# RV Internet Equipment



## Finnegan (Sep 7, 2007)

Never thought the day would come when internet access would be important when I'm hunting and fishing, but here I jolly well am. I avoid campgrounds when I can, so I usually hotspot off of my phone but would rather install a WiFi extender and modem in my RV. I was leaning towards the Winegard 2.0, but found a bunch of really negative reviews. I don't normally pay much attention to product reviews on the web, but there are so many of them and they consistently describe the same issues. So I thought I'd ask y'all what you're doing for your internet connection.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

I hotspot too, Verizon and its been pretty good depending on location. 

People are raving about StarLink, thats going to be the long term solution IMO. The only downside atm, is its limited to certain regions as they do the roll out and testing. But up/down speeds are amazing for being in the middle of nowhere.

When it goes live for the masses, kiss the calm quiet out doors good bye foreever. With a strong internet connection anywhere, people will just perma-camp in the mountains and work there. No need for a home, no property taxes, no lawns to mow... just cheap living. Run to town every 14 days to dump the black tank, refresh the water and move to a slightly different spot to be in compliance with the forest camping rules.

Our way of life is changing and its only accelerating. The forest service is going to have to implement permit camping in the forests at some point, its only a mater of time... the demand will be too great.

-DallanC


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## 2full (Apr 8, 2010)

I go to the hills to get away from internet and unplug. Why does someone need it ALL the time ??
Like Dallan stated, it will just make everywhere more crowded and ruin any chance of peace and quiet.


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## Brettski7 (May 11, 2020)

A dedicated hotspot is probably your best bet. 

I’ve been to many campgrounds though with many RVs and I’m not seeing this ruined peace and quiet issue people are talking about. 


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Brettski7 said:


> I’ve been to many campgrounds though with many RVs and I’m not seeing this ruined peace and quiet issue people are talking about.


We are not talking about campgrounds. We're talking about being anywhere pulled off in the forest with a fast internet connection "working" while camping.

I'd _LOVE_ to be able to work while camping out in the bookcliffs. I'd stay out there for months... the problem is, the other thousand people who would love to do it too. Most of these probably wont be from Utah, but some of the overcrowded "blue" states. Its happening NOW with Covid19. Go look at RV Sales for the past year, its off the charts. I always read government figures that average people don't have a $400 emergency fund... yet enough people had 30-100k sitting around to nearly buy out the national stock of RVs. Its made getting a spot at a RV campground a pain in the ass. I tried to get a reservation at sand hollow this spring, they were booked 3 months out from the time I looked. I booked 4th of july weekend at our favorite lake a while back, there were 2 spots left out of 65... the weeks before and after all looked the same.

Its crazy the number of people camping now. Being able to camp and WORK permanently is only going to compound this issue.

-DallanC


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## taskswap (Mar 11, 2021)

2full said:


> I go to the hills to get away from internet and unplug. Why does someone need it ALL the time ??
> Like Dallan stated, it will just make everywhere more crowded and ruin any chance of peace and quiet.


In my case it adds to my range. Having good connectivity while traveling allows us to travel more as a family, and get to farther places than I'd otherwise have vacation days for. It's also very important for emergency contacts. We have an at-risk family member and staying reachable is critical.

With all due respect "just make everywhere more crowded" put another way is just "I'm lucky enough to go there and don't want too many more people to be lucky enough to do the same thing." I'm sure I've had the same thoughts myself at times, especially when someone rolls up with a boom box thumping, but it's not a thought I'm proud of. Hunters' rights are continually being eroded because they're not priorities for the vast majority (seriously, 95%) of Americans. Our public lands could very easily go the same way if we're elitest and exclusionary about who "should" use them. 

Besides, everyone loves to complain about overbooked / overused places already, even without cell service being better. Cell service didn't bring those people out. The population exploding from 150M to 330M people since 1950 did that. Like it or not, overcrowding isn't going away. It's only going to get worse, and cell service isn't the cause. Neither is COVID, to be honest. You might as well blame Patagonia and Toyota for popularizing "getting out there."

On the original topic, hands down the best option I've used so far (and I've used them all) is the Weboost RV. It consistently brings in cell service where I'd otherwise have none, or marginal at best. It requires an RV or trailer (we have a trailer) to mount it to, and it's expensive. But it's the strongest. I never use the Wifi extenders anymore. Even when the signal is good, the average campground service is so poor that it's just not worth bothering with.

For data plans, Sprint has the highest (generally available) cap with a tier at 100GB. Verizon and AT&T are often head to head depending on where you are in terms of coverage and speed, but their plans cap at like 20-30GB. An unexpected option is Mint Mobile which offers prepaid plans at 30GB/mo with no lock in. It's a great option if you only take one or two big trips a year.


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## Brettski7 (May 11, 2020)

DallanC said:


> We are not talking about campgrounds. We're talking about being anywhere pulled off in the forest with a fast internet connection "working" while camping.
> 
> I'd _LOVE_ to be able to work while camping out in the bookcliffs. I'd stay out there for months... the problem is, the other thousand people who would love to do it too. Most of these probably wont be from Utah, but some of the overcrowded "blue" states. Its happening NOW with Covid19. Go look at RV Sales for the past year, its off the charts. I always read government figures that average people don't have a $400 emergency fund... yet enough people had 30-100k sitting around to nearly buy out the national stock of RVs. Its made getting a spot at a RV campground a pain in the ass. I tried to get a reservation at sand hollow this spring, they were booked 3 months out from the time I looked. I booked 4th of july weekend at our favorite lake a while back, there were 2 spots left out of 65... the weeks before and after all looked the same.
> 
> ...


Ah. I consider those campgrounds. I’ve been to those areas and when I see 10-15 RVs spread out it’s really just a campground to me. 

I was looking at RVs this last winter actually. With the upcoming deployment though and it sitting for a year we decided it wasn’t worth it but will get one after I get back. I’ll be looking for a 75-100% remote job also when I get back so I can live out away from town just to keep housing cost at somewhat above reasonable cost instead of a ridiculous above reasonable cost. Maybe I’ll do the RV thing as you mentioned. Plus those people ain’t dropping that much money. They are financing that stuff. 


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

I predict that in a couple of years there will be a glut of slightly used RV's hitting the market. 

If a person is ready he just may get a great buy.


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