We traveled about 100 miles yesterday. When we left, everything in
the rig worked fine. Both heat pumps, water heater, microwave,
washer/dryer combo, etc… Since we were in a hurry to get checked out
of the campground and off to church, we had a load of laundry to dry.
No problem, just bring up the generator and let it dry while we’re in
service. Worked like a charm.

Unfortunately, when we arrived at our next site, not everything
worked. The rear heat pump was working fine but, the front just clicked
- no fan, no heat, nothing else. At first, I assumed we had a problem
with the heat pump and figured I’d deal with it later. It was late, I
didn’t want to go out in the dark, up on the roof, and take the cover
off to deal with it. So, I turned on the furnaces instead and called it
a night.

A new day brings new ideas

The next morning, we were getting ready to clean up the dishes from
breakfast and noticed we didn’t have any hot water. Odd. Two failures
at the same time? Unlikely. So, it was time to do a little homework. I
took a peek at our incoming power and noticed we weren’t pulling power
on both legs.

Surge Guard Panel

Now, there are a few possibilities for why power is only coming in
on one leg:

• A poor connection at the post – shows voltage but not enough
  “copper” to drive the load
• The Surge Guard has given up the ghost and one leg is dead
• The transfer switch has a stuck contact
• A wire is loose somewhere within that leg
• There are no loads on that leg

Simple to hard

Since I’m a firm believer in tackling the easiest problems first, I
went out and checked the connection at the post. The connections were
clean, no corrosion or burning, and the box felt ‘tight’ – i.e., the
plug didn’t fall out under it’s own weight. So, the post appears fine
on the outside as does the post-end of the cable.

Next I checked the connections inside the power bay. A couple more
plugs to verify and they were fine, too.

At this point, I figured I’d have to open up the boxes and start
checking wiring. I headed inside to get my tools when a thought struck
me – if it’s a contact on the transfer switch, maybe forcing it to
select another source will free it up. Hmmm… How can I get another
power source? The generator! (a.k.a., genset)

With the heat pumps off, I started up the genset. After a few seconds,
the transfer switch flipped power to the genset in lieu of shore power.
After a couple minutes warm-up time, I turned on the heat pumps. Viola!
Both worked perfectly. Now, for the moment of truth. I shut off both
heat pumps and gave the genset a few minutes to cool. Then, I shut down
the genset and tried the heat pumps. Success! Not only were the heat
pumps working again, but our water heater was back in business on
electric.

It was a good morning.

If you ever find yourself with only some of your electric working while
on shore power, it could be a contact is stuck in the transfer switch.
Turn off your loads, start your genset and warm it up, then turn on
your loads (but don’t overload your genset) and observe whether or not
the non-working items are now functional. If so, then turn off your
loads, let the genset cool down, then shut it down and return to shore
power. Now, try your loads again. If the contact was freed up, then
your power will be back to normal. If not, the issue may not be
in the transfer switch. It’s still possible that the contact is frozen
in place.

Dig deeper or…

At this point, you’re going to have to open up your electrical system,
tracing wires back from the power bay to the circuit breaker panel to
each item until you find the cause. If you’re not comfortable with
electricity, this is the point where you hire a certified RV repairman
to take over the task.

I hope this helps someone avoid what could be a costly service call for
a simple fix.

Well, the short answer is, “It depends.”

Don’t you just hate it when people say that?

And I’ll bet you’ve heard it more than a few times, too!

Unfortunately, it’s true. It really does depend on how you’re going to
be using the Internet. Let’s start with a list of questions that will
help us figure out what type of service you would be happiest with.

How will you use the Internet?

1. Do you need (not want) to be online:
   • A few times a month?
   • A few times a week?
   • Daytime, every day?
   • 24 hours a day, 365?
2. Do you need to download more than:
   • 200MB/day?
   • 300MB/day?
   • 425MB/day?
   • 500MB/day?
   • 5GB/month?
3. How many computers/communication devices will be connecting?
4. If more than one device, must they all be online at the same time?
5. Do you need to be online everywhere you travel?

Here’s another way of looking at it:

where:

A = Free public Wifi such as at a library, some
campgrounds, coffee shops, some hotels, etc…
B = Paid Wifi such as some campgrounds, truck stops, some hotels, etc…
C = Tethered cell phone
D = Cellular air card or personal hot spot (either provider-based or
router-based)
E = Satellite service such as Hughesnet, Starband, Ethersat, AtContact

Now that we know what type of usage we’re shooting for, let’s look at
the cost associated with each.

