Wi FI at a seasonal campground

[Governor Bud]

We are wintering in NH in our bigfoot (weekends) and have a need for better internet. Currently the campground offers none for the winter. I am with verizon and using my 'hotspot' which is fine for email and siruis radio but not for viewing films or video. And the Youtube Smart Tv is useless without a decent connection. I've started researching and would like to know if anyone has first hand experience or suggestions. Some choices might be skyroam solis lite or we boost wifi. Did a speedtest with hotspot and the download speed is a paltry 0.31mbps. I believe at home we are at 150 plus. Any experience out there? Thanks.

[Huck]

I have a Verizon unlimited data plan that works great. I have my TV connected via a Firestick, my laptop, my desktop, and my phone. It uses a hotspot to connect to internet. Unfortunately, this plan is no longer offered.

I do see a Verizon 30 GB for $30/month. I pay $60 for unlimited, but for $60 you could get 60 gb if you need that much. There is also Visible which is a reseller of Verizon that offers a cheaper plan. Some people like it and some hate it.

Here's the link for the Verizon plan. https://www.verizon.com/about/sites/...0Plus_9.17.png

I also have ATT TV Now. The reason I picked that one is it doesn't require a Home IP address. That means I can use Verizon/ATT TV Now at home or on the road. Some of the others like Sling require a Home address and, if I remember right, you get limited access on the road.

If the problem is a weak signal, I can't help. I had that problem for months and then suddenly I started getting great throughput. I guess verizon got around to adding some new cell towers.

[Alex Adams]

Jeff, does your Verizon hotspot say LTE or 3G? If it says LTE it is possible that a Cell Booster might improve things. The problem is they are expensive and there is no guarantee that it will fix your problem.

[Governor Bud]

Hi Alex,
Verizon does say LTE. Could not get them on the phone to ask for options. Will stop into a store tomorrow and MAYBE they have a solution. Im sure Im not the first to have to work this out. Ive also heard that a USB Hotspot, prepaid might be a way to go but in 'googling' theres too much non-info to make sense.

[tractors1]

Here's best coverage of each provider. Enter your address near the bottom of the page.


https://www.whistleout.com/CellPhone...-Hampshire-USA

[Terry G]

Hang in there, Gov, there's help on the way. Space X's Starlink has about 800 satellites up and is just now getting into Beta testing. Currently it's showing about 100M download speeds, which is comparable to many wired installations. The price is a bit high right now at $100 a month and $500 for the equipment but they promise that it will get cheaper over time. More information is available at Starlink.com.

[redbarron55]

It makes a big difference where you are located.
You need to find what band your signal is on. Here in Navarre Verizon is using band 13 and I bought a range extender for about $60.00 with an antenna that I aim towards the tower.
In my case here at home the cell signal is very weak due to both the signal passing over the house much stronger and the foil backing on the insulation i=on the walls and roof.
I have the outdoor Yagi antenna on the chimney and ran the coax down the flue to the amplifier in the living room.
A single band solution is fairly cheap and can be put on a telescoping pole and aimed at the cell you are using.
I use LTE Discovery to read the band and signal strength.
It will also point the direction of the tower you are using.
Like this
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Cell-Phone-...cAAOSwh-lfYza9

[thrifty bill]

On Verizon, you can get unlimited data plan at a lower cost through Visible. Visible is a prepaid service, OWNED by Verizon. The more people you sign up, the lower the price (1 phone is $40, 2 is $35 each, etc, all the way to 4 phones at $25 each.

[Thomcat316]

Call Fire WiFi. They have "fixed LTE" packages for $100/mo, no contract. We are using one that's AT&T based, and are pretty happy with it. We are several miles from the tower, and using a directional antenna we are getting great throughput.

Nice thing is that you can register your location for E911 if you're in a fixed location for a while. You MUST remember to deregister when you move....

[mikeaugust]

I bought a cable that plugs into the charging connector for my phone (Apple). It enables video output via hdmi cable to the TV. The hotspot on my service is slowed down but this approach enables a workaround.

[Dwhowl]

Consumer Cellular is now offering unlimited data and uses ATT and T mobile towers at a much less cost and now contract, the hot spot works great and Amazon firestick with smart tv streams good. They offered 30 day trial full refund on first month, can’t go wrong to test it out.

