Best RV Internet Options in 2023

Satellite internet has the widest coverage area of any internet option for RVers. You don’t have to worry about being out of cell tower range, no matter where you travel, whether it’s to national or state parks or just outside city limits. You can get a signal wherever you have a clear view of the sky.

As of 2023, one of the only options for portable satellite internet access in an RV is Starlink Roam (once called Starlink RV). Starlink Roam is technically called Starlink Mobile now, because Starlink loves confusing plan names, but we’ll call it Starlink Roam mostly throughout this article for ease of recognition.          

While Starlink’s Roam satellite internet is a great option for many RVers, there have been some reports of slowing speeds since the nationwide rollout of the program. Before you make any decisions, you can use Starlink’s availability map to search for specific details on download or upload speeds, location-specific availability, and latency capabilities.

Areas on Starlink’s map that show speeds higher than 25Mbps will be able to support more demanding internet use, such as streaming, video conferencing, and playing online games. If the areas you live in or travel to have speeds of 25Mbps or less, Starlink may only be a good option if you use the internet for things like checking social media, reading articles,  and sending emails.

There’s no annual contract on any of Starlink’s Roam plans, only the month-by-month payment that can be paused at any time—a huge pro for those who travel part-time.

If you’ve been wondering about the big cost difference between Starlink’s standard portable hardware ($599) and flat high-performance hardware ($2,500), it lies in when you can use your system. Yes, the standard hardware is quite portable and not that complicated of a setup process, but you have to park to use it, and it has to be set up again every time you relocate.

The flat high-performance hardware, however, is more expensive because it’s designed to be installed directly onto your RV so you can use it in motion. So, shelling out the extra chunk of cash might be worth it for you if you need constant internet access, even while actively traveling. (This setup works great if you’ve got kids chanting to watch their favorite Disney movie while you’re in the middle of driving.) 

Starlink Roam’s base plan, Mobile Regional, costs $150 monthly, with a one-time equipment fee of $599 for the standard portable hardware. We recommend this plan if you travel domestically and don’t mind pulling over and setting up your hardware to check your email and Facebook.

The next tier, we recommend mainly to international travelers. It costs $200 per month plus the $599 hardware fee. This plan will suit you if you're a total globe-trotter and often find yourself needing an internet connection on entirely different continents. Some consumers report they’ve taken it on a plane with them and managed to use it in flight—though they had to pay for an extra seat to set it up.

The highest tier plan Starlink offers for RVers starts at $250 per month for 50GB with a hardware fee of $2,500. Mobile Priority, along with the more expensive hardware, allows for connectivity while your RV, boat, or other joy ride of choice is both moving and stationary.

Mobile Priority lets you choose how much data you need out of three options: 50GB, 1TB, and 5TB. This Starlink plan is intended for you if you want internet on your personal yacht or your floating yacht business. But seriously, these plan options have way more data and connectivity than even a large family would need for personal use; we’ll let the businesses and emergency responders have Mobile Priority. 

HughesNet and Viasat provide satellite internet services that are designed for fixed locations, such as homes or businesses, so they’re not portable. If you want portable satellite options, Starlink stands out as the only viable choice beyond a satellite phone, which is ideal to keep around for emergencies if you camp and hike in extremely remote areas.

The next best option to connect while traveling in your RV is a mobile hotspot. There are two types of mobile hotspots: cellular data plans through your existing cell provider or a physical hotspot device that will need its own data plan.

Both kinds of mobile hotspots use a cellular data network to access the internet and then broadcast it to your other devices, such as laptops and tablets, through a localized Wi-Fi network.

Note: If you plan to binge-watch your favorite shows and play video games often, you can expect to upgrade to the highest data plan your provider offers and still have the potential to experience speed throttling.    

Let’s talk about mobile hotspot plans. They’re great because they use the smartphone you already own and basically turn your cellular data into a Wi-Fi network that you can connect to from all your devices.      

With a mobile hotspot, you have tons of carrier options that can fit your needs.

According to its website, T-Mobile currently offers the widest 5G coverage of any cellular network hotspot plan with speeds 2x faster than competitors. Their base plan is also very affordable at only $10 per month with 2GB of premium data included and free data roaming. You can also upgrade and pay for more data when you need it. T-Mobile customers say they rarely lose signal and report reliable and fast connectivity; for that reason alone, we highly recommend T-Mobile for RV life.

