Best way to get internet connectivity

[jimindenver]

I've been on the road for a month and a half now. There has been no perfect carrier yet. Verizon becomes overloaded at times likr the night the big tent opened at Quartzsite. At first it was just the LTE bands then the 3G went too. My Cricket phone loses data occasionally in the more remote stretches of I-25 and 95. Sprint LTE worked great at the truck lot near Algodones but it weak at the RV park in Yuma a few minutes away. T-Mobile works here but was pretty much useless in the Quartzsite area.

I generally pull into a place and turn on all of the devices to see first which gets signal and then the strongest signal.

 

[SoulRaven]

Do you recommend phones and hotspotting/tethering?

or buying a router?

what are the best companies/products you've found?

Search for the username Jimindenver...and "internet" ... I wager you will find it worth your time.

 

[SoulRaven]

Search for the username Jimindenver...and "internet" ...  I wager you will find it worth your time.

should have read the thread first.  Jim has already replied.  Moderator, feel free to delete both replies.

 

[highdesertranger]

correct me if I am wrong but I thought is was illegal to use Hughsnet as a mobile internet service. when I looked into it a few years ago that's how it was. you can only use it at a stationary house. I heard that you could take the dish off your house and use it on your RV or boat but it was illegal. has something changed? highdesertranger

 

[PathofAsha]

correct me if I am wrong but I thought is was illegal to use Hughsnet as a mobile internet service.  when I looked into it a few years ago that's how it was.  you can only use it at a stationary house.  I heard that you could take the dish off your house and use it on your RV or boat but it was illegal.  has something changed?  highdesertranger

Maybe bad info. My friends who use it are ex police officers and stated if you go thru a 3rd party provider and don't give an address they don't lock in coordinates so the dish is mobile on your RV home. 

I don't see anything on hughesnet website about it being illegal. I'm sure it won't work if you took it off your house and tried to make it mobile.

 

[highdesertranger]

ok I did a little research. seems illegal was not the right term. you need an FCC license for a mobile satellite internet TRANSMITTING device. when I looked into it the license was extremely difficult to get. it seems they have relaxed the rules so now almost anybody can get a license. but have you seen the prices? OMG the equipment starts in the 2k range and goes up from there. then the plans talk about sticker shock. access could cost in the 1,000's per month for heavy users. so yes it is not illegal just super expensive. highdesertranger

 

[PathofAsha]

but have you seen the prices?  OMG the equipment starts in the 2k range and goes up from there.  then the plans talk about sticker shock.  access could cost in the 1,000's per month for heavy users.  so yes it is not illegal just super expensive.

I haven't looked into the prices myself. BUT I'm not surprised they can afford such luxuries on their pension which might have been subsidized by asset forfeiture from others during their working years. They were kind enough to share their connectivity with me when Verizon didn't have a signal.