RV Communications : What happens if you exceed 5GB on T-mobile

Earlier we wrote that we decided to use T-mobile for internet for the RV. We've been pretty happy with it overall. I would make a note that T-mobile is slower than Verizon or Sprint for mobile internet. But we have the feature that we do not pay any overage charges.

But the question of what happens when you go over the 5GB limit did linger. The T-mobile store in Austin said they don't do anything. The paperwork says they MIGHT slow you down.

So Sheri and I rented a movie off of iTunes and that put us solidly over 5GB.

The next day, internet was so slow as to be unusable. When I logged into the account I had lots of flashing messages saying I was over and that speed would not be restored until the next billing cycle.

So the verdict is in : You cannot watch movies streamed over T-mobile wireless internet unless you are willing to accept slow speeds for several days.

RV Communications : Internet for Puma

If you full time or even part time in an RV you'll probably realize very quickly that relying on the WiFi at the parks (RV or state) won't work for you. Works great when you don't need it and not at all when you do.


I would have purchased 4G Wimax from Clear but it is not available at La Hacienda RV park. Furthermore, it seems they are always out of the Sprint/Clear dual mode dongles which would be a pretty good solution, but they are out.

Satellite seems too expensive.

We tried getting ATT DSL to the RV Park pedestal but that did not work.

Maybe I could have tried cable, but the ATT experience made me want to avoid 'wired' (think non-mobile RV) solutions.

So we purchased service from T-Mobile. Here is why...
1) T-mobile has been my cell phone company for years and their network seems reliable and they are always very service oriented.
2) Their $39.99/month data plan HAS NO OVERAGE charges if you go over 5 Gig of data in a month.So in exchange for perhaps slower service than Sprint/Verizon you have a KNOWN bill. No Overage.
3) For Sprint/Verizon you could have bills in excess of $100-200/month very easily if you were not paying attention.
4) If you go over 5 Gig, T-Mobile MIGHT slow you down, operative word being MIGHT.

Notes :
1) We purchased the Huwei UMG181 (or basic webconnect stick - not the jet, not the rocket).
2) It is NOT compatible with the Cradlepoint CTR500 router. No matter what cradlepoint website says, I would not even bother with this combination.
3) It IS compatible (as of May 2010) with the cradepoint MBR900 router. In fact it started working WHILE I was reading the manual!!!!

So basically, the webconnect stick PLUS the cradlepoint MBR900 router and you can replicate the MiFi and other boxes.

RV Communications : Honestly, Really

As limited as my RV Park experience is, I've DROVE through many in Texas, but I've only STAYED at a handful, I must say, you simply cannot depend upon the park's WiFi, even if provided by a commercial supplier.

We're currently staying at La Hacienda RV Park (they want to say Resort) which is a first class park. But honestly, you simply cannot rely upon their WiFi which is provided by Tengo Internet.

First, they have a browser-enable concept which really gets in the way if you front-end your computers with a router, which I do. I've had to put my Mac in modes that just are not common and really they do not like it and having the systems all up and working when I want them to is just not going to work. Secondly, the Tengo Internet seems to only work occasionally and I don't know why. The RV Park is lightly populated right now so I don't see that as the problem. Also, maybe they bought a low capacity front end (like T1) instead of just paying Time Warner or AT&T for a high speed link? It really doesn't matter, all I know as a consumer is it isn't available when I want it.

Here is an example of an internet problem caused by availability : We record on our Mac the TV shows we want to watch. We get the program schedule from the internet and that is what turns on the TV. If I miss GhostWhisperer one more time, Sheri is going to get a little made at me!

So, I've decided that I'll just get AT&T DSL because I've had it before and ATT acted like they could easily set me up. So far it has been 5 days and counting and I think the idea of DSL to an RV Park pedestal is blowing their minds.

Unless someone can convince me differently, I'm pretty well convinced that you must have your own communications setup. I see only a few decent candidates (cellular 3G/4G, WiMax (Clear), and satellite. Everything else seems to be unreliable.

RV Communications : Clear information

Update : This article is about RV Internet Communications or Mobile Internet for your RV. It might not have been clear when I originally wrote it. It does seem like whereever we are at, Clear isn't there, while it seems to be everywhere else. But getting a good solution for your RV data communications is simply no easy matter. I do believe Clear is a step in the right direction...

