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Old 06-08-2018, 09:13 AM   #1
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Smile Best internet experience on RV

My partner and I are going full time on 6/28 and experiencing all the fun of setting things up. What I would like to know is who has had the best internet connection experience for wifi and 4lte connections. I am debating a hotspot, a wineguard dual system. All advice is appreciated. We plan to work online, are full timers and need access to the internet everywhere if possible.

Sincerely,
Robert and CJ
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Old 06-08-2018, 10:31 AM   #2
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Hi ! Welcome to IRV2! We're sure glad you joined the gang!

We were lucky to get an AT&T Mobley when they were available so don't really know what the best options are now. I would advise you NOT to depend on CG Wi-Fi.

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!
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Old 06-08-2018, 11:53 AM   #3
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When I was researching the same last year I was able to get the Mobley deal that you'll hear a lot about. That said I originally thought maybe I should get a booster to catch park wifi and the consensus was don't waste your money on that. Park wifi is so spotty that it wasn't really worth trying to pick up from any distance from the clubhouse, etc. In the year we have been traveling I think I've only used park wifi 2x. Once when it was the only option and once when I was at the limit of AT&T service but still had some and the mobley was just slow.

Save any money you would spend on trying to get a wifi signal from the park, etc. and spend that towards getting a cellular booster.


As for connecting to LTE for work (I too work full time) you will definitely want to stick to one of the big 2 (Verizon and AT&T.) You should see if there is any chance you can get onto the AT&T Rural Internet plan as it probably is the next best thing to unlimited. (assuming it still exists) Having both AT&T and a Verizon hotspot would be good. Also look into some of the more expensive routers ($3-400 range) from Pepwave or the like. They will let you share the connection signal among devices if the hotspot has a limit. Believe it or not we have about 15 wifi devices in our small RV. (including 2 amazon echo, 2 fire devices, 3 phones, 2 ipads, 2 computers and a couple of smart plugs)
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Old 06-08-2018, 12:09 PM   #4
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Glad to have you here in the forum with us. You're gonna like it here.

I agree with the others don't depend on CG wi-fi. It is slow at best and if the CG is crowded it will be almost at a standstill due to everyone that's streaming. Depending on where you'll be travelling look for wide area coverage. AT&T or Verizon are good for that.

Happy Trails!!!
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Old 06-09-2018, 03:09 AM   #5
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Question Wineguard 4g and wifi

Has anyone had success with Wineguard wifi with 4g? The hardware is expensive $750 and install another $600.

Robert
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Old 06-09-2018, 03:40 AM   #6
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Winegard Connect T v1 is expensive to buy and you can only choose from a AT&T expensive cellular data plan. The WiFi booster portion is ok. The antennas are exposed and not flexible. Waiting for a tree limb to come along and break them.

Winegard Connect T v2 is much cheaper to buy - about $350.00. Installation is simple as it just need 12vdc power. You can use several differing cellular carriers SIM card in it, so you are not locked in. Its not a cellular booster/amplifier - rather a cellular hotspot mounted adventagiously on the roof if the RV. The WiFi portion is ok - it differs from v1 in that there is no inside unit. The antennas are now protected under a dome enclosure.

I would not consider the V1.
V2 is a better way to go.
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Old 06-09-2018, 11:03 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by robtcathy View Post
We plan to work online, are full timers and need access to the internet everywhere if possible.
If you actually need access everywhere, you're going to need more than one tool in your toolbox. I'd go with hotspots from both Verizon and AT&T, and a mobile satellite internet set-up. Use one or the other of the hotspots when you have a decent signal, and the satellite dish when you don't.
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Old 06-10-2018, 07:51 AM   #8
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We have the AT&T Mobley and have 5 devices connected directly to it. We've had the unlimited data plan and generally use 50-60 gig per month. I've only noticed that we were slowed one time in the 1 1/2 year that we had the system. It has worked all across the US for us. We only noticed poor service in some remote areas of NV and AZ. Service is great east of the Mississippi.
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Old 06-11-2018, 04:01 PM   #9
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If you're going to spend serious money on your LTE connectivity, spend that money on a Cradlepoint router. It's $$$$, but it works like crazy. Hook that baby up to a Yagi on a pole you can rotate (old-style RV TV antenna is perfect for this) and you have the best possible solution. Failing that, an omnidirectional antenna connected to a WeBoost 4gX booster works well in many marginal situations.


A couple of other solutions I've head good things about but not tried:
Pepwave
Hotspots
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Old 06-14-2018, 01:05 PM   #10
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Here is a resource you may want to check out: https://www.rvmobileinternet.com/book/
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Old 06-14-2018, 02:00 PM   #11
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I too have the no longer available AT&T Mobley unlimited $20 per month plan and have found coverage to be good overall while travelling over 6,000 miles through, LA, TX, OK, CO, WY, NE, KS, and AR in the last year. I also tend to stream internet music while I drive over my AT&T device (either phone or mobley) and rarely have a drop out, and when I do it is only for 10-15 miles. Having said that there are still many remote places with no cell coverage from any carrier (Yellowstone is a great example, with only a few isolated bits of cell coverage in the park, yet millions of people visit there every year) , as well as places with signal from only one, and some carriers are better than others in certain states, so again your mileage may vary. What this comes down to is if always being connected is important to you, don't go anywhere too remote, and have devices with multiple carriers.

On occasions devices like external antennas and booster may help, though this only helps in limited fringe areas, and will not help if the nearest place where one can normally get bars on their cell phone is miles away. I spent 3 nights in one of the fringe zones in Wyoming for the big solar eclipse last summer, with a small directional antenna I was able to get 1 bar of signal and fast enough internet to check email, without it I would get momentary network association, but no data throughput. Last month I spent about a week in a remote part of west Texas in the mountains, where the nearest place to get 1 bar of signal was 4 miles away, and strong signal required driving to town 7 miles away, in situations like this external antennas, boosters, etc. are likely to be useless as there is no signal there to boost.
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Old 06-18-2018, 06:35 PM   #12
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We go full-time one week after you do.... We've been using an AT&T hotspot for years and it's always been great.....
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Old 06-18-2018, 07:13 PM   #13
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Verizon seems to have the best coverage, but a friend of mine has tested T-Mobile back to back with verizon. There is a setting you have to change on the T-Mobile phone about switching a band on in the phone to get better data speeds in a few locations, like Quartzsite, but he is pleased that both networks have been working well for him. He runs an IT company from his RV, and must always be able to have reliable internet.
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Old 06-18-2018, 07:15 PM   #14
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Use both a Verizon 4G and a Mobley........and both of these worked fine in Quartzsite
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