There are few things I enjoy more than spending days at a time off the grid in remote areas. It doesn’t matter if it’s by myself, with my family, or with new or old friends. Without the distractions of everyday life chirping in everyone’s pockets, the time passes slower, interactions and activities are more intentional, and I find myself at peace. It is my happy place, and many of my favorite memories from the past few years have occurred under these conditions.
With all of that said, nothing stinks more than not having a signal when you need one! We have spent some seriously frustrating days trying to find places to camp with usable signals, and have often resorted to stealth camping in towns along our route to get work done while on the road.
Over the past two years we have learned quite a bit about how to best stay connected while on the road, and I have personally spent over a hundred hours, researching, installing, testing, and reconfiguring different options. I hope that by sharing my experience I can help you avoid many of the frustrations I encountered as I sought to improve our Internet access on the road.
Level 1: Start With Your Smart Phone
Increase your data plan, and diversify your wireless carrier.
When we first started our full-time travel adventure, Alexis and I each had iPhones with an AT&T unlimited plan. The plan included just 10GB of data available to tethered devices (connected to our phone’s hotspot) and we regularly received “data limit reached” text messages from AT&T halfway through the month letting us know that they would be throttling our download/upload speeds.
The problem was that we were tethering both of our laptops and the boys’ iPads to our hotspot. As you might imagine, it didn’t take long for them to burn through 10GB each watching YouTube Kids and cartoons on Netflix. Similarly, almost all of our web browsing and streaming was taking place using our cellular data plan. We rarely had access to WiFi except for the occasional campground WiFi or coffee shop.
After our first month on the road we increased our data plan to 30GB per phone, and did our best to save any binge-watching for the end of the month. This helped, but we also found that using our phones as a hotspot drained their battery like almost nothing else. It became very clear very quickly that we needed a better solution.
In addition to just plain not having enough data, we also had the problem of having unreliable service. Although AT&T boasts some of the best LTE speeds nationwide, it really comes up short in rural areas. We often found ourselves in remote areas with little or no service while others had 2-3 bars with Verizon and T-Mobile.
For those who are looking for just a little bit more connectivity on the road, I would suggest contacting your wireless provider and figuring out what it would cost to get a data plan that meets your needs. If you are traveling with a significant other, consider having one of you switch to an alternative carrier to improve your chances of having a usable signal wherever you are. However, if you are a full-time traveler who is working remotely from the road, you’ll likely need to level up.
Level 2: Boost Your Signal
Consider adding a weBoost Drive Reach signal booster or similar device.
Cellular signal boosters are not the panacea they are made out to be. They cannot create a signal where one does not exist, and in certain circumstances they can even lead to reduced download speeds.
A signal booster works by using a better located and more powerful antenna (usually mounted to the roof of your rig) than the one built into your smart phone. It will capture a cell signal from a nearby cell tower, which is then rebroadcasted through an internal antenna placed somewhere inside your rig. It also works in reverse to amplify your transition back to the cell tower. For best results, your cell phone should be placed as close to the internal antenna as possible, as many users report losing all benefits after just a few feet.
The main benefit of cellular boosters is increased upload speed, and more stable connectivity. While cellular boosters certainly can also increase signal strength and LTE speeds, it’s not the only — or even the best option — to do so. If you’re a weekend warrior or only in your rig for a few days at a stretch, this isn’t a bad option. Signal boosters allow you to make better use of an existing data plan with a one-time expenditure vs. additional monthly costs for services you may not be using frequently enough to justify.
Ultimately we decided not to bother with a signal booster in our van. After a few months in the van traveling Baja California and the Western U.S., we rarely found ourselves in areas with a weak LTE signal. We either had a good signal or no signal at all. Given our experience, it was hard to justify the price tag associated with a signal booster. We decided to skip right past this upgrade and level up to a 4G LTE router.
Level 3: Create Your Own Wifi
The next option is to purchase a 4G/LTE Router and a SIM card/wireless plan from an alternative carrier.
I strongly believe this is the best option for full-time road warriors, and it is what we have been using in our van for the past year. 4G/LTE routers work much like the hotspot on your cell phone. Using a SIM card and cellular data plan, 4G/LTE routers receive a cellular signal from a nearby tower and allows you to connect an almost unlimited number of devices to it. From a user perspective, once it is configured properly, it will feel much like using your home WiFi router to connect to the Internet.
A 4G/LTE router also has several distinct advantages over signal boosters:
- 4G/LTE routers allow you to diversify your carriers. In our case, we decided to purchase an unlimited data plan and SIM card from Verizon to use with our router since our cell phones were both on the AT&T network. There have been occasions where we have found that we have service through one provider, but not the other — or a barely usable signal with one, and a strong signal with the other. This ability to toggle between service providers is far superior to boosting a weak signal. Some 4G/LTE routers even have multiple SIM card slots and can automatically toggle between cellular providers based on the best signal strength.
