Community Forums

Bradley222 · 03-08-2023, 01:28 PM

We have a new Vanleigh Beacon. It has two LG smart TVs. We are looking for a way to receive Internet to stream Netflix, Amazon, YouTube, etc.
We realize there are different services out there that provide different equipment – we are looking for something that we can turn on and off when we need it, unless it’s a very low monthly cost. We travel approximately 4–6 times per year for 1 to 2 weeks at a time. A lot of the places we visit are very remote - mountains, ocean locations.
We have a good hotspot on our up-to-date cell phones through Verizon, but we have tested it and it doesn’t work very well. We have considered a satellite dish but we’re not sure if we really need that.
Any suggestions or solutions?
Thank you.

WeeBeenew · 03-08-2023, 01:49 PM

Congrats on your new TT. Are you staying in campgrounds that have WiFi? If so. A Wifi extender is a good start. I have a T-mobile 5G hotspot that works well. I have no info on a satellite set up.

TXiceman · 03-08-2023, 02:30 PM

Very few campgrounds have internet bandwidth suitable for streaming. A WiFI booster does nothing to add bandwidth. I do not know of amy streaming that allows turning the service on and off. This leaves you with Star Link, but it is expensive. Dish satellite has a pay as you go satellite service, but you will need to buy an antenna and a receiver.

The T-Mobile internet works well where you have sufficient T-Mobile service.

Ken

Paul P. · 03-08-2023, 03:37 PM

You might take a look at the travlfi https://shop.travlfi.com/
I bought the journey 1 last year (xtr wasn't out yet), and was mostly satisfied, but would go with the XTR now as it appears to be designed more for RV streaming, where as the journey 1 was more for just an internet connection. The biggest issue was that it would most likely connect to the strongest signal, but that wasn't always the carrier with the best bandwidth. It seemed that when it connected to Verizon, there was often little or no bandwidth and I would have to restart the unit until it would connect to TMobile or ATT. It would be nice if the user could choose the carrier it connects to...don't know if that's possible with the XTR or not. The other problem I had was the unit would tend to overheat when streaming, and then would not allow charging at the same time. The Journey 1 is a very compact unit that probably wasn't originally designed for 720p streaming, but the XTR looks more like it was and hopefully has better cooling. It also appears to have attached antennas that would help with maintaining a good connection especially if trying to stream on 2 tvs at the same time. I'm just guessing based on what I see on their website and my experience with the unit I have. We travel very similar to you, 10-14 days at a time, 4-5 times per year and while the data is a little higher than other "monthly" plans, it suited me to only have to buy the data I anticipated needing and then cancelling the subscription. We have 2 ATT phones with 40gig hotspot per month as well.

mricet1005 · 03-08-2023, 03:55 PM

I use Verizon cell service both using my iPhone as a hot spot as well as I have a second line with a dedicated MiFi device. Can’t stop/start service but I travel 4-6 months per year. I’ve had good luck except some areas out west where there was no cell service. Traveling southeast this winter and have been able to stream everywhere I’ve stopped.

I’ve heard Visable ( which uses Verizon towers) is cheaper but I haven’t tried it.

Dieselboy · 03-08-2023, 03:59 PM

Can you get Tmobile Home Internet in your area? I use that for full time and also Starlink (not ideal for your desired usage). But Tmobile has worked great for us.

Nildecaf · 03-08-2023, 04:14 PM

We're full time and typically campground WiFi couldn't provide adequate bandwidth until late at night (after 10-11 pm) to allow us to stream. Not surprising given that it's a shared resource. The cellular data caps were too low to allow us to stream on a regular basis and often we couldn't get a good enough signal to reliabily stream. So we went with Startlink RV starting in Jan. But it's expensive, $600 one time plus $150/mo. You can however pause the service. The pause begins on the date of your next monthly bill. You can then restart the service any date. Happy with the service so far.

RVStitchy · 03-08-2023, 04:35 PM

We went Starlink and paid the $2,500 for an in-motion antenna. $150 per month but it can be shut off. DW does work while I drive so In Motion is needed. Her work is video intensive so we needed 800 gig per month without throttle. Downside is the antenna is fix mounted on the roof so when we are parked under a tree we do not get a signal. Just got it installed so no real experience to report.

boomersooner · 03-09-2023, 04:02 PM

I use Verizon cell service. We use my wife's phone as the hot spot for laptops and my phone for TV streaming. We have Hulu, Disney+, ESPN+ (all 3 came free with my cell plan), and we stream the LG channels that show up when the TV is online.

docj · 03-09-2023, 05:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by boomersooner

I use Verizon cell service. We use my wife's phone as the hot spot for laptops and my phone for TV streaming. We have Hulu, Disney+, ESPN+ (all 3 came free with my cell plan), and we stream the LG channels that show up when the TV is online.

I'm also a Verizon customer and I'm curious as to what plans you are using? My understanding is that most, if not all, Verizon plans have relatively low caps on high speed data used in hotspots. I think our plans have like 20-30 GB/month limits which wouldn't allow for all that much streaming. Either you don't watch much video or you've found a way around these limits.

Our20th · 03-10-2023, 06:09 AM

As previously stated T-Mobile home internet unavailable in your area would be a great choice. You are not suppose to travel with it, but many RVers do with great success. Another choice to possible consider is FMCA's Tech connect hotspot which which uses ATT. We have had great success streaming huge amounts with both.

mricet1005 · 03-10-2023, 08:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by docj

I'm also a Verizon customer and I'm curious as to what plans you are using? My understanding is that most, if not all, Verizon plans have relatively low caps on high speed data used in hotspots. I think our plans have like 20-30 GB/month limits which wouldn't allow for all that much streaming. Either you don't watch much video or you've found a way around these limits.

There are plans with varying limits. I upgraded my line for my MiFi device to have 150 GB of hotspot data. My cell phone plan does have a 30 GB hotspot limit.

**hamm2018** · 03-10-2023, 08:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by docj

I'm also a Verizon customer and I'm curious as to what plans you are using? My understanding is that most, if not all, Verizon plans have relatively low caps on high speed data used in hotspots. I think our plans have like 20-30 GB/month limits which wouldn't allow for all that much streaming. Either you don't watch much video or you've found a way around these limits.

Our MIFI Verizon Hotspot has 90 GB/month, then it is throttled back. Plus, our 2 phones for 30 GB/month.

docj · 03-10-2023, 09:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hamm2018

Our MIFI Verizon Hotspot has 90 GB/month, then it is throttled back. Plus, our 2 phones for 30 GB/month.

Depending on the framing rate, 1080p HDTV consumes 2-3 GB/hour.

Your phones and hotspot provide a monthly allowance of 150 GB which would translate to 50-75 hours of HDTV per month, minus, of course, any data used by laptops, tablets and other devices. At best that works out to about ~2 hours a day of video but many people overlook how much data can be consumed by a laptop or table simply surfing the internet. Any video you watch while doing that is still video and can quickly deplete the budget.

Your data budget is definitely workable, but it would be on the margin for many people. That's why so many folks use Starlink and similar devices with larger data budgets.