Looking for a reliable internet access provider on the road (outside of cities)
revemike said
02:22 PM Feb 9, 2014
Before too long I will be heading off onto the road and want to continue to work as I go (to help pay for our travels). I run a home-based website development / hosting business and need a reliable internet connection that has good national coverage.
I wonder if others in the GreyNomad world have simular needs and if so, how they met this need.
I have used both Optus and Telstra and while I find Telstra has a wider coverage their price for mobile broadband is excessive (compared to home broad band connection)
I saw a promotional link of another forum for the Iridium system. has anyone out there had any experience with this company?
Hi revemike and all. Telstra 4G if in populated areas and in remote Queensland Skymesh. Cheers
Russue said
02:47 PM Feb 9, 2014
I use Telstra USB stick 4G, get 8 gig a month = 2 dollars a day or 60 a month on my Laptop, or you can get 4 gig for 50 monthly
Enjoy your travels
-- Edited by Russue on Sunday 9th of February 2014 02:48:52 PM
-- Edited by Russue on Sunday 9th of February 2014 02:50:21 PM
revemike said
03:20 PM Feb 9, 2014
KoorooronyaKelpie, do you happen to know if Skymesh can be used nationally? I am from Melbourne and our planned trip will take in a route through Western Victoria and Western NSW and heading to Longreach across to Rockampton and then down the easy coast back to Melbourne.
I have had a look at there website and their prices are not too bad..
I currently have a Telstra 4g account for data and use Optus for my phone.
The Telstra account is only 4gb per month and while this is ok most months there are times when my work would require more data.
Legendts said
04:21 PM Feb 9, 2014
I have been with Skymesh for several years on satellite. I am still with them but using the NBN satellite. Have required assistance from them after (still currently) experiencing drop outs all the time to the point of not being able to down or upload emails for at least two weeks. I have received EXTREMELY poor service from them. I waited four days for a call back, then because I was out missed the call and they never bothered to ring my mobile. I have rung and emailed a total of eight times in an attempt to rectify the fault and currently still have a call back booking for over eight days. My internet is very intermittent and is disgustingly slow compared to two months ago. The NBN Co are a waste of time as they cannot answer a simple question....pathetic! I should also qualify this is a home installation.
I would not recommend them after this sort of treatment and being a customer for nearly six years. Certainly would not want to be running a business using them.
Currently looking into a possible wireless connection using an antennae on the roof and also the van when travelling.
oldbobsbus said
05:31 PM Feb 9, 2014
We have no problems using Boost Mobile for both our phone and internet as they are fully owned by Telstra on the full 3G network.
Their prices are super competitive and their service is excellent..
revemike said
06:22 PM Feb 9, 2014
Thanks for the 'warning' Legendts. I am certainly not interested in dealing with a company that fails on a support level. In my business I take great care in making sure when a client has an issue is addressed immediately. There is nothing worse than a company that does not call back.
I will check out Boost Mobile Bob.
Kooroorinya Kelpie said
07:06 PM Feb 9, 2014
Hi revemike and all. Despite Legendts less than satisfactory service all I know is many stations in the backblocks of NW Qld use Skymesh and to date I have not heard any negative comments. I cannot answer your question re extent of coverage but I reckon they can. Cheers.
revemike said
07:17 PM Feb 9, 2014
thanks, KoorooronyaKelpie, I will bear that in mind and not rule them out yet.... I must confess that I do have a 'pet hate' for companies who will not respond to service calls and demonstrate a poor level of communication.
-- Edited by revemike on Sunday 9th of February 2014 07:17:36 PM
-- Edited by revemike on Sunday 9th of February 2014 07:27:25 PM
Santa said
01:27 PM Feb 10, 2014
revemike wrote:
I must confess that I do have a 'pet hate' for companies who will not respond to service calls and demonstrate a poor level of communication.
