How to Get Wi-Fi for Camping and RV

Ready for an hazard in the neat outdoors? Don't forget the Wi-Fi!

Internet options for camping ground and RV

If you're packing up the RV for an hazard, we're hither to assistance you identify your Wi-Fi options for a safer and more enjoyable trip. You lot can get Wi-Fi from plenty of scenic locations around the land so you can stay connected on the route.

At that place are several ways to connect to the internet while you're on the route in an RV or in a tent. Using a phone as a mobile hotspot is the nigh common way people connect while they're on the road, merely mobile hotspotting has information limitations that are generally too restrictive for people who are working full fourth dimension while on the road.

Adult campgrounds are more than likely to have campground Wi-Fi networks, be closer to towns with costless Wi-Fi, and be within range of cell phone towers (which you'll need for cellular hotspotting, 4G LTE net, and a mobile hotspot device).

Bear in mind that the farther abroad you military camp from cities and suburbs, the fewer of these options you can use. Also, geography tin severely limit your ability to access any internet indicate. Canyons, forests, and tall buildings can interfere with internet signals. You might need to bulldoze around to become a good betoken sometimes.

Still, at that place'southward likely an internet pick out in that location that will work for you lot. We'll dive into each of the options for camping cyberspace beneath so you lot tin decide what will work best for your situation: mobile hotspotting, 4G LTE internet, and portable satellite internet.

Our choice: mobile hotspot device + AT&T Prepaid Data Plan

Our top recommendation for getting Wi-Fi while camping in is getting a mobile hotspot device and pairing information technology with a prepaid data plan. This is the most flexible option, allowing you to buy a device upfront and then merely activate service for the months yous'll be using it, rather than having a year-long contract.

Using a mobile hotspot like the AT&T Nighthawk LTE along with 1 of AT&T's prepaid data plans is a great option for camping and RV. AT&T recently slashed the price on their prepaid plans and doubled the data—which is a win, win, anyhow y'all look at it. If you like Verizon'due south network but are looking for something cheaper, cheque out Visible'south $forty per month data plans, which include unlimited hotspot information.

Recommended mobile hotspot information plans

Programme name AT&T 15 GB Prepaid Data Plan AT&T 100 GB Prepaid Data Plan Visible plan (on Verizon network) T-Mobile data-only program
Monthly hotspot information limit

20 GB

100 GB 100 GB Unlimited 30 GB
Price $35/mo.

$55/mo.

$40/mo. $twoscore.00/mo.
Get It

Information every bit of 5/12/2021. Offers and availability may vary by location and are field of study to change.

Why use a mobile hotspot while camping ground?

  • Mobile hotspot devices offer more than data than hotspotting off your phone and they don't bleed your telephone battery.
  • All data plans we recommend are contract free. Without the burden of a month-to-month service contract, you tin can buy the mobile hotspot device upfront and simply activate service for the months you army camp.
  • The drawback to a mobile hotspot device is that it doesn't work in areas without cell phone reception—you have to be close plenty to a prison cell phone tower to get a point.
  • Using a jail cell phone booster can strengthen your signal in more remote campsites and National Parks with weak cellular signals.

If y'all're planning on doing a lot of backcountry camping ground, a mobile hotspot device may non piece of work. For example, if you lot're boondocking in the backcountry and y'all're 100 miles from the nearest jail cell phone tower, you lot may only be able to go online using a portable satellite dish, which is expensive and dull. But if you're content to save online activities for when you're staying in established camping areas, a mobile hotspot device might exist great.

Travelers who rely heavily on cyberspace admission for working remotely or staying continued during long trips volition benefit most from getting a mobile hotspot device. Occasional campers may non need a dedicated device for internet access while camping ground and could go past with hotspotting off their cell telephone plan.

Other mobile hotspot options include the Verizon 5G Hotspot will deliver a steady connection in many camping areas.

All-time mobile hotspot devices

Information as of v/12/2021. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject field to modify.

When selecting a mobile hotspot device, nearly people get one with the same provider as they use for their cell telephone. Sometimes, y'all can save money by bundling plans. Mobile hotspot plans price $five to $150 per month, depending on which provider y'all pick and how much data you use.

Although Verizon has i of the cheapest hotspot devices, Verizon's data-only hotspot plans are the virtually expensive, which is why we recommend getting MVNO Visible if you want to use Verizon's network. (Visible is much cheaper.)

To larn more, check out our full mobile hotspot review, which includes data on service plans.

Cellular hotspotting using your phone

Using a mobile phone to access the net or hotspotting from a phone to a laptop are the most popular ways that people get online while camping. The only catch is you have to exist camping in an area with prison cell telephone service. The internet activities you'll be able to utilise your telephone for volition depend a lot on how strong your point is.

Info

Most mobile phone plans allow you to share your internet connection from your telephone with another device, such as a laptop or tablet. This is chosen hotspotting. Be sure to starting time cheque with your cell provider to find out if hotspotting data is part of your plan.

