Starlink, 5G, and New Routers! (Mobile Internet 3.0)!

2022-07-17
Chad

It's hard to believe it's been two years since our last Internet Video! A lot has happened since then in the world of tech, we've changed a few things since then, and we've been testing new gear for the past six months or so.

If you're shopping for Internet gear and use our links with Mobile Must Have, be sure to use code CHANGINGLANES for 5% OFF!!! 😀

Mobile Internet Resource Center

In the video, I go over some basic options and move up to our current gear and how it's set up. If some of that went over your head and you want to understand, I very highly recommend the Mobile Internet Resource Center!

In particular, they have a Mobile Internet Video Course that is awesome! That course will walk you through step-by-step from the very basics to more advanced topics. It's the best resource out there for the mobile internet novice.

I also recommend their premium membership, Mobile Internet Aficionados (MIA). This gives you full access to all of their premium content and what I call the “Mobile Internet Alert System” (this is MY term, not theirs). I call it that because not only is it their premium newsletter, they are constantly on the watch for any changes in the “game.” That “game” is everything mobile internet, including data plan changes. Stay on top of the game, and don't discover that your data plan is changing after the fact!

Connection Diversity

Since the day we hit the road, the underlying theme of good mobile internet has been DIVERSITY! We've found that no single mobile internet solution is good everywhere. Some locations have great AT&T and no Verizon, and some are the other way around. T-Mobile is a great option in some locations and dead in others.

The best way to ensure you stay connected on the road is to have at least two or more options.

Our Current Setup

Peplink Pepwave MAX Transit Pro

The core of our new system is the Peplink Pepwave MAX Transit Pro! Like the Pepwave Max Transit Duo, it replaced, it's a dual modem router. The difference is the new model has one Cat-7 and one Cat-12 modem. This allows for more band coverage, including T-Mobile's Band-71, which is a longer-range rural band.

In addition to the modem changes, the new model also supports Wifi 6 and has a much faster processor (CPU). While a faster CPU might not seem like that big of a deal, it definitely is when it comes to using Speed Fusion, which is Peplink's multi-line bonding technology. More on that later.

Extending our internal WiFi coverage are two Pepwave AP One AC Mini access points. Since the MAX Transit Pro's WiFi is connected to our roof antenna, we use two AC One Minis, one in the office and one in the bedroom. The AP in the bedroom reaches the truck on travel days, providing internet in the truck.

Pepwave MAX BR1 Pro 5G

Connected directly to the (ethernet) WAN port of our MAX Transit Pro is our new Pepwave MAX BR1 Pro 5G! This is a single Cat-20 modem unit which means it's 5G. T-Mobile has come out of the 5G races running, and their coverage is great. Our testing has been blazing fast, providing over 175Mbps download speeds!

Starlink

Like many in the RV community, we use Starlink's portability option for mobile internet. While the connectivity of Starlink can be hit and miss and a lot depends on its antenna's view of the sky, we've found it to be a good addition to the lineup.

Starlink, on its own, might be a perfectly viable option for someone just looking to stream content as long as the sky is very open. However, Starlink can have many very short outages even with a very open sky as the low earth orbit satellites come in and out of the antenna's view. Thes short outages are likely to wreak havoc on someone needing to access their work remotely over a VPN and/or remote desktop.

For us, Starlink is just one more arrow in the quiver.

Antennas

About 90 percent of the time, our permanently mounted roof antenna, the Poynting 7-in-1, works perfectly. However, whenever we are far from the cell towers or in the mountains, antenna elevation is KEY! For that, we have the Parsec Akita 4×4 MIMO Pole Mounted antenna on our weBoost Antenna Telescoping Mounting Pole (25ft).

To connect the Akita to one of our Pepwave Routers, we have a junction box on the roof directly above our tech cabinet (in the office/garage).

Data Plans

All of this equipment is useless without a data plan to connect to one of the major carriers, and this is where the pain starts! Cellular carriers are very stingy with their data; to put it bluntly, their data plans stink! Most of them are capped to 20 – 50 GB per month, which doesn't cut it for the mobile nomad. If you steam your TV, you can blow through that data in just a few days!

Luckily there are some high data and even unlimited options out there, but they are constantly changing! The best way to stay on top of the ever-changing landscape and find the best data plan for you is the MIRC! They watch these things like a hawk, so you don't have to!

Summary

Mobile Internet can be a VERY confusing topic to get your head around! I have an extensive technical background in computers and networking technology, and it was even a lot for me to grasp initially.

If it's blowing your mind, start by taking the Mobile Internet Video Course by the MIRC, and don't skip any sections. Run back through it twice if you need to; it will give you a great foundation on which to build your mobile internet skills!

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