Nomad Internet Review

Unfortunately, Nomad Internet has been the subject of some serious controversy over the past year, mostly centered around shady business practices. 

Nomad Internet has been a moderately popular provider of 4G LTE and 5G internet for several years now. It promises fast speeds on the go for campers, RVers, and other road warriors. And, on paper, it looks pretty good. But its customers have found an internet service that doesn’t live up to what it promises.

We’ll cover these issues, as well as some alternatives to Nomad, in the article below.

Nomad offers two plans to choose from, Nomad Unlimited and Nomad Unlimited Ultra. Nomad Unlimited offers up to 100Mbps speeds, with 1080p video streaming and decent latency. Unlimited Ultra offers (potentially) faster speeds of up to 200Mbps, 4K video streaming, and better latency. As the names imply, both plans also offer unlimited data with no throttling point—a data limit where providers often slow your internet instead of stopping you from using any data.

Nomad Internet prices start at $99.95 and go up from there, which falls in line with other mobile internet providers, especially since you can take it on the road with you. However, where Nomad really gets you is with equipment fees. In addition to the monthly service prices, you have to pay either a monthly or one-time fee for the modem, and it ain’t cheap.

Nomad offers three different modems for customers to choose from:

• The Nomad Omen focuses on home use and can connect up to 40 devices.
• The Nomad Air works while traveling and can connect up to 60 devices. It’s also compatible with an external battery.
• The Nomad Raptor fits best with a business or for heavy gaming and can connect up to 120 devices.

Most home customers will be just fine with the Omen, and the Air is the go-to for travel, so only a few would want to pony up for the very expensive Raptor model. Still, these equipment prices could push you past your budget.

Nomad claims speeds up to 100Mbps for the Unlimited plan and up to 200Mbps for the Unlimited Ultra plan. These speeds are theoretically possible for 5G signals and pushing it for 4G LTE—5G can potentially be a lot faster than 4G. But remember, these are maximum speeds. Average 4G LTE speeds sit around 50Mbps, while 5G averages about 150Mbps—meaning you should expect speeds closer to these lower averages.

Plus, speeds will vary quite a bit from location to location. Fluctuating speeds go along with any cellular-based internet service, though. Your daily speeds will depend on tower locations, other users, time of day, and other infrastructure.

So, here’s the thing. On paper, Nomad Internet doesn’t look too bad. Ultimately, everyone needs to make up their own mind on whether the promise outweighs the perils of Nomad. The reality is that Nomad Internet faces controversy (and a lawsuit). Let’s break it down.

Nomad Internet mostly high reviews from camping and nomadic lifestyle influencers. However, in early 2023, comments started appearing on videos about Nomad indicating that customers out in the “real world” were having a very different experience than the influencers creating these videos.

It turns out that many influencers were being sent an entirely different product than what was available to the public, seemingly to intentionally mislead customers. Users complained of service issues, problems canceling service, double billing, and more. Some influencers began to investigate the company and discovered that not only were these complaints widespread, but the company also appeared to be run by an actual con artist who’d previously defrauded customers and investors with other internet and cryptocurrency companies.

To be honest, the industry of 4G LTE resellers can be alittle bit sketchy. Third-party resellers are companies that sell repacked service plans from other providers like Verizon—kind of like MVNOs. However, MVNOs have actual contracts and are legally allowed to do what they’re doing, whereas the types of resellers we’re talking about here usually don’t. What often happens is the provider (Verizon in our example) catches on to the reseller, cancels the plans and SIM cards, and the customers are left high and dry. In general, we’d avoid 4G LTE plans being sold by these types of companies. Stick to the big-name MVNOs if you need cheap cellular service, like Mint Mobile or Visible. You can also consider 4G LTE home internet from one of the major carriers.

Instead of relying on Nomad Internet, consider Starlink Roam (also known as Starlink Mobile)  for portable internet. It’s a similar price to Nomad, at about $150.00 per month and $599.00 up front for equipment. There’s a bit more equipment to deal with—namely the satellite dish—but otherwise you’re looking at a similar setup.

The main difference between Starlink Roam and something like Nomad Internet is that Starlink gives you satellite internet service. That means fewer dead spots and coverage in areas where Roam won’t reach. But you might lose latency as satellite internet has longer distances to travel. Ultimately, Starlink is probably an even better mobile option for most users, especially RVers and hikers spending time far off the grid.

The downside of Starlink Roam is that it can’t be used while you’re actually in motion. Instead, you have to stop, pull out the dish, and set it up each time. It’s less annoying than it sounds, but it’s still something to consider.

If you just want a portable hotspot, especially for occasional use, you probably don’t need to go for any additional plan or service—you probably have all you need in your pocket already. Most wireless plans include some sort of hotspot functionality that you can use in a pinch. And many of the higher-end plans (like T-Mobile’s Go5G Plus or Verizon’s Unlimited Ultimate) come with quite a bit of high-speed hotspot data.

Relying on your phone as a hotspot does have two main disadvantages, though. First, this setup is convenient (since most people always have their phone on them), but it can also eat through your battery life really quickly. Second, mobile data isn’t always available or reliable. Signal strength (and thus, performance) can vary a lot from place to place, especially in rural or remote spots. However, for occasional use, this can save you from signing up for another type of internet access. You can even use it as a backup home internet option.

Lastly, if you want internet access at a single location, such as a second property, cabin, or vacation home, a 5G home internet plan is probably a much better option than Nomad. These plans are almost always faster, and much less expensive, than a third-party mobile plan from a company like Nomad. 

All three major carriers (T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T) have their own 5G home internet service, as does Straight Talk (one of the larger MVNOs). They’re all pretty similar, but overall we like T-Mobile Home Internet the best. It’s got a great mix of price, availability, and performance. T-Mobile customers can get unlimited high-speed internet for as little as $40.00 per month, which is outstanding.

The main disadvantage of these 5G home internet plans is that they’re not portable. Despite being based on cellular internet, the providers only authorize them for use at a single address. However, if that’s how you primarily plan to use your connection, they’re fantastic. You can always pair a 5G home internet plan with your phone’s hotspot for a more comprehensive solution.

Nomad Internet might seem like a decent option at first glance. However, shady business practices and a boatload of customer complaints mean that the beauty runs only skin-deep here. Avoid Nomad if you have other options.

Besides, we’re confident you can find a service that meets your specific needs even better than Nomad. Campers and road warriors can go with Starlink Roam or a cell phone hotspot, and users looking for internet at a single location can get a ton of value out of 5G home internet. Even without the scandals, we think you can find a better internet service than the pricey Nomad.

At SatelliteInternet.com, we base our analyses on thorough research, including customer interviews, first-hand testing, results from our speed test tool, and proprietary internet provider data on speeds and pricing. We also dive deep to get all the details on plans, fees, and future developments. We then bring this info together in one place so you can find it easily. Finally, we use our satellite internet industry expertise to help you make the best decisions you can for your household. As always, thanks for reading!

Nomad Internet was founded by Jayden Garza in 2017, and he’s the current owner of the company as of 2024.

Nomad Internet uses Verizon’s network to provide service. Verizon is one of the largest and fastest networks in the US.

Yes, in theory. The company claims its service is plenty fast for gaming, and generally we wouldn’t anticipate any problems. However, just because you can doesn’t mean you should. We actually don’t recommend Nomad Internet at all due to some shady business practices.