Next in line for reliability is the Verizon Pro plan. Starting at $60 per month, this Verizon plan is more expensive than T-Mobile but offers a whopping 100GB of 4G LTE or 5G data before speed throttling. This plan is great for those who use a fairly high quantity of data monthly. If you travel in your RV with family or friends and want to stream on multiple devices, this is the plan for you. 

AT&T provides a prepaid hotspot data plan starting at $55 per month for 50GB, after which the speed will slow exponentially. If you have a set estimate on how much data your internet habits use per month, prepaid plans are a good option to avoid overpaying for data you won’t even use.  

Visible (owned by Verizon) offers a prepaid phone data plan called Visible+ starting at $35 per month. This plan offers unlimited hotspot data at 5Mbps, so speeds will be quite slow but never capped. Only one device can be connected to the hotspot at a time, so this plan is better suited to you if you’re a single RVer or if you don’t mind the inconvenience of taking turns.

To put it simply, a mobile hotspot device is a small, portable physical device that uses the same process your mobile hotspot plan does to connect you to the internet. Instead of the Wi-Fi signal coming from your smartphone, it emits directly from a dedicated hotspot device.

Mobile hotspot devices and hotspot plans may perform the same function, but there are some clear pros and cons to why you would choose one or the other. For example, a hotspot plan uses your smartphone to share Wi-Fi, so they’re known to drain your phone battery quickly. This would definitely be an issue for you if you need to use your phone and other devices at the same time. In that case, opting for a hotspot device would be a good idea. Hotspot devices free up your phone, still give you a Wi-Fi connection, and can be plugged in to charge constantly.

A mobile hotspot device can also support connecting more devices to Wi-Fi than a hotspot data plan, with potentially faster speeds and a more reliable connection. A hotspot device is a great option if you have family and friends traveling in your RV with you, so everyone can stay connected (and not argue over who gets to watch YouTube). 

Reminder: Before you decide on a hotspot device or plan, keep in mind that you will have to purchase the physical device on top of your monthly fee, so up-front costs will be higher than a hotspot plan.

5G Home Internet services are great for homes, apartments, and mobile homes in fixed locations, but they usually aren’t ideal for taking on the road. T-Mobile 5G Home Internet is one of our favorite internet services for rural areas, but we don’t recommend traveling with it, as doing so will break the plan’s terms of service.

In all seriousness, we strongly advise against using T-Mobile’s home internet service this way; if you get caught using it in any kind of RV, camper, or boat in motion, T-Mobile could suspend or ban you entirely from its service due to breach of contract.   

If you plan to use it at your full-time home, we do recommend T-Mobile as a home internet service in general. T-Mobile’s 5G is fast and far-reaching, with over 325 million Americans having access. Right now, T-Mobile 5G Home internet offers a great package deal where if you bundle a cell phone plan and its home internet (and set up auto-pay), you can get access to its 5G network for only $30 per month. Check if you can get the service in your area using our zip check below.

An option we have seen explode in popularity amongst the RV community in the last few years is Nomad Internet’s 4G LTE traveling internet plan. From its internal marketing, this option seems great, but we have to burst that bubble: According to the Texas Attorney General, Nomad is currently in a $75 million dollar lawsuit.

The lawsuit alleges the founder has been scamming his customers by repackaging SIM cards that he took from other network providers and basically slapping his brand sticker on them. When the network providers caught wind of this activity, they disabled the SIM cards which left Nomad’s customers with zero connection.

When customers complained, Nomad told them to try moving their routers, try turning them off and on again, or other futile fixes. Nomad knew what was really happening but continued to direct people to its customer service line, all while still charging them.

We can’t recommend Nomad’s service to you because of its bad practices and poor service. Many of its customers were still paying for months after their service had stopped working in hopes it would return, and ultimately lost out on hundreds of dollars. We don’t want this to happen to you.

If you just want to stop somewhere in your RV for a quick internet browse, public Wi-Fi- networks are a great potential resource. Many small businesses, casual chain restaurants, and public libraries offer a local Wi-Fi service for completely free that you may or may not even need a password to access.