[bigangelman]

I have heard of people get a cheap phone for visible and tether it to a travel router, it gives you unlimited internet and can connect as many devices as router will allow. If you have 4 phone on your plan it's $20/ each month. A little more for fewer phones.

Originally Posted by thrifty bill

On Verizon, you can get unlimited data plan at a lower cost through Visible. Visible is a prepaid service, OWNED by Verizon. The more people you sign up, the lower the price (1 phone is $40, 2 is $35 each, etc, all the way to 4 phones at $25 each.

[IMEd]

Visible

As with everything else, the devil is in the details. I.e. the fine print.

*In times of traffic, your data may be temporarily slower than other traffic.
**WiFi calling available on select devices.
+Mobile hotspot speeds capped at 5 Mbps.

[CalCop]

I must’ve missed something
He already has cell service. He was asking about how to increase the bandwidth

[Dbasdan]

We have Verizon with unlimited data. We also have the Jetpack mobile Hotspot but rarely use it as our smartphones can also be used as Hotspot. We have Sling (works anywhere) and Prime. This set up works well for us as long as we have have a good signal, as you mentioned. In the Summer we are at Lake Tahoe and it's less than ideal there due to the large number of users (tourists). It's almost unusable during daytime hours. Early morning and evenings are tolerable.

My sister Winters in her motorhome and works as a case manager for a health plan. Her work requires a large amount of data. She stays in an RV park that doesn't provide wifi so she subscribes to satellite internet.

[South Coast Stu]

Originally Posted by Terry G

Hang in there, Gov, there's help on the way. Space X's Starlink has about 800 satellites up and is just now getting into Beta testing. Currently it's showing about 100M download speeds, which is comparable to many wired installations. The price is a bit high right now at $100 a month and $500 for the equipment but they promise that it will get cheaper over time. More information is available at Starlink.com.

It won't be long Will be a great solution to boondocker's that want to stay connected to the outside world. I signed up to be notified when beta testing becomes available in my area.

[minke]

Originally Posted by Dwhowl

Consumer Cellular is now offering unlimited data and uses ATT and T mobile towers at a much less cost and now contract, the hot spot works great and Amazon firestick with smart tv streams good. They offered 30 day trial full refund on first month, can’t go wrong to test it out.

Yes, Consumer Cellular uses both AT&T and T-Mobil. YOUR phone will use one or the other. Years ago when I started using CC they sent me a T-Mo SIM and for some reason I was unsatisfied. (I can't remember why and it likely isn't true any longer.) They sent me an AT&T SIM and I was happy.

[minke]

Originally Posted by Terry G

Hang in there, Gov, there's help on the way. Space X's Starlink has about 800 satellites up and is just now getting into Beta testing. Currently it's showing about 100M download speeds, which is comparable to many wired installations. The price is a bit high right now at $100 a month and $500 for the equipment but they promise that it will get cheaper over time. More information is available at Starlink.com.

Starlink may provide support near your home but not e.g. 1,000 miles away where you are located now. On a side note I am very happy with 50Mb/s service at home.

[bigangelman]

Yes starlink sounds great however the snowbirds may be the last to benefit from it. It is starting from the northern latitudes then working south.
We are about 100 miles south of lake Superior and we got this same sign up message last week.
It's the 3rd message I've gotten like that on the last 18 months.

[South Coast Stu]

More info on StarLink:https://www.pcmag.com/news/spacexs-s...AUcWpE5QucPEoI

Beta testers are currently limited to using Starlink at their home addresses. But the company plans on lifting the restriction through new mobility options via “new hardware and software.”

Sounds like a great option for RV'ers

Currently, SpaceX has only been offering beta invites to people based in the northern US and southern Canada. But the company plans on expanding Starlink's coverage as it successfully launches more low-orbiting satellites to power the broadband network.

SpaceX didn't specify the scope of the wider beta. But early next year, the company plans on using Starlink to supply free broadband to families in a Texas school district. So there’s hope the beta could hit the southern US soon. The satellite broadband network is currently capable of delivering 100Mbps+ download speeds at a latency of around 30 milliseconds, according to beta users.

I would think that if they have coverage in Texas they would have coverage in some other southern parts of the US?