Updated: Our Mobile Internet Network For Full-Time RVing
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Originally published on October 11, 2018
It’s crazy to think that when we first hit the road back in 2015, we only had a 4GB cell data plan (2 of which were bonus GBs and we were sharing the plan with a friend). But since we didn’t have work that required us to be online, we chose to save money and did the best we could with that scant amount of data. The cell data landscape also looked a lot different 3 years ago (it was more complicated to get unlimited plans and large data plans were expensive!).
In reality, it meant we spent a lot of time searching for free Wi-Fi at grocery stores, libraries, coffee shops, friend’s houses - really wherever we could possibly find it. It was stressful. Since we mainly stayed farther out in the woods, we wouldn’t go into town but once a week to restock supplies. Town days were busy on their own, but toss in a week’s worth of online to-dos and it meant we were driving all over town to run errands and then stuck inside a library for hours while the dogs were bored out of their minds waiting for us. We all started to dread town days.
Over time we slowly increased our data plan, first to 8 GB of paid data with 4 GB of bonus data (September 2016). A year later, Verizon changed their plans and it was a good deal for us to once again increase our data - to 16 GB paid with 4 GB bonus data. And that was the plan we had until May 2018.
Having 20 GB of data was a big game changer. It was a lot of data, especially since we didn’t stream music, movies, or TV shows. We rarely had to go out searching for Wi-Fi after that plan change. But then it happened…we needed internet for work.
So Jerud started data shopping again.
Without going into all the details of what we were looking for and why certain options weren’t going to work, the gist is that we were looking for a plan in addition to our current 20 GB Verizon plan that was just a straight data connection (a mobile hot spot). Jerud contacted all the main carriers and found out that none of their larger sized data plans were viable. I’m keeping the downsides to these data plans short because they’re ever-changing.
Verizon
Our current phone plan is with Verizon. The next plan up from ours is Verizon’s “unlimited”. It’s not actually unlimited and it was too expensive.
AT&T
Their “unlimited” plan was also expensive and their device options for hot spots were lacking.
T-Mobile & Sprint
Neither of the two carriers have adequate coverage. Yes, they’re supposed to merge into one, but that’s not happening for another year – if it actually goes through. We needed a bigger data plan now.
Carriers all make data-only plans less attractive than phone data plans, for example: Verizon’s “unlimited” plan is 22 GB (after 22 GB your data gets deprioritized), while for a data-only plan that “unlimited” is only 15 GB – this is true even if you’re tethering to a phone.
Also, in our opinion, the old school method of purchasing a grandfathered-in, truly unlimited plan from someone else is no longer a viable option. Cell companies are starting to crack down on those plans more and more, and on top of that, the plans have to be handled delicately when it comes to making any changes. If a cell company rep does anything wrong, the whole plan could be cancelled. We just don’t have the energy to pay attention to those kind of details.
Previous Data Plans We Had
In 2018, we signed up with Unlimited To Go for their unlimited AT&T data-only plan. The plan was $100/month at the time. We paid month-to-month and could turn our plan on/off whenever we want – but it involved getting a new SIM card from Unlimited To Go each time.
In 2019, we switched to OTR Mobile because their unlimited AT&T data-only plan was only $60/month. Similar to Unlimited To Go, we could also turn our plan on/off whenever we want, but it meant getting a new SIM card each time and paying $20 for it.
But in May 2020, OTR Mobile stopped offering their AT&T unlimited plan. OTR Mobile plans evidently use TMobile/Sprint now. So, we switched to AT&T’s pre-paid data plan.
AT&T Pre-Paid Data Plan
Since our phones are with Verizon (best coverage), going with AT&T (has the second best coverage for us) meant we’d have more redundancy coverage-wise. It also means that if we go somewhere that doesn’t have Verizon coverage there’s a chance it’ll have AT&T coverage and vice versa (our decision has paid off multiple times since May 2018).
We settled on AT&T’s pre-paid data plan. It’s a new plan that just came out around the beginning of 2021 (we signed up at the end of February). (Update: As of April 26, 2021, we already regret this, see below for why.)
