Best cell phone carrier for "wandering"?

[Platano]

Gotta say, we are Verizon users, but part of the beauty of (and reason for) the camping game is to escape the demands of the cellular, interconnected world for a short while.

 

[Kodachrome]

I just ordered up this new 4G model from Wilson along with a 21" spring RV antenna so my wife can work while we are in remote locations. I spend at least 2 months a year on photo shoots that she can otherwise not usually attend so this ought to help to varying degrees.

 

[Kolockum]

Verizon is the preferred cell carrier for the forest service which either says something about their coverage or their political connections. Please report back on how well that set up ends up working for you. I have been considering going that route.

 

[MarkBC]

As an update on what I posted a year ago, I'm still liking/loving the Wilson Sleek 4G after a couple of years of use. (the model I bought is specific to Verizon, but I see that they now have one model that covers both ATT 4G and Verizon 4G).

If you'd like to spend a little less and still get a useful/big improvement, the model I got has about half the amplification of the model Kodachrome ordered -- at about half the price -- but in practical use it still makes a huge difference -- for example, 4 bars with the Sleek instead of 1 bar of signal without it. (I've also measured the signal strength quantitatively using the app "Network Signal Info Pro" -- recommended).
Another advantage of the Sleek 4G is that it's not permanently mounted in the vehicle -- I move it between my truck and car, depending on whether it's a camping road trip or just a "civilized" road trip.

I'd also like to suggest this different brand for permanently-mounted higher-power (higher price) use, which I demoed as I described here: Clear RF.
When I demoed this unit my signal-strength app confirmed that it did indeed have about twice the signal-strength improvement of my Sleek 4G. (but since I already owned the Sleek, and I didn't want a permanently-mounted unit, I stuck with my choice).

 

[billharr]

I use ATT and have seen areas where we had no coverage but Verizon did work, Arnold CA for one. At the FWC Sugarloaf Rally one of the campers was a reseller of Cell Phone gear. He had the rig in the picture below with a large antenna, boasters and wifi routers. He told everyone how much it helped when in areas with weak call coverage. But Sugarloaf was up in a canyon with NO cell coverage and all his fancy gear did not help. I did not get his name and do not know if he is on WTW. Stan might know.

 

[Cayuse]

Another Verizon user. Was a bit annoyed to get a text while out near the Egypt Trailhead in GSENM. Solution next time will be to leave the thing off except for designated "town" days.

 

[craig333]

If it weren't for wanting to be able to stay in touch with my parents, they're getting up in age, I'd leave mine off. Back when we had analog service I was able to get coverage from ATT in many more places than I can now. Of course I couldn't access the internet back then so....

 

[Kodachrome]

Looks like my kit shipped, I'll let you all know how it works as living in the mountains will certainly give it a good test. I can't wait, if it works even as good as MarkBC's sleek model, my wife will be able to work from a lot more places while we are on the road and that means more camper time!

 

[craig333]

Anyone have any phone recommendations? I know my old flip phone had better connections than my smartphone.

 

[Kodachrome]

Got it installed, overall pretty easy although routing the antenna cable through the roof was an excercise in caution. I took a spin up Independence Pass to a point where I was on the edge of one bar and no service and then pulled over and powered up the amp. I then saw 3-4 bars of 4G, texted my wife a decent sized photo and then had to split for a job.

So far so good, can't wait to really put it to the test with my wife connecting to her VPN for work.

 

[MarkBC]

Anyone have any phone recommendations? I know my old flip phone had better connections than my smartphone.

Craig, are you asking for recommendations specifically for a phone that pulls in signals better than average?

 

[LuckyDan]

Galaxy S4 with a wireless booster/antenna on Verizon. Using the same booster as used with my flip phone.

http://www.wilsonelectronics.com/store/index/category/65/products

Not a connect anywhere solution but will usually get me two or three bars where I have one to none. Not exactly cheap but functional and with new towers going up all the time being out of touch will be by choice not lack of signal.

 

[hmt]

Another option to possibly consider is one of the wireless home phones offered by the carriers. This is Verizon's version though AT&T, etc offer them as well now. They are voice only but plans are comparatively cheap compared to a smartphone voice plan or land line. The antennae built into them is more capable than a typical smartphone (Supposedly 6x stronger if memory serves me, but its been quite a while). I use a few for our business and in our area where cell coverage isn't particularly good from any of the wireless carriers, the home connect works really well.

