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Old 09-13-2020, 07:29 PM   #43
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Originally Posted by lemodrop9344 View Post
.
If there is a way to keep from being timed out, I would like to know it.
If I have to write a longer post, I do it in Word or equivalent, and once it's done I copy and paste it into the forum reply window. Easy Peasy.
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Old 09-13-2020, 07:43 PM   #44
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Type it as a Word document and cut and paste it into the discussion.
Oops, I didn't see your response before I typed mine!
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Old 09-13-2020, 07:57 PM   #45
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The first two websites mentioned in responses are the best places to go for unbiased information from RVers to RVers. They do not sell plans or equipment. Beyond that, it is how much money can you afford to spend on hardware improvements (antenna, router, etc.) and which provider works in areas where you intend to travel.

We have two smartphones: on Verizon and AT&T plans. The FMCA unlimited plan for members is good, but of course it really is NOT unlimited because speed drops so you get mad and throw the computer across the room. Jetpacks are simple and cheap enough to have on board always.


[QUOTE=TamPham;5420307]Hi,
We finally pulled the plug and bought our RV. I'm intending to take my kids on an epic (hopefully!) RV adventure next year as we try "remote schooling"
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Old 09-14-2020, 02:34 AM   #46
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Do not think for a minute that you will have 10 hours per day internet for a uninterrupted conference call. You can have 2 or 3 carriers but if. I cell service they are all moot.
Not sure where you are traveling from or.to but there are places here in the states that you loose cell and gps signals.
150 plus GB is.a lot of data. You are not not he only one trying to get connected so your system will have to compete with others and this will slow you down. I do not believe a 10 GB video conference call on a daily basis is realistic.
Many of campgrounds WIFI can't handle the volume of traffic their campsites generate so you can rely on this avenue of approach.
Regardless if what a salesmen (or other camper) tells you there is no unlimited fast data plans. They are all subject to some data cap that when it gets reached it makes for an unusable experience. The older legacy data plans did have unlimited data but unless you already have one not much good to you.
I have been full time RVing since 2008 and my wife requires high data thru put so i have been around the block on mobile data. It is now a tough and expensive nut to crack. Hopefully the new technology can help us - Starlink or 5G.
Good luck.
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Old 09-14-2020, 06:27 AM   #47
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I am attempting to recreate our home internet for the road! A mobile home office. We can compromise on locations -- like stay just outside of national parks rather than inside, so as to access better cellular coverage.
But what's not negotiable is internet usage. If I can't figure this out, my husband won't be coming with us (since he has to work). So I really appreciate you chiming in. He's on video conferencing calls via Chime or Zoom about 10 hours a day with multiple participants. The rest of us...we need internet but if we don't have it, it's fine because the kids' classes are recorded, so we can access later when we get internet..
I'm confused by this comment. Is this a necessary trip, or are you and the kids just looking to get away, even if your husband/kids father can't go with you?
A few of the questions I would be asking....
1) Is how much is this going to cost for the internet we need, and how reliable will it be?
2) Do we really need to do this now, or can/should we postpone it until a later date, when Starlink or other future options will be available, and we can do it then as a family?
3) How is this going to work for the family if hubby/dad stays at home working, and we are traveling without him?
4) Is everybody on board with this plan, or should we reevaluate it, because it's not a viable option at this time, because of cost, reliability, and breaking up the family unit to travel now rather than postponing it until a later date?
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Old 09-14-2020, 06:46 AM   #48
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We wanted something small and nimble, with 6 seat belts, so the smallest was the Minnie Winnie 26T. Very excited!
This quote concerns me as well.
It sounds like you have 4 children, which is why you need 6 seat belts.
Have you really thought as much about how this will work, as you have about your internet needs, with all of you on the road, for an "epic" trip and adventure, as you originally described it, in a Minnie Winnie 26T?

