Van Life Wifi Options – The Best Internet for Van Life
I’m sure a lot of us dream of van life as an escape from reality and all that comes with it. No emails, Instagram, or screen time. Just swimming in the ocean and staring at the clouds. Well, that’s my idea of the perfect life, anyway :).
But, the reality is that even in a van, you still have to buy food and gas and probably some other stuff, so while a total escape from capitalism and modern society is unlikely, being able to work on the road instead of having to go into an office every day is a huge step in the right direction! For me, van life wouldn’t be possible without Wifi – so if you’ve figured out how to work remotely and you want to take your skills on the road, you don’t have to stay in the city to have a reliable internet connection! Here are some van life wifi options, and how I get internet on the road.
Head’s up: some of these links are affiliate links, so I get a commission if you make a purchase (at no cost to you). But that’s great, because these are all apps I love and use, and sharing them helps me keep making free guides for you
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Van Life Wifi Options, & The Best Internet for Van Life
There are tons of options when it comes to getting Wifi on the road, and I definitely haven’t tried all of them – but I have tried two! So let’s start with those.
Google Fi – the best internet for van life
First up on the list of the best van life wifi options is my personal favorite, and the one that I currently use! Google Fi is actually a cell phone carrier (like Verizon or AT&T – but cheaper). They offer two plans. The one I have is unlimited and costs $70 a month, but you can also do a flexible plan, which costs $20 + $10 per gig of data that you use.
The flexible plan is amazing for people who don’t need too much data, because you only pay for what you actually use! But, if you use any more than 5 GB a month, it makes more sense to get the unlimited plan. I use a lot of data, because I often have to upload photos for clients (I’m talking 300-600 photos at a time), so this works for me. The data is throttled after you reach 22 GB for the month – I usually don’t reach this limit, but I have a few times. There’s definitely a noticeable difference in wifi speed, but it’s still useable when slowed down. If I’m being honest, it would be intolerable if it was that slow all the time, but since I rarely reach the limit, and when I do, there are only a few days left until the next cycle begins, the throttled speeds are useable and not too bad. You do also have the option to buy more high speed data after you’ve been throttled!
I spend most of my time in rural areas and remote places, and while there are, of course, some places where I don’t get service, I’ve found that Google Fi’s coverage is pretty good and I have service in a lot of the places I visit – out of the options I’ve tried for van life Wifi, this one had way better coverage, and gets me reliable wifi on the road.
If you want to try out Google Fi, click here to get $20 off!
Pros of Google Fi
- Cheap
- Good coverage
- No charge for international calls, text, or data (which means I can travel and use the hotspot anywhere!)
- Unlimited
- Can be paused or canceled any time
- No additional tech needed – just a phone!
Cons of Google Fi
- Honestly none, except that you may have to switch your phone plan over (you can keep your phone and phone number though). But it’s easy!
RV IT Guy – unlimited wifi for van life
RV IT Guy is what I used for van life wifi for the first few months on the road. It’s awesome because it’s specifically made for people who live on the road! This one costs $99 per month, along with a one time set up fee of $195. You’ll get a beacon (which is like the van equivalent of a router in a house), and you can connect to that for Wifi. The data is unlimited, and completely unthrottled! The coverage is okay with this – it’ll probably work well for anyone who isn’t doing anything too data intensive, like uploading or downloading frequently, but I found that it only worked really well when I was in the city. In more remote areas it was hit or miss, and it was almost always noticeably slower than it was in the city.
Pros of RV IT Guy
- Unlimited and unthrottled
- Can be paused or canceled any time
- Your money supports a fellow nomad
- Stays plugged in, unlike a phone (good for if you have a security system that requires Wifi connection)
Cons of RV IT Guy
- Requires a beacon
- Needs to be plugged in (a con if you have limited power on the road)
- Decent coverage, but not great
- No coverage outside of North America (limited data in Canada and Mexico)
- Pricey setup
Other Van Life Wifi Options for Internet on the Road
I haven’t actually tried any of these, so I can’t speak to how well they work, all I know is that they exist. But when you’re figuring out your situation and deciding what’s best for you for Wifi on the road, it doesn’t hurt to check out all the options!
Your Phone Carrier
Your phone carrier may have a data plan that lets you use your phone as a hotspot, so this would be a great thing to look into first! I had AT&T, and even with the unlimited data plan, the number of gigs you could use for the hotspot was limited – so be aware of that and make sure to get all the details!
A Portable Wifi hotspot
A lot of phone carriers offer mobile hotspots – instead of using your phone, you can get one of these and connect to it. The Verizon Jetpack is one of the most popular ones, but you can check out your phone carrier and see what their options are. You’ll have to purchase a plan for these, and they tend to be more expensive than Fi, and not unlimited. I’m trying not to sound like a Google Fi fangirl, but what can I say? I am.
Van Life Wifi Booster – How to Get More Reliable Internet on the Road
I know the pain of being somewhere beautiful, and wanting to stay there for a few days or weeks, but not being able to because you don’t have good enough service to do the work you need to do. Luckily, there’s something that is a complete game changer when it comes to getting consistent, reliable wifi on the road – even in remote places.
The WeBoost is designed for RVs and vans, and it boosts whatever cell phone signal is available. It won’t create a signal out of nothing, but if you’re within a mile or so of service, and it doesn’t quite reach, the WeBoost will amplify the signal so that you can use your phone, and your wifi hotspot! It’s amazing for remote areas and being out in nature, as you’ll get much better service anywhere you go. It’s pretty amazing, and I highly recommend it for anyone who spends a lot of time working on the road, or anyone who wants to stay connected.
How to Get Free Wifi on the Road
Yes, you can actually get free wifi on the road! If you don’t need wifi often, or you use your phone’s data plan for most things, it might not be worth it to pay for a whole wifi plan. Starbucks always has reliable Wifi, as do most coffee shops, libraries, and even breweries. Starbucks is my personal favorite because it’s pretty much guaranteed that they’ll have internet, and I’ve actually used Starbucks Wifi several times without even leaving my van – just park as close as you can, and see if it works! I even managed to use Walmart’s Wifi from their parking lot once.
When you’re using public Wifi, I recommend a VPN like Surfshark – this protects your data, and ensures your digital privacy and internet activity is safe on unsecured networks!
I hope this helped you get started on figuring out how to get internet on the road, and if you need help figuring out how the heck you’re going to work remotely, keep an eye out for my next post!
