Please Re-Register To Access All Our Forums New Features on RV-Living Forum
Post all your RV questions or comments on RV Forum
OK so read a few threads on internet access and its all turning to jello in my mind ?
What I need is a reliable service that will run my laptop and roku/firestick for my 40" smart tv simultaneous in my class C. I will need over 20g a month.I would also like to use open wifi points like at McD's .Im on the south east coast(NC,SC,GA,FL) and not really in any rural areas (for now) . I have seen pre pay plans through ATT,Verizon,Straight talk,Sprint(never use again) and a few others but dont want to sign up for one until I get some solid advice.
Can someone please suggest the best full package of what I should or could use as far as : Mobile hot spot,router,antenna ,booster,phone plan?
l just want someone to say "hey for your needs I would get this,this and this and you will be ready to go" and save all the "coulda shoulda woulda's" for another day LOL .
Edited November 14 by SurfsideNomad
Unfortunately, it's really hard to suggest 'you should get' - as there really is no singular best option out there. And the options change all the time - a lot of the options folks have been using might not be currently available.
We personally use a grandfathered Verizon & AT&T unlimited plans. We test them out regularly in a combination of high end routers (currently the Pepwave MAX Transit), consumer hotspots and WiFiRanger's new Converge line up. We prefer MIMO antennas to boosters for data performance in most places.
If you want to see our current personal setup, we have it at: http://www.technomadia.com/internet - we also explain how it comes together.
- Cherie
Unfortunately, it's really hard to suggest 'you should get' - as there really is no singular best option out there. And the options change all the time - a lot of the options folks have been using might not be currently available.
We personally use a grandfathered Verizon & AT&T unlimited plans. We test them out regularly in a combination of high end routers (currently the Pepwave MAX Transit), consumer hotspots and WiFiRanger's new Converge line up. We prefer MIMO antennas to boosters for data performance in most places.
If you want to see our current personal setup, we have it at: http://www.technomadia.com/internet - we also explain how it comes together.
- Cherie
Thanks for the input ! Not really looking for a best option as that is a matter of opinion...really im just looking for a package that is affordable and works lol
Can anyone along the south east coast fill me in on who (carrier) and what(hardware) they are currently using in simple terms..im not trying to turn this into rocket science lol ?
Edited November 14 by SurfsideNomad
Check out TOGO:
https://rvmiles.com/review-togo-roadlink-lte-router-wifi-booster-unlimited-rv-internet-for-30-month/
$400 to purchase the device then $360 per year for unlimited data.
Check out TOGO:
https://rvmiles.com/review-togo-roadlink-lte-router-wifi-booster-unlimited-rv-internet-for-30-month/
$400 to purchase the device then $360 per year for unlimited data.
Thanks Tom ! I checked out the togo and the reviews. I am concerned about not having access to the router and also seems a lot of people were having issues with LTE network going down or not connecting.I may have to pass on this one until they allow router access and LTE functions a bit better.
From what I am gathering so far(and I maybe wrong) ATT prepaid unlimited plan with a hotspot might be good option to start with.
.....seems a lot of people were having issues with LTE network going down or not connecting
You can't count on any one cellular connection to be reliable all the time. Yesterday in coastal TX we were experiencing slowdowns and brief outages on AT&T and Verizon even on my postpaid phone which has higher network priority than my prepaid AT&T and Verizon hotspots. When that sort of thing happens you shouldn't blame the hardware, rather, it's a network issue. That's why having an alternate connection is important if you need full-time internet access.
All cell services will be fully LTE soon, and that's where the speed is so you want that. "East coast" is a big place and there's no one answer on a carrier for all of it. Verizon and AT&T beat out the others in almost all areas, but each of those is better in some areas. We have Verizon phones with 15GB each and an AT&T unlimited Mobley, so we have choices depending on location.
For higher bandwidth options you could try to get into the AT&T Connected Car plan then move the line to a SIM card and then use that in a Pepwave router which I highly recommend. I personally use two Pepwave routers: BR1 MK2 LTE-A for primary, BR1 MINI LTE-A for secondary and that allows me to use two carriers simultaneously and also have wifi options. The other larger bandwidth options are prepaid unlimiteds which come and go, I got into Verizon's and they quite frankly are terrible, AT&T seems to be the top dog as of this writing. I also have a Sprint hotspot plan, it was 120 GB when I got it, the site shows 200 GB now, it works well in various areas but not as good as AT&T (I have the mobley offering).
The new Pepwave firmware offers a TTL override which you can set something like "65" which I'm using now that helps prevent carriers from determining if you're on a hotspot or cell phone as they may have different speeds for each.
