I have no doubt that this subject will have been discussed a multitude of times but as we all know, anything discussed this time last year is probably already obsolete given the rate of change of this technology.
I am a Telstra customer with my mobile which I guess has the best coverage nationally. I have multiple devices that I need to connect to the internet as much as possible. I have seen that a lot of van parks have wifi and McDonalds and others have free wifi too but I don't want to rely on this generosity and will need to have my own cover too.
So do you guys have a router that can connect - probably via Bluetooth - to the mobile handset and arrange a suitable data plan. I know it will depend on the location you are in but by and large do you find it adequate as you are travelling around??
I am getting the impression that you are going on the road full time with no home base.
Different from my situation. These days we only go for short trips away - 1 to 3 months.
What suits me is a Telstra prepaid wi fi 'dongle' & recharge for the period that we are away. I use that for any secure stuff like banking & sometimes use library free wi fi where it is convenient.
Having said that when caravanning I am not a heavy internet or phone user so am not to worried about lower cost options.
We use prepaid Telstra mobiles too.
Don't forget to turn off any auto software updates on your devices.
We also use a wifi dongle (Telstra) with pay as you go system. 5Mb lasts ages as we don;t do a lot of internet surfing. When plugged into the laptop, it also provides a signal for the iPad.
Cheers
We have an earlier version of this www.rvwifi.com.au (actually ours is the same as the one shown in the manual but it looks like it has been updated). Works well for us. No affiliation.d
-- Edited by enrbee on Wednesday 1st of March 2017 03:00:35 PM
Hi BrianF, I recently bought an iPad Pro that didn't have the built in Wifi, I then bought a normal Telstra prepaid dongle with a USB connection for around $10. Unfortunately when I tried to plug it in I found that the iPad no longer has a USB port. I ended up purchasing a Telstra prepaid 4GX Wifi router from Harvey Norman for $59 which came with a few Gig of credit. You follow the simple instructions to set up your account then just link it by using bluetooth to all your other Wifi devices. I recharged it recently with 40Gig for $150 which will last us up to 12 months (we only use it for internet when we are on the road so that should be heaps). I'm glad we got the 4GX as it's a lot quicker than the Telstra 3GX WiFi that we are currently running with at home, I could also use this one for home but as I already pay monthly for the 3G as part of a plan it's no use using my data allowance on the 4G. Both it and my iPhone worked perfectly last week on the north coast of NSW using the Telstra network meanwhile my wife's iPhone which is on Vodaphone had zero reception so she had to borrow mine to either make a phone call or text.
we have a wireless Telstra dongle thingy that can run up to 4 devices at a time. Is prepaid and can be connected to an external arial if needed, which we have needed at times especially in the south of WA around Albany where reception can be minimal.
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Jenny and Barry
2009 Roma Elegance / 2013 Colorado. Permanent travellers 2011-2015 now just travel for 4-6 mths