This pre-paid data plan is made exclusively for tablets and mobile hotspot usage, and it doesn’t get throttled or deprioritized – but it’s not unlimited – you get a fixed bucket of data. AT&T offers the plan in four sizes (note, these offerings have already changed):
15GB for $35/month
20GB for $25/month
That’s not a typo: It’s really cheaper than the 15GB plan. But, you have to pay for the entire year in advance ($300). AT&T doesn’t give you the option to pay month-to-month. This is the only plan out of the four that requires you to pay for the entire year in advance. This is the plan we’re currently using. We’re not actually sure what happens when the year is up. One rep told made it sound like the plan would switch to month-to-month payments, however, another rep said that if we renewed it would be in another 12-month chunk.
25 GB for $50//month
40 GB for $75/month
Looking at their different data plans and their prices, it seems like AT&T is purposely driving people to purchase the 20GB plan – because the math just doesn’t make sense for the other ones. You end up paying more money for less data.
Unlike some data plans I came across, this one doesn’t require you to have an AT&T-specific router to be able to use it. I gave the AT&T salesperson our router’s IMEI to make sure the SIM card and plan would work, but I also brought the actual router to double-check if necessary. The plan ended up costing $300 for the year, $15 activation fee, and taxes.
Despite what a store salesperson tells you, you have to go into an AT&T store to sign up for this plan. It clearly states it on the website. Aside from signing up and getting the SIM card, the salespeople in the store weren’t very helpful. They actually knew less about the plan than I did.
Things we learned after using the 20GB AT&T data plan the first month:
The SIM card is assigned its own phone number. The store salesperson didn’t provide me this number, but it was on the receipt. This phone number is needed to create your online AT&T “pay as you go” or paygo account (it’s a different site from AT&T’s regular plans). This site is the only place you can pay, add data, or check your usage.
You need to also have a pin number to create a login password for the paygo site, or to make any changes to your account. The store salesperson didn’t tell me about this, and can’t access it either. This pin can only be received via the SIM. If your router/hotspot has a screen on it, this is easy. You just request the PIN from the paygo site by selecting “forgot password”, then “reset pin” and it shows up on your device. You then have the option of changing it to whatever you like. But if your router doesn’t have a screen (like ours), there are two less-easy options:
1) Put the data SIM card into your phone (or any other device with a screen) temporarily. After the card is in the phone, request the PIN and it will show up on the temporary device. Then you can create your account and put the SIM back into your router.
2) Your router still receives the PIN code even if it doesn’t have a screen – it just can’t display it. So if you’re comfortable with your router’s settings and configurations, you can view the logs and see the SMS message containing your PIN. This is going to be different for every router, so we can’t help you with specifics
AT&T’s app for paygo accounts sucks; it just redirects you to the AT&T website. So we deleted it and bookmarked the website instead: www.paygoline.com/websc/home.html.
Apparently, the data plan is on a 30-day rotation rather than a monthly one. Meaning our plan didn’t reset on March 26 as we expected since we signed up for it on February 26. Instead, the plan resets every 30 days, which means our data will reset on a different day every other month! This is going to be annoying as heck, but beggars can’t be choosers. Apparently this is normal for prepaid plans, but we’ve never had one before.
You can add data whenever you’d like. It costs $10 to add 5GB. That’s the only increment available, but I don’t believe there’s a limit to how many times you can add to your plan each month.
We quickly discovered how much we missed our previous unlimited plan because we went through our 20GB of VZ cell data and the 20GB AT&T data before the month was up. So, we ended up signing up for a second 20GB data plan. Our router can be configured to “fail over” from one SIM to the other, letting us effectively combine the two pools of data seamlessly. Combined with the first AT&T plan and the data on our Verizon plan, that gives us 60 GB of data/month, which seems to be enough (so far). We’re still looking for ways to reduce our consumption.
Why we regret getting the AT&T 12-month prepaid plan
What they DON’T tell you is that once you prepay, your money is gone. No refunds, credits, or reimbursements. This is probably due to the AT&T retail store staff not really knowing or caring about the prepaid plans, which seem to be almost a whole separate business entity from the postpaid products. If you change plans, you forfeit what you’ve already paid, which sucks if you’ve prepaid for a month, but REALLY sucks if you prepaid for a year. Folks used to prepaid cell services are likely not surprised by this — but this was our first time using a non-postpaid plan, and the general runaround we got from AT&T throughout the process led us right into this trap. There is plenty of confusion, miscommunication, and sloppiness any time you deal with AT&T and in this case we got screwed because not even 2 months after making the $300/year plan available, AT&T now has 100GB for $55/month, and you don’t even have to prepay for a year. We can’t switch to that plan though, because we’d be throwing away the money from the 20GB plan since AT&T won’t give us a credit for it.
