This video is great! clear and to the point with all of the information I was looking for and so much more that I didn't know I was looking for!!! Very grateful and we will make sure and order the weboost through your link so you guys get some kick back once we pull the trigger on buying the system!
Videos where Paul lets his nerd, tech hair down are always very informative. Thanks for the great guidance based about your experiences with mobile internet access.
This video was SOOO HELPFUL I am so thankful you put the time and effort into making this vid, it is a game-changer for me exactly what I was looking for, thank you a million🙏🙏
We live full-time in our camper and we are stationary. This was extremely helpful. I was wondering if you had any updates as far as the items you used?
We really appreciate this info, friends! Honestly finding reliable internet is one of the trickier aspects of life on the road. Thank you for sharing your experiences! Safe travels. -Ben and Ang
I just discovered your RU-vid page last night July 1st while watching other RV'ers. I watch Nomadic Fanatic, CreativityRV, Kara and Nate and once in awhile others. I'm adding you to my watching of RV'ers. I haven't done RV but i do HOTEL living and have for 2 1/2 yrs. Its traveling and staying at hotels going to different places like RV'ers without the upfront cost of an RV which would really hurt my budget. I drive an Elantra. I find it fascinating with RV'ers and maybe in the future i might get an RV. A campervan or something similar would be my preference as well.
Not at all super serious about great internet data on the road but Paul, you did a great job of explaining the ends and outs. 👏 👏 💕 You and Chad rock!!
Thanks for this brother. My wife and I really struggled with trying to figure all this out and we've been running hotspots (phone and standalone). Really helped fill in the gaps as well as really expand our knowledge and understanding. Thanks for all the effort you guys put into this and cheers! Hope to see you guys on the road sometime!
Paul, You’re a gem! Since I’m setting up for my very 1st trip, I was excitedly awaiting this video. Ik how impt connectivity is to you guys and am confident that you use to best and most cost effective methods. Thanks so much for this valuable info. 😊❤️🌈
Great Video Guys! We've been pretty successful with a Verizon HotSpot and the Omnidirectional antennna you mentioned as well. Though getting multiple carrier hotspots is a good hedge for remote areas. Thanks for sharing!
Just letting you know, you can use the visible service in a Mofi router, or nighthawk, register the SIM card with a phone and set the imei number on the mofi to your phones you registered the device on, and then change the TTL on the mofi to 64 or 65 whichever one works for you. I believe the reason you were getting 5mbps on the mofi is your TTL settings were off and the sim was thinking you were the hotspot instead of the phone. Visible caps Hotspots to 5mbps, and if you change the TTL it will unlock the speed, also you can change the bands and lock them to different bands.
Alec, did you try this out yourself or is this hypothetical? Which mofi hotspot router did you use and if many, which one worked best? Were you really able to unlock the speed? If so, do you have any instructional vids on how to do this? Would greatly appreciate this info!
you’d have to look up which mofi router would work for the service as I have forgot, but I know the two models have different bands, and when you change the TTL the router thinks your on the phone instead of the hotspot so it’s not capped with visibles hotspot speeds, first register with visible with a phone that is compatible, then change the imei settings on the mofi router, do a couple speed tests of the different bands and figure out which band works best for you, and then lock the mofi router to that band. There are many tutorials for it on RU-vid.
7:00 great comparision of that netgear device with that startrek like device. It would be super insightful to compare it also with the mobile phone hotspot! 😇
Thanks for the great video. One correction… you referred to the flat mimo antenna as omni directional explaining that means it only picks up from one direction. Omni means it should pick up all around. Uni directional would be from one direction. Could you clarify if you meant uni or is the antenna truly omni? Thanks!
Only one criticism; "Omni-Directional" antennas pull their signals from ANY and MULTIPLE directions, and do NOT need to be pointed in any direction for better reception. "UNI-DIRECTIONAL' antennas are what you described as needing to point in a specific direction for improved reception. Other than that, great info.
