Community Forums

brobox · 09-22-2013, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flora

Sky will take a wifi signal (my Foxfi) and create a new secure network for other devices to access. I'm thinking my smart TV. I just want to know if this set up will work. They were not answering their phones on the weekend, so I will call tomorrow to try to get my questions answered. Will post what I find out.

I hope I don't upset Jablair again by trying to answer your question, I was just sharing personal experiences, but I guess that upsets some.

Foxfi is a secure network by entering the WAP password it asks you to put in at the time of activation. You can connect up to 5 devices at the same time by entering your WAP password on your other devices including your Smart TV.

Your ability to stream will depend if you are in a 3G or 4G area. After our long trip last summer and in some out of way places, almost everything was 4G. Easy test before spending a lot of money on other gadgets is to fire up the cell phone hotspot (foxfi) and see if you can stream like you want. I am still old school and go to Redbox for movies, plus I only have a 4 GB data plan

docj · 09-22-2013, 05:38 PM

To respond to the OP's question, we have a WiFi Ranger Go plus Mobile combination; the Mobile and the Sky are roughly equivalent products. To me the greatest benefit to using devices such as these is that they make it possible for all the internet-enabled devices in our RV to remain connected to our own network which can then be easily connected to a campground wifi (if one exists), to our smartphone's hotspot, or to any other internet connection that is available (we had a DSL line last winter).

I agree that there are plenty of poor campground wifi's but, these days, there are also quite a few good ones. By having a device such as a Wifi Ranger (and there are equivalent devices made by several other companies) I can easily "check out" a campground wifi without investing much time and effort in connecting each and every computer, tablet, printer, etc, that we carry on-board. The high output power of the Mobile and the Sky ensure that when you want to connect to a wifi source you will be able to do so. Several months ago when we were at a campground at which we needed the wifi because there was no alternative, the manager told us we'd have to come to the office to use it because "there's no way you'll be able to get it on your site". I never did tell him that I was able to use his wifi "just fine" from the comfort of my MH.

hdgoldie · 09-22-2013, 05:58 PM

Okay....now I'm curious. Those of you living by cell networks, who are you using? On our recent trip I blew through over 10 GBs in less than 3 weeks...and the most I streamed was a little Pandora. We have iPhones (that have an unlimited plan currently but my understanding is that Verizon will not let us renew with that plan), an iPad, iPod, and a couple of laptops and a wireless printer. We connect everything except the phones via a cellular hot spot and that data plan is what we blew up. Our normal use would have gone higher but, after getting the first warning on the amount of data we were using, we backed off on a lot of the "just looking" stuff. I love the convenience of the cellular system, and we had 4 GB signal for almost the whole trip, but wow - that would get expensive if we were using it full time. I really would like to find a less expensive way to handle internet access on the road.

So....what service is working best for all of you? I'm not adverse to switching carriers (currently with Verizon) since my contract was up a few months ago. Has anyone tried satellite internet service in an RV? I seem to remember seeing an ad somewhere for HughesNet for an RV, but my memory isn't always known to be accurate. How does the cellular from a wholesaler work? I'll take any and all advice.....

Flora · 09-22-2013, 06:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brobox

I hope I don't upset Jablair again by trying to answer your question, I was just sharing personal experiences, but I guess that upsets some.

Foxfi is a secure network by entering the WAP password it asks you to put in at the time of activation. You can connect up to 5 devices at the same time by entering your WAP password on your other devices including your Smart TV.

Your ability to stream will depend if you are in a 3G or 4G area. After our long trip last summer and in some out of way places, almost everything was 4G. Easy test before spending a lot of money on other gadgets is to fire up the cell phone hotspot (foxfi) and see if you can stream like you want. I am still old school and go to Redbox for movies, plus I only have a 4 GB data plan

Chuck, you make a point I hadn't considered...my Foxfi is already a secure network. I would do as you suggested and try to connect and stream to my smart tv but our new Aspire is in the body shop...but that is another thread!

Still leaves the situation of no cell reception open.

ImagineIF · 09-22-2013, 06:30 PM

Sky doesn't provide much in the way of specs. There are many Wi-Fi repeaters out there. You need he decide if you wsnan indoor or outdoor unit. The outdoor units will perform far better than indoor units, but may not always be neccesary. I forget which repeater I use, but it works well in most cases. It's sn indoor unit I keep in the front fiberglass cap of the coach. Ohers are right. Your wireless speed is meaningless if the CGs ISP connection is limited in bandwidth or over subscribered.

Flora · 09-22-2013, 06:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hdgoldie

Okay....now I'm curious. Those of you living by cell networks, who are you using? On our recent trip I blew through over 10 GBs in less than 3 weeks...and the most I streamed was a little Pandora. We have iPhones (that have an unlimited plan currently but my understanding is that Verizon will not let us renew with that plan), an iPad, iPod, and a couple of laptops and a wireless printer. We connect everything except the phones via a cellular hot spot and that data plan is what we blew up. Our normal use would have gone higher but, after getting the first warning on the amount of data we were using, we backed off on a lot of the "just looking" stuff. I love the convenience of the cellular system, and we had 4 GB signal for almost the whole trip, but wow - that would get expensive if we were using it full time. I really would like to find a less expensive way to handle internet access on the road.

So....what service is working best for all of you? I'm not adverse to switching carriers (currently with Verizon) since my contract was up a few months ago. Has anyone tried satellite internet service in an RV? I seem to remember seeing an ad somewhere for HughesNet for an RV, but my memory isn't always known to be accurate. How does the cellular from a wholesaler work? I'll take any and all advice.....

