On Monday morning of my first week fully on the road, I logged into my computer to start work and released I didn’t have an internet connection. My wifi network connection to my phone and computer, but no signal was coming in to supply the network with internet. After an hour of tinkering and research, I realized my campsite was about six miles from where the T-Mobile signal cut off. I was square in AT&T territory, which wasn’t helpful when I only had a T-Mobile SIM for my mobile router.
My Internet Setup:
While on the road, my internet setup is comprised of four main components.
- Winegard Air 360+
- WifiRanger Osprey
- SIM card from T-Mobile
- Campground WIFI
Each component serves as a piece of the puzzle to provide me with stable and reliable internet. The Winegard Air 360+ was pre-wired into my camper roof and acts as both an antenna and amplifier for both LTE data signals and local WIFI networks. I added the WifiRanger Osprey, which is a mobile internet router, to the ceiling of my camper where it directly plugs into the Winegard Air 360+. Next, the SIM card from T-Mobile provides LTE data via a mobile business internet plan. When necessary and available, I can tap into the WIFI provided at the campground where I am staying.
The WifiRanger Osprey only had one SIM card slot, so I only acquired one data plan. I read several times that it was good to have at least two carriers as options for internet, but I thought I would be fine. Turns out, I’m not the exception to the rule and having two will be better for me long term.
Solution:
I ended up taking the day off work, since I couldn’t get anything done anyway, and drove to the nearest town an hour and forty minutes away. Virginia, Minnesota had an AT&T store where I was able to initiate an account and get a mobile internet SIM card. When I compared network coverage for LTE service across the country, AT&T showed the most consistent coverage and filled the gaps where T-Mobile service may struggle. Utilized both will ensure I always have internet. This will require that I physically pull out one SIM and replace with the other when I need to switch up which carrier I will be utilizing in a particular location.
The rest of my time in Minnesota was internet issue free! Thank God. Working is still my top priority, as it makes this whole thing possible.
Questions:
You may be asking:
- Why aren’t you using 5G data coverage?
- The antenna in my Winegard Air 360+ only picks up LTE/4G data signals. When I was making these decisions about my internet back in May of 2023, Winegard had not yet released the 5G version of the Winegard Air 360. They also had not announced whether or not a 5G mobile router would be on the market by the time I was taking off for my adventure. Most places I will be traveling do not yet have 5G service, as they are fairly remote, so I was not concerned about it.
- Why T-Mobile and now AT&T for carriers?
- They are both the carriers recommended to be most compatible with the router I have. Also, I used the Coverage?Lite app to check the coverage areas of the different carriers to see who would have the best service where I was going. It is easy to use and gives pretty accurate information about coverage.
- Are there other internet options you could have gone with?
- Absolutely! StarLink, Pepwave, and more have tons of configurations and options to get digital nomads in my situation the internet service they need. I found that they Winegard setup was the most cost effective for me and required the least amount of modification (none) to my particular camper since it came pre-wired in.