Products
First, a real quick note on using campground or RV Park Wifi, wifi boosters, etc. Don't waste your time or money. In our 2.5 years on the road thus far, we have never found wifi worth connecting to. This is why we use cellular exclusively.
Right now (July 2020), our entry-level recommendation is the Pepwave MAX BR1 MINI! At around $300, it's not much more than just a plain hotspot. Like you might have seen in our recent Internet video, hotspots are carrier locked and the wifi they generate can be inferior.
The MINI is NOT carrier locked, has much better wifi, and has an ethernet port for wired connectivity. It's Pepwave's entry-level device and it can accept SIM cards for AT&T or Verizon (and T-Mobile). In fact, it accepts TWO SIM cards at the same time, allowing you to switch back and forth at will, or set up automatic failover (fail-over can take a minute or so). Pair the Mini with an unlimited data plan and you've got a little more flexibility if you plan on using two carriers as we do, or if you might want two carriers in the future.
If you're not sure what to get, reach out to MobileMustHave (please click our link first) and they can help get you into a solution that fits your needs! ??
These are just a couple of basic options, but there are a whole lot more at Mobile Must Have! We'll be testing out some higher-end gear soon and, of course, there will be a video!
I'll get to the point… It's not cheap! But, it's also much less expensive than it was even 6 months ago with Pepwave's release of the Max Transit Duo! Prior to that, dual modem cellular embedded routers were double or triple the price. That said, here's what the prices are today (2020-Jul-29):
✅ Ultimate Road Warrior Bundle with MobileMark Antenna (Our Kit): $1345
✅ MMH Dual Carrier Unlimited Data: $189 (First Month) $250/mo thereafter
✅ Pepwave AP One AC Mini (Interior WiFi Access Point): $149
✅ XPOL High Gain LTE MIMO Antenna: $182
✅ WeBoost 25′ Telescoping Mounting Pole: $130
✅ NETGEAR 8-Port Gigabit Ethernet Unmanaged PoE Switch ~$80
✅ APC 600VA UPS Battery Backup & Surge Protector~$65
Add in maybe $100 in miscellaneous costs like ethernet cabling, roof junction, etc… We're looking at around $2300 initial investment and $250/mo for data. That's a lot and we get that. But we, like many others on the road full time, use the internet for our livelihood. Considering we're talking about home-like internet strapped to a box that moves all over the country, that's not too bad!
Another consideration is, you don't need all of this stuff at once. We did, so we could test all of it. One could easily start out with just the main kit and data plans for around $1500, and add the rest on later, if ever.
Mobile Internet
The constantly changing landscape of the 3rd party mobile data market (more like underground) makes it impossible to answer this question today and have it be accurate tomorrow. Staying on top of all of the changes is a full-time job. Luckily, the Mobile Internet Resource Center does just that.
We VERY highly recommend the MIA (Mobile Internet Aficionados) membership in the Mobile Internet Resource Center. Check out the Full Blog Post here (with DISCOUNT CODE!). They maintain guides on the latest plans available. Note: We are not affiliated and make no money from recommending their membership. We just believe it's well worth the money to have someone else track this and provide alerts when new plans come and go. Of course, their site is also a wealth of information on EVERYTHING mobile internet.
In fact, they made their Cellular Data Plans Top Picks article FREE! So, check that out for the latest available!
First, a real quick note on using campground or RV Park Wifi, wifi boosters, etc. Don't waste your time or money. In our 2.5 years on the road thus far, we have never found wifi worth connecting to. This is why we use cellular exclusively.
Right now (July 2020), our entry-level recommendation is the Pepwave MAX BR1 MINI! At around $300, it's not much more than just a plain hotspot. Like you might have seen in our recent Internet video, hotspots are carrier locked and the wifi they generate can be inferior.
The MINI is NOT carrier locked, has much better wifi, and has an ethernet port for wired connectivity. It's Pepwave's entry-level device and it can accept SIM cards for AT&T or Verizon (and T-Mobile). In fact, it accepts TWO SIM cards at the same time, allowing you to switch back and forth at will, or set up automatic failover (fail-over can take a minute or so). Pair the Mini with an unlimited data plan and you've got a little more flexibility if you plan on using two carriers as we do, or if you might want two carriers in the future.
If you're not sure what to get, reach out to MobileMustHave (please click our link first) and they can help get you into a solution that fits your needs! ??
These are just a couple of basic options, but there are a whole lot more at Mobile Must Have! We'll be testing out some higher-end gear soon and, of course, there will be a video!
Currently, we have four data plans:
Grandfathered AT&T Unlimited Plus HotSpot Plan ($20/mo) – We've had this plan since November of 2017 when our MIA Membership paid off in a big way by warning us that this plan would be going away. And, if we wanted a good unlimited AT&T plan to grab a hotspot before it goes away. We did, and we still have this true unlimited plan today even though it went away in late 2017.
Verizon Unlimited Plan via EZ Mobile Data ($120/mo) – This is the 3rd party data broker that MobileMustHave used to use before they started brokering plans directly. We've always had good service.