  • To hotspot on an iPhone , go to Settings > Personal Hotspot. Switch the button to "on."
  • To hotspot on an Android, go to Settings > Network & Internet > Hotspot & Tethering. Toggle the button to "on."

Data restrictions volition utilise—plans give you somewhere between 3 GB and 30 GB of full-speed data per month while hotspotting. After you reach the data limit, you'll take actually slow speeds—fifty-fifty if you take unlimited data. You tin can learn more than in our guide to mobile phone hotspotting.

Best cell telephone plans for hotspotting

Plan

Hotspot information limit

Price

Coverage ranking

Verizon Get More Unlimited

30 GB/mo. at 4G LTE speeds, then unlimited information at 600 Kbps

$ninety/mo.

#1 in US

AT&T Unlimited Elite

30 GB/mo at 4G LTE or 5G speeds, and then unlimited data at 128 Kbps

$50/mo.

#2 in US

T-Mobile Magenta Plus

20 GB at 4G LTE speeds, then unlimited data at 3G

$85/mo.

#3 in US

Data every bit of v/12/2021. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to alter.

4G LTE internet

If y'all want to bring your dwelling house internet connexion with you wherever you get, 4G LTE internet is a great option for camping in an RV. It doesn't require complicated installation of a satellite dish or data monitoring, and you can get a bespeak in the same places as y'all tin get cellphone service. Some carriers have amend coverage in rural areas. You can use your 4G LTE cyberspace service for your abode internet provider and for your RV internet service, which is a big perk.

Also known as wireless internet, 4G LTE internet service delivers data using cell telephone towers—the same way you lot become information on your smartphone. Most 4G LTE providers offering download speeds of ten–25 Mbps, which might not exist fast enough to play fast-paced games like Fortnite or Diablo online, only it's aplenty speed for browsing, emailing, fetching directions, making reservations, making video calls, and even streaming  movies or Tv set on Netflix or YouTube.

To take your 4G LTE cyberspace with you on the road, you but need to carry your modem/router out to your RV and plug information technology into a power source and you'll accept internet admission for your devices on the go. And you don't have to be going far—you can use it in the befouled, in a workshop, or anywhere you have access to power. When you plug your modem/router in, y'all'll accept the aforementioned network name and password that you lot ready up at habitation.

Perfect for rural areas, vacation spots, and RV campgrounds, 4G LTE internet service offers portable internet service that'south too groovy for RVers. There are dozens of pocket-sized 4G LTE net providers around the state. Here are a few worth checking out.

All-time 4G LTE internet providers for camping

Provider Nomad Cyberspace Unlimitedville
Details

• Runs on T-Mobile or Verizon network
• $129–$149/mo.
• Ask for a mobile hotspot when you sign up

• AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon
• $149–$249/mo.
• Ask for a mobile hotspot when you lot sign upwardly
Get it

Information as of five/12/2021. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

4G LTE home internet

Like cell telephone service, 4G LTE internet depends on proximity to jail cell telephone towers to get a signal. Information technology won't work well in extremely remote areas, canyons, or in heavily forested areas. Lakes and swamps can also interfere with cell signals. 4G LTE works best when you're in an open up area and you're located close to cell phone towers.

For heavy data users or seasonal RVers who travel extensively, 4G LTE internet might be a improve mode to get net than cell phone hotspot. With 4G LTE internet, you can use the same program for habitation internet and Wi-Fi on the road—and it delivers a lot more data than mobile hotspotting. If you're cruising around the country in an RV for months on end, you might need more than the 15 GB of data per month that you'll become from hotspotting off your cell phone.

Do you like to escape the urban center during your travels? Plenty of campers and RVers like to stay close to popular beaches, resorts, and cities while they travel, only non everybody likes the crowds. Yous can venture a little farther off the beaten path if yous use a signal booster, which will help the 4G LTE modem/router choice up a signal from a piffling farther away.

Portable satellite internet

Although it is possible to get your RV set up for satellite internet, we don't usually recommend satellite internet for casual RVers. The equipment costs are extremely high and the speeds are nigh the aforementioned as old school dial-upward from the 1990s (upward to 1-2 Mbps ). So, satellite internet doesn't usually make sense for well-nigh people on the route. About campers would rather spend an afternoon in town or hotspot off their phones to get occasional internet access than invest in a portable satellite internet setup.

But, if y'all program to spend a year or more boondocking in remote areas and you have at least $7,000 to spend on internet service, a satellite internet setup for your RV can give you the widest ranging signal for bones net tasks like emailing. But satellite net for RVs doesn't accept enough bandwidth to work for video streaming, gaming, or video conversation.

Neither HughesNet nor Viasat (the major residential satellite cyberspace companies) offering portable satellite net service. You can get satellite internet for your RV from RVDataSat. There are two types of satellite dish setups available for RVers: the RVDataSat 840 (which costs $6,995) and the DataSat 960 (which is more than powerful and costs $fifteen,995). Both will need to be mounted to the top of your RV and the cables will need to be wired through the roof and walls.