- 4G/LTE routers not only allow you to connect to an external antenna similar to those used with signal boosters, but because these routers often have multiple antenna ports (2-4), you can connect the router to multiple antennas, which will allow you to easily surpass the signal gains promised by signal boosters (more on this in the next section).
- Unlike a cellular signal booster, which requires your phone to basically sit on top of the internal antenna, a 4G/LTE router can rebroadcast its signal a significant distance. This will free you up to do your work outdoors, and allow you to share your WiFi with friends camping nearby, if you choose to do so.
- 4G/LTE routers can also allow for truly unlimited tethering. Depending on the router and service plan you choose, most 4G LTE routers can be configured (or already come configured) to essentially mask the fact that you are using your SIM card in a 4G LTE router. As far as the cell carrier is concerned, it just looks like another cell phone streaming data, and not multiple devices sharing the same hotspot. There is some nuance to this, but for those who truly need unlimited data, it may be worth spending a few hours on the Reddit forums dedicated to this topic to make sure you are getting the best cellular plan/router configuration for your needs.
The biggest drawback to this setup is the reliability of the service plan. Although we are fortunate enough to still be using the same Verizon unlimited plan we purchased on eBay from a reseller a year ago, many others have had their service canceled for violating their provider’s terms of use policies. You may find yourself needing to switch providers, or purchasing a different SIM card from time to time. Again, we haven’t encountered this problem, but I have come across many online threads where people are looking for answers after having their service terminated.
Level 4: Install an External Antenna
We used our 4G/LTE router for over a year with great success without an external antenna. However, as we began working from the road more and more, we occasionally found ourselves in situations where slightly faster upload or download speeds would have made our workdays shorter and less stressful. I spent roughly three months going down the rabbit hole of researching external antennas before dishing out a couple hundred dollars for one that I am reasonably certain will serve us well over the long term.
The biggest decision when considering an external antenna is whether a directional antenna or an omnidirectional antenna is the best fit for your mode of travel. The overview below should help you with that determination.
Directional Antennas
As the name suggests, directional antennas must be pointed in the direction of the nearest cellular tower. This can be done rather easily with one of the many apps available for locating cellular towers. If you have a larger rig and find yourself stationary for weeks or months at a time, this is a great option. Directional antennas can also be mounted on extendible poles allowing for an even better signal. If you are looking to maximize your signal strength, this is your best option.
Omnidirectional Antennas
Omnidirectional antennas receive and transmit cellular signals in all directions (although not equally), but without the power or accuracy of a directional antenna. They are great for small rigs that move often and for those who find themselves working while in a moving vehicle. They are much more compact than directional antennas, and can be installed out of sight for those who need to remain stealthy. We ultimately decided this was the best fit for our travel style.
A Quick Note on MIMO Antennas
If you spend any time researching external antennas, you will likely find yourself lured deep into the MIMO rabbit hole. MIMO stands for Multiple Input Multiple Output, and theoretically these antennas can significantly increase your signal if your LTE router has multiple antenna ports. My understanding is that you can achieve similar results with multiple non-MIMO antennas, but you may prefer the streamlined look of a single roof mounted antenna. Our roof-mounted antenna is a MIMO antenna, but I’m not convinced that I’m getting much better performance than a standard trucker antenna.
The Cost of Staying Connected While Traveling
Now that we’ve reviewed all of the levels available to boost your internet connection, let’s talk costs. Below is a quick breakdown of our one-time and ongoing costs of staying connected on the road.
Monthly Costs:
- AT&T Unlimited Plan with 30GB hotspot x 2 = $80
- Verizon SIM card with Page Plus Unlimited Plan = $50
Hardware Costs:
- Mofi 4500 4G/LTE Router = $329.99
- Mobile Mark 5-in-1 MIMO Antenna = $289.99
- Verizon SIM Card = $43.13
Final Thoughts on the Best Internet Options
When in doubt, the best way to get Internet while traveling comes down to preparation and planning. We’re strategic about when need to be online and available, and put ourselves in an area where we know the cell service is reliable. As Alexis is working more freelance gigs lately, our backup plan to visit a local café where she can tap into their free WiFi and enjoy a latte. ?
While everyone has a slightly different way to stay connected on the road, there are a variety of options to work with. Whichever you choose, you don’t have to leave the Internet behind when you go on the road in your RV – and you’ll get to be wherever you want, whenever you want.
