Community Forums

stik · 10-08-2014, 09:25 AM

To the folks complaining about not being able to stream IN RV PARKS: WiFi is a means to connect to Broadband Access. Any of you have any idea of what the cost would be to provide Broadband bandwidth necessary to allow every site in a park access? I don't, but I know it would be very expensive, pretty close to what you pay for Broadband at home, thus raising the cost of the spot you rent.
Jeff, and others, have, or can obtain, a method but don't want to pay for it, they want it provided FREE by the RV Park.

lymanlouis · 10-08-2014, 10:13 AM

Seems to me that every hotel I've been in for the past five years has had excellent wifi, either free or at a small extra charge ($10 or so). The RV parks that advertise FREE wifi only to provide largely inaccessible, worse than dial up, service are worse than not providing the service at all.

It is possible. It does cost money. It's worth it to me to have good connectivity even if it means an increase in the daily charge. But don't tell me you're providing a free service and then not effectively provide it.

CampDaven · 10-08-2014, 11:04 AM

I suggest that all RV park reviews should include "wifi streaming Y/N", just like "big rig accessable Y/N", etc.
While I sit by my campfire and gaze up to count stars, I will be so very comforted that the Free-Streamers are in another place and paying more (as in not free).
If folks boycott the CGs that dont have streaming, they will probably be at home a lot.
I have said it before: Want streaming? Bring it with you!
Technology may eventually catch up in campgrounds, but I wouldnt hold my breath! I doubt that anyone really feels better by pounding their fists until they turn pink, and I have no doubt that most folks do not fight the futility, they just buy their own capability and enjoy it.

tanstaafl · 10-08-2014, 11:15 AM

Or just do without. I stare at computer monitors for 40+ hours every week - unplugging allows me to reconnect with my family and friends.

docj · 10-08-2014, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tanstaafl

Or just do without. I stare at computer monitors for 40+ hours every week - unplugging allows me to reconnect with my family and friends.

That may be acceptable if you use your RV for weekend recreation. It is totally unacceptable for us since we live full-time in our ours.

bobandshaz · 10-08-2014, 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MandG-Fun

If you search the forum for "campground WiFi" you will have a year's worth of reading and won't have to worry about bandwidth usage watching Netflix

. Not trying to be a smart-aleck, but there are hundreds or thousands of opinions, comments and thoughts already on the subject.

Still reading and we have Verizon's unlimited 4g.

CampDaven · 10-08-2014, 05:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by docj

That may be acceptable if you use your RV for weekend recreation. It is totally unacceptable for us since we live full-time in our ours.

We are also F/T. And I stream using a service I paid for. I can never complain!
In my last 3 years of F/T, rare is the CG where their wifi will stream or where streaming is not blocked. So, I guess they are lying when they advertise wifi. Folks can complain, not go there, or buy a service, IMHO!

docj · 10-08-2014, 06:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CampDaven

We are also F/T. And I stream using a service I paid for. I can never complain!
In my last 3 years of F/T, rare is the CG where their wifi will stream or where streaming is not blocked. So, I guess they are lying when they advertise wifi. Folks can complain, not go there, or buy a service, IMHO!

Don't get me wrong; I have a Verizon unlimited account and hardly ever use CG wifi. But that doesn't change my opinion of parks that would like to claim they have wifi without making any serious investment. The average weekender/vacationer RVer has to rely on CG wifi and they are getting a raw deal from many RV parks.

RCG604 · 10-08-2014, 07:25 PM

If you advertize a product then deliver the product. The problem here with wifi is there are so many variables. If the wifi that is provided is just enough to check email and surf a little then say that and be honest. I understand that setting up a park to be able to stream while using the wifi is a large investment. Then just set your rates accordingly, if you want wifi capable of streaming then its XX dollars additional. Give the Rv the choice of what they want.

Being a new fulltimer I have my own system and don't depend on parks wifi but it would be nice sometimes to save a few mb's if they have a good wifi system.

So in my opinion it's a matter of advertizing the product as you are going to deliver it.

CampDaven · 10-08-2014, 09:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by docj

Don't get me wrong; I have a Verizon unlimited account and hardly ever use CG wifi. But that doesn't change my opinion of parks that would like to claim they have wifi without making any serious investment. The average weekender/vacationer RVer has to rely on CG wifi and they are getting a raw deal from many RV parks.

You have no problem, like me. We have "paid" solutions.
As I see it, families that are on vacation or week ending generally have not much time for Streaming. They are too busy being family and too tired at the end of a fine family day to care about a download. I see these young folk around campfires and giving their kids new experiences in life that have no connection to wifi.
If they are not the nature and exploring type, I would bet they are tech-savy and have their own streaming gadget. They are pretty smart, ya know?
You have yours. I have mine. Why not let the young folk do their own thing?
Pretty simple, me thinks!

docj · 10-09-2014, 05:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CampDaven

You have no problem, like me. We have "paid" solutions.
As I see it, families that are on vacation or week ending generally have not much time for Streaming. They are too busy being family and too tired at the end of a fine family day to care about a download. I see these young folk around campfires and giving their kids new experiences in life that have no connection to wifi.

You clearly have no understanding of the kinds of activities families and kids engage in these days. You make it sound as if "streaming" is a specific activity and involves a "download". Both concepts are incorrect. You may envision them around a campfire and assume that they are free from electronics but I will bet you that most are not.

The parents will have already posted the days happenings on Facebook as will the older children. All will have watched the latest fun videos on FB posted by their friends. The children may have been playing interactive games with each other and friends elsewhere. And after the campfire is over all of them will go inside and curl up watching a movie being streamed (not downloaded) from Netflix.

These activities are part of family's lives these days and they don't change just because they are camping. You and others are trying to retain a paradigm that is outdated and no longer is relevant to most people. Yes, the days of sitting around the campfire with our children when they were growing up were fun, but for many those days and that sort of behavior no longer exist.

**CLIFFTALL** · 10-09-2014, 05:55 AM

Sad but very true.

vraines · 10-09-2014, 07:55 AM

I am one of those ancient types, but depend heavily on reliable fast internet service at home and on the road. I am pretty tech savvy, but struggle to use services that deliver what they advertise in speed and quality and good rural access across the country, not just along a few interstate highways. I doubt if I would be willing to pay a campground operator a premium rate for Internet service after I have already made an investment for mobile service that I trust. I understand why an operator might be reluctant to make this investment even though the initial cost might seem quite low as mentioned above. I will use a dirty word, so please excuse me. "SUPPORT". These systems that are relatively inexpensive initially require and a lot of it, 24/7. And that stuff is expensive! I apologize for using that dirty word, but it is a fact of life.

Boeing Guy · 10-09-2014, 08:08 AM

WIFI, streaming, and data usage keeps getting cheaper and more accessible all the time. I hear a lot of "my internet usage is OK", but "your internet usage is being hoggish."
The world is a changing. Most people are no longer happy with "dial up" type speeds, and many people use the internet for other things than checking email. If a CG advertises free internet, then they should expect that each camper will use it differently and in a manner that meets their needs. If I can't stream video, your free internet is of NO value to me. If you have free VHS tapes for check out, they are of NO value to me. So throw away the VHS tapes, and invest in internet that works for all your customers or expect people to spend their dollars elsewhere.