Wireless / Mobile → Millenicom > Is Millenicom right for me (traveling across US)?

Is Millenicom right for me (traveling across US)?

I did a quick search of this forum, sorry if this question was covered and I missed it.

I work online, and need to be sure I am able to connect during my travels (in my RV). I know from experience not to trust campground WiFi 100%, and so would like to have a solid backup in case I am unable to connect via the campground offered connection(s), and for those times when I am not at a campground.

I've been researching for a couple of months while preparing to hit the road on a roughly four month trip. I've got my route planned, and have run every location I plan to stop and work through Millenicom's coverage tool, and according to their input it seems I should have a pretty solid connection through my entire route.
I keep coming back to Millenicom as my 'best' option, but thought I'd ask you pros here for your input.

As a secondary question, if Millenicom is a good choice for me to go with, what would you recommend as a router to use with the Netgear 314U modem they provide? It seems the Cradlepoint MBR95 router they offer through their site does not support the 314U.
Or would you recommend going with the BYOD plan, and if so, with what device(s) (modem and router).

Thank you in advance for any input you can provide.

Cheers,

tj

The modem you listed is a sprint modem so just be certain you are covered by Sprint's map for this. Another option millenicom has is the 20gb hotspot through verizon. They have the best coverage for both urban and rural that I've seen but it is only 20gb vs sprint's 50gb. Good thing is that both are non contract so if you only need it a few month's you only need to have it that long.

Thank you for the very quick reply, and helpful info!

I had considered the Hotspot option, but as embarrassing as it is to admit, I'm not sure how much data transfer I *need to be able to do my job without being slapped on the wrists for overage on the bandwidth.

I also realize that 'unlimited' is not really 'unlimited', with the 50GB cap ... so just need to figure out if the additional 30GB is needed.

Thanks again!

tj

I agree with all of what kevnich24 said above.
From what I find around the KC area Verizon has much better coverage in rural locations. In the last 5 years they have added many new towers out in the sticks and not just along major highways.
Sprint has not completed the big upgrade of all the cell sites to LTE. Verizon is way out front of Sprint with LTE deployment.
Do you really need more then 20gb of usage? Watching streaming video is the big bandwidth hog. Do you watch a lot of Netflix shows?

If you are at home now, put a monitor program on the PC to find out how much is used in the web part. Just look at start and end of the day count. And for your downloading files, count how big they are +10% for an avg for those. Do a skype call and measure the count for that.

You'll probably need more than the Verizon 20GB plan. But if you need Verizon coverage, then you can always get a second account for 40GB a month. I think that's more realistic minimum. If where you are going has decent Sprint coverage, then go with that plan.

There are also coffee shops and libraries to stop in to do some work. I often make sure my laptop is fully charged and eat somewhere that has wifi and download any files I need while eating.
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Thanks for the input, and tips! Appreciate it!

Should you go with the BYOD plan get a Franklin U770 which is compatible with the Cradlepoint MBR95
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Awesome, thanks Jim .. that's very helpful.

I use Millenicom for RVing. My experience is that RV campgrounds tend to be located in the outside limits of the city. Many times the only coverage provided in these semi remote areas is Verizon and to a lesser degree AT&T. As critical as access is to you I would pick the Millenicom's Verizon plan with the hot spot which works well for up to ten devices and negates the need for a separate router.

The idea is you want wireless service when the campground wifi is weak. The chances of getting wireless rise sharply with the Verizon plan vs Sprint. I got 4g Verizon service 5 miles south of Lone Pine Ca. at the Boulder Canyon RV park. That's pretty rural (look it up on a map). In short if wireless is going to work chances are Verizon will be one of if not the only option in semi rural RV campgrounds.

Without streaming video or music I think you would be pressed to use more than 20 gigs a month. Although I don't know how much Skype uses if you're using video. To be frank however I never heard anyone blame overages on Skype and I read a lot about Verizon Wireless usage.

My $0.02...

Fantastic advice Armed .. thank you very much!

I've got a monitor installed just for getting some idea of usage for the next few days, and then I'll order whatever seems appropriate, which at the moment is seeming to be the Verizon / hotspot option.

Thanks to you all for your input on this ... it's been very helpful, and much appreciated.

tj

I concur with most here that it appears Verizon Wireless is a solider LTE network with better coverage than Sprint; the only reason I'm with the latter is because of my usage needs.

But before you make the definite decision to go with VzW, I would make absolutely sure that Sprint is not available where you will be traveling. Keep in mind that, if it is, you're still probably better off with Sprint than with VzW simply because of the bigger data bucket, 50 gigs versus 20 gigs. Less need to worry about going over your cap. You probably know this already but, in case you don't, the Sprint coverage map is at »coverage.sprint.com/IMPACT.jsp?q···ge%20map . From there select the data tab and plug in your addresses. If, after doing that, you detemine your usual usage is above 20 but below 50, then there's no deal out there that's better, in my opinion, than Millenicom's B(ring)Y(our)O(wn)D(evice) (that's what I was on very happily for over a year until my usage needs increased and I had to switch to a different provider). I've seen Tri-Fi Hotspots on eBay that are available for less than $100, compared to a list price of around $300, I believe.

As much as it is a better package for your data limit . It is a general consensus among RV users that the Verizon package is the way to go for RV'ers . Some good forums to check out to ask this very same question are
www.rvnetwork.com
www.rv.net
www.rv-dreams .com
www.irv2.com

The folks in the those forums can tell you first hand , who has the best coverage where you plan to travel.

I can tell you first hand, there's nothing worse than being on the road and NEEDING internet only to find you have no signal and have to keep going and find somewhere else to find signal. If your good with that and need more than 20gb, go with sprint. If you want better coverage rather than data bucket, go with verizon.

Also - how long do you plan on having it? Occasionally going a bit over 20gb isn't going to cause many issues. Going over every month will cause them to want you to buy a second plan. Unless your using it for a considerable amount of video streaming (netflix/amazon) I wouldn't worry too much about the caps.

If it wasn't for our netflix, our home usage would probably hover around 20-25gb or so.

Re: Is Millenicom right for me (traveling across US)?

getting a earful, eh zaridan?

Re: Is Millenicom right for me (traveling across US)?

OP asked if Millenicom was right for him. Final answer ... YES ... it is
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