dishes are fully automatic meaning that you just push a button and the dish raises, locates the satellite and in 5 to 10 minutes you are online. A lot of previos tripod users move up to the automatic dishes once they go full time.

As far as pricing goes, you can expect the following for NEW dishes:

Tripod $1,200+
Automatic $5,000+

When you go with an automatic, you would work through a VAR such as MotoSAT. The nice thing about that is you can change which satellite you are assigned to if for some reason you can't get a solid signal in your location. Also, with the automatic dish, there are a number of service plans, and even service providers to choose from. You can go from a basic plan that will give you about 800kbps+/90kbps+ speed for $80 per month up to 2Mbps/2Mbps speed for $3,500 per month. Basically, whatever you need, you can get. Most RV'ers choose either the DataStorm F1 (has been replaced by the G74 but some dealers still have a few F1's) which retails for about $4500 plus installation. With this dish you can get only once service plan from HughesNet which costs $80 per month. A second option would be the G75 which retails for around $5000 plus installation (please note that some versions of the G75 cost more due to equipment variences). Service plans for the G75 are available from a few companies and the plans start at $110 per month. The next step up would be the MotoSAT F2 which is a larger dish but also opens up a lot of options as to service plans, speeds, and service costs.

As you can see, there are a number of options for you, and with a little more direction from you, we could help narrow down your choices.

Also, you mentioned needing phone service. There are a few different VoIP providers that work with satellite internet. You can get good quality calls, but be aware that there is latency (delay) with satellite. It would be a lot like talking on a walkie-talkie. Once you get used to it, it isn't a huge problem, but some don't care for it.

For television, you can can add a BOW that will allow you to get television programming when your satellite for internet is locked on.

So yes, you can have internet, television, and phone all in one system that would work pretty much anywhere you wanted to travel. I hope you enjoy your travels as full-timers.