How to get WiFi in your Motorhome or Caravan

Pack up the caravan or motorhome for summer holidays to discover the UK in a new and exciting way. Between 2020 and 2021 a total of 16,608 motorhomes/ caravans were registered with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)*. This is the highest number of sales in recent years, and it was all due to travel lovers seeking new ways to travel without leaving the country due to the pandemic. Whether you’re planning a weekend trip up the Jurassic Coast or driving the kids to the grandparents in Cumbria motorhomes/caravans are the perfect way to mix work and play this Summer.

Carvaning’ is all fun and games until it’s 9pm and it’s time to stream Love Island or you missed an important work meeting because of connectivity issues. Fight back against connection issues with potential solutions like hot spotting, public WiFi, or mobile broadband devices.

Below we have listed the ways you can get WiFi in your morothome/caravan:
Using your phone or tablet hotspot as WiFi
Using Public WiFi
Use a MiFi device

Enjoy Netflix shows and update Facebook with epic roadside photos from your caravan with a reliable mobile WiFi connection. This can be done by creating a hotspot with your mobile or tablet to use your WiFi just like you’re at home. Hotspotting is simple and convenient. To hotspot you can use your mobile or tablet to create a WiFi signal with a mobile signal that will then allow internet access.

The techy explanation is that you’re leveraging your phone’s reception to the nearest tower and turning it into a mini router. This creates the ability for other devices to connect to your phone. The benefits of this type of connection are that you’re giving your caravan WiFi access making it easy for you and the family to stay connected on the go. And you will be able to enjoy apps and devices that require WiFi.

Hotspotting comes with a lot of positives, but it also has its negatives. The performance level won’t be the same as a Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) because those hubs use antennas to access more power. Also, only a limited number of devices will be able to connect.

When it comes to hotspotting the more data you have the better which is why we’ve made it easy for you to upgrade to a contract that gives you more or tap into data add-ons on the go.

Free public WiFi is extremely common, and you can literally get it anywhere you are. Malls, café’s, airports or in the case of caravanning holiday parks. Free WiFi is affordable and allows you to save money on data charges while do more internet related activities on the go. It also aids productivity by allowing you to choose your office and work from anywhere.

The downsides of public WiFi are its reliability, security, and low speeds. Public connections go down a lot because they can’t support heavy user loads, which makes them unreliable. They’re also more susceptible to attacks because of how many people are using the network in one area. If your device doesn’t have a strong firewall at the time of access, then you’re putting yourself at risk especially if you’re sending out confidential information. Public WiFi is notorious for operating at slower speeds. Too many users on the network results in a loss of bandwidth which leads to a slow network speed.

MiFi is a term used to describe a wireless router that acts as a mobile WiFi hotspot. This is the perfect solution for your motorhome/ caravan. You can use MiFi or MiFi dongles anywhere you can connect to WiFi, creating a localised, portable signal. MiFi also allows you to connect multiple devices. MiFi taps in 4G and 5G mobile phone networks and this connection can be shared between laptops, tablets, smartphones, and some gaming consoles. So, you and the family can take your streaming and downloading habits on the road without a hitch!

For more storage, wireless dongles and mobile broadband dongles are compatible with SD cards. Another big advantage of MiFi is it requires very little setup so you can get online in a matter of seconds. Expect high speeds, the ability to connect multiple devices, and no need for software download during set up.

Mobile broadband , MiFi devices or dongles are all necessary WiFi options for travelling around the UK this Summer in a motorhome/ caravan. It’s really up to you to choose which options works best for your requirements. If you’re travelling with family, then choose one of our mobile broadband options that allows you to add on data when you need it. Take advantage of our 4G Plus MiFi, currently at 6 months half price on 12 and 24 month contracts with unlimited data, perfect for the upcoming holidays. Or upgrade your existing plan to one of our options that will give you enough data to stream shows and connect multiple devices.

*Source: Camping Trade World