Join In and Go Green on the Road RVING!

In the past, traveling meant giving up modern communications. Now, we have better options, but even a smartphone is only as good as the coverage provided in the area.

These days, though, the internet isn't a luxury. Many of us use it to keep in touch with friends and family and, of course, some still have to work while traveling - even in wilderness parks.

Satellite internet is surprisingly old - the first time two computers talked to each other via a satellite was in 1969. However, it was only offered commercially for the first time in 1996. The first company to offer it was HughesNet, a branch of the Hughes company that launched the first geosynchronous satellite (offering television) in 1964. More companies got in on the act over time, and users can now choose between a number of offerings. Many have contracts, but there are some no contract, pay as you go plans now. Not all of these companies are still around - MotoSAT and MoSAT Systems, for example, which worked with Direcway, Datastorm and Hughesnet, went out of business not that long ago, leaving a lot of customers without access, but newer companies such as Mobil Satellite Technologies are filling the gap.

All satellite internet has the same limitations. It can be affected by heavy weather that can affect the line of sight between the satellite and the ground. And it has latency - lag - of at least 500 ms. However, it's available anywhere you can get a good view of the satellite - which is most places.

RV satellite internet requires a dish mounted on the roof of your vehicle. Automatic dishes are more expensive, but don't need to be set up every time you park. (A manual dish can take up to 30 minutes to get into position and is generally not permanently mounted, but stored in the vehicle).

The RVDataSat 840 is one of the newer automatic dishes. It has a one-touch controller that's designed to handle the worst environments, and doesn't require that you boot your computer to operate. All you have to do to get online is push a button and wait (1 to 4 minutes) for it to get a signal from the satellite.

RV owners need their email on the road - a modern automatic satellite dish is the most reliable way to get it.

The RVDataSat 840 installed on our RV


If you are in the market for a reliable internet connect when you go off the grid or cellular just doesn't cut it the guys at mobil satellite technologies are the way to go! The whole experience from the salesman all the way to the install technician are top notch professional and left us feeling conformable with everything.


Let me know about your comments or thoughts about what you know about using internet on a rv.