Its certainly a very good indicator of what the situation will be like when the chips are down Mike.
revemike said
01:43 PM Feb 10, 2014
Absolutely, Santa. I am currently waiting for the arrival of my new caravan and I am finding the whole journey very frustrating... the dealer is one of those who has a dreadful communication practice... I am constantly in the dark about progress.. incredibly frustrating.
I see you are from Moonta - ahhhh, what a beautiful place that is... I am not sure if this link will work but it is a link to photos of my recent trip there - we love the place.... Link
grumpy790 said
02:10 PM Feb 10, 2014
I've been using Telstra prepaid for my laptop for 4 years now, never a drama, good coverage. the benefit for me is if I use too much before pension day there's no attack (with overdrawn fees) on my bank account. works for me but I don't need to be in touch 24/7. $30 a month is generally more than I need and it rolls over, same with my mobile.
-- Edited by grumpy790 on Monday 10th of February 2014 02:11:16 PM
native pepper said
02:52 PM Feb 10, 2014
revemike wrote:
thanks, KoorooronyaKelpie, I will bear that in mind and not rule them out yet.... I must confess that I do have a 'pet hate' for companies who will not respond to service calls and demonstrate a poor level of communication.
-- Edited by revemike on Sunday 9th of February 2014 07:17:36 PM
-- Edited by revemike on Sunday 9th of February 2014 07:27:25 PM
The best way to find out about internet providers is to go to whirlpool forums and look there. The biggest thread on the regional and satellite section is skymesh, you will get an indication of their quality of service there.
We were with Skymesh for a year or two and like others found them terrible to deal with, never ending drop outs and lack of a decent service. We changed our provider two years ago because of the problems and all they would do is tell you to disconnect your modem and reconnect it as that's where the problems lie. That was something we had to do regularly and it made no difference. With our current provider, unlike with skymesh, haven't had the need to contact them or complain of the service, it's excellent.
There is one problem, trying to get sat providers to allow you to move around, they use specific beams for different area's and the modems are configured for those beams. The equipment required is very expensive and well outside our price range, then you have to get them and the government to let you do it.
When on the road, we used to have a telstra phone and optus/amatsim at home because it is so much cheaper. A year or so ago, we were camped in W NSW and had no telstra signal, but saw a bloke using a phone. Asked him what it was and he said optus, so dragged out our optus phone and we had service. Since, we've stuck with our amaysim/optus and have yet to not have a signal, in fact they now offer almost the same coverage as telstra and in some place even better. For $30 we get 4gig a month and all our phone calls and sms free, plus they add on what you don't use every month.
-- Edited by native pepper on Monday 10th of February 2014 02:57:43 PM
revemike said
02:58 PM Feb 10, 2014
thanks... a appreciate all the responses... gives me a lot to think on... Thanks Native Pepper for the reminder about Whirlpool forum... I had forgotten about that one. I have used it in the past for other internet based questions and had forgotten about it...
Mick Woolnough said
07:29 AM Feb 11, 2014
I had sky mesh for 3 years and I will never deal with them again. constant dropouts and staff that really just didn't give a stuff. I left a call back message with them , the service department eventually called back 2 weeks after I had the service cut off. now in the van im using Telstra 4g
revemike said
08:04 AM Feb 11, 2014
Well, it looks like skymesh is not the one.
Baz421 said
02:32 PM Feb 11, 2014
oldbobsbus wrote:
We have no problems using Boost Mobile for both our phone and internet as they are fully owned by Telstra on the full 3G network.
Their prices are super competitive and their service is excellent..
Boost may be good for calls/sms etc but their data is reducing by 33% from 18/2/14 to 2GB for $40 plan if I recall.
We use Telstra Mike and $49 per month gets $600 of included calls @90 cents per minute and 4gb of data,,, run into house with old BP3 modem with antennae and when in van we use external Telstra stick antennae for best reception. Many others don't believe it when we say we have coverage.
Same for phone Samsung connects to external antennae in car for improved reception.