In addition to equipment costs, you'll also need to sign up for a satellite internet service plan with iDirect. All service plans crave a ane-twelvemonth contract, which ways you'll be paying for the service plan fifty-fifty during the months when your RV is parked in your driveway.

iDirect portable satellite internet for RVs

Plan proper noun

Download speed

Toll

Go information technology

Access 100

1 Mbps

$129.99/mo. + 1-fourth dimension equipment price ($6,995.00 & upward)

Access 200

i.v Mbps

$129.99/mo. + 1-time equipment cost ($half-dozen,995.00 & upwards)

Admission 300

ii Mbps

$209.99/mo. + 1-time equipment toll ($half dozen,995.00 & up)

Data equally of 5/12/2021. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

Boosting campground Wi-Fi

The most obvious internet option while traveling in an RV is trying out campground cyberspace or getting internet at restaurants, coffee shops, and libraries. Sometimes y'all may luck out and campsite in a site with decent Wi-Fi. Merely most campground Wi-Fi is weak, slow, and unreliable, and so we don't recommend that you rely on it for annihilation of import.

When you check in, become ahead and get the sign in info from the army camp host for the camp Wi-Fi. It won't hurt—information technology's free in most cases. And if it's a cold night in the middle of Feb and you're the only camper, yous might get plenty bandwidth to stream a few YouTube videos (if yous're located close enough to the main office).

Most campground Wi-Fi networks have two problems: they're overcrowded with too many users, and the router and modem are as well far away from the campsites. You can't fix the first trouble, only you can utilise a booster or extender to gear up the second problem.

Light Bulb

If you lot desire to apply campground Wi-Fi for casual employ, or use roaming Wi-Fi on your cell phone, a booster or extender will help you go a ameliorate betoken. For more details, check out our guide to Wi-Fi boosters and extenders for RVs .

Best Wi-Fi boosters for RV

Bearifi BearExtender Alfa Camp Pro 2 Kit Winegard ConnecT 2.0

Bearifi BearExtender

Alfa WiFi Camp Pro 2 Long Range WiFi Repeater RV kit

Winegard ConnecT 2.0

Details • Roof (pole) mount or apply on portable tripod • Windows/Android only • Connects to one device

• Roof mount• Dual part: boosts Verizon and AT&T jail cell signals and campground Wi-Fi

• Roof mount • Dual role: boosts Verizon and AT&T cell signals and campground Wi-Fi
Toll $57.49* $149.99* $349.99*
Get it

* Amazon.com pricing as of 5/12/2021. Product prices and availability are accurate every bit of the appointment/time indicated and are subject to modify. Any price and availability data displayed on Amazon.com at the time of buy will use to the purchase of this product. SatelliteInternet.com utilizes paid Amazon links.

If yous're familiar with boosters and extenders, you know that they work to amplify an existing Wi-Fi signal and then yous can pick up signals from farther away. Boosters made for home networks won't work because they're designed to be placed as close to the router equally possible. A booster or extender made specifically for RV utilize volition work all-time. At that place are a lot of practiced options for RVs, so nosotros've created a guide to aid you get the best booster or extender for your RV.

Final takeaway

If you need an internet pick that's reliable enough to work remotely or spotter Netflix effectually the campfire, opt for a mobile hotspot device or 4G LTE internet service. Both of these options offer service to areas with prison cell phone coverage, although they won't work in areas without prison cell phone service..

Virtually coincidental RVers won't demand portable satellite internet, which is a skillful matter since it's so expensive. So, we recommend satellite cyberspace only to farthermost campers and RVers who work or live fulltime in highly remote locations.

Camping Wi-Fi FAQ

How tin can I get Wi-Fi at a campground?

If you lot're camping you can go Wi-Fi with a mobile hotspot device, by hotspotting from your phone, or by boosting campground Wi-Fi signals into your RV. If y'all're camping in an area with jail cell phone service, you tin can turn your phone into a personal hotspot (which shares your phone's data with a laptop or other device) or sign up for 4G LTE cyberspace service from Blazing Hog Net or Ladybug Wireless (which is a great idea if you're going to spend a lot of fourth dimension camping). If you will be in extremely remote areas, portable satellite internet may be your only option, but it may require setting upwardly or repositioning a satellite dish every time you make camp.

What are the best internet options for camping?

The best internet option for your camping trip depends on how much y'all want to spend and where you'll be. If you're going to exist traveling frequently and need reliable data, nosotros recommend a mobile hotspot device (which only works when you're camping ground in an area with cellphone service). For casual cyberspace use, you can also use campground Wi-Fi or use your mobile phone as a personal hotspot (which has data limitations).

Kristin Cooke

Written by

Kristin Cooke

After graduating with a degree in English from the University of Utah, Kristin learned to geek speak while working equally a technical recruiter, interviewing software developers and tech companies. For over 20 years, she has created honor-winning content for engineering, wellness, and finance companies. Kristin is an advocate for affordable cyberspace for all and writes about rural internet solutions, satellite net news, and tech products at SatelliteInternet.com. Her work has been featured in New York Mail, PCMag, Forbes, Concern Insider, Telecompetitor, Space.com, and The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society.