Mobile Cellular Comparison

[Loopyj]

Hi there,

I worked entirely on my computer, and am expecting to use at least 100GB/month. I know I won’t get the same quality as home WiFi, but am hoping to get something as reliable as possible. Also, I’d love to boondocks and visit the beautiful national & state parks around the country, so I know service will be tested at times.

I’ve narrowed it down to three options, and was hoping for advice and/or opinions on the setup, service provider, and equipment provider.

I’ve honed in on using either:
A) a mobile jetpack hotspot from Verizon
B) a Pepwave router with a Poynting external antenna plus their “especially for MobileMustHave” 300gb AT&T service
C) a Pepwave router with a window suction antenna and a 100gb AT&T plan with band-71. This is through MobilSat or Mobil Satellite Technologies

For my needs (uploading, downloading, video meetings, running a training website, and more various internet-necessary tasks), would any/all of the aforementioned options work well in a remote location? Could I get away with using an internal antenna, or is it well worth the internet experience to drill through the roof for an external antenna?

Also, does anyone has experience with either Mobil Must Have or MobilSat?

I would prefer option A to save money. I cannot afford to spend on a satellite setup, or know if it’s worth it with how much cellular has advanced.

Thank you for taking the time to read through this. Any advice is appreciated.

Kindly,
Logan

[Nwcid]

You are dealing with several different issues.

First is boondocking. This is how we travel mostly. Service can be very hit and miss. We have had to change plans from some of the locations we wanted to visit since I telework. We typically move on Friday (my day off) so that we have 2-3 days to find alternate locations if there is no service at our primary destination.

While I do have an external antenna, and it does help, you still have to be in an area that has service for it to work. Many of the National and State parks are in remote places with very limited service at best.

My job involves lots of virtual meetings and transferring medium size files. While this is going on I am usually streaming music and my wife is streaming TV. Then whenever we are not out riding we are streaming TV. I have never looked to see how much data we use, but it is a fair amount.


Currently I only have 1 carrier, ATT. I use an IFWA-40 with external antenna to receive the cellular connection. I am using a regular phone SIM card and pay ~$40. This is an "unlimited" but may throttle plan. Throttling is very rare in remote areas as it is likely not congested. In 2 years, if I have been throttled I have not known it. I do have a fall back and that is a truly unlimited ATT phone plan that also has network priority, First Net.

Our biggest problem is areas with slow service. I have my IFWA-40 wired to a WIFI Ranger Aspen router so that the WIFI range is longer but also it allows you to combine signals. I know there are other products out there that do the same/similar things. Often times in areas of slow speeds I am able to combine the IFWA-40 with my phone hotspot and my work phone hotspot to get enough speed.

To have even more reliable service you need plans from more than one carrier. I have looked at Verizon plans a bit, but unless something has changed they automatically throttle you once you hit your data limit.

[vseasport]

Originally Posted by Nwcid

You are dealing with several different issues.

First is boondocking. This is how we travel mostly. Service can be very hit and miss. We have had to change plans from some of the locations we wanted to visit since I telework. We typically move on Friday (my day off) so that we have 2-3 days to find alternate locations if there is no service at our primary destination.

While I do have an external antenna, and it does help, you still have to be in an area that has service for it to work. Many of the National and State parks are in remote places with very limited service at best.

My job involves lots of virtual meetings and transferring medium size files. While this is going on I am usually streaming music and my wife is streaming TV. Then whenever we are not out riding we are streaming TV. I have never looked to see how much data we use, but it is a fair amount.


Currently I only have 1 carrier, ATT. I use an IFWA-40 with external antenna to receive the cellular connection. I am using a regular phone SIM card and pay ~$40. This is an "unlimited" but may throttle plan. Throttling is very rare in remote areas as it is likely not congested. In 2 years, if I have been throttled I have not known it. I do have a fall back and that is a truly unlimited ATT phone plan that also has network priority, First Net.

Our biggest problem is areas with slow service. I have my IFWA-40 wired to a WIFI Ranger Aspen router so that the WIFI range is longer but also it allows you to combine signals. I know there are other products out there that do the same/similar things. Often times in areas of slow speeds I am able to combine the IFWA-40 with my phone hotspot and my work phone hotspot to get enough speed.

To have even more reliable service you need plans from more than one carrier. I have looked at Verizon plans a bit, but unless something has changed they automatically throttle you once you hit your data limit.