We only found out about the 100GB plan thanks to Josh’s comment below. The other messed up thing about AT&T is that they had advertised the plan as $50/month, but when we called AT&T they said it’s actually $55 and wouldn’t honor the price on the website.
Normally prepaying for services gets you a better deal, but this is one place where it is NOT the right move. Maybe other providers are different, but AT&T’s offerings are too volatile to risk locking yourself in to 12 months. We strongly suggest steering well clear of any 12-month prepay for AT&T services. We certainly wish we had.
Why We Chose Cellular Router Over Hot Spot
To keep this section short and simple, the main reason we got a cellular router over a hot spot was that it offered the best reception at the best price. A cellular router offered better signal than a hot spot, without having to purchase any additional accessories - and at a cost $100 more. On top of that, cellular routers are made to be left on; hot spots tend to overheat and fail when used 24/7.
MOFI4500 ROUTER
The cellular router we chose to purchase from Unlimited To Go was the MOFI4500 Router. Here are the three main reasons why we chose MOFI:
MOFI4500 comes with four antennas, but we upgraded to get two paddle antennas (they’re stronger than regular antennas).
MOFI was offered by Unlimited To Go which means we wouldn’t have to pay the one-time $20 BYO device surcharge.
MOFI is easy to power off 12V. Even though it doesn’t come with a cigarette lighter charger, it’s easy to find one that will work with it.
MOFI has two antenna ports for MIMO (this is a type of antenna configuration used with LTE technology to help pick up weak signal).
We got MOFI in May and used it until the end of September – when the SIM card slot broke and could no longer hold the card in place. We got the warranty replacement but decided to sell the new replacement MOFI.
This incident spurred Jerud to get back on the web to research alternative cell routers. We decided to totally replace MOFI after only 4 months because:
The antenna ports for the coax cables are on the top left and right.
The MOFI had to be rebooted frequently to find new towers and make new connections.
SIM card broke slot broke after only 4 months, which it really shouldn’t have (we don’t ever remove the card).
The angle of the antenna ports on MOFI meant that the two coax cables from the antenna connect from opposite directions. This made it difficult to prevent the cables from kinking. It also made it harder to figure out where to place the router in the rig.
The router’s admin interface was difficult to use.
There isn’t a manual on how to use the software when you log into the router.
Cradlepoint IBR600B ROUTER
We replaced the MOFI with Cradlepoint and been using that since. There were a few different Cradlepoint models to choose from, but we decided to get the IBR600B router because:
This Cradlepoint router is actually smaller than the MOFI router. We placed the red and blue tape to remind us where the coax cables need to go. The Cradlepoint also comes with paddle antennas.
It has two SIM slots. While we only have one SIM card, this router is able to use two SIM cards if we ever decide to get an additional one.
The Cradlepoint IBR600B has the “fail over” ability, which the MOFI didn’t. “Fail over” means that if the data on one SIM card is used up or that card’s cell carrier has bad signal, the router will seamlessly use the other SIM card to connect.
This router also allows users to switch between two SIM cards (and other sources of internet such as Wi-Fi and LAN) on the fly without having to make any physical hardware changes.
This model has only one cell modem which helps keep it in our price point. Having more than one modem is overkill for our application.
Cradlepoint cell routers are considered an “enterprise-grade solution”; they’re designed for businesses and are a tougher piece of electronics than the MOFI. Cradlepoint routers are meant to be installed in vehicles and used heavily. We realized after purchasing MOFI that we like to bring it with us in the truck when we’re scouting boondock sites to see whether either Verizon signal (from our cell phones) or AT&T signal (from our cell router) are available, so having a robust device is important due to all that handling. Technically, the MOFI4500 router is also considered “enterprise-grade”, but didn’t seem to be as durable as Cradlepoint.
The orientation of the antenna ports are on the same side of the router, making it a lot more convenient to use with an antenna.
The admin interface is better than MOFI. It provides users more information and more control over how it works.
