Hi Cheryl - Thank you SO much for watching and for the feedback. We really appreciate it and are happy to hear that we were able to clear up some confusion for you. Happy travels to you! - Liz & Josh
My husband and I just signed up for Bix Wireless. We get 400gb for $99 a month. They give you an AT&T SIM and we bought our own router (Nighthawk with a MIMO antenna). There’s NO throttling and speeds are fast. I discovered them through Mountain Top Adventures’ RU-vid video on RV Internet. They’re a very friendly Tennessee company.
That's awesome - congrats on remote job! Reliable internet is probably the biggest challenge we all face. It's never perfect, I will be honest. There are always some frustrating times, but if you have back-ups available, it can make your life so much easier and ease your frustrations during those moments when it's less than ideal. Happy travels to you!
I have been looking into all of this for awhile now(i happen 2B a bit technically challenged?!🤷🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️)But let me just say u’r video along with u’r explanation behind it “all” actually made sense...it’s like everything finally clicked!!!So thank u for that & please keep making videos 🙋🏼♀️bc u definitely have a new subscriber!!;-)👍🏼✌🏼
Thank you so much. We are so happy you found this useful and it clicked for you. Let us know if you have any questions. We look forward to making more videos soon.
You you were great in telling l am seated in a desert area town permanent right now but in RV wanting to do my novel l thought router and gateway T Mobile.
My question has to do with availability of service of specific companies. For instance, you said that using rv internets can be slow and crappy. I know this is true. But what if the rv park uses, let's say Verizon, and you got a Verizon hotspot. Would the service still be crappy because you are both drawing from the same tower?
Hi - it depends on what the RV park has for internet. A lot of them are wired and using cable internet - so they aren't using cell towers in that case but fiberoptic cable, just like you would have in your home. So it's two totally different systems even thought it may still be Verizon.
Thank you , thank you for your video I have been trying to find a simple way to understand how this works. I got it keep incoming. Keep it simple always.
How much was the wireless device? Where I will be living may have a weak service. I will need this for school for my school work on the go. Please let me know? Thank you..
Hi Peter! Thanks for watching. That particular device was around $300 when I purchased it (I believe - but that was a few years ago). Then the data charges range around $60 per month. I hope that helps! - Liz
Hi - thanks for watching. As mentioned in the video, you can use cellular or satellite options for wifi when you are traveling. But they require different devices and plans. We use cellular -- but that means that we MUST have cell signal. If we do not get any cell signal, then we cannot get internet. If you will be out of cellular connection, then satellite will be a better option. Hope this helps!
Thanks for this video! So we don't full-time, but we do take our RV on the road for 1 week each month. We are both still working so we need reliable wifi during the day for several hours each day. The RV park we frequent is in the middle of nowhere, and their signal is there but not reliably strong, particularly if the park is full. Thanks for sharing so many options and explaining the difference between a cell booster and a wifi booster!
Oh yes - we are using a WeBoost cell booster. Here is the item from our online Amazon store - www.amazon.com/dp/B07FK551D2?ref=exp_peanutsorpretzels_dp_vv_d Hope this helps! Thanks for watching!
Hi thanks for watching! Being inside the RV can sometimes prevent the signal from coming inside. The WeBoost is mounted outside and attracts the signal, then there is a wire that comes inside the RV and sends the signal inside. Basically, it helps make the signal stronger inside the RV. We found that it works for us, but perhaps others have found another way that works for them. Happy travels to you! - Liz & Josh
Was looking for wifi information and so glad I found your channel. Thank you for the information. You gave us a lot to think about. Big thumbs up from a small content creator and new friend. 👍#509.
Hi thanks for the comment! Because this is running off cell towers, it will NOT work if you do not have any cell service. That's the drawback of a cheaper option like this. Satellite may work in more remote areas, but it's WAY more expensive than using cellular. Hope this helps!