Great primer & video - thanks! Question: we'd be looking specifically for emergency phone coverage in rural areas - in that scenario, would you recommend the Weboost as the best way to get cell coverage in a low coverage area?
Hi there Kris! It depends, the weboost won’t help you when there’s zero service, but when you have 1 or 2 bars it will boost it. I would look into a separate emergency communication device if that’s your intended goal. Typically 1-2 bars is enough to get a text message or call out.
Great video guys! I was wondering if the reason the nighthawk hotspot performs better than your mofi could be because the mofi 4500 is an older modem. They make a new mofi 5500 with a cat 20 modem which on paper should be better for receiving signal and a more fare comparison.
great video. I am taking notes , getting ready for my van life but I was wondering about wineguard. supposedly that device (mounted on roof) is good for amplifying both wifi and cel signals , and also accepts a 4G sim card ps: btw do you own a garmin GPS device (reach) ? those come very handy for offgrid situations
Hey there! Our simple set up works for us the way we need it to, so we haven’t found the need to invest in anything more expensive or more complicated than that. We don’t own a garmin and usually around without service for too long or when we are, we’re caravaning with others. It’s definitely something we’ve considered though!
Just got back from a trip to Idaho and cell signal sucked at our camp spot. I have Verizon and the wife has ATT. I was thinking of a cell booster. Now my head is spinning I think now we will try mobile hot spots (one Verizon and one ATT) and the antenna on the window. WHEW lots of info. We will see THANKS.
Haha. Yes it can be overwhelming? And there are some places where you just won’t get service. In those situations where signal is poor, the cell booster really does help.
I think Chad's the master of the live remotes and you're the master of the educational videos :-) so the one thing I haven't heard you cover do you use a VPN? Do you need a VPN if you're using a cell network? If you do use a VPN can you elaborate on those or maybe next live chat or make a video about that thanks PS why is it 96° in the van? LOL
Hey! It was hot in the van because we turned the ac off to film so the sound was good lol. We only use VPNs when we’re on public networks (ie McDonald’s, Starbucks, etc.)
Were you able to use Visible to do zoom meetings (on the one connection limit)? Also have you or any of your friends try the midi hotspot suggestion made by AlecTM in a comment he made a month ago? I live in a big city in a van and need mofi for 5 days a week, 7 hours a day on school zoom/Google meet/skype. Trying to figure out the best plan if I could only chose one or two (preferably one for cost prohibitive reasons)
Been vanning since 01/20..My grand daughter says...I go pocket mike ban..Aka..I go to papa mikes van.. Just switched to verizon they sold me $80.. unlmt plan. with an orbic speed hot spot $130.00 unlimited also.. But it is spotty. My computer seems to work best.. if I just use usb bluetooth tethering. Is there a better choice?
So realistically, how much is the total monthly bill on average for multiple hot spots. Yes, I know “it depends “. but what is a average for two or three from different carriers?
How could the mofi 4500/5500 lose to that hockey puck thing. Is that a Netgear? Please talk model numbers ...instead of ...PLUGGED. This thing into that thing. ???
I’m curious about the performance of these solutions and if they enable good video. I conduct weekly lectures for classes and am location agnostic if I choose. However, I’m hesitant to shift over to a van situation because I’m afraid I won’t be able to do my job.
@@ChadandPaul Good to know. 👍 I’ve been looking at a lot of content related to mobile internet and I rarely see context about bandwidth and such. After all, what’s useful for someone posting blogs to Medium or sending a few commands to a web server is very different from what someone needs to be in multiparty video conferences all day.
@@ChadandPaul I'll take that as a "no". In case you are curious, this is a link: www.skyroam.com/solis-x-wifi-smartspot?rfsn=3576505.1f21fc&subid=1-g-Cj0KCQjw3ZX4BRDmARIsAFYh7ZJFS0CpccTgfyaR81q7d7GmQEJm3g7SnLqRxt4KKFKdyEVx7Pcj6mYaAmwcEALw_wcB
