What We Use For Internet
There are a lot of options for WiFi, which can be very confusing and overwhelming. We chose the cheapest and most effective for daily work Zoom type video chats, and evening TV streaming.
First, there are 3 things required of our WiFi internet while in our RV:
- Unlimited data with no cap.
- Speed adequate for our use with no throttling.
- Have more than one internet option in case of an outage or bad service location.
What you get for internet somewhat depends on what you want from it.
Checking emails and Facebook once in a while has one answer, while streaming movies and doing on-line video chats such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams has another answer. And…your tech-savvy ability kinda has a bearing on the answer too. Most people are like us, so here is what we use (cheap and effective), but first here are some terms and their meanings:
True Unlimited Data and Why You Need It
Since my Wife works full-time in the RV and does a lot of Microsoft Teams or Zoom video chats (sometimes all day), and we watch streaming shows through Chromecast on our TV in the evening, we need fast and reliable WiFi without a data cap. Data and speed is how many Gigabytes (bits of information) can be downloaded per minute.
Internet data moves in bytes, kilobytes, megabytes and gigabytes. There are 8 bits of data in 1 byte, 1,000 bytes in a kilobyte, 1,000 kilobytes in a megabyte and 1,000 megabytes in a gigabyte. To stream a movie takes about 4 Gigabytes. (4 gigs)
Most RVers get internet from a campground (not so good and unreliable), or cable (pretty good, but rare), satellite service (Fairly good, but has limits), or cell phone service (really good in service areas).
Let’s be real, you rarely can keep track of what gigs you use, and you don’t want to worry if you have any gigs left to watch a movie, so you want a plan that has truly unlimited data, in other words, no data cap. Remember that…no data cap. Most cell phone providers say they have unlimited data, but their meaning of unlimited isn’t what I know it means, so be careful when providers tell you “unlimited data”, ask them totally for truly unlimited with no cap and no throttling. Here is what those mean:
Unlimited data without a cap means there is no limit to how many movies you stream or how long your Zoom call takes, or how many you watch or do in a month. Most (but not all) internet services have a cap, for example, you can get 30 Gig per month of data with many internet plans, then the service shuts off or they charge you more. You don’t want that, trust me. It causes anxiety. You want truly unlimited with no data cap.
Adequate Speed with No Throttling
Throttling means when you reach a certain amount of data, for example, 30 Gig as mentioned above, you still get internet at no additional cost, but at a much slower speed (they throttle your speed way back), and usually that’s barely enough to load an email, and not fast enough to stream or Zoom anything. Some internet providers tell you they have fast service, but at times of large usage loads (rainy day so other RVers are streaming TV, or evenings when everyone is streaming TV, or in congested areas) they will throttle your speeds down to try and accommodate everyone. You want no throttling.
Have Options or Back Ups
Don’t rely on one internet service. That service can stop working for a period of time, or isn’t available where you are. There may be trees in the way, or no cellular service at your campsite. So have several choices (at least two). It’s going to cost you more, but worth it.
What We Use
So let’s cut to the chase, here is what we have as of spring 2023:
–Calyx is what we use most often. It’s also the cheapest option. It is a T-Mobile WiFi hotspot (it’s about the size of a deck of cards) which is nice when RVing, go hiking, or for a drive, we bring it with us.
It is better than T-Mobile Home Internet because you can travel with it, that’s what it’s designed to do. T-Mobile Home Internet user agreement says you cannot use it other than your home address (although a lot of people do, I just wonder if they are buying time…)
Calyx Institute is a non-profit company (so you get to deduct part of the fee from your taxes) that offers REALLY affordable internet service with no throttling and is truly unlimited. Their support is through Mobile Citizen and is stellar! We have their 5G hotspot and it works better than Starlink at less than half the price. Yes, that sounds unbelievable but it’s true! You have to sign up for one year at a time, and the 2nd year is cheaper. Click here for Calyx and get a free month added on (and I get a free month too), we chose the Sustainer level. Add referral code 48y7m for the free month!
Prior to choosing our next camping spot or RV park, we check the T-Mobile coverage map to ensure we can get their 5G service. However, 4G LTE is actually almost as fast! We use that option a lot!
$ Approx. cost: $750 for the first year, and $500 per year after that for high-speed service using 5G or 4G. (That correlates to $250 for the equipment and $42 per month for the service)
–Starlink. www.starlink.com This is a satellite internet service from SpaceX and Elon Musk. It was a game-changer a year and a half ago but lately has been really disappointing. It still is a good option, but moved to our 2nd option due to oversaturation. (too many people have it now, causing slow speeds and unreliability). It seems to have around a 5 second drop in service about every 15 minutes. Zoom or Teams can recover, but that annoying silence is frustrating.
It uses a little rectangular antenna dish (called a Dishy) that I click into a support pole mounted to the ladder on my RV (I take it down when traveling). It works fairly well but needs a clear view of the northern sky, so some trees may block us from using it. Prices seem to change every few months or so, and so do the service choices. Click on the link above and see what works for you.
We have residential service and change our service address when we move, but that’s not very often, and not advisable. “Roam” is an option with them when traveling a lot. Roam has been known to throttle data speeds, so we didn’t go with Roaming.
Starlink does not have unlimited data, but the threshold is pretty high, and we haven’t come close.
If T-Mobile does not have service at the campground we hope to stay at, we use Google Maps to see if there are trees blocking the northern sky of our campsite so Starlink will be unobstructed. If there are, we probably will choose a better location.
$$$ Average cost: $600 for the equipment and $150 per month.
-Verizon and AT&T Cell Phones We do have 2 different cell phone services, (Verizon and AT&T) and can use either as a WiFi Hotspot, but there are data caps. We save those if there are issues with the others.
Does that help??? Let me know if you want mounting advice for Starlink. I can send you links to what I use: Area code 406 then 209 then 9677.