Stayed with Telsta for years for better OVERALL coverage GEOGRAPHICALLY and have had significant issues with them in the past,,, BUT IMHO THEY ARE NOW MUCH BETTER with customer assist ie online and by phone than at any time in the last 20 years (some will disagree).
Their on line help has been very good IMHO,,, when I had reception problems,,, ie after school here in SA Southern Suburbs,, its a bandwidth issue but has improved in the last 3 months.
Hope this helps.
Cheers Baz.
-- Edited by Baz421 on Tuesday 11th of February 2014 02:42:42 PM
milo said
01:37 AM Feb 12, 2014
I have found in our travels Telstra to be the best (while not the cheapest) also have used the 4 g wireless modem which is good if you use many devices ie tablets , laptops ..
or you can have a tablet and use that to connect , just make sure you get one that has 4 g and use that as your modem etc
oh you can also get telstra to upgrade your data too, I did this with my ipad last year while staying at my dads place , used it as a modem for a while ..
I find if you use the telstra 24/7 live chat you get along better than sitting ages on the phone https://livechat.telstra.com/
hope that helps
milo
magnus1941 said
05:00 PM Feb 13, 2014
Hi Revmike,
Can't help you with Iridium but like you have a need for solid internet and phone connection while travelling. Not for work, but for other reasons.
Have you considered a Telstra wifi hot spot device. Allows you to connect 5 devices at once - with consequent slowing of internet of course - and then buying the 1 year data pack of 12gb for $180. It is their cheapest mobile broadband. Allows us to connect our tablets and netbook wirelessly.
We also use Amaysim on our basic blue tick Telstra Phone - rooted (or jail broken) to be able to use Amaysim - as it is a lot cheaper for phone calls than Telstra and the coverage is not too bad. To round out our equipment we carry a satellite phone as well. Not the sort of gear you use to ring up Aunty to ask about her sore toe!.
To ensure we have coverage in marginal areas we use a high gain base station antenna with a 10 meter lead. Same as the high gain car antennas but without the spring base and with a longer lead. Cost $170 from specialist supplier in country Qld - supplying the mining industry. Plugs into the wifi hot spot and can be tied to a tree, tent pole or in our case a tool clip on the side of our Avan Cruiseliner and fed into the interior of the van.
The hot spot devices are reasonably inexpensive and are available either on line from Telstra or from a Telstra shop. We have been using ours for two years and have been delighted with it. Best internet coverage we have ever had and we will probably upgrade to a newer one from Telstra sometime this year to pick up the 4g capability.
Cheers
Rex A
-- Edited by magnus1941 on Thursday 13th of February 2014 05:31:08 PM
revemike said
05:21 PM Feb 13, 2014
Thanks Rex... and all the other posters well - this is all very helpful.
Marilyn said
12:39 PM Mar 22, 2014
Hi Mike
Have you made your decision yet?
I was going to add my discussion on 'Data use' to yours but thought it might interfere. See Techies corner 'Do you run and online business on the go? Data??' However, the feed back is coming from some of your authors and does complement this.
Mobile plans are changing regularly and Aldi, using telstra and which we have found good, is cutting back drastically on theirs. Looks like Amaysim will be the way to go if Optus has the good coverage now and if you can now tether an iPhone with it.
Baz421 said
01:23 PM Mar 22, 2014
We're sticking with Telstra for phone and just changed from old Maxon BP3 modem to 4G wireless modem for data with Bigpond.
We use both with external stick antenna for better coverage in the country.
-- Edited by Baz421 on Saturday 22nd of March 2014 01:31:07 PM
revemike said
04:51 PM Mar 22, 2014
I have come to the conclusion that there is no 'cheap - low cost' way of doing it Marilyn. My method will be to use what I currently have... Mobile phone with Optus which included 1Gb data, and IPad with 12Gb for 12months (with Telstra) and the Telstra 4G Mobile BB/Modem with 4Gb per month. I can tether the iPhone and IPad when necessary will do the bulk of my work with the 4G Modem.
Most of the work I will be doing will not be too data extensive and when this is required I will be employing my daughter to carry out these data heavy tasks back in her home/office.
