Community Forums

smiller · 10-09-2014, 08:25 AM

It should be noted again that 'should I be able to stream' and 'can I stream' are two different questions. Regardless of how one feels about the first question the reality is that if you try to stream video on a shared system with insufficient bandwidth you will likely impact service for other users, and in the end no one will be served. The fact that you 'should' be able to do it is irrelevant.

wmckinley · 10-09-2014, 08:38 AM

In reference to the op's original question.

I have AT&T cell and stream via a hotspot to my Roku and Sony DVD system without any issues other than cell service availability and data usage.

Also have a Wilson cell amp to improve cell service and use satellite when possible.

I don't use cg wifi for security reasons. Personal choice.

CampDaven · 10-09-2014, 11:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeffreys

I have had difficulty in many parks trying to stram Netflix via Roku on RV park Wifis. I wasn't sure if it was the fact that the parks block streaming, or, what the issue is. I was wondering if others have encountered this problem and if so, is there a solution ? I was thinking perhaps using a virtual hotspot in between Roku and the RV wifi to circumvent the problem. Example...connect the virtual hotspot to the rv wifi and connect Roku to the virtual hotspot. Has anyone attempted this ? I have 30 gigs of Verizon now. However, don't want to eat it all up watching netflixs. Would like to use rv wifi when possible.

Your original post only indicated your ire for not having good free wifi. No reference to weekenders or vacationers. You asked if there is a solution. Many have been provided.
In my experience, the younger crowd is quite tech savy and usually brings their own. But they are usually too motivated with sights, biking, hiking, fishing, etc.
We must be young at heart. We are out with the young ones.
Happy trails!

nothermark · 10-09-2014, 05:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by docj

I totally agree. Campgrounds, as a group, hide behind the statement that "we're too rural" to get adequate internet, when many of them are located close enough to population centers where this would not be an issue.

I had a friend of mine who works for a telephone company price out the cost of multiple T3 lines if they were to be located in the distant suburbs of a major metro area. He came up with costs that were <$1000/mo for two lines. That may sound like a lot but if you have a park with 100 sites you have 3000 "site rental nights" per month. Even with a 50% occupancy rate that works out to be ~$0.67 per site per night. So for less than a dollar a night you could afford to provide all sites from a 90 Mbps internet pipe.

The problem is that many RV park owners are trapped in outdated paradigms in which they value a cable TV connection as more important than high quality internet. I'll bet that many of them are paying as much or more for the very limited cable TV that is found at most parks. Divert that same money to providing high quality internet and they could have a marketing discriminator.

The problem is that a T3 is ~ 45 MB so 2 T3 lines would provide ~0.9 MB per site for 100 sites. Better than dialup but not even close to enough to stream HD movies. In much of the country it would also entail an 12 month charge for ~ 6 months of season with only 3 months running near full occupancy.

docj · 10-09-2014, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nothermark

The problem is that a T3 is ~ 45 MB so 2 T3 lines would provide ~0.9 MB per site for 100 sites. Better than dialup but not even close to enough to stream HD movies. In much of the country it would also entail an 12 month charge for ~ 6 months of season with only 3 months running near full occupancy.

Your simplistic analysis would be correct if and only if every site wanted to stream at the same time. I did my cost analysis with an assumed 50% capacity in use. With 50 sites in use that would provide ~1.8Mbps even using your approach. That is more than sufficient for SD streaming and close to what is needed for HD. In reality not all sites would want to stream at the same time and the actual throughput level would be significantly greater.

BTW your comment that 0.9mbps is "better than dialup" is simply ridiculous since dialup is 54kbps = 0.054 Mbps which is ~20x slower.