Sprint Unlimited (800GB fair use cap) Plan via Mobile Must Have ($120/mo) – MMH only recently started offering this plan and we jumped on it! When it works, it works great! But, that's just the nature of Sprint / T-Mobile. The coverage isn't nearly as good nationwide as AT&T and Verizon, but it can save your bacon when it does work and our primaries don't.
NOTE: This plan is only available if you purchased your router hardware from Mobile Must Have.
Starlink ($135/mo) – While not cellular, Starlink is a part of our data lineup.
To see how we use all of these at the same time, see: Starlink, 5G, and New Routers! (Mobile Internet 3.0)!
The thing with the unlimited wireless plans is they are all 3rd party plans living on the edge of each cellular carrier's terms of service. Resellers come and go and prices go up and down as supply and demand change. That supply can be hugely interrupted by the carrier shutting down an entire provider. It is a constant game of cat and mouse. We are on our third Verizon plan and second AT&T plan. When you find a good plan, snag it! But also know that any 3rd party plan might only last a year or two.
Additionally, you will find that many of the “unlimited” plans now have “fair use” data caps on them. This usually happens when the carrier comes down on the 3rd party reseller for using too much data. So the 3rd parties put their own limits on to stay in good graces with the carrier. Any data cap obviously contradicts the title “unlimited” and we strongly feel having “unlimited” in the name is misleading. Unfortunately, they all seem to do this, including our partner MMH. Be sure to always read the fine print! Even with the cellular carriers themselves.
I'll get to the point… It's not cheap! But, it's also much less expensive than it was even 6 months ago with Pepwave's release of the Max Transit Duo! Prior to that, dual modem cellular embedded routers were double or triple the price. That said, here's what the prices are today (2020-Jul-29):
✅ Ultimate Road Warrior Bundle with MobileMark Antenna (Our Kit): $1345
✅ MMH Dual Carrier Unlimited Data: $189 (First Month) $250/mo thereafter
✅ Pepwave AP One AC Mini (Interior WiFi Access Point): $149
✅ XPOL High Gain LTE MIMO Antenna: $182
✅ WeBoost 25′ Telescoping Mounting Pole: $130
✅ NETGEAR 8-Port Gigabit Ethernet Unmanaged PoE Switch ~$80
✅ APC 600VA UPS Battery Backup & Surge Protector~$65
Add in maybe $100 in miscellaneous costs like ethernet cabling, roof junction, etc… We're looking at around $2300 initial investment and $250/mo for data. That's a lot and we get that. But we, like many others on the road full time, use the internet for our livelihood. Considering we're talking about home-like internet strapped to a box that moves all over the country, that's not too bad!
Another consideration is, you don't need all of this stuff at once. We did, so we could test all of it. One could easily start out with just the main kit and data plans for around $1500, and add the rest on later, if ever.
The mobile internet landscape (plans, devices, etc) is constantly changing and impossible to stay on top of. That's why we VERY highly recommend the MIA (Mobile Internet Aficionados) membership in the Mobile Internet Resource Center. Check out the Full Blog Post here (with DISCOUNT CODE!)
Well.. the bottom line is that you need to tell a little white lie… 😳 This is what worked for us:
- Look at the Starlink coverage map and find an area not waitlisted.
- Open google maps and find that area.
- Drop a pin somewhere not on someone else's address. We used a field in Kansas.
- Click the GPS coordinates link (for the pin you just dropped) at the bottom of the screen on google maps.
- This will bring up that location's details on the left. Copy the google plus code that looks like 85XX+CV7 Glasco, Kansas
- Go to the main Starlink page and paste that plus code into the service address box and click order now.
- Ship the gear to wherever you want.
- When you get it, set it up and add the Portability option (in your account settings).
- Once it is set up and running, you can try to change your service address to your physical location or home base. Doing so will bring you to normal priority versus deprioritized (outside home area with portability).
We must convey that this process worked for us in April of 2022, then again in June of 2022 (for the cabin). We make no guarantees this still works. Use at your own risk.
Like everything “mobile internet”, it depends… We do have, and have used, a WeBoost Booster and even have a video on it. The catch with boosters is they only boost a single channel which breaks the MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) functionalities of most modern cellular data equipment.
Knowing that, a booster should only be used as a last resort. Running a booster all the time will, in most cases, reduce internet speeds. There are some exceptions to this. It can sometimes improve upload speed.
Since we upgraded to a roof antenna and our pepwave max transit duo, we very rarely need to deploy anything “extra”. When we do, we try our Poynting XPOL first which is a MIMO antenna that connects directly to our pepwave router (replacing the roof antenna for one of the two modems in our system).
While there may be a situation with out new setup that might benefit from the WeBoost, we have not encountered it. Our WeBoost has been stowed for almost a year now.
Our recommendation is to build and add on as needed and save the booster till you KNOW you'll be on the fringes of coverage. That way you might be able to test it and still return it if it isn't needed.
