Rv Wifi Issues

Checking internet speed using Fast.com

"Let's make campgrounds who say they offer wifi to actually provide wifi. I'm so tired of seeing "connected, no internet" or just not being able to connect at all, all the while that I'm looking at a campground's wifi information that I got when I paid them for it at check in...information that is useless."

So complained a full time RVer recently on a social media site. They have a point, but it isn't always the campground's fault. That internet connection has specific data restrictions and it is shared by many users.

We run into the issue frequently when trekking. I bit the bullet some years ago and got a jetpack on a Verizon plan. I saved my bandwidth (4 GB as I recall) for those times when I needed to get email, etc. and the campground internet connection was slooooow or non-existent. Back then I had a flip phone and it could not connect via the cellular network to the internet.

Today there are many "unlimited" plans available via cellular carriers, or at much better prices than a couple of years ago. So I now have a plan for 24 GB per month. Cellular isn't perfect, however. I had dual smart phones for a few years; one on Verizon and the other on AT&T. There were areas where I could get a good AT&T cellular connection but 0 Mbps internet! Just like at some campgrounds.

For one thing, connecting to wifi simply means one has connected to a wi-fi hotspot or router. That device is a bridge to the internet. Everyone who connects shares that internet pipeline. The more who connect, generally the slower the connection as those Mbps are parcelled out to all of the users. Eventually the internet connection slows to a crawl, or even 0 Mbps.

Sometimes disconnecting from the wireless network connection and then reconnecting will restore some bandwidth, but more usually this trick doesn't work. When the pipeline is down it is down!

I've been in campgrounds which seem to get throttled by the ISP after using all available bandwidth for a period of time. The connection works for a while in the morning, then as users connect it slows. Eventually it just stops (0Mbps). I have noticed the connection may not be restored until the wee hours. Then suddenly the Mbps return. I suspect the campground used it entire daily allotment of bits.

This doesn't happen everywhere. Some larger "resorts" have more sophisticated technology. This is affordable when there are hundreds (or a thousand) RVers who will share the technology cost. In such situations there is a dedicated login and password for each user. Of course, there is usually a seperate fee for this service. Some campgrounds or resorts offer a two-tiered service. Everyone connects via a single login and shares that data pipeline. However, there will also be a "wifi" room with special connection privileges for as many people as can fit at three or four tables. When within the room the speed is much faster, even if outside the room the wifi internet is creeping. And finally, some resorts offer a computer service area with volunteers and fast wifi within that room. One can even use the resort computers for about $1 an hour or so and there may be printers available and so on. Color and B&W.

Free WiFi
Many campgrounds offer free wifi. That can be confusing because they  don't promise unlimited internet connectivity. If you go to a campground in which everyone shares one login, then you and your neighbors also share bandwidth. In other words, that "free" wifi internet pipeline has only so much capacity. Get a bunch of streamers on it and it will choke as the pipeline fills with Netflix watchers, gamers and so on.

If you want dedicated internet access there are several ways to get it.

1. Go to campgrounds which offer specific bandwidth to all users, or those who are willing to pay for it. You will find that you get your own login name and password. We pay about $30 a month for this at certain campgrounds with a 4 Mbps download speed or higher.
2. Carry a Verizon jetpack with a 20+ GB monthly plan, or via the service provider of your choice. Then you can have your own internet connection. 
3. Go to a nearby coffee shop and log in from their "free wifi." 
4. Some campgrounds have the camp wide system but also have have a dedicated Wifi room, which offers higher speeds and dedicated login limited to about 8 users in that room. 

BTW, I dropped AT&T last year because their cellular system did exactly what some complain about; I could connect but the download speed was near 0 MBPS in some locations. "The internet is not free."

Why do they call them "campervans"?

Here's a walk down memory lane. It was our first campervan Class B experience. G is intolerant of the cold and we've since upgraded to a Class B with better heating systems which include a heat pump, 1500 W electric space heat, propane furnace and electric blanket.  I also have a 250 watt surface mount flat panel heater (about 1/2 inch thick) and a plug-in electrical thermostat. That could be mounted in the sleeping area and I've tried a 400 watt panel in the bedroom of a humongous 5th wheel and it is simply marvelous.

However, our first experience was in an all electric solar powered or 30A shore powered  Class B. It had no propane and that means no propane furnace and no propane stove top. The coach was dependent upon the batteries and that 30A shore power electrical connection.

 I would say it was wonderful above freezing, but when the temperatures in Utah dropped to about 20F at night it became chilly, with only a small space heater for comfort. And attempting to run the electric stove top with the space heater on was pushing it.  That's one of the things about a Class B. They have a maximum plug-in service available of 30A.

For some insights about how far a 30A 120V circuit will go, consider this. A 1500W small space heater requires 12.5A. A dual burner electric hot plate also requires about 1500W or another 12.5A. Add a 6 gallon electric hot water heater which requires 1650 watts or 13.75A and you have just connected 38.75A to a circuit with a maximum capacity of 30A. It is obvious that all of these things can't be used simultaneously in a Class B.

So the occupants of an all-electric such as the one we were in had to do some manual load shedding and decide what was most important at any point in time. This was complicated by the fact that the electric hot water heater did not have a readily accessible power "Off-On" switch.  When the temperatures were mild and no space heater required it was a breeze. With a single burner on the stove and the hot water heater on the system only required about 20A plus lights. Add the second burner of the stovetop and we still used a peak of about 26A plus lighting. Of course, if the coach batteries were "low" and no solar energy available, the mains powered charger could consume another 2-10 amperes. The all electric coach was not ideal at such low ambient temperatures.

Furthermore, the typical Class B has a lot of window area and these windows have an R-value of about 0.1. This means that the heat in the interior of the coach is constantly escaping to the outside world. And that world is really large, so with exterior temperatures below freezing and with little insulation the interior temperatures would plummet if some source of heat wasn't used.

In our first campervan experience we didn't have any Reflectix. While some diss that product, it does have an R-Value of about 1.0, which is 10 times better than glass. We now use it in all window but the side entry at night when winter trekking below freezing.

So our first Class B experience was a true "campervan" experience, with the emphasis on the word "camp" as in "camping."

On one particular morning we got up well before dawn for coffee and an oatmeal "starter". Just like camping in a tent! But we had shelter to cook in, whereas when tenting I usually cooked outdoors in rain, snow or shine.

I thought the use of the camp cookwear was an appropriate touch. After some coffee and oatmeal G actually took her mittens off for the above photo.  Do you think I'm kidding?

After this brief warm-up we left Mt. Carmel Junction, Utah and headed north on US 89 as we  headed to our next encounter (Arches National Park). En route we stopped for a real breakfast at the Cactus Cowboy Restaurant at the Riverside RV Park in Hatch, Utah and I had the opportunity to pose with some childhood friends. The food was very good and it was like dining in someone's home.

Ah, yes, the memories and the learning experiences. Here is a link to a very short video of our first cooking experience in the 19 ft. Class B with a dual electric burner. Soup!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DgBe1UqQ9g