I use various roof antennas but my favorites are the Panorama 5-in-1 and I use the 2-in-1 for the BR1 MINI. I also have SureCall and Panorama Omni's I've experimented with.
https://rvforums.com/threads/cat-6-versus-cat-18-lte-modems.118/
Pepwave and Cradlepoint are the way to go now over other inferior offerings IMHO. Give 5Gstore.com a call and ask them for recommendations. That's who I did all my business with. I'm not affiliated with them.
Our travels are primarily in the east, and we've found our transplanted grandfathered $23/mo AT&T Connected Car unlimited data plan has worked well about 85-90% of the time, and was at least generally usable the rest of the time. We've also have Verizon's grandfathered $65/mo prepaid unlimited data plan and their Visible brand $40/mo unlimited talk/text/data plan currently, but we plan to drop the $65/mo plan at the end of the current pay cycle. The Visible plan has worked acceptably for us to fill in in the few spots where AT&T was weak, and with Visible's new "Party Pay" incentive our bill has dropped to $25/mo. The Visible plan does have some limitations, so read the details carefully before signing up. We routinely use a combined 150-200GB of data each month between net surfing and TV streaming, making unthrottled unlimited plans a necessity for us.
Thank you everyone for the advice and information. I will update once Ive decided on hardware and plan. Really appreciate all the input :)))
Update : I went with ATT Unlimited data prepay plan With auto-pay I am at $35.00 a month 
.Got an ATT sim card from bestbuy $10. and also bought a Netgear att Nighthawk M1 hotspot from ebay for $150. I was able to config the hotspot router to the att sim and now have unlimted no throttle with ability to use multiple devices. I was able to use 40"smart tv with firestick ,laptop and cell phone with no issues. This seems like it will suit my current needs !
Thank you all again ! ?
Surfside: Please tell us more about that ATT $35.00 plan. Is it the hacked plan that is sold on Ebay? Thanks
Surfside: Please tell us more about that ATT $35.00 plan. Is it the hacked plan that is sold on Ebay? Thanks
Lol Kind of..sort of...maybe
You dont need to buy it on ebay though. Here are the steps :
1. Buy netgear nighthawk m1hotspot approx $150 on ebay(use only this router for this method)
2. Buy ATT unlimited data sim card from walmart,best buy etc for $10...(tip: take picture of sim card ICCID number its a lot easier to see the numbers) Save this number for account setup DO NOT INSERT SIM INTO NIGHTHAWK HOTSPOT UNTIL AFTER STEP #7
3. go to google play store and download " IMEI Generator" app and open it and click "Generator" then input this TAC code at the top "3558200" and then click orange "Generate" button.
4. A list of numbers all starting with 3558 will show up. Copy any one and save it along with all of your other account info you will be creating so you have it for future use. This will be your IMEI # when setting up your ATT account.
5. go to https://dcp2.att.com/OEPNDClient/ click "get your pass"
6. input the ICCID # (sim card) and IMEI # (3558??????)click next
7. Choose the domestic unlimited data plan with autopay (this gets you the service for $35 a month) .Fill out your autopay Credit card or bank info accept the terms of service and pay for your first months service.THEN CHECK YOUR EMAIL FOR CONFIRMATION !
8. Take your ATT sim and place it into the router and turn it on. You will then need to connect to the router by typing 192.168.1 into your browser and the ATTwifimanger page should pop up or try connecting to it with your wifi on your laptop or tablet and when prompted enter the password that the nighthawk hotspot is showing on its screen and then attwifimanger webpage will pop up.
9.Set up your network name and password.
10.Connect to the internet with up to 20 devices !!!!
What you are doing is setting up your att simcard to look like its in a ipad when you are actually using it in nighthawk hotspot router.
DO NOT ASK ATT FOR ASSISTANCE WITH SETTING THIS UP ! DO NOT CONTACT ATT Customer service and tell them you are using a hotspot router with the unlimited plan they will tell you to buy the pricey hotspot plans and possibly kill your account.
Hope this helps some of you it took me some time to type it all out lol.
Edited November 20 by SurfsideNomad
Surfside: Thank you for taking the time to type all that info. You are a kind soul!
BobbyB
What you are doing is setting up your att simcard to look like its in a ipad when you are actually using it in nighthawk hotspot router.
And, to be quite clear, you are violating AT&T's Terms of Service (TOS) for that plan. The alternative is to pay a bit more per month and get a SIM from a business like OTR Mobile, a company that maintains it has a reseller relationship with AT&T and is authorized to use its SIMs in hotspots. Each of us has to decide what we feel comfortable doing. For the additional $25/mo it costs me to use OTR Mobile, I'm comfortable doing that.
Leave a reply
