Wifi in a truck for gaming and laptop?

Discussion in 'Trucking Electronics, Gadgets and Software Forum' started by Bfowler1992, Dec 26, 2018.

  1. Wasted Thyme

    Wasted Thyme Road Train Member

    7,729
    38,291
    Jan 27, 2020
    GOAT watching
    0
    Pdanet+ doesn't require root
     
  2. Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.

  3. Tb0n3

    Tb0n3 Road Train Member

    4,085
    7,699
    Oct 5, 2012
    Earth
    0
    I've had no luck with it on modern android with tether plans that track usage.
     
    Wasted Thyme Thanks this.
  4. Dieselboss

    Dieselboss Technology Contributor

    1,648
    1,364
    Feb 19, 2009
    DieselBoss.com
    0
    Currently there is no such thing as "Unlimited data / No throttling / Nationwide coast-to-coast coverage" internet. But you can get close if you spend the money. Here are some options to consider. (and please remember for those reading that I am answering his question about a SPECIFIC type of internet suited for high bandwidth, low-latency gaming or streaming and not "regular" internet for email or net surfing.)

    1) Use multiple providers. When you stop for the night, perhaps ATT has the lowest latency, fastest pipe. OR, perhaps also that it is Verizon and not ATT. Thirdly it could be T-Mobile/Sprint. Having a device from more than one provider will greatly increase your odds of having a high-bandwidth, low-latency connection in that particular location. Also, having more than one provider can overcome "prioritization" issues (also called "throttling") if one is throttling that location and the other is not. This is the most common. I know many drivers who have multiple cell phones for coverage reasons.

    2) Use multiple devices. In addition to multiple providers, some drivers have more than one enabled device from the same provider. For instance, they may have a phone with unlimited, a mifi with unlimited, and a tablet with unlimited - all from Verizon. This helps to overcome the "prioritization" issue if one gets throttled for going over perhaps 50 GB this month, but the others are under. Tethering to the phone isn't going to work tonight, but tethering to the tablet is fine because it is still under the prioritization cap, for example.

    3) Sign up for one of the boutique "truly unlimited" providers. I am not going to name any of these, but a simple Google search for "unlimited data no throttling mobile internet" will show you lots of providers you have never heard of that "resell" unlimited data / no throttling mobile plans and devices. Just remember that ALL of these guys are simply reselling you a lane on data highways that are actually owned by ATT, Verizon, or most likely, Sprint/T-Mobile. So if the main provider throttles you tonight in Tulsa, Oklahoma, then the boutique guy can say that THEY did NOT throttle you. Also, you will still be limited by the MAIN providers national coverage maps in terms of signal where you are.

    4) Supplement with WiFi. As you know, most truck stops, motels, campgrounds, and many businesses have WiFi available either free, or for a fee. Unfortunately they will suffer bad latency or bandwidth issues if too many users are all tapping into the same water hose (so to speak.) HOWEVER, sometimes you get a magical great connection from WiFi spots. So, I mention them here for the gamer/streamer because as my grandpappy used to say, "The sun shines even on a dog's... some days." You can help overcome the negatives with hardware – see # 6 below.

    5) Do you have Comcast/-XFinity? Are you aware that if you have XFinity internet at home then you have access to their WiFi network at no extra charge? They did a sneaky thing and made all new home modems into a public "hotspot" as well. There are now millions of WiFi hotspots that anyone with a home account can tap into out there. (NOTE: I am not affiliated with XFinity. I am mentioning this as info only. In fact, I am quite miffed with the issues I have been having lately with these guys.) Their WiFi coverage map is here: Xfinity® WiFi by Comcast | Wireless Internet on the Go

    6) About hardware. In all of the above scenarios you can greatly extend the range and bandwidth and latency of your connection with range extenders these days. The most popular and reliable brands for trucks would include Wilson, Winegard, and King if you want to Google their web sites and look into this. They make units that help with just WiFi signals, and others that boost the WiFi and the cellular.