I teach college and use zoom to host my lectures with an average of 30 students. I also use it for proctoring. Would the set up y'all have work for something like this, as long as I am not in the boonies camping? thx
Hi! Yes It can work because I do zoom calls frequently. However, I always caution people went it comes to classes online because you always run the risk of having an internet issue (although this can happen at home too). I've never really had a problem, but you just never know how the signal will be one day.
But if you’re on the road wouldn’t the cell signal go out? Like on road trips, I noticed I lose cell signal while driving from state to state. So is this only reliable if you’re within a cell tower range?
If you are driving in areas with spotty cell reception, then yes. Although we've found major highways and interstates have decent coverage and we've used it on these roads while driving many times without issue. It's the back roads / mountains and rural towns that can be more of an issue.
Thanks for the comment! "Good internet" is a relative term. Even with full bars, our internet is not going to be as fast as some people are used to in their homes - but it's good enough to get the job done. If we have a couple bars then we still have reasonably decent connection. If we only have 1 bar though, we probably won't be streaming or "zooming" very much. But we can still do some basic things. I hope that helps!
How fast is it cuz my husband likes to use his for gaming. You said yours is a unlimited data through att about $70 a month am I correct. If so is it still that. Thanks
Yes that's the unlimited rate through our plan. But there are different resellers out there with similar plans. Ours is fast enough to do video uploads and zoom calls, but I don't know about gaming because we've never used it for that. We don't game - but I imagine that would take a lot of data. There is a clause in our plan about "excessive use / abuse" so I'm not sure if that amount of data for gaming would trigger a violation. Definitely something to ask them about.
Hi - thanks for watching and glad it helped! It totally depends on the area and if we have a good signal. I can say that today we are along the Florida Gulf coast and I have a few bars on the Netgear hotspot. I just did a test and it shows Download speed of 19.44 mbps and upload of 1.31 mbps - so not bad at all. However, there are days when we don't get a strong signal and it's not this high. The downside of RV living / travel is that really if you need internet, you have to plan out where you go and there are some places you just can't go if you rely on good cell signal. Hope this helps!
Thank you! so I have the nighthawk netgear with battery - I followed everything you did - do I: 1) install battery 2) install SIM card 3) Turn on power button 4) it’s good to go and Ready to use for internet? Are those the basic 3 steps I take? Anything I’m missing? Because the signal is weak and isn’t working for video calls :( Where did you get the external booster from, do I maybe need that? I’m actually at home and practicing and it isn’t strong enough for my video platform as a telehealth worker :( please help if you can?
Hi Michelle - those are the basic steps. However, your signal will depend on the SIM card company you are using and what towers their service runs on (T-mobile, At&T, etc.). Also, it will depend on the cell signal you have wherever you are located. If you have a weak signal, then you can get a booster to improve the cell signal strength. We have the WeBoost system amzn.to/33cmTaO for RV use, and it does improve signal overall, but if we are in a remote area with very weak signal then it may not boost it enough. If you continue to have trouble, you may need to contact your SIM card company to find out what's going on. That's probably the issue. Best wishes to you!
Can you tell me how it differs from the old way I used to use. I had a usb thing that I had plugged into my laptop for internet. It was thru Sprint and I paid $60 a month.
Hi - from what I understand they are quite similar in how they work. It might just be a difference in the hardware, perhaps a speed or processing difference. But the concept is basically the same. Although, we can run multiple devices off of this router at the same time. Example, we might have both our computers and phones connected at once.
Hi - thanks for watching! You do not need any other type of modem, this mobile router will function as long as you have a data SIM card to insert in the device with a paid plan. Once turned on, it will become a hot spot that you can tether devices to. Hope this helps!
Hi! Your video is so informative, thank you. I’m a little confused about the difference between the net gear with the AT&T card and the OTR. We both have ATT as providers. Can we get unlimited data through OTR or do we do netgear with the att card?