We are using the Sprint unlimited data plan and sharing the plan between 2 phones as we each need the smartphones. Also gives us 2 hotspots b/c of 2 different phone numbers. We got the plan with a total of 1500 minutes, more than we need since calls to other mobile phones don't count against the minutes (free). It was the cheapest unlimited data plan. We're more concerned about the unlimited data. I don't know if they still offer this plan but the thing I like about Sprint is that as long as we continue as a customer, weget to keep this plan. At least we have so far...several years. I do admit we have not used it alot as a hotspot before we got the Aspire but much more since March. Earlier post this thread...Sprint told me today no add'l charges for streaming.

I, too, would be interested in hearing about satellite services and how they worked for you.

Flora · 09-22-2013, 06:50 PM

High-speed Internet for motorhome travel

Just found this interesting article that compares satellite, cellular & wifi pros and cons. As always, it all boils down to what you want to spend, and what you need.

rodsterinfl · 09-22-2013, 06:54 PM

Greetings Flora,

I have the WiFi Ranger Ti Pack (what they call the RV kit) and it works well. Before having it I could not get Wifi worth mentioning. It was like a faraday cage (signal block) inside my trailer. The wifi ranger GO part is an indoor router providing wifi signal to any device in my RV. The WiFi Ranger mobile goes on the roof bypassing the walls. It definitely picks up more signal. That said, it still is limited to whatever the park signal provides.

I got a hotspot to go with it all and use that when I need to have service in a no service on wifi area. Walmart has the Internet to Go and it is a pay-as-you-use it service. What is best is that your balance remains until you need it as long as you use it once a year. If you are a once-in-a-while user like me, that is a great option. The wifi Ranger Go mobile router picks that up and provides wireless using the cellular BUT I needed to also get passed my walls for the cell phone signal SO I ALSO bought what several campers recommended as about as good as anything else - Wilson Sleek Universal 3G/4G cradle booster. The universal models work with any service. You slap the antenna on a window and plug it in and the signal increases quite a bit. Hope this helps.

camaraderie · 09-22-2013, 07:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flora

Thanks, Cliff...I checked into them. I believe the Sky is a new product, and wanted to know about that. Their website says it does boost a wifi signal and then will create a new secure network. What I can't determine is if it will strengthen the cell signal for my FoxFi app, or just the resulting wifi from my cellphone.

I may be off base here...but are you equating a stronger signal with more capability for bandwidth? If so...the 2 are completely unrelated. You can have a super strong 5 bar signal from wifi or boosted wifi and still not be able to get on you tube.

brobox · 09-22-2013, 07:01 PM

bdgoldie,
I have a 4GB plan with Verison running two laptops and a Kindle Fire. I do no streaming, except maybe a Youtube in an email We email and surf the web all the time and have never used over 2GB a month. Streaming is the kiss of death for data usage.

Saltydog44 · 09-22-2013, 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hdgoldie

Okay....now I'm curious. Those of you living by cell networks, who are you using? On our recent trip I blew through over 10 GBs in less than 3 weeks...and the most I streamed was a little Pandora. We have iPhones (that have an unlimited plan currently but my understanding is that Verizon will not let us renew with that plan), an iPad, iPod, and a couple of laptops and a wireless printer. We connect everything except the phones via a cellular hot spot and that data plan is what we blew up. Our normal use would have gone higher but, after getting the first warning on the amount of data we were using, we backed off on a lot of the "just looking" stuff. I love the convenience of the cellular system, and we had 4 GB signal for almost the whole trip, but wow - that would get expensive if we were using it full time. I really would like to find a less expensive way to handle internet access on the road.

So....what service is working best for all of you? I'm not adverse to switching carriers (currently with Verizon) since my contract was up a few months ago. Has anyone tried satellite internet service in an RV? I seem to remember seeing an ad somewhere for HughesNet for an RV, but my memory isn't always known to be accurate. How does the cellular from a wholesaler work? I'll take any and all advice.....

I think I saw a post that Hughesnet (Which we have at S&B) wouldn't support an RV. In any event our satellite dish is huge so not sure how well it would work anyway. I am definitely NOT impressed with HN service - support is OK but too may speed/connection issues and that is at the house.

IRT using our Galaxy 4's as hotspots, this has worked well for us so far. Speed has not been an issue and the LAN feature (for the printer/scanner) has been pretty flawless.

We normally have a 4G plan, but when we go on the road,we raise it. Going to higher - even much higher - plans adds cost but nothing like the cost of accidentally going over. If you want to watch a movie or catch a TV show you missed (We're addicted to Survivor/Big Brother), you'll go through a lot of data.

We had an unlimited plan, but when we updated the phones, Verizon ended our grandfathering. Aggravating, but bandwidth is an issue with current technology. With all the streaming, downloading software updates and other technologies, we need a better process. Just watching the Entegra YouTube videos can take a big bite.

At the end of our last trip we had gotten a warning so we tried to lower our usage but we still had to bump it a second rime.

FWIW you can bump it mid-cycle and tell them to return to normal at the beginning of the new billing cycle.

DSL417 · 09-22-2013, 07:39 PM

Verizon with 12 Gigs a month...iPhone Hot Spot half the time we end up having to add 4 Gigs....data package at most generally costs less than $100 a month. Frustrating, but the alternative is a dish on top and more expensive data package to do satellite. HughesNet starts at 2 Gig last time I checked for $75/mo.

We use wifi when available at a campground, but have basically given into using our Verizon hot spot.

Saltydog44 · 09-22-2013, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brobox

bdgoldie,
I have a 4GB plan with Verison running two laptops and a Kindle Fire. I do no streaming, except maybe a Youtube in an email We email and surf the web all the time and have never used over 2GB a month. Streaming is the kiss of death for data usage.

I pretty much agree on streaming, but when we do just email and surfing, we're blowing way over 4GB. As Dave said - we start at 10 when we're on the road. Not sure what is munching the GB's compared to your results. We're on Verizon also.