-- Original Article --

While at the Austin RV Expo (Feb 2010) Sheri and I visited with Clear sales representative Josh Love. Josh was a very knowledgeable rep and we had lots of questions.

We also find Clear's web site very confusing. In an attempt to 'dumb down' the site to make it easier to understand, I think they actually made it harder to understand.

First, we mentioned that we were hesitant to get Clear for our RV internet because while it is great for Austin, when we travel in our RV, it was NOT in most of our towns and cities we would visit.

Josh told us that Clear has partnered with Sprint and have a little USB dongle called "4G+". The idea is that when you LEAVE the Clear coverage area, then you will have access to the Sprint 3G network. All of a sudden, this is very, very appealing to us, especially since Clear's plan is much better than Sprints and we would be using Clear when possible.

Regarding the 'fair use limits', there are still not limits on the Clear 4G/WiMax, but when you are on Sprint's network and exceed the 5Gbits/month limit, then you will pay approximately $10/Gigabit thereafter for going over the limit. That isn't too bad I guess.

You can get the 4G+ plan for $55/month.

There are still some problems. For example, you can't just plug in a USB dongle at home where you once had EITHER DSL or Cable so that is not clear to me on how to do that. Also, the 4G+ is not compatible with Apple Mac yet so it won't work for us.

There is ONE potential solution though, Clear sells a little WiFi box that you can plug into the USB 4G+ dongle and then you'll have WiFi everywhere and that will solve lots of problems. It is similar to the MiFi idea.

We're leaning very heavily towards this concept and think it is one of the best RV communications concepts for mobile internet out there, especially since there are no usage limits in the Clear coverage areas.

A Stream of Consciousness Regarding Communications

First, in our home base, we JUST get DSL (no landline phone. no TV). We get it
through ATT. We get movies (Amazon, Netflix, Apple), TV shows (abc.com, hulu),
and the program guide (TitanTV) for our HDTV tuner (eyetv - which USB connects
to our Mac Mini) which gives us great TV over the air.

* Why I list it here - Everything about this is MOBILE except the DSL portal.
(TV is mobile, favorite things to watch portable). Pseudo-pro - Using ATT DSL
gives me FREE DSL at Barnes and Noble, Starbucks and LOTS of other places which
is KIND OF an RV-ish solution. Also, since we have PVR, we can set the system to
record at home base and get home and watch what we want.

* Important Note : Entertainment over Internet takes LOTS and LOTS of bandwidth.
The NUMBER ONE (repeat : Number one) thing to look at when looking at mobile
solutions is how much bandwidth you use in a month. Most cellular plans have a
5GByte limit which is not so much if you do much media - including backup,
music, video, streaming radio and so forth - maybe even homeschooling courses
could work against that.

* Cellular - I have not had cellular, but I know several people that have a
Sprint 3G data card and have been thrilled with its performance. It is subject
to the 5GB limit UNLESS you were an early purchaser. I have one friend that is
an early purchaser that BELIEVES that Sprint is now 'metering' out his
connection - so that is something to think about. I have heard that T-Mobile's
network is slow. I imagine that means ATT's could be as well (comments anyone?).
So by power of deduction I'm thinking Verizon's would be a good choice to
compete against Sprint.

* WiFi - I've noticed that the WiFi at the RV parks I've stayed is highly
suspect. Either spotty connections ran by non-techie people, weak signals, or a
remote park with good WiFi but a bad connection to the main network. I do not
think you can rely on this at all.

* WiMax - Just started selling in Austin. Looks great, but coverage will be a
problem for a long while. Probably cannot rely on this either.

* Dial-up - Do people still use this or rely on this? Ick.

* Satellite - No experience. I have seen some bandwidth limits imposed as well.

What Sheri and I plan on doing will be something along the following...

* Cellular MiFi (or similar system) that allows for cellular to the trailer, but
then use WiFi to send to the different devices (we have two laptops, one
desktop, an iPod).
* Cellular voice communications - no landlines at the home base.
* Use WiFi from the parks for entertainment where possible.
* See if we can get a package deal (currently : $50/phone unlimited voice +
$60/month Cellular data) better than $150/month.

- To investigate - It may be that satellite could be workable. I'll check that
out when I have a chance.

- A killer product/service would be a box that was WiMax + Cellular to the
network and WiFi locally. But I have found a WiFi plus WiMax, which I don't find as interesting.

Anway, I hope this gives you some ideas on communications.