Is satellite TV still necessary?

[Mr_D]

Originally Posted by wildtoad

Nope... Yes, it is your best hope, but even Sat doesn’t penetrate the Rockies! (Or tall pine trees for that matter)

True, I parked in an Escapees park in Chimikim WA. No sat reception due to fir trees. Moved about 50' further from the trees and had no problems.

[LegalBeagle]

Originally Posted by creativepart

We say NO you don't need SAT. We stream 100% of our TV both at home on on the RV. We paid Dish Network for service for 21 years before dropping them and we've never looked back.

We did have to spend money on some gear to make this possible, and we do pay for both ATT and Verizon data services. But it's a fraction of what we paid Dish per month.

I'll give you a shortish run down.

1. We have ATT and Verizon Mifi/Jetpacks. And they each have a truly unlimited data plan. These are somewhat tough to find and the two we have are not available any longer. We were just at the right place at the right time. But Verizon has a new PrePaid Jetpack plan that's totally unlimited and perfect for streaming all your TV. Note that it's PREPAID which is different from the usual phone plans and almost all Verizon stores and employees are not aware of. It costs $70 a month and you still have to buy the Jetpack ($199). You can turn it on or off anytime you wish because it's PrePaid and there are no contracts. If you want to use it monthly you sign up for autopay and they take $5 a month off of that cost.

2.We have a WiFi Ranger system in our RV. It's pricey at $700 but you get an indoor router and an outdoor antenna "booster" that can sometimes help you get better access to Wifi. Sometimes free wifi. We feel the booster part is overrated and we recommend folks get the WFR's indoor router called GoAC. It's $350 works great. Is easy to use and will work with that Verizon Jetpack to make internet access very convenient.

3. We have Roku devices on our TVs. They're pretty inexpensive and provide access to nearly all streaming networks. We plug one into the SAT TV distribution system our RV has - not all have this -- and it can used to provide TV at all locations. If you don't have a distribution system like that, you could put one Roku at each TV location for about $100 per TV. It's vital to have an RV router setup like I mentioned above so that the Rokus are set once to the RV network and you don't have to fuss with changing their connections all the time.

4. One of our many streaming networks is DirecTV Now. It's a streaming service that works almost exactly like their Satellite Direct TV just over the internet. It's $40 a month for 60-some channels. If you have an ATT wireless account on a phone somewhere then you get discounts. We pay $16 a month after all the discounts and even get free HBO. But again, we got lucky by signing up at the beginning of the service.

5. We also have a WeBoost Drive-4G X cell signal booster. It's a $400 device that picks up cell signals outside the RV using a roof mounted antenna. That signal is boosted with an amplifier inside the WeBoost and it is then broadcast inside the RV with an internal antenna. We find it very helpful in remote areas to bring in good cell data signal for your Mifi/Jetpack devices. I wouldn't say it's 100% necessary but we find it helpful about 50% of the time. And many times makes the difference between having a signal good enough to stream TV and not.

We'd never go back to SAT TV even if we weren't saving over $100 a month over what we paid Dish Network.

PS. It sounds like we've spent a lot of money just to not use SAT TV. But honestly, we bought most of this stuff just for good internet access and the TV streaming is a happy byproduct.

Thanks so much for your helpful analysis. One question, tho, is what's an RV Sat distribution system and how do you know if you have one? I have a 2019 Greyhawk Prestige. It has some cable hook-ups by the front tv that I haven't figured out yet. I assumed they were for a Sat tv, but it would be great to be able to hook up our Firestick or AppleTV and use it with both TV's. How do I figure this out?

[norcal2]

I boondock a lot and have a KVH RV1 antenna and dish wally which costs me $5 a month, well worth it when you are out of cell range, wifi etc..the better question might be is how is your location? I took the winegard antenna off, very heavy and no in motion prob a better system but i need something more reliable...just my 2c...

Originally Posted by LegalBeagle

Thanks so much for your helpful analysis. One question, tho, is what's an RV Sat distribution system and how do you know if you have one? I have a 2019 Greyhawk Prestige. It has some cable hook-ups by the front tv that I haven't figured out yet. I assumed they were for a Sat tv, but it would be great to be able to hook up our Firestick or AppleTV and use it with both TV's. How do I figure this out?

[docj]

With all due respect, you have responded to a thread that is a year old. I doubt any of the original posters are still monitoring it.

