How to Add Great WIFI to an RV
Let’s be honest, a tech’d up life gone mobile doesn’t really include communing with nature a great deal. Not that there is anything wrong with that, just not our style. Instead, we are talking mostly urban boondocking and the like so we can maintain our links to the urban sprawl that feeds our cyberpunk aesthetic passions so well. After all, going digital nomad is at least half digital right???
Staying Connected
Living a tech’d-up mobile life also requires gaming, vid streaming, social media, and the like requiring multiple devices dancing around our heads, the new version of sugar plum ferries I guess, tis the season. Happy Holidays all, and today a special Happy Thanksgiving!
This all being said, a normal hotspot just will not do the trick even though it’s handy and economical. We are simply going to need greater capacity. Lower bandwidth is a killer with the hotspots when considering how connected we want to be.
Instead, we are building out a four-device rigging. Well, three plus a combo anyway…
The four elements of our proposed system are as follows:
- SIM Card
- Cellular Modem
- Router/Wi-Fi Combo
- Cell Signal Booster
WHOSE YOUR ISP?
Internet service providers are available everywhere and everyone has their favorite Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint; we all know the names. From scouring many sites (our favorite that we found), the top-recommended ISP for RV travel around the country (US), is often stated as Verizon for their network is simply farther ranging. From that favorite site of ours, where they could find AT&T they always had Verizon (they were using both), however wherever they had Verizon, they didn’t always have AT&T signal/service. As Verizon has long had the widest-ranging network in the US, we’ll most likely go with them as it’s our home-base.
WHICH CM?
Which cellular modem to choose isn’t really a difficult one as there are really only two in the conversation currently. Netgear and D-Link are the two most named in the conversation and from what we’ve heard the best options available. With Gigabit Internet, a small, lightweight form factor, and a really reasonable price point (often on sale toward $110) we can’t resist the Netgear 4G LTE (#CommissionsEarned).
WHICH ROUTER COMBO?
Staying with the small form factor with incredible power the Router/WiFi combo we are looking to choose is the ASUS AC2900 WiFi Dual-band Gigabit Wireless Router with 1.8GHz Dual-core Processor and AiProtection Network Security Powered by Trend Micro, AiMesh Whole Home WiFi System Compatible (RT-AC86U) (#CommissionsEarned), with gaming boost, built-in protection from Trend Micro (includes a lifetime subscription), customizable networks, and “battle-ready connectivity,” this is definitely our choice of the wireless router. We could even direct link this to Amazon’s Alexa directly to add a little AI to our pursuits.
WHICH BOOSTER?
Choosing the right booster is incredibly important as a strong signal is key to our cyber-connections. As we aim to be both mobile and stationary at times, need a strong signal that can be used with a variety of carriers (including Verizon), and that can be used in mobile or stationary our choice is the weBoost Drive Reach RV (470354) Cell Phone Signal Booster Kit (#CommissionsEarned). As it offers all these elements, and our goal is the best signal possible, we are working toward the $500 price point. Most importantly they not only are the original name in the game when it comes to cell signal boosts but also offer a two-year warranty and are 5G ready.
All that being said, any comments or recommendations?