The best way for RVers to stay connected to the Internet

Our guests this week are Chris Dunphy and Cherie ve Ard from the Mobile Internet Resource Center, which is the best source I know of  unbiased mobile internet information for US based RVers and digital nomads who must have reliable Internet connections while on the road, whether for business, to keep in touch with friends and family or to stream they favorite movies. Chris and Cherie will join us in our interview of the week segment coming up in just a few minutes. Show Notes for Episode #244 May 29.1019 of The RV Podcast: WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK MIKE We hope you all have recovered from Memorial Day, which always marks the unofficial start of summer. The reports we have seen indicated lots of people were out there in their RVs. Most of the popular camping locations, state parks and commercial campgrounds were filled. I know the weather was iffy across much of North America during the weekend but, hey even a bad day camping is better than most good days anywhere else. JENNIFER At least that’s what we tell ourselves. We’ve spent the past week working feverishly on a bunch of videos, the first of which will be coming out tomorrow, Thursday May 30, on our RV Lifestyle Channel on You Tube. It’s about the redundant Internet systems we have installed in our RV.  You’ll get a bit of an idea what we have when you listen to our experts on the interview of the week coming up but Mike will be detailing the installation and configuration of the systems we will be using in our RV this summer as well as before and after tests on how they improve connectivity. MIKE We set off on the first leg of our extended travel for the season next week that will have us traveling through Ontario, Quebec and down into New York State and the Adirondack Mountains for the next several weeks and I’m excited to see how our upgraded electrical system modifications will perform as we do a lot of boondocking. We replaced the lead acid batteries on our RV with two Battleborn lithium batteries, an upgraded 2,000 watt inverter, a new solar controller and a bluetooth system that gives me total control over everything from a tablet or my smartphone. I know many of you have been asking about that and we should have a video ready to go on that next week so stay tuned. RV LIFESTYLE NEWS OF THE WEEK JENNIFER Social media making some secret spots major tourist sites, providing new challenges for the parks service  Boise State Public Radio had an interesting piece last week on the "Instagram Effect" on national and public owned land. As certain spots, such as Utah's Mesa Arch in Canyonlands National Park or Arizona's Horseshoe Bend have gone viral on social media, suddenly places just a few locals knew about are transformed into places where literally thousands arrive each day. These throngs are completely changing the feel of a location, and the article was an interesting look at how the parks service is trying to respond. MIKE Report shows national parks visitors contributed $40.1 billion to economy  Speaking of national parks, the 2018 National Park Visitor Spending Effects study was recently released, showing the national sparks contributed $40.1 billion to the economy last year, supporting 329,000 jobs. The report analyzes spending on such things as lodging, restaurants, grocery store sales in towns near the national parks. It looks to me like a good report to use to get Congress to continue to invest in maintaining the country's national treasures. JENNIFER Many Oklahoma campgrounds closed because of flooding  If you're planning to head to Oklahoma any time soon to camp, be sure to check whether your campground is open. Heavy rains in the area and bad storms has caused several popular stops to close. This is a trend we've seen in other states, ranging from Kansas to Minnesota this spring. Bottom line: Besure to check ahead. MIKE Heading to an Arizona state park? Pick up a free can of water  Those deciding to visit one of the 32 Arizona state parks this year may be handed a can of .... (no not beer) ... but water! The Arizona State Parks & Trails has teamed up with Four Peaks Brewing to give out cans of water to those visiting to help raise awareness and prevent heat injuries or even deaths which often happen when outdoor enthusiasts don't bring enough water. The free water is in cans because aluminum is much more recyclable then plastic bottles. JENNIFER Police are searching for owner of dogs who jumped out of stolen RV, and followed thief after she crashed it  Did you hear about the crazy police chase last week in LA involving a stolen RV and apparently stolen dogs? A 52-year-old woman apparently stole an RV, police chased her, and inside were two terrified dogs, one of which jumped out the window during the chase - all on live TV- and the other which apparently obediently followed the woman who got out of the RV and ran before police caught her. The whole incident was horrible, with at least one person seriously injured, but what really got people talking was the terrified dogs, both of which were apparently were stolen, too.  