Internet Connection in Your RV: What are the Best Options?

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The cheapest internet option for your RV may also be the most complicated, but if you’re choosing to live on the road, you have to deal with it. A lot of RV owners choose to stay connected using 4G cellular data. If that’s not enough to quench your thirst for the internet, you may want to look for other options. The first and foremost option that everyone thinks of trying is Satellite internet. But we don’t recommend satellite internet as the primary internet connection in your RV. Satellite internet service is expensive and slow, even though it promises to work almost everywhere.

If most of your RV trips contain backroads and remote areas, then you may want to consider satellite internet. But if you’re like most RV owners and you travel through cities, beaches, and national parks, a mobile hotspot or 4G LTE will be sufficient.

Top Internet Options for RV

1. AT&T Prepaid 100 GB Plan: Best Internet for Casual RVers

$55.00/mo
100 GB of data
Limited coverage area (AT&T network with no roaming)
Requires device purchase ($268 for NETGEAR mobile hotspot)

AT&T launched a new data-only plan in spring 2021 and it offers twice as data as hotspot plans. Prices at $55 per month, you can get this plan and use it with NETGEAR Nighthawk M1 mobile hotspot.

The only downfall of the plan is that you won’t get any signals in extremely remote areas. Before you sign up, you can check the AT&T coverage map to make sure that you’re getting coverage in the areas where you plan to travel. AT&T is one of the top providers in the USA and it definitely lives up to its reputation.

If you want to maximize the signal strength, then you can use MobilSat Enterprise Router and External Antenna setup. The device can boost signals and give you better service.

$5-$50.00/mo
0.5-50 GB of data
No monthly contracts
Limited coverage area (T-Mobile network without roaming)
Required device purchase ($336 for Inseego 5G MiFi M2000 mobile hotspot)

If you’re hesitating to get T-Mobile because of its reputation, then things have changed recently. If you just travel to cities and visit America’s greatest attractions, then T-Mobile hotspot plans may be a great option for you.

T-Mobile’s first 5G hotspot device (Inseego 5G MiFi M2000 Mobile Hotspot) costs $336 or $14 per month for 2 years. Connect the hotspot device with a prepaid (contract-free) data plan, and you can stream and connect anywhere. T-Mobile prepaid data plans give you a set amount of priority data and then unlimited 3G data. You can also stream DVD Video (480P).

T-Mobile’s network is strong in cities and it doesn’t work well in rural areas, similar to all cellular signals. So, if you want to stay more in cities, then this plan is a good internet option for RV.

3. Nomad Internet + Travel Router: Best RV Internet for Streamers

$129.00 – $149.00/mo
Select from T-Mobile or Verizon network
No contractual obligations
Unlimited data
Requires $149 device purchase (Battery based travel router)
Limited coverage area

Nomad Internet service is a great portable internet option for RV. If you want lots of low-priced data for weekend trips and seasonal travel, 4G LTE is your ideal option.

With this internet setup, you can stream video, browse the web, and check email from any location you can get signals from. You won’t find good enough signals in remote areas, but if you only explore the cities, then you’ll be just fine.

When you sign up for a new service, you’ll have to choose from a plan that’s either on T-Mobile or Verizon network. Regardless of the limitations, it is still of the top internet options for RV.

4. Verizon Ellipsis Jetpack MHS900L + Verizon Data Plan

$40.00 – $100.00/mo (data plan)
5 – 150 GB data/mo
Requires device purchase (Verizon Ellipsis Jetpack MHS900L)
10-hour battery life
Includes 5G (wherever signals are available)
Widest cellular coverage area but won’t work in remote areas

If you want to be online while you travel throughout the country in your RV, then get a hotspot plan with Verizon. Verizon just launched four new data-only plans for hotspots or tablets. The prepaid plans can be purchased month-to-month basis or on a 6-month contract. The smallest plan is the 5GB plan, which is $40 per month. The next plan is 25GB with $60 per month, and 100 GB costs $80 per month.

Even with Verizon’s wide coverage area, you won’t be guaranteed a service everywhere. If you want stronger signals in rural areas, you need to get a signal booster. Unless you want to spend a lot of time parked at coffee shops or parking lots.

As a precaution to get better signals, you can do this by adding another additional internet option such as T-Mobile, a satellite plan, or a 4G LTE plan.

Widest coverage area (better than cellular networks)
Slow data speeds (1-4 MBPS)
$7,499 – $15,995 equipment fee
$69 – $409/mo (satellite service)
10 – 100 GB/mo
Professional installation required on the roof of the vehicle
No roaming outside the network coverage area
1-year service contract needed

All the internet options for RV that we mentioned above are for urban areas. If you want an internet service for RV in rural areas, the RV DataSat 840 Satellite Antenna is the best option for you. The fold-down satellite dish is installed on the roof of your RV. And best of all, it works far beyond cellular service areas.

But before you jump into this plan, be prepared of paying upfront costs. A satellite antenna setup for RV from RV DataSat costs $6,995 and requires professional installation.

RVDataSat sells RV satellite internet dishes and antennas that cost up to $15,995. The satellite dishes are pretty cool, and they can be used anywhere in the USA, Canada, or Mexico and they fold to prevent damage from rain, strong winds, and other complications.

Mobile satellite data is extremely expensive, plans from MobilSat start around $79 per month for 10 GB data with speeds up to 1 MBPS. While the speeds are too slow for video conferencing, you can still stream the web. The high-end plan costs $409 per month that comes with 100 GB of data with speeds reaching up to 4 MBPS.