Hi Michelle - so glad you found it helpful! OTR is a 3rd party "reseller" of AT&T products (although, I believe now they primarily resell T-mobile). You would need to set up an account with them directly and subscribe to their unlimited plan. So it would basically be a new plan -- but it's a data only SIM card, not for a phone. The Netgear mobile router is just the piece of equipment that you put the SIM card inside. You can buy the router from them, or buy your own unlocked mobile router to put their card inside. I hope this helps!
Does your weboost only work with one specified cellphone co? We have a mobile hotspot that works with multiple cell providers, just wondering if the weboost would work with multiple services at the same time?
The WeBoost is a general cell signal booster, regardless of the provider. We have multiple providers for our phones and hot spots - it boosts them all.
This is awesome and exactly what I was looking for! Just one question - I have a Dual Band Wifi Router, would I be able to plug that into the net gear to boost the signal or would that not work? Thanks again for the info!
It depends on the signal, but generally yes because it processes faster than my phone. But also it's on a different carrier network (my phone is T-mobile). So sometimes if I have a stronger signal on my phone, then it could be faster. But generally speaking the router is faster when it has a good signal because that's what it's designed to do.
Hey there! We have multiple back-ups for our back-ups, so if we ever have an issue we just use another. Certain destinations have poorer cell signal than others, it really just depends on the towers I guess. I know that there have been some challenges with them over the last year, but our experience has been pretty good.
Anytime you are using wifi there are security risks. We always use a VPN when we are doing secure transactions or logging into bank accounts. Our VPN is invaluable when traveling to help protect us, especially if we need to hop on public wifi anywhere.
Yes, we can use the router for quite a distance around outside the RV. But it's also portable (we don't have it mounted to anything). So if both of us are outside, we might take it with us. Or even if we walk down to a picnic area, we might just bring it. We have also taken it in the car to use while driving down the road (the passenger) or even if we are out and about. It's literally having our own network with us. We put it in our bag and go!
@@Peanutsorpretzels I will mainly just use it for my ring cameras and to stream TV in the camper. As long as it reaches all of that we will be good. We just camp once a month but have 2 dogs we want to keep an eye on if we’re out off-roading.
@@BradFizer Oh yes well you shouldn't have any problems then - at least if you are in an area with good cell signal to the device. :) Happy travels to you!
Thanks for watching! This set up requires a SIM card that runs on cell towers. If you get an unlocked wireless router and install local SIM cards for different countries, then it could work. There are also global SIM cards that work in various countries around the world - that would save you from having to buy one in each country. Although the prices to use data would probably vary. And you would need to be within cell range (so not out in the middle of nowhere!). There are similar devices to this that are intended to be used in multiple countries, such as Skyroam, which I believe comes with a subscription and SIM card that is good in many countries. Hope this helps!
Is there a device we can get that keeps us connected to internet and NOT wifi? If that makes sense. I remember years ago when I was a trucker I had a usb type thing that plugged into my laptop which gave us internet all the time so we wouldn't have to use wifi. Even that many yrs ago it was $60/month. (Sprint) Because i mean in all these vids they all say how to get wifi while on the road in your rv. As opposed to saying how to get internet while on the road in your rv.
Hi thanks for watching! It depends on the type of wifi that's built into the RV. I know that more and more new RVs have this capability, which may function in a similar way. I have not researched those data plans to compare the cost or the functionality of those systems. But I imagine they probably work in a similar way, except they are just built in. I will say that we do like this "mobile" device because we can also take it with us outside the RV, down to the park, or to a cafe, or even bring it with us in the car. It truly is like having wifi on the road wherever we go. So that's a plus for us. But not everyone needs that flexibility. Happy travels! - Liz
Well thanks so much!!! We actually do have a ton of video footage and have been filming for years. Just hard to find the time to edit and make a video. So we're glad to know that people find them useful! Happy travels!
hi I cant get good wi-fi ware i live only have one place to get wi-fi so i am stuck now phone services is not good tower is to far from me i get one bar so what can i do get reed of my internet that i am paying 90 a month get a mobile router and a cell booster let me know thanks kevin
Hi thanks for watching and for the comment. In our experience, there are just some places in the country where cell towers are not very strong / dense and you just can't get a very good signal. If that's the case, you might not be able to use cellular and might need to find a different satellite service or if there is a local landline / cable company. Sadly, you are at the mercy of the providers getting service out to where you are - or you'll have to move closer to where they are. That's the downside of living in more remote areas for long periods of time. Take care & hope it works out for you!