As for your assertion that a CG would have to sign a contract for 12 months, you are making an assumption for which you have no facts. Contracts for these types of services are negotiated on an individual basis. If a CG wanted the ability to suspend service during the winter it would be a condition which would have to be negotiated with the telecoms that were interested in its business. I'm sure that one or more of them would be willing to provide service under the terms requested.

nothermark · 10-10-2014, 08:09 AM

I understand traffic analysis. The point of many of the posts is that some people expect that everyone can have the equivalent of a 7-9 MB cable connection or they are getting screwed. As even you have pointed out that will not happen with 2 T3 or really DS3 lines. Their goal is HD streaming while looking at their email and dumping poorly designed web sites that use ridiculously detailed graphics.

The only assumption I am making about the 12 month contract is that the sole provider of wire line in the area will want to get paid for having the equipment in the rack and the mechanical plant in place. They do not reconfigure monthly. For a fee they can kill the internet connection but somebody needs to pay for the physical capacity whether it is used or not. That is a significant part of the bill. They are not billed out like a home service.

If you want my politics it is along the lines of If I owned the camp I would limit all sites to something around 900KB so they had reasonable email and browsing. I would also be looking for the sites that open multiple connections to get the bandwidth. If you want to watch the screen why are you sitting in a mobil cabin in the woods? Get out and smell the flowers!

docj · 10-10-2014, 08:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nothermark

If you want to watch the screen why are you sitting in a mobil cabin in the woods? Get out and smell the flowers!

Spoken like someone who primarily uses his RV for weekends and vacations and is always headed to someplace where there is nature to commune with.

We, OTOH, are full-timers. Sometimes we are in the great outdoors, but, even then, there are rainy days and/or evenings when it is too cool to sit outdoors (even in the summer when you spend the summer months pretty far north).

In addition, there are days like this weekend when we are parked at a functional, but definitely not scenic, RV park because we want to see the particular sights of the city we are in. Furthermore, this weekend is going to be a very rainy one in the mid-section of the US so we're probably going to be inside even more than usual.

Not that I need to justify it to you, but in those circumstances I enjoy having both satellite TV and high speed internet access and I'm sure I'm not alone in that desire. Since we do have an unlimited Verizon plan we can pretty much always have the internet, but my concern is for those who don't have what we do. Yesterday, while checking in at our current park, the person at the counter said "we do have wifi but it really isn't very good." Since we are in a major city where high speed internet would be readily available, it's that kind of statement that really irks me. Obviously, the person at the front desk doesn't control the internet capabilities of the park, so I didn't take issue with her, but IMHO the park's management is doing its customers a disservice by advertising free wifi but failing to deliver a quality service.

plasma800 · 10-10-2014, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by docj

Spoken like someone who primarily uses his RV for weekends and vacations and is always headed to someplace where there is nature to commune with.

We, OTOH, are full-timers. Sometimes we are in the great outdoors, but, even then, there are rainy days and/or evenings when it is too cool to sit outdoors (even in the summer when you spend the summer months pretty far north).

In addition, there are days like this weekend when we are parked at a functional, but definitely not scenic, RV park because we want to see the particular sights of the city we are in. Furthermore, this weekend is going to be a very rainy one in the mid-section of the US so we're probably going to be inside even more than usual.

Not that I need to justify it to you, but in those circumstances I enjoy having both satellite TV and high speed internet access and I'm sure I'm not alone in that desire. Since we do have an unlimited Verizon plan we can pretty much always have the internet, but my concern is for those who don't have what we do. Yesterday, while checking in at our current park, the person at the counter said "we do have wifi but it really isn't very good." Since we are in a major city where high speed internet would be readily available, it's that kind of statement that really irks me. Obviously, the person at the front desk doesn't control the internet capabilities of the park, so I didn't take issue with her, but IMHO the park's management is doing its customers a disservice by advertising free wifi but failing to deliver a quality service.

Well said sir!

When you say "failing to deliver a quality service" sometimes it's just, "failing to deliver a service"

nothermark · 10-10-2014, 08:12 PM

I won't argue the point. When I was going up Rt 1 in Maine and New Hampshire Wifi was an issue. When I am hiding in the woods it is not. OTOH the population density along Rt 1 makes it hard to justify not having a reasonable connection as long as they can charge for it. Most places also had cable TV. OTOH my comments stand for going out into the hinterland then complaining about bad internet service.