    7) Satellite - Elan Musk is rapidly deploying a new consumer-centric blanket of satellites to bring "internet to all" called Starlink. He has hundreds of them deployed so far with a final goal of some 40,000 of them. He is starting in the most rural areas first. You cannot buy into it yet, but he is going to do a private beta followed by a public beta in the coming months. You can sign up for alerts at their web site and may even be part of one of the free betas depending on where you live. I did it. What the heck. You never know... The link is here: Starlink

    8) Final words. So, as you can see from all of the above tips you could incorporate one or more of them. The more you incorporate, the higher likelihood of gamer-capable or streamer-capable internet that you will have. There is no single-source magic box. But by adding one or more of the above methods, you can get close with multiple existing boxes as suit your budget. It may seem like an extreme cost. But for example, I know some YouTube trucker content-creators that pay $300 per month in multiple internet sources as described here, but they make $5000 per month in YouTube ad revenue. So again, this post was not designed for the causal need for internet. It was designed for someone who games or streams at a level where they have need for the fastest possible connection in the widest areas at an expected higher price tag.

    I hope that it helps, and was interesting info.
     
    Tb0n3 Thanks this.
  5. MidWest_MacDaddy

    MidWest_MacDaddy Road Train Member

    10,682
    17,390
    Feb 21, 2015
    South Carolina
    0
    Nice summary of options... I’m currently using Option #2 with an iPhone, iPad, & Mobile Hotspot all with Verizon and it’s working ok for me and my needs.

    I once heard of a setup that would use Option #1 (or I guess #2 would work too) but it incorporated a fancy Router that would stay connected to both or all “sources” and would switch back and forth automatically depending on which one was better (as you mention above) but you then only need to connect your devices to the “Local WiFi” (like one would do at home) and just let the Router decide which signal was best at the moment. Thus eliminating the manual switching from one hotspot to the other hotspot.

    It’s a setup for RVers to use as they travel around the country and work out of their RV but I’m thinking it could work for Drivers too.

    Have you heard of this and do you have any experience with it? Either the concept or the actual hardware?
     
    Dieselboss Thanks this.
  6. Tb0n3

    Tb0n3 Road Train Member

    4,085
    7,699
    Oct 5, 2012
    Earth
    0
    I've heard a lot about starlink and from what I understand it's currently not set up for mobile operations. Might be imposible to set up in a lot as it is at launch. Also the best reported ping was around 60ms.
     
    Dieselboss Thanks this.
  7. Dieselboss

    Dieselboss Technology Contributor

    1,648
    1,364
    Feb 19, 2009
    DieselBoss.com
    0
    I do not know of an auto-switching router like you described. But it would be a helpful device for those with multi-providers / multi-devices. I will keep my eye out as always.
     
    MidWest_MacDaddy Thanks this.
  8. Dieselboss

    Dieselboss Technology Contributor

    1,648
    1,364
    Feb 19, 2009
    DieselBoss.com
    0
    Of course. As stated, it has not even started beta testing yet. But it will soon. Elan's eventual goal will be a low orbit, solar-powered blanket of satellites that "self-dispose" when their lifetime runs out. These will bring high-speed internet access to the entire globe when all 40,000 of them in place. Any ping or bandwidth data right now is barely relevant when compared to the eventual final product.

    Who owns the Starlink network of satellites? Elan
    Who owns SpaceX to make and deploy the satellites into orbit? Elan
    Who owns the world's premier electric vehicle company? Elan
    Whose car and semi truck company is in the race to be truly autonomous driving vehicles? Elan
    Who owns the company developing the next generation of batteries to power those vehicles? Elan
    Who is developing the "Neuralink" system of brain implants to interface with these cars and satellites? Elan
    What will all of these connected cars and trucks and heads actually need to operate seamlessly everywhere? Starlink

    It's all connected. And it is all at the stage of Edison's blowing light bulbs right now.
     
  9. MidWest_MacDaddy

    MidWest_MacDaddy Road Train Member

    10,682
    17,390
    Feb 21, 2015
    South Carolina
    0
    Interesting times.
     
    alds and Dieselboss Thank this.
  10. Dieselboss

    Dieselboss Technology Contributor

    1,648
    1,364
    Feb 19, 2009
    DieselBoss.com
    0
    Either it will be a giant leap forward for humanity... or Arnold Schwarzenegger will arrive soon shooting us in the forehead with an Uzi 9mm.
     
  11. MidWest_MacDaddy

    MidWest_MacDaddy Road Train Member

    10,682
    17,390
    Feb 21, 2015
    South Carolina
    0
    It’s 2020... I’m voting for Arnold’s Return!!!
     
    alds, Dieselboss and Wasted Thyme Thank this.
  • Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.