Streaming service for RVers

[OburgOrange]

Buddy of mine is traveling this fall into spring across the south and southwest. Is there a streaming service he can purchase for his Amazon firestick?

[polishdon]

Originally Posted by OburgOrange

Buddy of mine is traveling this fall into spring across the south and southwest. Is there a streaming service he can purchase for his Amazon firestick?

For tv services? I use the AT&T streaming tv service through my fire stick at home.

[5picker]

There are LOTS of streaming apps available for the Firestick.
Sling, Hulu, Netflix and many individual apps will give you almost any channel you want. (there are exceptions)

Right now, one of the only streaming packages I'm aware of that provides major networks (NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX etc) is YouTube TV. It will give you network locals to wherever your location is (if moving about) but even then, some restrictions/blackouts apply.

Unfortunately YouTube TV isn't available on Firestick.
You can use a Roku device though. (about the same price)

DirecTV Now (recently rebranded as ATT TV Now) streaming service has networks/locals but are in a contract dispute with CBS so no CBS at the moment. If you have AT&T cellular you can stream ATT TV Now without incurring data usage.

DirecTV (satellite) also lets you stream your channel package through their app if you have their service.

One final note:
If you plan to stream tv in a campground, be sure to ask if you can upgrade your bandwidth package. (for a price)
Using the usual allotted bandwidth to stream tv makes the system unusable for others.
Many campgrounds will not even allow it and have provisions in place to block streaming.
Imagine 30-40 folks trying to stream tv in the evening at a campground... total overload.

Most campgrounds simply do not have the infrastructure to allow streaming.
It is coming, but not anytime soon and you'll likely pay for that just as you do any other hook-up. (cable, water, sewer, electric)

Be sure you have a good cellular package and can stream data unlimited.
HD streaming usually eats up about 4GB per hour. A 3 hour football game/movie will eat up 12GB of data.

This is just a nutshell of the world of streaming tv and the discussion can be quite lengthy. What I've presented isn't a complete synopsis of the digital world and only trying to help you understand a little bit about what is involved.

Many folks make the mistake that streaming tv is like having cable... turn it on and watch. Not so. You have to load apps, connect to a internet source, authorize content, sign in/out, etc.

The discussion can get pretty long.

[Jim34RL]

I believe you would have to buy a plan that would support the internet in an RV around $40 a month or more. I have been researching this since most campgrounds do not support streaming. What I have found so, far is you would need some sort of WIFI booster and than a internet plan. I have look at WeBoost, WIFI Ranger systems or such, these are systems are not cheap. You will than need to pick a plan from a major internet provider with each plan and speed plus the amount of data they support.

I would start looking here for more information. https://www.rvmobileinternet.com/

Good Luck

[ependydad]

As mentioned, the streaming service is the easy part. The hard part is finding a cellular plan that allows enough data usage to stream what you want.

As a fulltimer, I got lucky when we launched and there were truly unlimited offerings that we could acquire. I carry data plans on both AT&T and Verizon and find that neither is significantly better than the other.

There are "rental" vendors, but be prepared to spend upwards of $200/month on unlimited data.

[jk510]

Came across this thread over at iRV2. I have not tried it but it looks interesting.
http://www.irv2.com/forums/f53/40-mo...ed-442091.html

[JayArras]

One of the issues I often run into is that cell service sucks in most of the remote areas where I camp (even in my own state). If I can't even use my cell phone, there is no hope that I will be able to stream video with any of the carriers mentioned.

[kawac14]

We usually leave our fire stick at home. that's because it uses up data at such a high rate that we would only get about an hour using our monthly data allotment.

If your friend is really into TV when camping, a satellite account and a portable dish would probably be his best investment.

[bikendan]

Yep, a good cellphone data plan would be higher on my list, before streaming service.
Most campground WiFi is lousy and using it for streaming is frustrating.

[Mad Cow]

I have the unlimited from Sprint. I use my iPhone as the hot spot and stream away. If cell signal is an issue, the something like https://www.weboost.com can really help. I stream Netflix, PureFlix, Hulu and also use the hot spot for my laptop. I like streaming thru the iPhone and have it airplay on the TV thru the Apple TV box. I have been streaming a lot this month and have barely used half the 100GB at full throttle LTE before it throttles down to 600KB. $70 a month.

[CedarCreekWoody]

Are you looking for internet data service or programming to watch after you have internet service? You are getting answers for both; it might help if you clarify what specifically you are looking for.

[rlh1957]

Lots of services... as long as you can get a good cell signal or wifi from campground or if parked near another free wifi source. No Wifi, No Cell service No luck. Unless you take your portable Satellite dish and receiver and see the southern sky. A few times none of the three were available for a week... but we survived and enjoyed it. DVD's or Flash drives are always great.