Wow! I enjoyed that read. Thank you.

[rream]

Originally Posted by vseasport

Wow! I enjoyed that read. Thank you.

Verizon has increased their plans I have 100 GB for $90 per month - I have connected in several cities a t 5G, if you are a vet take 15% off that





Access to our high-speed 5G Ultra Wideband, with massive capacity and near zero lag, giving you our ultimate in performance. 5G Ultra Wideband available only in parts of select cities; requires a 5G Ultra Wideband-capable device.

[tetranz]

Originally Posted by Loopyj

C) a Pepwave router with a window suction antenna and a 100gb AT&T plan with band-71. This is through MobilSat or Mobil Satellite Technologies

I think only T-Mobile uses band 71. It's a good idea to have a router and antenna that covers band 71 in case you want to use T-Mobile but as far as I know, band 71 won't help you on AT&T.

Do you mean the 100 GB plan here? https://www.mobilsat.com/rv-internet-data-plans/

Why on earth would someone pay $189 per month for 100 GB ($159 if you pay for six months) when you can get 100 GB direct from AT&T for $55? https://www.att.com/prepaid/mobile-hotspot-tablet/ Am I misunderstanding something here?

I know nothing about MobileSat. They look professional enough and present a good story but at the end of the day, they're still just a reseller as far as I can tell so those prices are pretty high compared to other resellers. I'm talking about their LTE cellular plans. I don't know anything about satellite.

[lemodrop9344]

Loopyj,
I am a full timer & work/travel from my RV. The work functions I perform over the internet are very similar in scope to what you outlined.
I went full time, 12/2019, thinking, between the CAT-6 cellular modem installed in my high end laptop, RV park provided WIFI, & the included data hotspot GB's on my Verizon cellular plan I would be OK. In total, I had over 100 GB's a month. I very quickly realized, reliable internet connectivity was more important than how much data you had at your disposal.
After several false starts with cellular/WIFI signal boosters & supplemental antennas, I decided to bite the bullet & look for a more robust solution.
As others have indicated, boon docking, national & state parks, WIFI & cellular service & internet connectivity don't go hand in hand. You need to adjust & adapt so you can accomplish your work. Multiple carriers are highly suggested. AT&T, Verizon & T-Mobile are generally recognized as top tier providers. And, sometimes there is just no adequate signal available.

I ended up acquiring a Peplink CAT-18 from Mobile Must Have. At the time I made my purchase (5/2019), you could call them & actually talk to a person. Since that time, I am of the opinion there customer support is somewhat lacking. The product is great, their support does not go much further than generic basic setup. I have found the Peplink users forum to be more than helpful in assisting me when I need help on some of the more involved functions with the device.

Presently, I have data only plans from AT&T (primary) & Verizon (secondary). If RV park WIFI is available, I route it through the Peplink device & use the RV park WIFI for streaming media & as failover if I can not get a cellular signal from either AT&T or Verizon.
PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING: At the present time Peplink 5G devices have not yet been certified for all devices. Encourage you to research the status of 5G & the underling hardware technology available now.
While I have an external antenna for the Peplink, I have yet to install it. I seriously question if my reception will be significantly better than what I have with the paddle antennas based on what I've read in various reviews.

The Peplink devices have a very intuitive UI with all sorts of options to tailor the device to your needs. Installation & setup (with the correct data plans & SIMs) is very simple with the default settings.

The UI contains a STATUS tab where you can track your data consumption through the device real time, hourly, daily & monthly by discrete cellular connection or discrete WIFI connection.
On average, I consume right around 100 GB's of data a month associated with my work activities. Media consumption, (Netflix, Prime, Hulu, etc.) can significantly increase data consumption. To support my media fix when I can't get a good WIFI signal, or, I choose not to use my cellular data, I have a NAS with Plex installed on it (stored media) as well as multiple HDD USB cube with media.
Good luck in your search. If I can be of assistance, feel free to PM me through this forum.

[johnhicks]

FWIW I found that external antennae made a tremendous difference compared to the paddles with my Pepwave BR1. Also I used LMR-400 coax.

[CWSWine]

Originally Posted by tetranz

I think only T-Mobile uses band 71. It's a good idea to have a router and antenna that covers band 71 in case you want to use T-Mobile but as far as I know, band 71 won't help you on AT&T.

