internet

[damian63]

This is were i become confused. How were you guys able to have Internet access set up in your "home". whats cheap and reliable. when i say cheap i don't mean cheap to the point where it takes a half hour to load a page. i want reliable internet that doesn't cost me a fortune but also is dirt cheap to were i might as well as not have it. one where i can use social networking and netflix. this would help greatly because it would make living a whole lot easier

 

[SoulRaven]

here is what I have and works for me... There are other ways that i am sure others will chime in on, but do not expect blazing speeds if off the beaten path...<br /><br />I have a Verizon MiFi Hotspot which is like a modem for a stick and brick, but it receives the wireless signals Verizon has all over the place... Now this works well by itself, but i boon dock way off the beaten path so I have a "Wilson" amplifier which is call a "Sleek" and their "Truckers" antennae" to gather up the signals from on top of my van... The WiFi hotspot was free at Costco with a 2 year contract at $50.00/Mo... The Wilson sleek and antennae was under $200.00 and like I said it is totally optional depending on the type of camper you are... The hotspot really screams when ya find a 4G town, 4G on the hotspot was as fast or faster than broadband at my last stick and brick...

 

[Coffee Tim]

I have an iPhone 4GS on AT&amp;T and I use the tethering feature as a modem for my laptop. I have 5G per month data and it runs about $124.00 monthly. It works well for me and have used it from around Detroit to Houston.&nbsp;

 

[peacetara]

Right now, I'm tethering to my iPhone 4, on StraightTalk, it's 'unlimited' data, but someone told me after about 2GB in a month they get a bit mad. &nbsp;I'm going to be going over 2GB, because I work on the Internet. &nbsp;I'm guessing they will eventually get upset with me, and then I'll upgrade/move to Verizon powered device, for the better connection. &nbsp;Not sure if I'll move my phone part, or just the Internet part, but so far so good, and I'm about a month in, they are not mad yet and I have tried to use as much free WiFI as I can find, since I'm urban dwelling in my van right now. So this month I ran right up to 2GB.<br /><br />I imagine, if they get mad, or my service starts to get bad as I move out of cities, I'd move to something like @soulraven's setup. &nbsp;Right now I pay $45/month. Switching to Verizon would put me up there around @Coffee Tim's pricing it seems, so I'd much rather stick with straight talk for as long as I can!

 

[Les H]

I also use straight talk from walmart. I have an Android smart phone (samsung galaxy precident) on the verizon network. Seems to work up and down the east coast from Ny to Fla, though thefe was a dead area in central Ky. i pay the $45 / month for unlimited and have not gone over since ive had it, about 4 months. if giving it a letter grade, it would be about a B to B+. The packaging specifically warned against tethering, so i havnt tried, though id like to learn how " for scientific purposes" only, of course.

 

[akrvbob]

Sorry to dissapoint you, but at this point there is no solution that will let you stream video on the cheap. <br /><br />In the cities, all the providers are equally good, but if you leave the city, nobody compares to Verizon, they are head-and-shoulders better than anybody else. They offer a Mifi device with 5 gigs for $50 and 10 gigs for $80 a month. That is still very limited video downloads.&nbsp;<br /><br />Lots of people are offering "unlimited" data, but after 5 gigs they drastically reduce your speed so it is worthless.&nbsp;<br /><br />Bottom line: Vandwellers simply have limited video downloading. Bob

 

[Seraphim]

Werarely do videos; when we do it's via a public wifi connection. Similar to SoulRaven, we have a Sprint OverdrivePro 4G uses Verizon networks, and get 6gb for $52 a month.

 

[damian63]

so im screwed on the netflix thats ok jus glad i asked now and not later&nbsp;

 

[Ricekila]

Via "The Survivalist Forum" ( same "scream" name <img src="/images/boards/smilies/wink.gif" alt="" align="absMiddle" border="0" />&nbsp; ) - &nbsp;I was looking at a hunting supply site -- they had some kind of WiFi booster for trail cams <img src="/images/boards/smilies/thumb.gif" alt="" align="absMiddle" border="0" /><br /><br />So you can see your future lunch from your I-phone - I guess <img src="/images/boards/smilies/rolleyes.gif" alt="" align="absMiddle" border="0" /><br /><br />I didn't look into it --- don't need one <img src="/images/boards/smilies/comp.gif" alt="" align="absMiddle" border="0" />