You get what you pay for

It’s an age-old saying and, it’s so cliche`. However, it still holds
true here. The amount of service you receive from your provider will
increase as your monthly outflow increases. Let’s do the table again:

where:

A = Free public Wifi such as at a library, some
campgrounds, coffee shops, some hotels, etc…
B = Paid Wifi such as some campgrounds, truck stops, some hotels, etc…
C = Tethered cell phone
D = Cellular air card or personal hot spot (either provider-based or router-based)
E = Satellite service such as Hughesnet, Starband, Ethersat, AtContact

What’s not mentioned in the above table is the level of reliability
that comes with each service bump. Free means you can’t really complain
(much) if it’s not working when you get there. Likewise, if you’re
paying the minimum amount from a provider, don’t expect to be treated
like the folks that are paying ten times as much. After all, it’s
called “Consumer Grade” because it’s a commodity item much like the
discount products available on the shelves at the local Walmart. The
point at which you’re paying for unlimited or business-grade plans is
the point where you can expect service to noticeably improve. In the
above table, that’s somewhere at or above the $75/mo rate.

No service is available everywhere. Let me state that again. There is no single service that will work in every location. With that in mind let’s go through what is available for the various needs.

If you don’t have a need to get online but, only want it every
once in a while, then waiting to happen across the free locations every
now and then works fine.

If you’re looking for something a bit more frequently or willing to pay
as you go, then paying for a service at a campground (if you’re staying
for a longer period, then the daily cost goes down), at a truck stop,
or anyplace that happens to sell service may suit you well.

Should you require Internet on a daily basis, then a cellular or
satellite plan would likely work well. The trick with either the
cellular or satellite plans is geography. Cell towers have become much more prevalent across the USA. However, not every spot in the USA is reachable with a cellular device. Some have said cellular service is widespread from the East through the Midwest USA. Don’t believe it. There are dead spots all over the USA and Canada. Some are in places that make no sense. Still, cellular is a good choice if you stay near provider’s high-speed towers. In this case,
Verizon seems to do a better job than the others. Whichever provider
you have, it’s best to check their coverage map to determine whether or
not you have a chance of picking up the signal.

Satellite is available everywhere in the USA – as long as your dish
has a clear view to the satellite, that is. Many locations are
setup with a few sites that allow dish-owners to “shoot” the bird
without obstacles (tree branches, buildings, hills/mountains, etc…)
blocking the signal. While most of these locations provided
satellite-friendly sites for those with satellite TV, it works equally
well for folks wishing to connect with an Internet bird. But, as with
cellular, there are going to be places that are not satellite-friendly.
One place that is attempting to make getting online easier before
you arrive is Satellite-Friendly. Enter the location information and, if someone’s been there before, they’ll give you an idea what the campground is like.

Both cellular and satellite plans have limitations on the amount of
data you are allowed to download. Cell plans range up to 5GB/month with
some of the 4G plans being unlimited in the 4G areas – which are the
major metropolitan areas. Unlike satellite plans, the cellular plans
will allow you to use all your monthly allotment in just a few days. Of
course, when it’s gone, the data is still pumped into your cellular
device but, now you’re paying by the KB. It adds up REAL fast, too! For
example, going just a couple GB’s over the 5GB limit can produce a cell
bill in the $2-$3k range rather than the $60 expected. Be sure to read
the fine print and keep up on the cellular provider’s website.
Sometimes, plans change with an email and doc update. If in doubt, do
an online chat with the provider. That protects you in the event
someone is not aware of the proper billing. You’ll have a “paper trail”
of the chat conversation to go back and fight your side.

Satellite plans range from 200MB/day up to truly unlimited. Of course,
the plan pricing jumps sky-high, as well. However, even with the
200MB/day plan, you can already see you’re going to move more data over
the course of the month than a cellular plan – and do it for less
money. You’ll move more data over the course of the month with a
satellite plan but, there’s a catch. Satellites are finite resources
that cannot easily be upgraded (it’s call replacement with a new
satellite at over $10,000,000 each!). So, they have to make sure
everyone gets their turn moving data. All of the consumer grade and
many of the commercial grade plans employ something called FAP – Fair
Access Policy. A plan is allowed so many MB’s per day or week rather
than a set limit per month. This keeps the satellite humming along
nicely for the business users and ensures the non-business consumers
share nicely with each other. If you should happen to exceed your FAP
limit, the typical response is to throttle back your capability to move
data for some period of time. During this period, you’re still able to
be online but, at a much slower rate. If you cannot afford to be
slowed, then unlimited plans are available. To get to the unlimited
satellite plans, expect to spend $200+ per month minimum.