Do you mean the 100 GB plan here? https://www.mobilsat.com/rv-internet-data-plans/

Why on earth would someone pay $189 per month for 100 GB ($159 if you pay for six months) when you can get 100 GB direct from AT&T for $55? https://www.att.com/prepaid/mobile-hotspot-tablet/ Am I misunderstanding something here?

I know nothing about MobileSat. They look professional enough and present a good story but at the end of the day, they're still just a reseller as far as I can tell so those prices are pretty high compared to other resellers. I'm talking about their LTE cellular plans. I don't know anything about satellite.

I don't understand some people logic. They want 249.00 for a 500GB plan on T-Mobile and FMCA sells a unlimited plan for 49.99 on a month to month and being able to pause it for 14.99. I put over 1700 GB in one month on the plan without a slow down.

[lemodrop9344]

Originally Posted by CWSWine

I don't understand some people logic. They want 249.00 for a 500GB plan on T-Mobile and FMCA sells a unlimited plan for 49.99 on a month to month and being able to pause it for 14.99. I put over 1700 GB in one month on the plan without a slow down.

Without a doubt, the FMCA Sprint/T-Mobile plan seems to be a fantastic deal with unlimited data at one's disposal.

However, for many of us, there are other considerations in play based on our hardware/network configurations.
Sometimes you need a data plan that will work with hardware that allows you to accomplish more than a carrier provided hot spot will support.

I would certainly agree there are better data only plan options available than $249.00/mos for 500GB.

[BillJinOR]

Since your serious and absolutely need internet you should look to specialist who follow this topic.
Someone like mobile internet resource center. Aka rv mobile internet.com. The paid 1year membership gives access to the latest including reviews on the services you are looking at. You can look around and get a lot of info for free.
In our 5 years ft we have found internet has been a moving target as plans come and go and great offers are gone ( but grandfathered ) before the general public even knows they were offered. We have been well served by following those and acting quickly.
We use both att and Verizon unlimited plans , both of which aren’t available now. We don’t use an outdoor antenna. Just the hotspots with a indoor suction cup window mount mimo panel and only then very rarely as the hotspots normally get good service without. We do have a single point router that I connect to whichever hotspot is best so I don’t have to constantly change all the things connected to the internet like all the printers TV’s , Alexa , WiFi lights cameras etc. 5 years and we always have , with little exception had service. My DW has daily zoom calls and meetings plus we now stream all our tv.

[TechWriter]

Originally Posted by lemodrop9344

I would certainly agree there are better data only plan options available than $249.00/mos for 500GB.

Like what?

[tetranz]

Originally Posted by TechWriter

Like what?

I've been collecting reseller links for a year or so. Here's a random few in no particular order. I'm not necessarily recommending any of them but ...

https://www.mobilemusthave.com/Cellu...lans_c_12.html
https://www.lastmileinternet.com
https://www.viperbroadband.com
https://www.i3mobile.us
https://bixwireless.com

Also slightly different but ...
https://calyxinstitute.org/membership/internet
https://www.fmca.com/index.php/rv-wifi.html

A lot of people here seem to be pretty happy with the FMCA plan.

[lemodrop9344]

Originally Posted by TechWriter

Like what?

Let's take this comment in the context it was submitted
The original poster indicated he would need 100 GB a month. Don't know where the $240.00/mos for 500 GB price came from, but, I suspect it's from a reseller some where.

At that price point ($249.00/mos), one should be able to obtain multiple SIMs, possibly from different carriers, that should easily exceed the 100 GB a month the poster said he required. From my perspective, that is a better option for the poster than the $249.00/mos for 500 GB from one carrier.

I suspect most people using the internet to support their business have a set of hardware & software requirements needed to be productive. What is a productive setup for me may not work out for someone else.

[TechWriter]

Originally Posted by tetranz

I've been collecting reseller links for a year or so. Here's a random few in no particular order. I'm not necessarily recommending any of them but ...

https://www.mobilemusthave.com/Cellu...lans_c_12.html
https://www.lastmileinternet.com
https://www.viperbroadband.com
https://www.i3mobile.us
https://bixwireless.com

Also slightly different but ...
https://calyxinstitute.org/membership/internet
https://www.fmca.com/index.php/rv-wifi.html

A lot of people here seem to be pretty happy with the FMCA plan.

What networks are each of the above using? Otherwise, it's just a lot of marketing hype.