I liked your video, thank you very much. Now for the $66,000 question, do you mind sharing how much you're paying for ll your plans plans? Also, do you know about how much data your using each month with all your streaming and everything?
Hi Dan - thanks for watching! That's a great question, I didn't think to include it (although prices can change). Let's see - for the unlimited hot spot monthly plan we pay $70 and we currently use around 130 (ish) GB per month. That includes working and streaming. Sometimes our phones are connected to that wifi hot spot too, but other times we just use the network data. Josh's AT&T is unlimited and he pays I believe $60 per month. My T-mobile is also unlimited and I pay $80. Our Verizon hot spot is pay as you go - and we haven't used it in a couple years, although I think there is 20GB of "emergency" data on it. So total -- $70+$60+80 = $210 total in monthly costs for phones and the wifi hotspot router plan. I don't know how much data we use on our phones because they are unlimited and I've never really paid attention. But I know on the hotspot router it's around 130GB. Hope this helps!
Hi Peggy - thanks for watching! We have the standard WeBoost model. We actually bought it through TechnoRV because it came bundled with a GREAT suction cup that we could use to mount it outside the RV without having to drill holes or anything like that. It won't help you if you have zero signal, but it will amplify the existing signal to give you some extra bars when you need it. Hope that helps! :)
Thanks for the question! There are models that will work with Verizon. We also have a dedicated Verizon hot spot devices that is made for use with their data plans and networks.
I have stage 4 in my liver and my grandson has autism and other things as well he is on ssi I on disability I have to have internet that I can rely on to teach him also to do our medical stuff we are still displaced from losing everything in the hurricanes and floods and ice storm and the pandemic we live in a rv park in a fifth wheel and I can not keep internet at all and today you need it I am 64 and lost can you help
That was the most helpful video I have found so far on this subject. Thank you so much, you're great at what you do. My wife and I are fairly new RVers are doing a lot of RVing but we do not work from the RV.. we are both retired. I'm just looking to be able to use Firestick to have something to watch, and be able to have internet for lap top to plan our trips from on the road and use for emails and RU-vid etc. Do you think using the phone (Verizon service and Galaxy 8) for a hotspot is good enough? Or should I purchase one of those devices that you shared about? I'm thinking the Verizon hotspot device sounds good but I want your opinion. Is the phone enough? We plan on going out West for several months next year. Also, I forgot to say I have unlimited data but I'm not sure if that means anything. Thank you in advance.
Hi there - thanks for watching and for the question! For leisure use, you might be ok with your current phone as a hotspot might be sufficient. But you never know for sure until you test it out. You might try at your home to see how well it works just using a firestick tied to your phone's hotspot. Although, your service out on the road might not be as good as your home. Ultimately, it's up to you whether or not you feel it's necessary to invest the extra money. You could always try it out first and if you decide you need another device (or more powerful) then you can upgrade if you prefer. I hope this helps! - Liz & Josh
@@Peanutsorpretzels thanks...I found this place about 20 minutes from home that creates certain devices for R v's and it's a hot spot as well. He said I could probably use the Verizon service but his device is about $300. Actually that's his cheapest one he has more expensive ones as well. I had a nice conversation with him on the phone but I'm still not sure what I'm doing. thank you for your detailed response.
Thanks for watching! Unlocked means that it is not tied to a specific service provider, such as AT&T, T-mobile, etc. So in theory, an unlocked device gives you the ability to use different carriers and replace the SIM card however you want. Just like your cell phone. If you are "locked" then you have to use only that company, such as Verizon.
