Full-Time RV Life: How to Set up Reliable Internet to Work on the Road

From routers to SIM cards to backup hotspot plans, you’ll need to do your homework to find the right coverage for you

It’s a question that is asked almost daily in the RV Facebook groups: How do you set up reliable internet to be able to work on the road?

It was the first question I asked myself when my husband and I started to seriously consider the full-time RV life. I would need reliable and fast internet in order to do my job. Zoom calls, hosting webinars, meeting with clients, emails, and IMs — I could not think about hitting the road without being guaranteed good internet connectivity wherever I went.

With more and more remote workers looking to hit the road in their RVs and take their work with them, needing wifi beyond the campground offerings has become a major necessity.

Flexjobs identifies location independence as one of the top benefits of remote work. And some of those remote workers are using their flexible work environment to travel, visit family and friends, and enjoy the ability to work lakeside, oceanside, or in the mountains. Digital nomads, we are called.

I am not a technology expert, nor will I attempt to explain how wifi works. There are some experts who do this well and I will share those resources with you. This is a getting started guide to lead you to the resources you’ll need while on the road.

Here’s what I have learned about setting up reliable internet while traveling full-time in our RV

Campground Wi-Fi cannot be counted on. While I have found some fast campground wifi that has allowed me to Zoom and get through my workday, that has been the exception, not the norm. When campgrounds are busy or have limited-range wifi, the best I might be able to use it for is checking emails. And not all campgrounds offer free Wi-Fi — hard to believe, I know! The last two RV parks we’ve been at do not have any free Wi-Fi available. Do not hit the road thinking that campground wifi will provide what you need for daily work tasks.

Redundancy matters. Redundancy is basically having multiple internet options in case one of your sources of internet fails. I can’t be on a Zoom call and lose my internet. It happens sometimes to the best of us, but it’s not the most professional way to be productive or show up for work on a daily basis. My company has paid for my internet for the last two years so telling them I don’t have reliable internet would not go over too well.

You’re going to pay more for internet on the road than you would in the sticks and bricks. Because of the need for coverage in a variety of places (depending on how often you move around), you’ll need to have one main source for internet and a few backups. Just accept the fact that to have reliable internet service as a full-time RV-er you will need to make some initial investments and expect a larger chunk of your income to go to internet costs than you did in your home or apartment.

In order to make sure I am covered in any situation, here is what I use:

1. Pepwave MAX Transit Pro Dual Modem CAT-7/CAT-12 LTE-A Router. This came with the Ultimate Road Warrior bundle. This is Mobile Must Have’s top seller and it is ideal if you plan to run two data cellular plans (which you should do for reasons discussed above).
2. One Verizon SIM card and one AT&T SIM card. I purchased the AT&T data plan through Mobile Must Have because they keep things simple and support their customers. There are no contracts, you can cancel anytime, and you get access to high-GB data plans not available to the public. You’ll want to research the best cellular coverage in the areas you plan to camp so you can be sure to get the right coverage.
3. Verizon MiFi Jetpack. My company provides this and I use it as a backup if I am running low on my data plan.
4. Mobile Hot Spot from my phone. This is my least preferred method of accessing the internet because it wears down the cell phone battery and overall you’ll likely experience some slower speeds compared to the MiFi or Wi-Fi. I only use this option when I’m in a pinch.

Here’s where I started my research and how I ended up with an internet that is both fast and reliable.

First, I watched this video by Changing Lanes. Chad does a good job of explaining how Wi-Fi works and what is needed when you’re accessing it from an RV. This is a little old so some of what he shares is no longer necessary. Still, I think it’s good if you are a complete newb to setting up internet. Learn the foundation of what is needed then you can choose the right equipment.

Through Chad from Changing Lanes, I learned about a company called Mobile Must Have.

I spent quite a bit of time browsing their website, watching some of their videos, taking notes, and then chatting with their customer support. I told them exactly what my needs were for working full time on the road and they recommended a few options for me. I took some time reviewing those options, comparing and reading reviews before deciding on the Ultimate Road Warrior bundle. (and yes, these are affiliate links because they are awesome and will have everything you need, including training).

Initially, I purchased the training but their how-to videos are so easy to follow and thorough that I ended up setting up my router and SIM cards on my own and was able to get a refund on the set-up training.

Here is an easy-to-understand video from these guys that can get you started weeding through all the options for taking your internet on the road. If you aren’t sure where to start read their Quick Start Guide.

What I have is a high-quality router that allows me to use up to four SIM cards from various carriers. This covers the redundancy issue we talked about. When I arrive at a new campground or RV park, I check to see which cell carrier’s signal is coming in strongest and arrange my input accordingly.

Of all the concerns I had about full-time RV life, internet connectivity and reliability were at the top of my list. I am pleased to say it’s been the easiest thing to set up and I’ve not had any downtime from work because of internet issues.

Now if only I could say the same thing about the other parts of RV life!

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