 

[Rollin]

I use At&amp;t and have the same plan as&nbsp;Coffee Tim. I am pretty pleased overall. I can wirelessly transmit to my lap top through my phone. You do need to be&nbsp;conservative&nbsp;though with your usage.&nbsp;<br /><br />With 5gb's you could surf all month 12 hours a day and still&nbsp;probably&nbsp;never&nbsp;exceed&nbsp;your data. But as soon as you start&nbsp;streaming&nbsp;videos/music or downloading&nbsp;pictures look out! Even replying to topics on&nbsp;forums&nbsp;or&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;cost large amounts of data.<br /><br />What works best for me has been to do my heavy downloading at a friends house or at the&nbsp;library&nbsp;via wifi. Overages can add up to big money in no time.<br /><br />I am pretty happy with At&amp;t as a provider. I had&nbsp;Verizon&nbsp;previously&nbsp;and&nbsp;actually&nbsp;payed to get out of my contract with them. I had the worst coverage with them. I was lucky to have one bar at the house if that! Texts would come in two DAYS latter. When I&nbsp;traveled&nbsp;to Alabama a few years back for work I had the same problem there. Also there customer service was a&nbsp;nightmare.&nbsp;&nbsp;Imagine paying over a $100 a month for a phone you can't use and them telling you that its all good on there end???

 

[damian63]

wow rollin that sounds crappy :/ alright so what if money isnt an issue the first year like i can spend say 200-250 a month for internet to get netflix where would i need to look into for that

 

[Guest]

alright so what if money isnt an issue the first year like i can spend say 200-250 a month for internet to get netflix where would i need to look into for that

<br />If money is no issue you may be in the market for a satellite dish setup. &nbsp;My research shows that can be possible. &nbsp;<br /><br />Personally though, I would rather spend the money of living free as long as possible and reduce my reliance on internet for my entertainment. &nbsp;The road will offer entertainments of it's own. &nbsp;It's hard to fathom how addicted so many of have gotten to our gadgets and devices in the span of just one generation. &nbsp;Curl up with a good book at night and leave netflix to the people who want anchors.

 

[Pikachu711]

In the past I might have been concerned about not finding locations where I could access free wifi locations. Nowadays there are many locations that feature free wifi so I wouldn't worry about access the internet.

 

[offroad]

Compressed movie is from 500MB (megabyte) to 1GB (gigabyte) in size.&nbsp; You are moving that over your bandwidth.&nbsp; Thus why you run out of space with ease.<br /><br />If you need movies, go to the library and get them free.&nbsp; they are one year old or older, but free.<br /><br />Streaming movies comes at a price.&nbsp; Hopefully 4G (generation cell service) will give us more options, but not much more.&nbsp; A 5G (gigabyte) cap gives you five movies if lucky. <br /><br />Also invest in satellite radio.&nbsp; It is a whole load of music and news, and is cheaper than stream audio.<br /><br />

 

[HoboBerg]

I currently have the old verizon unlimited data plan and the netflix app on my phone. Lots of smart phones have Hdmi out either thru mini hdmi port or thru the micro usb charging port which in that case a Mhl adapter is needed. (14 dollars amazon) This allows me to watch netflix on the big screen streaming from my phone. Compression ratio on the netflix app is pretty impressive. It appears after a quick google search that straight talk uses verizon and Att towers $45 a month. Not sure which ones have Hdmi capabilities if any? Other option is www.millenicom.com the unlimited plan uses sprint towers<img src="/images/boards/smilies/frown.gif" alt="" align="absmiddle" border="0" />&nbsp;and the 20gigs a month uses verizon towers I been told. Both plans are 69.99. Been streming Netflix almost every night for over a year no problemo<img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" alt="" align="absmiddle" border="0" />. Like SoulRaven had suggested I also use the wilson amplifier and have had great success even 40 miles out in the boonies. Hope this helps if you have any questions feel free to ask

 

[Ballenxj]

I started a thread about Apples IPad here. <br />https://vanlivingforum.com/post/Apple-IPad-6041914 <br />I'm thinking this might work well. <br />I also have a Droid (Motorola) that can be used as a hot spot. (Verizon) It seems to work well. <br />-Bruce