[TXiceman]

If you want TV, you will need a satellite system and probably with a portable antenna. We have been to many beautiful area with no cell service of minimal cell service and zero off air TV service.

Ken

[Davdeb1]

Originally Posted by creativepart

We say NO you don't need SAT. We stream 100% of our TV both at home on on the RV. We paid Dish Network for service for 21 years before dropping them and we've never looked back.

We did have to spend money on some gear to make this possible, and we do pay for both ATT and Verizon data services. But it's a fraction of what we paid Dish per month.

I'll give you a shortish run down.

1. We have ATT and Verizon Mifi/Jetpacks. And they each have a truly unlimited data plan. These are somewhat tough to find and the two we have are not available any longer. We were just at the right place at the right time. But Verizon has a new PrePaid Jetpack plan that's totally unlimited and perfect for streaming all your TV. Note that it's PREPAID which is different from the usual phone plans and almost all Verizon stores and employees are not aware of. It costs $70 a month and you still have to buy the Jetpack ($199). You can turn it on or off anytime you wish because it's PrePaid and there are no contracts. If you want to use it monthly you sign up for autopay and they take $5 a month off of that cost.

2.We have a WiFi Ranger system in our RV. It's pricey at $700 but you get an indoor router and an outdoor antenna "booster" that can sometimes help you get better access to Wifi. Sometimes free wifi. We feel the booster part is overrated and we recommend folks get the WFR's indoor router called GoAC. It's $350 works great. Is easy to use and will work with that Verizon Jetpack to make internet access very convenient.

3. We have Roku devices on our TVs. They're pretty inexpensive and provide access to nearly all streaming networks. We plug one into the SAT TV distribution system our RV has - not all have this -- and it can used to provide TV at all locations. If you don't have a distribution system like that, you could put one Roku at each TV location for about $100 per TV. It's vital to have an RV router setup like I mentioned above so that the Rokus are set once to the RV network and you don't have to fuss with changing their connections all the time.

4. One of our many streaming networks is DirecTV Now. It's a streaming service that works almost exactly like their Satellite Direct TV just over the internet. It's $40 a month for 60-some channels. If you have an ATT wireless account on a phone somewhere then you get discounts. We pay $16 a month after all the discounts and even get free HBO. But again, we got lucky by signing up at the beginning of the service.

5. We also have a WeBoost Drive-4G X cell signal booster. It's a $400 device that picks up cell signals outside the RV using a roof mounted antenna. That signal is boosted with an amplifier inside the WeBoost and it is then broadcast inside the RV with an internal antenna. We find it very helpful in remote areas to bring in good cell data signal for your Mifi/Jetpack devices. I wouldn't say it's 100% necessary but we find it helpful about 50% of the time. And many times makes the difference between having a signal good enough to stream TV and not.

We'd never go back to SAT TV even if we weren't saving over $100 a month over what we paid Dish Network.

PS. It sounds like we've spent a lot of money just to not use SAT TV. But honestly, we bought most of this stuff just for good internet access and the TV streaming is a happy byproduct.

Obviously, you aren't aware the the "unlimited" prepaid jetpack deal ended May 21st 2019. Unless you were lucky enough to know this in advance,
You have few options.
The only way for someone new to start streaming TV on the road is to spend LOTS of money on data.
I heard about the Verizon old plan ending, I bought it on May 17th.
I can NEVER PAUSE THE plan, or I loose it.

You can get Dish TV with Showtime and Starz with the 250 plans for about $130 a month.
I paused that plan as long as I can stream. Locations will dictate your ability to stream because of poor signal, or limited bandwidth.
I watch a lot of TV on 360p definition to keep my data usage down.

I just watch a lot of TV. I'm a disabled full-time RVer.

[Landbird]

Hey,
As a brand newbie ( 1st post ), I found this thread to be quite informative.
I see the benefits for both of the 2 options, streaming or sat.
My initial plan was to go for the wineguard in motion T4, partly because it supports both Dish and Bell.
While snow-birding in Florida I would use the Dish services and upon return to BC Canada I would engage the Bell services.
Any comments on this approach would be appreciated.

[gladu2]

It's a relevant thread even in 2020 except Direct TV Now which was $40 was bought by ATT and is currently ATT TV Now and they hiked up it to $65 while dropping channels. They lost a lot of customers on that streaming service including us.