The game-changer for full-timers who travel off the beaten path. Speeds of 50–200 Mbps with low latency. Works at national parks, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land, and rural campgrounds where cellular doesn't exist. The RV plan allows you to pause service months you don't need it.

Cost: ~$150/month + $599 hardware Weakness: Trees, mountains, and dense canopy block the signal. Doesn't help in dense urban areas where cellular is plenty.

Layer 2: Cellular Data (AT&T + T-Mobile)

Dual-carrier cellular covers most of the US travel corridor. AT&T and T-Mobile have different coverage maps — one will work where the other doesn't. A cellular booster (WeBoost Drive Reach) extends signal at weak sites.

Cost: ~$80–120/month per carrier + booster hardware Weakness: Dead zones exist. Video calls can degrade in congested areas. Data throttling on some plans.

Layer 3: Campground WiFi (Backup Only)

Treat campground WiFi as a last resort. It's shared among all guests, often slow during peak hours, and security is unknown. Good for large file uploads late at night when few people are connected.

Cost: Often included with site fee Weakness: Unreliable speed and security. Never use for sensitive work without a VPN.

Hardware: Travel Router (GL.iNet)

A GL.iNet travel router lets you aggregate multiple connections (Starlink + cellular), run a persistent VPN, and create a consistent local network regardless of what's upstream. Sets up in minutes at each new campsite.

Cost: $100–200 hardware Weakness: Adds complexity. Requires some network knowledge to configure properly.

Deep Dive

Solar Sizing for Full-Time RV Use

Weekend RVers can get away with 100W and a 100Ah battery. Full-timers who work remotely need a real system.

Typical Daily Power Draw by Use Case

Residential fridge (12V or converted) 100–150 Wh/day

Laptop (8 hours) 80–160 Wh/day

External monitor 50–100 Wh/day

Lighting (LED) 20–40 Wh/day

Phone charging 10–20 Wh/day

CPAP (without heat) 30–60 Wh/day

Fan (12V) 20–60 Wh/day

Small appliances (blender, coffee maker) 50–150 Wh/day

Typical Working Full-Timer Total 400–700 Wh/day

100W + 100Ah

Weekend Warrior

Fine for casual camping with hookup fallback. Not adequate for all-day remote work without shore power.

400W + 200Ah

Light Full-Timer

Handles basics: fridge, lights, phone, laptop. Tight on cloudy days or high consumption. A realistic minimum.

800W + 400Ah

Working Full-Timer

Comfortable daily operation with fridge, full workstation, CPAP, and fans. Handles multiple cloudy days without running low.

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