In retrospect I think the reason they did have good WiFi was the cable. It seems the cable companies can deliver high bandwidth internet significantly cheaper than the telco's can. I know I can get commercial 100 MB TW internet here for under $100/mo without a lot of the hassles the telco has. The problem for rural folks is the refusal of the cable companies to expand into the low population density areas.

FWIW I understand the issues. If I have a gripe it's folks who expect services that are not available to anyone else in the area. When one goes into the hinterlands expect hinterland service. If one can park next to the hotel with good high speed internet (or a lot of other things) then asking for that level of service is reasonable. That is often not the case for where campgrounds are located. People should understand that. A lot of the gripes here are like the sweet young thing who wanted to know where to plug in her hair dryer on the overnight trail hike. ;-)

Jack Mayer · 10-13-2014, 06:10 AM

This is an endless debate with both sides simply repeating their positions. There is merit to both arguments. But the mistake people constantly make is assuming all locations that are not in the middle of the woods have the capability of good backhaul. As much as we would like it to be the case, it simply is not so. There are lots of places in small towns, etc that do not have provision for the backhaul that Joel "requires". I know - I designed and installed RV park wifi for years.

It is VERY true that smaller parks do not focus on wifi as a "required" service, or have the ability to support it themselves. That is why you see providers like TenGo servicing these parks. And before you bash TenGo for poor wifi - it is not poor everywhere...it is very good in many locations. But if your backhaul is satellite then you are going to be slow...TenGo or not.

Newer equipment that performs very well at quite low prices now make covering most parks with good signal economical. Now we only need good backhaul everywhere and additional focus on providing service and we will "be there". I will say that campground owners ARE becoming more sensitised to providing good wifi....but it is still difficult in many places. I challenge most people on this forum to install, manage, and maintain a multi-AP network while also running a park. You would find out real fast what the real issues are. Park owners do not have hours of time to spend "fooling around" with wifi and tuning networks....even if they had the skills. Outsource it and you pay dearly if you own it. Using Tengo or a similar service is usually the answer for most parks that are multi-AP.

RanCarr · 10-13-2014, 06:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobandshaz

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

What does it cost per month for Verizon unlimited? We're paying Millenicom $90 a month for only 20 Gigs. 4g.

RanCarr · 10-13-2014, 06:52 AM

How do my husband and I survive without streaming anything from the net? Well, we take along our portable satellite dish and box so we have sat' TV (cable to others). It takes about 15 minutes to set up.

We also bring movies on DVDs that cost $5 each at WalMart. Some of these DVD sets have as many as 15 movies each! A few will be stinkers but still worth the price. We bring our own mifi hotspot. We have games loaded on both laptops and when the weather is bad we play games when tired of forums and surfing, TV and reading. The games run $9.99 for from 2 to 15 games per DVD. These are the Hidden Object and Match-3 games. We buy used books at Goodwill and do a lot of reading in bad weather and in the evenings.

When the weather is nice we spend time outdoors. And there is always the clubhouse to go meet others and join some activity. Or stopping to chat or hang out with others doing the same thing.

ChileRick · 10-13-2014, 08:16 AM

Most of our bandwidth issues while RV'ing can be explained in one word " TengoNet"

plasma800 · 10-13-2014, 08:29 AM

I just have a hard time understanding or agreeing with anyone being called a "leach" or being told to "grow up" simply because they asked (an innocent) question about or attempted to use a very real, normal, everyday service from their RV. I notice the OP has splitsville from this post early.... I wonder why. I think I know a little better now who really needs to "grow up"

Regardless of your pointed views wa8yxm, I have always, and still do like you. You are invited to my grumpfest rally. I think you and I need to share a 12 pack around a fire some day. Hope we can cross paths some day.

I think we can finally put this post to bed eh?