Streaming for new rv owner

[Baggz]

What is the best way to stream in your opinion while staying in the rv? mobile hotspot, router, etc? New to owning an rv and looking for different options. Thanks

[OldBaldFat]

Starlink Pro

Everything at some point will have reception issues.

There are really only two choices - Starlink or Cell Phone/ Tower plans.

Now, where you will be - maybe one is better.

At my long term base near Lake Whitney, TX - we can have high speed fiber to the pedestal. Which I don't pay for. I use a cell hotspot. Just my choice to have that when I travel and I don't want to change methods if I'm on the road.

That level of connectivity is not common.

Note:

RV Park WiFi is basically useless. Just imagine how much bandwidth 50 RVs need to give everyone a decent speed. A lot of remote places don't have the phone lines or cable available to support 50 RVs.

[blueridge-fl]

Originally Posted by OldBaldFat

Starlink Pro

Everything at some point will have reception issues.

There are really only two choices - Starlink or Cell Phone/ Tower plans.

Now, where you will be - maybe one is better.

At my long term base near Lake Whitney, TX - we can have high speed fiber to the pedestal. Which I don't pay for. I use a cell hotspot. Just my choice to have that when I travel and I don't want to change methods if I'm on the road.

That level of connectivity is not common.

Note:

RV Park WiFi is basically useless. Just imagine how much bandwidth 50 RVs need to give everyone a decent speed. A lot of remote places don't have the phone lines or cable available to support 50 RVs.

The other issue with Park WiFi is that I don't want to have to enter yet another new network into our devices and TVs every time we switch parks. We use a prepaid AT&T hotspot and a Starlink roam plan. Either one can lay dormant (zero cost to us) when we don't need it so we can choose which one we use depending on circumstances. The AT&T hotspot we picked up for about 50 bucks at Walmart and we pay $55 for 100gig for a month.

[Jim A]

Originally Posted by blueridge-fl

The other issue with Park WiFi is that I don't want to have to enter yet another new network into our devices and TVs every time we switch parks. We use a prepaid AT&T hotspot and a Starlink roam plan. Either one can lay dormant (zero cost to us) when we don't need it so we can choose which one we use depending on circumstances. The AT&T hotspot we picked up for about 50 bucks at Walmart and we pay $55 for 100gig for a month.

I use a GL.iNet travel router as a repeater to create a local area network in my coach. All of my devices connect to this router, some via Wifi and some via Ethernet cable. I can connect the travel router to repeat my Starlink router, my Mifi hot spot, or even a campground Wifi system. I only change one device, the travel router, which is an easy change. My tablets, phones, TV, streaming devices, etc. don't need to be changed. All stay connected to the same LAN.

[litzdog911]

You really can't beat Starlink.

[PS89]

Originally Posted by litzdog911

You really can't beat Starlink.

Until you park under a big tree...

[92LandYacht]

Originally Posted by litzdog911

You really can't beat Starlink.

You sure can if you're nested in trees. Personally I use a T-Mobile hotspot most of the time and have not found a reason so far to use anything else. I'll be picking up a Starlink V3 standard dish just in case though. Keep it paused until then.

[MacDaddy1111]

Originally Posted by Baggz

What is the best way to stream in your opinion while staying in the rv? mobile hotspot, router, etc? New to owning an rv and looking for different options. Thanks

.
If you running up and down east coast and you have t-mobile or verizon get their home internet.
Going to middle of no where, starlink is the ticket.
.
I mainly use tmobile at 25 dollars a month in our rig.
Have starlink in a bag if I need it but haven't used it in years.

[mg2016]

Starlink mini. Buy small tripod, can't get any easier. The mini has router built into the antenna. Find a open spot and plug into 110 power...done. No need to run wire into RV. I have used in state parks under full tree cover.

[Jim A]

Originally Posted by mg2016

Starlink mini. Buy small tripod, can't get any easier. The mini has router built into the antenna. Find a open spot and plug into 110 power...done. No need to run wire into RV. I have used in state parks under full tree cover.

X2. I bought a tripod where I can attach a kettlebell weight to keep it stable in the wind.

[TravelSolo]

Only twice have I had no cell coverage via my hotspot. It does have external antenna ports and I do use a pair of yagi type antenna on a flagpole when needed, but my 4G Verizon hotspot lets me stream and even have Teams calls for work. I do use my phone for the audio portion when possible though.

30gb gets me about 2 weeks with 720p streaming via a Roku in the mornings and in the evenings until bed.

So it all depends on how much you want to spend for hardware, how much for the plan/usage and how much bandwidth your need at any given moment and how much monthly data you need.

[Melungeon]

There's a lot of "it depends" for your question. How often do you camp and for how long at a time, where do you camp, how much data do you need, etc.

As mentioned before, your only choices are Starlink, a cell based system, or whatever the campground might offer. The campground offerings are highly variable and not always so reliable. Starlink data is pretty expensive, but I have read they now have a pause option for the mobile service when not in use. There are a wide variety of cell based options in a wide price range. Cell service isn't always so good in some areas of the country.

For personal reasons, I refuse to do business with Starlink, at least for now. I believe one of the most versatile systems is one of the cell based routers; some now have places for 2 or more sim cards. This allows you to have sims from different carriers and the router will default to the carrier that has strongest signal wherever you are. Of course this means you have to pay subscriptions to each carrier. There are numerous exterior cell booster antennas available with sometimes questionable effectiveness if you find you need it.

I would recommend a couple of websites: MobileMustHaves.com, and Mobile Internet Resource Center. They have many helpful videos and articles covering both hardware and data plans.