Hi thanks for watching! We bought the WeBoost actually through TechnoRV along with their really cool suction cup package. They are the ones who gave us the idea for the suction cup and pole mount so we wouldn't have to drill holes into the RV :) Hope this helps!
Our plan is an unlimited plan (with no throttling). It's around $70 per month. But we had to spend a few hundred for the device activation. There are many plans out there to choose from, some less expensive and some more expensive depending on your needs. And plans can change!
Hiya! Great advice and explanation! Would you say it is still running just as well for you now a few months after this video was made? I have seen some people say that they will get great service as a new customer and then wind up being throttled heavily after some time. Has this been your experience? Thank you :) Subscribed
Thanks. We have had both of these devices and SIM cards for over 2 years. The service we have experienced has been exactly the same. For the unlimited, it's true - we have never had an issue and routinely use upwards of 500 - 700 gigs per month. Just as fast as any month. Hope this helps!
No you will need to get a SIM card and pay for data - it runs off cell towers just like your phone. So you will need a data plan for the hotspot to work
@@Peanutsorpretzels how much does that cost altogether per month and who is the internet provider? This is all new to me and I want to get it all for traveling.
@@charlottewest7280 Our cell phones total $120 per month for unlimited internet (AT&T and T-Mobile) and our Hotspot costs $70 / month for unlimited data. This does not include cost of the devices (iPhones and mobile router - although mobile router was about $300 one time purchase). Hope that helps.
If you are referring to our "booster" then that actually comes inside the RV with a cable to a receiver - which then amplifies the signal inside the RV to be stronger. This router simply picks up that signal like a cell phone - if that makes sense. So the router doesn't physically connect to anything, it picks up the signal and the antenna makes it stronger inside the RV.
Yes, there is always that concern. That's why we use a VPN whenever we travel - whether we are in our RVs or in a hotel (or even a coffee shop). They add a layer of security. Here's a blog post we wrote about it. The topic is why we used a VPN in China; however, much of the information is the same no matter where you are traveling! We also use VPNs for banking when we travel too - because logging in from different places can lock your account. www.peanutsorpretzels.com/vpn-in-china/ Happy travels to you!
Peanuts and Pretzels - thanks for this info. I was doing some research about how to be able work while camping (Zoom meetings, etc.). I appreciate your sharing the expertise. We've subscribed and would really appreciate if you'd subscribe back as we grow our channel. Thanks!
Yes, in general it is a myth that RV'ing is a "cheap" lifestyle. It can be cheap, but often times the tradeoffs to make it cheap are not very enjoyable or practical if you have to work. We talk a lot more about this in our Myths of Living in an RV video - definitely check it out if you haven't! :) Happy travels to you!
@@TomMack530 Hi Tom! Sorry for the delay. Anytime you are using a wifi network there can be security concerns. And especially if you are moving around, then your bank could become suspicious with the sign-ins from various locations. For these reasons we ALWAYS use a VPN. VPNs have an added layer of security plus you can set your location consistently so when you log into your bank it doesn't see you moving around. For example, we always sign in from a Denver location - even if we are in Florida, our bank thinks we are in Denver. This was also very helpful when we were living overseas and traveling around the world. We didn't want our bank to lock us out! We use VyprVPN - have used them for over 6 years now. Here's a promotional link if you are interested in this service. They've been great and we use it everyday! get.vyprvpn.com/refer/?offer_id=250&aff_id=2052 Cheers to you!
Peanuts or Pretzels Travel Thank you very much for your help I am still in Illinois right now, I will be hitting the road next spring, I want to live in Arizona full time and when it gets to hot I will go live in northern Arizona, when it starts to get cold and before the snow comes I’ll go back down to the south Arizona, I would like to give you my email address so I can keep in touch with you? I don’t know about giving my email address on here ?? Thanks again you are the only person that would get back to me on this so thanks again, Tom Mack
Peanuts or Pretzels Travel I just got to check it out today and that is a good price $2.50 a month I will definitely keep it in my book so when my wife are ready to go RV Ing full time we will get it thanks so much you guys 😇😍