Just from experience, there were times a 30 foot RV was too small for just the two of us, adding in several children, over an extended period of time, would no longer have been an enjoyable trip or vacation, and only would have been "epic" for all the wrong reasons!
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Old 09-14-2020, 06:46 AM   #49
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Hi tetranz, I have a visible plan with verizon. Mine cost me 40 a month. How did you get yours for 25 a month? I have the so-called unlimited data as well. Thanks!
As someone else said, it's the party plan. You get $5 off for every other member up to a maximum "party" of four. The other people can be complete strangers. You don't have any interaction and everyone is responsible for their own bill. It's a silly pyramid like marketing thing.

There are places online like https://www.reddit.com/r/VisiblePartyPay/ where you can join a party easily. That's what I did but a word of caution. I've only had it for a couple months and twice now I've joined a party and then been surprised when I was charged $40. That's because the other party members left or didn't pay that month. I guess you need to check from time to time, especially before billing time. Of course, if possible, find three people you know who will let you know if they leave.

For all its limitations, Visible is a pretty good deal if you can get it for $25.
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Old 09-14-2020, 10:08 AM   #50
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Do not think for a minute that you will have 10 hours per day internet for a uninterrupted conference call. You can have 2 or 3 carriers but if. I cell service they are all moot.
Not sure where you are traveling from or.to but there are places here in the states that you loose cell and gps signals.
150 plus GB is.a lot of data. You are not the only one trying to get connected so your system will have to compete with others and this will slow you down. I do not believe a 10 GB video conference call on a daily basis is realistic.
Many of campgrounds WIFI can't handle the volume of traffic their campsites generate so you can rely on this avenue of approach.
Regardless if what a salesmen (or other camper) tells you there is no unlimited fast data plans. They are all subject to some data cap that when it gets reached it makes for an unusable experience. The older legacy data plans did have unlimited data but unless you already have one not much good to you.
I have been full time RVing since 2008 and my wife requires high data thru put so i have been around the block on mobile data. It is now a tough and expensive nut to crack. Hopefully the new technology can help us - Starlink or 5G.
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Originally Posted by TheKODude View Post
Good luck.
I would respectfully disagree with the following part of your assessment.
'Do not think for a minute that you will have 10 hours per day internet for an uninterrupted conference call.'
There are a great many variables involved, not the least of which is bandwidth available, signal strength, and equipment.
As with all things in life, tradeoffs & compromises are necessary. With the right equipment, proper trip planning and site selection, 10 hours a day of bandwidth to support video conference calling is entirely doable. I supported that position by posting a log with data usage showing it could be done.
Has anyone on this forum ever been on a 10 hour ‘uninterrupted conference call’ over the internet, on a telephone or even in person? Can anyone on this forum even imagine being on a 10 hour ‘uninterrupted conference call’ for several consecutive days? I think the point the original poster was trying to make is, ‘they require a lot of data usage’.
The following are the requirements for ZOOM video conferencing:
For 1:1 video calling:
  • 600kbps (up/down) for high quality video
  • 1.2 Mbps (up/down) for 720p HD video
  • Receiving 1080p HD video requires 1.8 Mbps (up/down)
  • Sending 1080p HD video requires 1.8 Mbps (up/down)
For group video calling:
  • 800kbps/1.0Mbps (up/down) for high quality video
  • For gallery view and/or 720p HD video: 1.5Mbps/1.5Mbps (up/down)
  • Receiving 1080p HD video requires 2.5mbps (up/down)
  • Sending 1080p HD video requires 3.0 Mbps (up/down)
The speeds referenced by ZOOM should be easily attainable almost anywhere you have a cellular signal or WIFI signal that is not overloaded with users.
The poster was looking for possible solutions. Let’s try & help her/him out instead of suggesting it can’t be done. I would submit it can be done.
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Old 09-14-2020, 10:24 AM   #51
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Hi tetranz, I have a visible plan with verizon. Mine cost me 40 a month. How did you get yours for 25 a month? I have the so-called unlimited data as well. Thanks!
You get a multiuser plan in which each added user drops the price by $5 per line until you hit 4 @ $25/month/line, each independently charged, and paid for. Or you can simply get 4 phone lines altogether, and pay $25/line/month for $100/month/4 lines. I'd use the extra line for the MoFi4500, which uses the SIM card out of one of the phones for true free unlimited and uncapped service.
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Old 09-14-2020, 10:57 AM   #52
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Sell the RV and find a nice short term apartment in each city as you travel around the world by air.

