I need internet for 2 kids school, my work (RDP) and for streaming movies/sports when we are camping. Since school and and work are now remote only for us we figure we will travel for 3-4 day weekends so we will need internet. We currently have the Sprint Unlimited Kickstart plan for 4 lines (iphones) at $100 but hotspot is not included.

My first choice is the HTC 5G Hub. Sprint (tmobile) is no longer selling them but that is okay as I can get it for 1/2 price on ebay:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/HTC-5G-Hub-Qualcomm-Snapdragon-from-Sprint-T-mobile-AT-T-Unlocked-10-10/184245411807?_trkparms=aid%3D1110012%26algo%3DSPLICE.SOIPOST%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D228094%26meid%3D064ec3479d434f9992afe38e1a85d549%26pid%3D100008%26rk%3D5%26rkt%3D12%26mehot%3Dpp%26sd%3D174240852800%26itm%3D184245411807%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D0%26pg%3D2047675%26algv%3DPromotedSellersOtherItemsV2WithMLR%26brand%3DSprint&_trksid=p2047675.c100008.m2219

I would then sign the hub up for the $50 monthly 50gb plan. Anyone have experience with these? Thoughts?

With the above not being an option I could get the Alcatel Linkzone 2 from Sprint for the $50/50gb monthly plan.

The other option is to try to get a $25 party line through Visible and hook up a Verizon jetpack to it (takes a little configuration). It is unlimited data but they say the download speed is limited to 5mb down. But I have heard people are getting much faster speeds than 5mb in reality.

Can anyone comment on this idea?


What are other options are there?


edit - not sure what is happening with link

Hello and welcome to the rabbit hole.
https://www.rvmobileinternet.com/

I use a 3rd party fully unlimited card that runs on AT&T for $75/month. I bought it from eBay. If you get it from their website it's now $85/month.
https://finallywifi.com/

If I was in your situation I would get this(have it for home internet).
https://ltefix.com/shop/routers/cradlepoint-routers/cradlepoint-cba850lp6-na-cat6-att-verizon-t-mobile-sprint-refurbished/

And then depending on if you are planning to be stationary or mobile when using it, I'd start with an omni directional (moving) or directional (stationary) antennas to help get the signal.

If that's not enough, then I'd look into boosters.

Here's a thread we've had with a lot of information. The company it started with doesn't seem like a good option anymore. I'm not sure if they ever fixed their issues.
https://texags.com/forums/30/topics/3026369

tfunk02 said:

---

Hello and welcome to the rabbit hole.
https://www.rvmobileinternet.com/

I use a 3rd party fully unlimited card that runs on AT&T for $75/month. I bought it from eBay. If you get it from their website it's now $85/month.
https://finallywifi.com/

If I was in your situation I would get this(have it for home internet).
https://ltefix.com/shop/routers/cradlepoint-routers/cradlepoint-cba850lp6-na-cat6-att-verizon-t-mobile-sprint-refurbished/

And then depending on if you are planning to be stationary or mobile when using it, I'd start with an omni directional (moving) or directional (stationary) antennas to help get the signal.

If that's not enough, then I'd look into boosters.

Here's a thread we've had with a lot of information. The company it started with doesn't seem like a good option anymore. I'm not sure if they ever fixed their issues.
https://texags.com/forums/30/topics/3026369

---

Thanks, finallywifi.com site says they are not taking new customers and i am not sure if that changes with ebay option. But I I would like to spend quite a bit less than $85/month anyway.

For the cradlepoint, how much are you paying monthly? Speeds? Carrier? Limits? Is the antenna a must? Or just where coverage is sketchy?

How would that compare to the Sprint Alcatel Linkzone 2 for $50 a month? I doubt I would ever go over 50gb in a month.

Just read that the Sprint 5g network the HTC hub uses has been or will be shut down by tmobile - not an option. So i could use their 4g Alcatel Linkzone 2 for the same $50/50gb monthly plan.

And would the cradlepoint work with a Visible (Verizon) phone sim?

I went to my purchase history on eBay and it looks like the account I bought it from doesn't sell it anymore either.

This link will show you the available plans and options you have.
https://www.rvmobileinternet.com/guides/top-cellular-data-plans-for-rvers-cruisers-verizon-att-t-mobile-and-sprint/

The CradlePoint is hardware that will take any carriers sim card. It's a one time purchase unless you update the firmware (don't do it), and have to buy a subscription to their service ($60/year). They sell it with the old firmware that doesn't take a subscription so just keep it on that and never pay again.

The antennas are an extra perk. If it works well with the included ones then you don't need them. I have antennas on my roof pointing at the towers to get the best signal. Speeds will depend on your signal. I'm currently getting about 50Mbps down and 25Mbps up, but I have a good connection.

Here's a history of my speed tests, but realize I have a good setup with a good signal and a direct line of site to the tower.

I've got a Unlimited Sprint business account hotspot I was able to snag 4 years ago. I've got that locked down on my banking info. Unlimited hotspots are getting more and more difficult to acquire. Most are now third party resellers that hoard grandfathered plan's I've heard there's a service called Gypsy Wireless that uses AT&T.

Anyways, I live on a boat half the year and I'm finding that battery hotspots are terrible. I've seen the most ideal hotspot for RV or rural that's like $300. Y'all may have heard of MoFi? Well it turns out these hotspots are just some generic Chinese parts on AliExpress for $60. Right now I have a WE826-T2 with no 4G card on order for $36 and a Sierra Wireless EM7455 (Card to read US signals) $26 on order. I'm hoping that this will solve my signal issue. It should be able to read all the bands from all US carriers as I've heard some hotspots don't read all the bands. Once I get them next month I'll let y'all know if it works better for me.

Visible download speeds aren't limited if you're in a router. I've seen 60mbps+. I consistently get 40 down/20 up. The main challenge with Visible is the latency. Pings are usually 150+ms. Voip doesn't work well at all