One thing I’d like to mention here is satellite “feels” different from
anything else. The response is slower on the Web because the signal has
to travel between the earth and the satellite four times. That’s
roughly 89,000 miles! Even at the speed of light, that’s over 1/2
second of delay. Add to that the latency that occurs as the signal
traverses the many routers and firewalls between your laptop and the
destination website and 0.6 seconds or longer suddenly isn’t that slow.
Some of the satellite providers are known to overload a transponder on
the satellite with more users than it can support during peak periods.
During peak periods, it’s not uncommon for the consumer-grade users to
see extremely slow response times – up in the 1-3 second range. For a
website that’s “chatty”, this can mean many seconds will go by before
the page will even begin to load.

Equipment costs

Free means you’re not going to have to spend anything more than you did
for the laptop you’re using. The built-in or installed Wifi adapter is
all you’ll need.

Cellular tethering may require a kit if you’re phone didn’t come with
one. Those range anywhere from free (if you can find one someone is
willing to give away) to as much as $100. Then, you pay the phone
company their fee/KB or monthly plan fee while you use your phone to
browse the web/get your email.

Cellular air cards/modems are often free if purchased with a 2-year
plan. The plan will run you from $40 to $60 a month. Data rates are
plan-dependent but, if you’re on the “unlimited” plan (really a 5GB/mo
plan), then you’re monthly will remain fixed so-long as you do not go
above your monthly allotment.

Satellite hardware comes in two flavors – tripod and automated. Tripod
hardware can be obtained from individuals selling their gear for
whatever reason for just a few hundred dollars. Be sure to check the
serial number on the modem and ensure it’s not burdened with back-fees
the current owner owes to the service company. A new setup will range
anywhere from $600 to $1,500, depending on the provider, hardware, and
dish/tripod/aiming gear. Along with the tripod comes 50′ to 150′ of
cable that will allow you to land the tripod/dish in a place removed
from the rig. This is a nice feature since it gets you’re rig parked in
the shade while your dish it out in a sweet spot for getting online.
You do have to deal with setting up a tripod, weighting it down to keep
the wind from blowing it over, and aiming it every time you move. Plus,
you’ll need a place to store it during the move. Things to think about.

An automated satellite system is mounted somewhere on the roof of the
rig where it can turn a full 360 degrees in search of the satellite.
Since the unit is on the roof, you avoid the setup and storage hassles.
You will have to make sure the dish has a clear line of site to the
satellite. Of course, that means you’ll be parking in less shade or,
using tools like the Suunto Tandem tool to find a campsite that will
allow you to shoot the gap around/through the obstacles overhead. These
systems range used from a $2,000 to right around $5,000 for a new unit.
If you’re looking at commercial grade Internet, the price more than
doubles to $5-$12k used and $8-$25k new! Definitely not for the
occasional user!!!

Multiple connections

An option for cellular users is a personal hot spot. In reality,
it’s a cellular device embedded in a wireless router. Some require
power and others run from power or battery. These are a bit more up
front – between $50 and $150 but, run under the same plans as the
cellular air cards. If you have more than one laptop and are going the
cellular route, this could be the device for you. Just know that some
of these are not able to connect to another broadband device. I.e., if
you would like to connect to a cable-modem or DSL router or satellite
modem, you’ll need another piece of hardware.

If you want the option to switch between a cellular air card/modem and
satellite or some other broadband network, then you’re going to need a
router that will accommodate both devices. Kyocera makes one called the
KR-2 for around $170. The KR-2 allows you to load balance,
automatically fail-over between primary/secondary WAN choices, or keep
the settings manual. If you absolutely, positively have to be online no
matter what, it would be a great addition to a multiple-choice
environment allowing you to go back and forth between satellite or
cellular. In fact, if you have more than one card, you could load
balance all three services to keep from using more than 5GB/month on
the cellular plans while keeping the satellite out of bandwidth jail
(called getting “FAP’d” in the satellite world).

Are we there yet?

Hopefully, the article will help you get your needs & wants
prioritized. Once you’ve done that, along with knowing your budget,
getting online is possible from almost anywhere in the USA and Canada.
All it takes is money You may have to pay more in some
circumstances but, if it’s for a business need, then it should be tax
deductible.

If you still have questions, feel free to send them my way and I’ll try
to help you through the process. Also, I welcome constructive comments
& suggestions.

Until next time