technology help

[krhpee]

Would someone offer instruction on what I need to receive the internet while in a campground. I have a new Flagstaff Lite. I am really incompetent when it comes to tech even in my home. I have no clue what I need to have on hand. Any and all suggestions and instructions will be appreciated.

[whitmw]

Depends on what you want to use it for and how much you want to spend.

[krhpee]

web searches, maps, games. possible movies when I figure out how to do that. money is a consideration but if gets what I want I can justify it

[whitmw]

Some campgrounds offer internet but the speeds vary greatly. I don't think there's a 100% solution where you will have a internet connection everywhere you go. You probably need a laptop or similar device with wifi. 2 Options are a wifi booster to increase the wifi signal if the campground offers it. You can also choose to go with your own wifi hotspot and device. These are available from most wireless phone carriers. A lot of campgrounds charge for daily wifi access through a company called Tango, but offer different prices for connect to the network with a phone or laptop and a different price for a device like a roku or game system. Checking mail and surfing the internet will work Ok with the local wifi but movies is a lot more data may need some additional hardware. Clear as mud.

[clr]

You only have two real options here if you move often. One use the campground WiFi to get to the internet. This can be very spotty campgrounds wifi coverage can be very limited and the bandwidth from the campground to the internet is also very limited. But the good part here is that this option is normally free.
The second option is to use the data portion of your cellular phone plan. You would need to turn on the hot spot in your smart phone. No smart phone then you would need to buy a hot spot from your cellular carrier. Bad part is this can be come quite costly depending upon your use and your data plan with the carrier.

[jeff64]

Originally Posted by clr

You only have two real options here if you move often. One use the campground WiFi to get to the internet. This can be very spotty campgrounds wifi coverage can be very limited and the bandwidth from the campground to the internet is also very limited. But the good part here is that this option is normally free.
The second option is to use the data portion of your cellular phone plan. You would need to turn on the hot spot in your smart phone. No smart phone then you would need to buy a hot spot from your cellular carrier. Bad part is this can be come quite costly depending upon your use and your data plan with the carrier.

X2

You have to get a monthly subscription additionally, to use the hotspot on T-mobile from what I can see. As far as the bandwidth use, very true. Tried to use Roku/Netflix in my driveway off my WiFi in the house. Got signal to Roku just fine but, the Netflix kept buffering every couple minutes and it probably wasn't more than 50'

[RSchleder]

The above info is excellent!! We use the Verizon HOT SPOT both at home and on the road. It is bundled with our cell phone plan and gives us 12GB per month which we find adequate for our usage. If you want to stream movies, etc, you'll spend a lot more $$ as the 12GB plan will not support that level of data usage. Best bet is to check around with the various cell providers for different plans and be sure you understand the extent of their cell area coverage.

[ependydad]

Ohh, I have a blog post that covers this exact topic!

http://www.learntorv.com/2016/04/mob...t-on-road.html

[krhpee]

Thanks for the info. I will have to keep up on the tech for sure. Your log was quite interesting. Thanks

[Herk7769]

I use my cell phone for a hot spot. We have a generous plan and as long as we don't watch too many streaming movies per month, we have never gone over.

I tried everything to maximize campground WiFi and the connections are so "catch as catch can" that I just gave up trying.

I installed a WiFi router and connect the router to the phone. That way the router can share the connection with other wireless enabled devices like my printer and we can still share files between devices.

I store digital versions of movies and music on my small NUC computer and stream from that to the TV and surround Sound system via HDMI.

Bluetooth keyboard and mouse completes the system.

Amazon.com: Intel NUC D54250WYK1 Intel 4th Gen Core i5-4250U Processor with Power Cord: Computers & Accessories

If you can use a screw driver without hurting yourself you can buy the "kit" version and add your own hard drive and RAM for a custom system.

Intel NUC NUC5CPYH

Intel-NUC5CPYH-Graphics-2-5-Inch-BOXNUC5CPYH KIT

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by Herk7769

I store digital versions of movies and music on my small NUC computer and stream from that to the TV and surround Sound system via HDMI.

Amazon.com: Intel NUC D54250WYK1 Intel 4th Gen Core i5-4250U Processor with Power Cord: Computers & Accessories

Bluetooth keyboard and mouse completes the system.

Herk, did you intend to have the same link twice?

[Herk7769]

One is complete and the other should have been a "kit"

Intel-NUC5CPYH-Graphics-2-5-Inch-BOXNUC5CPYH KIT

Thanks, I fixed the links.