[donkro]

Hulu Live also offers pretty much what YouTube does, for $5 less per month, and Sling is only $25 but with few if any local channels. Yes campground wifi is abysmal. We have a Verizon unlimited plan and stream away in most areas other than extremely remote with no problems. We do also use the Weboost Cell Phone signal booster which also helps, but you have to be very close to the inside antenna for signal improvement.

[NXR]

Originally Posted by Mad Cow

I have the unlimited from Sprint. I use my iPhone as the hot spot and stream away. If cell signal is an issue, the something like https://www.weboost.com can really help. I stream Netflix, PureFlix, Hulu and also use the hot spot for my laptop. I like streaming thru the iPhone and have it airplay on the TV thru the Apple TV box. I have been streaming a lot this month and have barely used half the 100GB at full throttle LTE before it throttles down to 600KB. $70 a month.

If you're an FMCA member check out their Sprint unlimited deal: https://www.fmca.com/component/fmcatechconnect/

"Data limits on your cell or wireless plan? No problem! Connect to your Sprint-powered hot spot and share your journey.

FMCA has teamed with Sprint to bring its members an outstanding benefit. Your benefit includes 3G-4G LTE as a truly unlimited monthly service. Access to the Sprint mobile hotspot plan is included in the FMCA Tech Connect+ benefit, package-priced at just $49.99 per month, with a one-time rental fee of $39.99 for the mobile hotspot device.

Members must have at least 1 year of active membership remaining to take advantage of this Benefit Package."

Ray

[Gsykora]

We just use our unlimited data from our ATT phones. I use my phone as the hotspot and then look for it as the wifi on my smart tv. Easy Peasy.

[Gumpster808]

Originally Posted by NXR

If you're an FMCA member check out their Sprint unlimited deal: https://www.fmca.com/component/fmcatechconnect/



"Data limits on your cell or wireless plan? No problem! Connect to your Sprint-powered hot spot and share your journey.



FMCA has teamed with Sprint to bring its members an outstanding benefit. Your benefit includes 3G-4G LTE as a truly unlimited monthly service. Access to the Sprint mobile hotspot plan is included in the FMCA Tech Connect+ benefit, package-priced at just $49.99 per month, with a one-time rental fee of $39.99 for the mobile hotspot device.



Members must have at least 1 year of active membership remaining to take advantage of this Benefit Package."



Ray

We’ve had this one for about a year and works great. Couple times working from home I’ve lost cable internet and fired up the sprint box and went back to work no problem.

Use it to stream Netflix and channels on smart tv (tv +).

Get about a 5 meg connection which lets us stream in hd.

The no limit is also nice through sprint.

FMCA also offers through Verizon but they have a cap on usage.

The sprint one says it will only be throttled in a very busy tower but we’ve never seen it.

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by Gumpster808

The sprint one says it will only be throttled in a very busy tower but we’ve never seen it.

If the tower is busy enough to cause throttling, then performance is going to be crappy no matter what.

Thanks for the high remarks for the Sprint service. I think I might pick this up before winter in Florida to see if a smaller carrier helps in snowbird hell.

[Arvie1]

There are lots of great services available. Since we didn't have a smart TV, I bought a Roku Stick. That works great but our attempt to make Hulu or any other "Live TV" streaming service ran into a snag. Our internet connection on the road is a Unlimited Data Package from Sprint via a HotSpot. The connection has been fast and reliable in most places so far. The problem with streaming is that most services will not allow you to view Live TV on a HotSpot. I'm told I can watch it on my phone, but my phone data plan is limited and who wants to watch TV on their phone. Still looking for a workable solution.

[fresno]

We're new to all of this and, so far, are only doing short weekend trips. We'd like to get to the point where we can leave for longer trips and manage our business when traveling. All that we need is online access (we got a Verizon hotspot), a fax and printer (we can sign up for EFax) and, of course, phone and online access. The Verizon hot spot is much faster than rv park Wi-Fi systems. If we really need a printer I'm sure that we can get a really small, cheap unit. The thing that we're not sure about is access to the tv. I'm guessing that lots of the places that we camp won't have cable for tv and the roof antenna that we have isn't so great. What do you folks think about our purchasing a Dish tailgater system. The receiver/antenna can be mounted to the roof, or used anywhere near our rig. Cost is about $400 plus a small monthly charge (we already have Dish for the house). Any suggestions that don't require a degree in computer science would sure be appreciated. We really do enjoy meeting all of you folks while were traveling. It seems like RV people are super nice! Thanks, David & Linda

[Villagerjjm]

You can set your cell phone to share an internet connection that the firestick can connect to, or get a device like a Jetpack that you can use as a router. Just make sure that you set an appropriate limit on data usage to avoid additional fees.