This part of the podcast is brought to you by RadPower Bikes,an electric bike manufacturer offering direct to consumer pricing on powerful premium electric bikes. Now with free shipping   LISTENER QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK From “Avid Reader”: Do you know of a service that carries RVs on a barge down the Mississippi River?  Or any other way to do this inexpensively. We would enjoy a riverboat cruise, but the cost is prohibitive.         - There were two companies that did this 15 years ago , even with full hooks for the RV, but best as we can tell, they have discontinued service and gone out of business. RV INTERVIEW OF THE WEEK Our guests this week on the podcast are Chris Dunphy and Cherie ve Ard. Together they are the brains behind the Mobile Internet Resource Center, which is the best source I know of  unbiased mobile internet information for US based RVers and digital nomads who must have reliable Internet connections while on the road, whether for business, to keep in touch with friends and family or to stream they favorite movies. Together they have been on the road and on the water for more than a decade, running their businesses from RVs and boats on the Internet and in the process becoming experts on mobile internet and connectivity. We’ll have a link to all their resources in the shownotes, as well as a full transcript and a video of the interview. But they have a lot to teach us about staying connected online, whether for convenience or necessity and in this interview, I think you’ll find some new ideas and learn a lot. Here's a video version of the interview: Here’s a transcript of the interview with Chris and Cherie: Mike:               Well, joining us now from their boat just off Brunswick, Georgia is Chris and Cherie. You guys, thank you so much for being with us and it's good to have you back. Chris:               Yeah, it's been a while. It's always a pleasure. Mike:               So, let's start with some of the changes that have probably happened in the connectivity world that effect RV'ers and I guess boaters too. But particularly RV'ers, that's majorly our audience. They all want to know, what's the best solution for them and of course, we all know that it depends on what your circumstances are. But walk us through what RV'ers need to consider as they look at maybe upgrading the way they stay connected to the internet while they are on the road. Cherie:            Well, the first thing you have to do and absolutely understand is that what works best is what works best at your current location. That's a variable for us RV'ers. We're always moving our locations. Our houses have wheels. So, what works today while you're in one location, may not be the best choice when you get to your next location. So, if mobile internet is important to you, we think it's very important to have multiple options on board. Cherie:            So, a lot of us are relying on cellular these days. So having data plans on AT&T and Verizon tend to be the top two carriers that give us the most nationwide coverage. Chris:               And sometimes wifi has got a bad rap, and sometimes it really is well earned, but other times wifi is worthwhile and it might be useful to have here to take advantage of a wifi network you come across. If you are going out into really extreme locations, there's also a place for satellite. So those are kind of the three major avenues to go down and pursue depending on what your exact needs are. Mike:               Well, let's take all three of those and start off with talking about cellular. And, everybody's got a cell phone. Do you recommend that they, that people carry more than 2 phones or from different networks? Cherie:            Well, the first thing they have to consider is a smartphone the right choice for a mobile internet connection. If your needs are very simple, maybe you're traveling solo, or you're just needing to check email and do some surfing, then a smartphone is great. But if you're working remotely, you're doing a lot of things that require a dedicated data connection, then you probably want to be looking at a dedicated data solution. So, either a jet pack or mifi with is a term for a local hotspot. Having a dedicated hotspot device or a cellular embedded router is going to serve you better, so that you can focus on the cellular data. Chris:               And then when you talk about the alternatives of whether you should carry more than one carrier, the way we look at it is, if you're jumping out of an airplane, do you want to have a reserve parachute, and if you're working online, if you're really dependent on being connected, having that second carrier, even if it's just a backup plan, can make all the difference in the world. For some people it makes the difference between potentially not being able to work,