There is an available 12V vehicle adapter that we purchased separately for $22.49.
The only downside is that it isn’t offered through Unlimited To Go. So, if that’s what we had gotten first, we would’ve had to pay the BYO device surcharge. And the Cradlepoint is ~$100 more expensive than MOFI.
Update: As of January 2020 we learned there is another downside to choosing Cradlepoint. When we bought the router, it came with a (required) 1-year service plan. While the customer/technical support this plan provided was truly exceptional, we decided to not renew it, since our setup is quite simple and requires little support now that it’s running. However, we recently learned that Cradlepoint is moving towards a mandatory-subscription model with all new firmware versions, and probably by the end of the year there will be no ‘current’ firmware that does not require being paired with a service plan. So we’re basically locked-in to the version of firmware we have now, unless we re-subscribe. While the plan is not very expensive — and is definitely worth its price — this does make the Cradlepoint somewhat less attractive for tight budgets.
Proxicast 4G/LTE (MIMO) PANEL Antenna
The plan wasn’t to get an antenna right away. We were going to use the cell router for awhile and wait before spending the additional money for one. But when we arrived in Crested Butte, we found a really sweet secluded boondocking site that barely got any cell signal. We were going to be around for a couple of weeks, so we decided to bite the bullet.
We chose the Proxicast 4G/LTE (MIMO) panel antenna for these reasons:
Wanted a MIMO antenna because it’s especially useful for being able to get a weak LTE signal.
Wanted a directional antenna because even though it takes more time to aim, you can pull signals from farther away than an omnidirectional antenna. Since once we’re boondocked, we stay for at least a week, it’s worth spending the time to aim it.
Yagi is another style of directional antenna that we could’ve gotten, but to be able to use it for a MIMO connection meant getting two individual Yagis (because each Yagi is only one antenna). This would’ve made the whole setup bulkier and pricier. But it probably would’ve been more powerful. The Proxicast comes with both antennas built into one box.
We purchased and started using the Proxicast antenna at the end of June and so far we don’t have any complaints about it. It works great and we’ve definitely been able to stay at a handful of sites because it got cell signal that our cell router wasn’t able to.
The antenna is designed to be clamped onto a pole. Most people install antennas to sit permanently on the roof of their rig. We didn’t – initially because we didn’t know where would be a good spot on the roof to install it and we wanted to use it for awhile first. But almost 1.5 years later, we still don’t have it permanently installed and don’t see the need to because we don’t always need to use it.
Jerud salvaged the pole from an old pool cleaning net a while back. The antenna is attached to the pool pole and using hose clamps he attached suction cups to the pole. The antenna sits 15 feet above the Toaster by suctioning the pole to the side of our slide. The slide is the best spot for us to attach the pole/antenna setup because it doesn’t create any shadows on our solar panels. The coax cable is routed underneath our rig to the cell router sits inside a cabinet.
The antenna is waterproof, so it can remain outside in all weather conditions. But the suction cups came off the slide once, causing the whole thing to fall on the ground and crack the antenna housing. We weren’t able to buy a replacement part to fix it, so caulking it was the solution to make it waterproof again. Now when we use the antenna we tie the pool pole to the solar panel rail with a ski strap to keep it from falling off.
Our Cradlepoint sits inside this cabinet and has a on/off switch. But it’s always on which means we can actually use it on travel days while we’re towing the rig.
Sometimes, if we really want to stay at a boondock site that doesn’t have any cell signal, we’ll bring the Proxicast antenna with us just in case that helps the signal situation.
Costs of Products
AT&T Prepaid Data Plan: $315 including activation fee for the 20GB data plan (started with Unlimited To Go: $99/month, then switched to OTR Mobile: $60/month)
MOFI4500 router: $300
Cradlepoint IBR600B router: $439 for device ($22.39 for vehicle adapter)
5 inch aluminum suction cup: $13.99 x 2
25 ft. coax extension cable: $43.95 x 2
Proxicast 4G/LTE (MIMO) panel antenna : $99.95
Hose clamps: a couple bucks
Having a cell router and antenna has been a game-changer! It’s allowed us to boondock in places that we would’ve otherwise not been able to because we couldn’t get any signal with our cell phones. Yes, we’ve spent a lot more money than we like on setting up our mobile internet network, but it’s been worth every penny.