Otherwise when you find this plan, let me know.
150 - 175 GB per month is not pie in the sky kind of numbers which I think you're implying. Plenty of people seem to be doing upwards of 400 GB/month on reseller plans without too much trouble.

The thing with reseller plans is that you don't know how reliable they are day to day, if the reseller might go out of business or the carrier gets upset with them or whatever. There are plenty of stories of "this suddenly stopped working and they had to send me a new SIM" kind of thing. The answer to that of course is to have two of them and hopefully they won't both have issues at the same time. It all comes down to how important it is to you and how much you want to spend but it is doable with some ingenuity, planning and compromise without spending a fortune.

Then there are people who seem to be getting away with lots of data by putting a phone plan in a router . And then there's Visible.
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Old 09-14-2020, 01:02 PM   #53
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MoFi4500, Yagi dipole, and a mast

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Originally Posted by TamPham View Post
Hi,

We finally pulled the plug and bought our RV. I'm intending to take my kids on an epic (hopefully!) RV adventure next year as we try "remote schooling" and "work from road". We need fast and reliable internet 25/7 and plan to camp in National Parks/Forests and State Parks campgrounds. Any advice for us in terms of internet setup? Both equipment (WiFi and cellular) and plans? (my husband alone uses about 150-175 GB a month for work)

Thanks in advance! Excited to be here!

p.s. we don't need internet while driving, only while we're parked.
From all the research I've done, the best solution is the one that works for you! For me, the best choice is the MoFi4500 router with built in WiFi that uses a dipole antenna for best reception, especially when used with a proper mast like this one. Of course you'll need a SIM card from a cell phone to operate it. Best cell phone plan out there at this point in time would be the Visible plan from Verizon. Cheap, fast, and effective. No gotchas that I've been able to ascertain, but YMMV as with all things. Good luck, and safe'n'happy travels!
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Old 09-14-2020, 04:03 PM   #54
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From all the research I've done, the best solution is the one that works for you! For me, the best choice is the MoFi4500 router with built in WiFi that uses a dipole antenna for best reception, especially when used with a proper mast like this one. Of course you'll need a SIM card from a cell phone to operate it. Best cell phone plan out there at this point in time would be the Visible plan from Verizon. Cheap, fast, and effective. No gotchas that I've been able to ascertain, but YMMV as with all things. Good luck, and safe'n'happy travels!
By all means give that a go and enjoy it while you can but YMMV is definitely true. It's not really a "no gotchas" solution. A router is not an approved device for Visible. I know people are doing it and it seems to be working but abusing a $25 prepaid plan seems like a prime candidate to be shut down. As I understand it, that's basically what happened with the AT&T $25 prepaid iPad plan that lots of people were using in routers until about six months ago before I had an RV and took an interest in this.

I can't criticize anyone for putting a phone plan in a router because I'm doing the same thing with more expensive postpaid plans from AT&T and T-Mobile. Maybe I should feel silly for spending more money that I need to .

Anyway, I might be wrong but I suspect that the Visible SIM in a router party will come to an end sooner than later.

A maybe safer way of using Visible is to use it in a phone as a hotspot but use a router with "Wi-Fi as WAN" capability so it can provide the internet connection for your local network. That might still be against the T&Cs but probably much less likely to be shut down since the phone is probably an approved device.
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Old 09-14-2020, 04:26 PM   #55
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My information is that Starlink--when it does roll out--will cost about $85 a month. Think I got that info from the Starlink website. So, it's still not cheap to get internet in your coach.
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Old 09-14-2020, 04:43 PM   #56
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What I came up with is a company called mobilemusthave.com.
Now what can be easier????
Mobilemusthave is great, the only caveat is that their unlimited data plan costs $1,440 a year. Most folks are looking for that kind of connectivity for less than half that amount.
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