 

[Kodachrome]

Another test today, one on a ridge at 11,000 feet a couple miles out of town and one in a valley below it, both had mostly 1 bar and occasionally 2 bars of 4G, web pages stalled. With the amp on I got 4 bars of LTE in both locations, web pages built fast. The reading off of my solar has consistently been .87 amps and just under 12 watts of my available 275W.

Glad I upgraded to the RV / trucker antenna, I think this is going to work great!

 

[BobM]

Another option to possibly consider is one of the wireless home phones offered by the carriers. This is Verizon's version though AT&T, etc offer them as well now. They are voice only but plans are comparatively cheap compared to a smartphone voice plan or land line. The antennae built into them is more capable than a typical smartphone (Supposedly 6x stronger if memory serves me, but its been quite a while). I use a few for our business and in our area where cell coverage isn't particularly good from any of the wireless carriers, the home connect works really well.

I have one of these and it's $19/month unlimited. I've taken it on a few trips but I use it for my alarm system so it stays at home. Works good on the road if you have an outlet in your dash like I do. It also has a backup battery but doesn't last like a cell phone. One time when I was at the North rim of the Grand Canyon my son called home to leave a message and was surprised when I picked up the phone:>)

 

[MarkBC]

Another option to possibly consider is one of the wireless home phones offered by the carriers. This is Verizon's version though AT&T, etc offer them as well now. They are voice only but plans are comparatively cheap compared to a smartphone voice plan or land line. The antennae built into them is more capable than a typical smartphone (Supposedly 6x stronger if memory serves me, but its been quite a while). I use a few for our business and in our area where cell coverage isn't particularly good from any of the wireless carriers, the home connect works really well.

I have one of these and it's $19/month unlimited. I've taken it on a few trips but I use it for my alarm system so it stays at home. Works good on the road if you have an outlet in your dash like I do. It also has a backup battery but doesn't last like a cell phone. One time when I was at the North rim of the Grand Canyon my son called home to leave a message and was surprised when I picked up the phone:>)

So...what you guys are referring to is actually the cellular base station -- to which you connect a regular home phone (via RJ-11 cable)? And you have to supply 120v AC for this, through an inverter, correct?

 

[hmt]

Correct

 

[Kodachrome]

So I did one more test after making sure my external antenna was perfectly vertical, I had mine at about a 70 degree angle due to initial mounting hardware limitations and apparently that is not optimal for omni / whip types. I drove even further past the place I did the signal last time making good and sure the phone was solidly reading "No Service" and flipped on the amp. With the phone 3 feet away from the internal antenna I got 4 bars of LTE, 1 foot away, all five bars were blazing. I put the phone in field test mode, it read -56DB, then turned off the amp and it went to -112, no service.

FYI, to field test your iPhone, dial *3001#12345#*, it will show the db level in the upper left corner where the bars usually are and whole bunch of readouts on the screen, pretty slick.

I'm totally sold on the new Wilson 4G / 50db booster, it easily got the max improvement if not exceeded it with the whip antenna upgrade. Most of the places I go, work, live have mountain valleys with 4,000-5,000 vertical rises on both sides, cell service is a pain in the rear in these parts. This new unit is going to help a *lot* and I consider the $400 I spent to be an outright bargain.

 

[N'kwala]

All this is very interesting. I'd never thought I'd want boosted cellphone access, but I have a 99-year-old mother and need to be contactable. This is really limiting my choices of places to camp.

Kodachrome, please, I'm really interested in your set-up, but I'm puzzled at where the antenna goes on your camper. Any chance of a photo? I think the 3G setup would be adequate for my needs but I don't see where the antenna fits with the cabover.

Suggestions, please?

 

[Kodachrome]

Hi, I have the antenna mounted to the front rack on top of the camper, it uses a 4-bolt, 2 plate L clamp but also has other mounting options, some attach it to a mirror on a large RV, some on the side without the second plate.

I ran the cable through the roof and made a stiff grommet out of a piece of black plastic air hose fitting, then gave it two coatings of sealant. The cable emerges right next to where the solar wiring from the roof comes out of the headliner and sits behind the folding forward bulkhead panels, then it fits nicely under the gap of the interior paneling and goes down between the bed rail and down into the space between the front of the cabinets and camper to a nice clean spot near the battery box. The amp is mounted to the wall paneling, there is practically no cable showing. I added a 12V plug to the lid of the battery box with a 20A inline fuse, so the amp has it's own power source, we now have a total of three 12V plugs, one on the backup battery and two on the main.

I gotta say, it works fantastic, I would pony up for the 4G version, your boost in all bandwidths will see an improvements due to up to date tech....