If you do need one, oftentimes, the password is posted for all to see, and on occasion, the Wi-Fi signal is strong enough to reach the parking lot of these establishments. If it is, you just have to go inside to request the password or snap a picture of the posted password sign (usually somewhere by the cash register) to connect. If you choose to use public Wi-Fi, you should consider protecting yourself first.

Word to the wise—public Wi-Fi networks are less secure and allow anyone to join them at any time, which means they can be rife with hacking, cyber-attacks, and even data breaches. While this may not happen to you if you use free public Wi-Fi, we don’t suggest taking the gamble with no safeguards. Try using some of our best tips to prepare yourself for browsing on a public Wi-Fi network:

1. Download a VPN(Virtual Private Network) and turn it on.
2. Install a reputable anti-virus software on your device.
3. Clear your device’s browsing history and cookies.   

Keep in mind: Public hotspots are not the best long-term internet option if you work remotely in your RV, as you will have to find a public Wi-Fi network every time you relocate. Also, since the signal strength isn’t predictable, you might even have to miss meetings or reschedule deadlines just because you don’t have a stable connection. On top of that, if your job requires you to work with other people’s or your own sensitive data, and you’re connected to an unsecured public network, you could be responsible for a data breach.

If you travel in your RV part-time, check with your stationary home’s internet provider to see if it offers hotspot access on the road. Many providers include this little gem of a feature, so make sure you’re taking advantage of it.

Let’s look at how internet provider hotspots compare to public Wi-Fi and why you’d choose one over the other:

Now that you’ve decided which internet option (or combination of options) is right for you and your travel lifestyle, you may want to invest in accessories that can help boost your signal strength. Or maybe you already had your internet options lined up and installed for your RV, and just want something to streamline or strengthen your connectivity. Either way, let’s look at our top recommendations for you and your RV.

Cell boosters use a three-phase process to strengthen your cellphone’s signal and reception. An antenna grabs the little amount of cell signal there is, pushes it to an amplifier inside the device, and then returns back your cellphone with a greater range and strength. Cell boosters don’t make their own cell signal, but they amplify an already existing one.

These are great little accessories if you already have a signal where you travel with your RV, but the signal is a bit weak. We especially recommend cell boosters to you if you like to travel to rural areas where you get at least one bar of service.

Wi-Fi antenna boosters work in the same way cell boosters do. They take your existing Wi-Fi signal and amplify it so your devices will get a faster and more reliable connection. You’d like this kind of device if you already have a Wi-Fi network set up in your RV and just want to extend your range or to better pick up free Wi-Fi hotspots, like those at campgrounds.

Here are our top picks for you: 

A travel router is a router designed to extend the range of an existing but weak Wi-Fi signal and allow you to connect multiple devices to it. These are a great accessory to have around if you want to take advantage of public Wi-Fi but the signal is poor or unsecured.

Travel router pros: The routers themselves are super portable. Many have built-in firewall protection and enable a fully customizable browsing experience for you. 

Travel router cons: Travel routers don’t produce a Wi-Fi signal, it just extends one that already exists. They also do have to be plugged in somewhere, so they won’t work if you don’t have an outlet.

Our top two suggestions for getting connected while you’re on the road are satellite internet through Starlink Roam or a mobile hotspot plan through T-Mobile. If you work remotely from your RV and want to avoid an angry Zoom call from your manager, you may also want to think about a back-up option like a hotspot device or even public Wi-Fi to ensure a stable 24/7 connection.

We all know your cell signal often drops in many of the most beautiful national parks. But instead of avoiding a park, we say invest in a weBoost cell booster so you can call your family back home and tell them all about your adventures on the road.  

We stick to using trusted sources and real customer feedback when compiling our articles. Our team puts in hours of exhaustive research (for this one in particular, about 3 full days) so we can give you the best and most up-to-date information possible. We also put in hours (read again: days) of first-hand testing on the services we review and compile proprietary data from speed tests and customer interviews to get you the information you need to make the best decision for your lifestyle. 

If you won’t have cellular service where you’re staying, and you must have access to the internet, you can rent a satellite hotspot. This saves you from having to pay $600 or more for the hardware cost. Check into options of renting a satellite hotspot, which can also give you phone service in extremely remote areas.

The Federal Communications Commission has a coverage map for the top four cell carriers in the nation. You can enter your physical address or where you intend to travel and see how the coverage fares before you even step foot in the area; that way, you can be better prepared for your next RV adventure.