One day Australian companies might get their act together and stop ripping us off for using mobile internet.
Before too long I will be heading off onto the road and want to continue to work as I go (to help pay for our travels). I run a home-based website development / hosting business and need a reliable internet connection that has good national coverage.
I wonder if others in the GreyNomad world have simular needs and if so, how they met this need.
I have used both Optus and Telstra and while I find Telstra has a wider coverage their price for mobile broadband is excessive (compared to home broad band connection)
I saw a promotional link of another forum for the Iridium system. has anyone out there had any experience with this company?
http://www.iridium360.com/2014/02/04/introducing-iridium-go-a-revolution-in-personal-communications/
I use Telstra USB stick 4G, get 8 gig a month = 2 dollars a day or 60 a month on my Laptop, or you can get 4 gig for 50 monthly
Enjoy your travels
-- Edited by Russue on Sunday 9th of February 2014 02:48:52 PM
-- Edited by Russue on Sunday 9th of February 2014 02:50:21 PM
I have had a look at there website and their prices are not too bad..
I currently have a Telstra 4g account for data and use Optus for my phone.
The Telstra account is only 4gb per month and while this is ok most months there are times when my work would require more data.
I would not recommend them after this sort of treatment and being a customer for nearly six years. Certainly would not want to be running a business using them.
Currently looking into a possible wireless connection using an antennae on the roof and also the van when travelling.
We have no problems using Boost Mobile for both our phone and internet as they are fully owned by Telstra on the full 3G network.
Their prices are super competitive and their service is excellent..
I will check out Boost Mobile Bob.
thanks, KoorooronyaKelpie, I will bear that in mind and not rule them out yet.... I must confess that I do have a 'pet hate' for companies who will not respond to service calls and demonstrate a poor level of communication.
-- Edited by revemike on Sunday 9th of February 2014 07:17:36 PM
-- Edited by revemike on Sunday 9th of February 2014 07:27:25 PM
Its certainly a very good indicator of what the situation will be like when the chips are down Mike.
Absolutely, Santa. I am currently waiting for the arrival of my new caravan and I am finding the whole journey very frustrating... the dealer is one of those who has a dreadful communication practice... I am constantly in the dark about progress.. incredibly frustrating.
I see you are from Moonta - ahhhh, what a beautiful place that is... I am not sure if this link will work but it is a link to photos of my recent trip there - we love the place.... Link
I've been using Telstra prepaid for my laptop for 4 years now, never a drama, good coverage. the benefit for me is if I use too much before pension day there's no attack (with overdrawn fees) on my bank account. works for me but I don't need to be in touch 24/7. $30 a month is generally more than I need and it rolls over, same with my mobile.
-- Edited by grumpy790 on Monday 10th of February 2014 02:11:16 PM
The best way to find out about internet providers is to go to whirlpool forums and look there. The biggest thread on the regional and satellite section is skymesh, you will get an indication of their quality of service there.
We were with Skymesh for a year or two and like others found them terrible to deal with, never ending drop outs and lack of a decent service. We changed our provider two years ago because of the problems and all they would do is tell you to disconnect your modem and reconnect it as that's where the problems lie. That was something we had to do regularly and it made no difference. With our current provider, unlike with skymesh, haven't had the need to contact them or complain of the service, it's excellent.
There is one problem, trying to get sat providers to allow you to move around, they use specific beams for different area's and the modems are configured for those beams. The equipment required is very expensive and well outside our price range, then you have to get them and the government to let you do it.
When on the road, we used to have a telstra phone and optus/amatsim at home because it is so much cheaper. A year or so ago, we were camped in W NSW and had no telstra signal, but saw a bloke using a phone. Asked him what it was and he said optus, so dragged out our optus phone and we had service. Since, we've stuck with our amaysim/optus and have yet to not have a signal, in fact they now offer almost the same coverage as telstra and in some place even better. For $30 we get 4gig a month and all our phone calls and sms free, plus they add on what you don't use every month.
