POLL: Are you able to earn a living, while RV'ing?

[DutchF]

Hi all,

Well I searched and didn't really see much about how many folks are able to work from the RV. So I thought I might start a poll. Fee free to post comments.

If you currently work to earn a living (working for a regular paycheck), are you able to work while you go RV'ing?

In my case, I can earn my living while RV'ing. I am a "remote systems engineer" and I am able to work anywhere I have an internet connection. When RV'ing I have 4 options:

• Verizon 4G LTE JetPack (MiFi hotspot)
• AT&T 4G LTE Galaxy 3 (company phone with hotspot)
• T-Mobile 4G LTE Galaxy , Galaxy 5 and Galaxy Tab 3 (personal phones / tab with hotspots)
• Locally access WiFi hotspots (campground or other)

When we are at home (sticks and bricks) we have Charter Cable internet.

[Smitty75]

I am in a somewhat similar situation. I am an environmental engineer working for a consulting company, so we can pretty much work from anywhere when not on a job site. I do travel a lot, but when I'm home can pretty much work from anywhere that has an internet connection. Only downside is that our favorite place to camp has next to no service, even with a jet pack.

[The_Rhino]

We both teach during the school year but I also own a small business selling technology-related services via the Internet & therefore need to answer sales-related emails almost daily. I hate using my phone to conduct business because it's too easy to make typos or other mistakes on such a tiny screen. Therefore when I cannot connect my laptop to a FREE WiFi hotspot I tether my Moto X phone to my laptop via an App called PDANet. PDANet allows my laptop to use my phone's 3G connection without flagging the carrier that I am using a tethered device vs. the phone...

My cell carrier is Rep. Wirless which forces the Moto X to use WiFi to make & receive calls but automatically hands-off the connection to cell towers if I move out of WiFi range. Since we spend most of the day either at home or work, all of those calls go through WiFi making cell tower usage minimal. Therefore my unlimited 3G plan is only $25/month per phone and I drop it to $10/month when I am not traveling. They have a unlimited 4G plan but we live in the country where they have not upgrade the towers to 4G yet...

Previously I was grandfathered under an old Sprint SERO account which was $30/month for unlimited data but IMO this plan is better because I can bump it between the $10 & $25 plan anytime I want through their website....

[zs325RES]

I'm pretty much like you Dutch.
I'm a Regional OEM Account Manager, and WiFi is my friend. I was at an RV resort earlier this month with dodgy WiFi service, so I went out and got a Verizon JetPack. Fortunately the cost can be claimed as an office expense, so it's all good.

[psgrandpa1]

We used PDANET for a long while...with no data charge. Then one month we received a huge data bill!!!no longer free!
If you know something we don't...please share.
I am constantly up and down my data package.


Bryan, Vonnie & Pepper
2012 378 Georgetown









Sent from my iPad

[DutchF]

Our data plans are like this:

Verizon 4G LTE JetPack for $50 a month = 5GB month then overage charge. (tax deductible) We also have an external antenna for the RV *IF* we happen to be somewhere where the signal is marginal.

AT&T 4G LTE (company paid phone) = 5GB month, then slows to .5GB (that's equal to a half T1, which works fine for remote work! Never any overage and company does not care if we use 20GB on the data plan)

T-Mobile 4G LTE runs about $140 a month and we get 3GB on each phone and 1.2GB on my tablet before it slows down. No overages. But when it slows down, it is almost unusable.

Any of these, or a nearby wifi signal can be "repeated" by my Linksys WRT54GS wireless router (mounted in the RV) and then bridged to a local virtual wireless access point. This allows me to take even a weak signal an bump it up so that we have a great connection throughout the RV and outside within about 150 feet.

Most of the time, I use the company phone, because when it hits the 5GB limit and slows down to .5GB, it is still PLENTY fast for remote work.

When we are on the road (in motion), the Verizon JetPack is often the best source. But we have to monitor it and NOT go over the 5GB limit.

T-Mobile... well, coverage is really crummy, so they don't get used much, but we've been with them for so long and the price is hard to beat. Plus each device doesn't SHARE the data plan. Oh, an our granddaughter's phone is on it too.

[keith_h]

The twelve or so years before I retired I was a remote employee working from home. While we didn't have the TT during that time my wife and I would take trips during the week. These were planned so I would have internet access and could work. When my Dad fell ill I had internet access installed at my parents house and worked from there until he passed away.

I think many jobs today can be performed well regardless of ones physical location as long as you have access to the internet. The deciding factor is not so much location as an employers flexibility and policy towards remote workers.