-- Edited by native pepper on Monday 10th of February 2014 02:57:43 PM
Boost may be good for calls/sms etc but their data is reducing by 33% from 18/2/14 to 2GB for $40 plan if I recall.
We use Telstra Mike and $49 per month gets $600 of included calls @90 cents per minute and 4gb of data,,, run into house with old BP3 modem with antennae and when in van we use external Telstra stick antennae for best reception. Many others don't believe it when we say we have coverage.
Same for phone Samsung connects to external antennae in car for improved reception.
Stayed with Telsta for years for better OVERALL coverage GEOGRAPHICALLY and have had significant issues with them in the past,,, BUT IMHO THEY ARE NOW MUCH BETTER with customer assist ie online and by phone than at any time in the last 20 years (some will disagree).
Their on line help has been very good IMHO,,, when I had reception problems,,, ie after school here in SA Southern Suburbs,, its a bandwidth issue but has improved in the last 3 months.
Hope this helps.
Cheers Baz.
-- Edited by Baz421 on Tuesday 11th of February 2014 02:42:42 PM
I have found in our travels Telstra to be the best (while not the cheapest)
also have used the 4 g wireless modem which is good if you use many devices
ie tablets , laptops ..
or you can have a tablet and use that to connect , just make sure you get one that has 4 g
and use that as your modem etc
oh you can also get telstra to upgrade your data too, I did this with my ipad last year while staying
at my dads place , used it as a modem for a while ..
I find if you use the telstra 24/7 live chat you get along better than sitting ages on the phone
https://livechat.telstra.com/
hope that helps
milo
Hi Revmike,
Can't help you with Iridium but like you have a need for solid internet and phone connection while travelling. Not for work, but for other reasons.
Have you considered a Telstra wifi hot spot device. Allows you to connect 5 devices at once - with consequent slowing of internet of course - and then buying the 1 year data pack of 12gb for $180. It is their cheapest mobile broadband. Allows us to connect our tablets and netbook wirelessly.
We also use Amaysim on our basic blue tick Telstra Phone - rooted (or jail broken) to be able to use Amaysim - as it is a lot cheaper for phone calls than Telstra and the coverage is not too bad. To round out our equipment we carry a satellite phone as well. Not the sort of gear you use to ring up Aunty to ask about her sore toe!.
To ensure we have coverage in marginal areas we use a high gain base station antenna with a 10 meter lead. Same as the high gain car antennas but without the spring base and with a longer lead. Cost $170 from specialist supplier in country Qld - supplying the mining industry. Plugs into the wifi hot spot and can be tied to a tree, tent pole or in our case a tool clip on the side of our Avan Cruiseliner and fed into the interior of the van.
The hot spot devices are reasonably inexpensive and are available either on line from Telstra or from a Telstra shop. We have been using ours for two years and have been delighted with it. Best internet coverage we have ever had and we will probably upgrade to a newer one from Telstra sometime this year to pick up the 4g capability.
Cheers
Rex A
-- Edited by magnus1941 on Thursday 13th of February 2014 05:31:08 PM
Have you made your decision yet?
I was going to add my discussion on 'Data use' to yours but thought it might interfere. See Techies corner 'Do you run and online business on the go? Data??' However, the feed back is coming from some of your authors and does complement this.
Mobile plans are changing regularly and Aldi, using telstra and which we have found good, is cutting back drastically on theirs. Looks like Amaysim will be the way to go if Optus has the good coverage now and if you can now tether an iPhone with it.
We're sticking with Telstra for phone and just changed from old Maxon BP3 modem to 4G wireless modem for data with Bigpond.
We use both with external stick antenna for better coverage in the country.
-- Edited by Baz421 on Saturday 22nd of March 2014 01:31:07 PM
Most of the work I will be doing will not be too data extensive and when this is required I will be employing my daughter to carry out these data heavy tasks back in her home/office.
One day Australian companies might get their act together and stop ripping us off for using mobile internet.