Hi Holmesaw:
Yes, broadband internet from Verizon, ATT and others are the hot thing. I also have Verizon Broadband in our coach. I use the USB727 data card plugged into a Cradlepoint MBR1000 router. which then gives me WiFi coach wide and outside. (Note, their are less expensive router that can do this now with data cards.)
Cost is $59 a month and will get you 5GB of data a month. Thus is enough for most people as long as you are not doing a lot video playing of TV shows and movies. The cell companies are the same in price and amount of data per month. So much for keeping prices down based on competition. (Upfront costs are the card unless you get it for free with the plan and the router.)
Going that route will will for a lot of people and is very much less expensive that a satellite system. Big Bonus....You can use it while traveling as it is active all the time.
So, why Dave did you add into the mix a MotoSat G74 satellite system??? Good question. Simple answer. I MUST HAVE INTERNET ACCESS.
You seem, I run my businesses from anywhere as long as I have net access and phone. We are looking to travel for 5 months down Route 66 and maybe into Mexico. (that part is up inthe air right now.) What I found out in doing research on our trip, a lot of the route I will not be able to get data access. This is a bad thing to me. Also found out that deep into some of the national parks...no access. Valleys...No Access. Etc. So going back to my above simple answer, a satellite system was the only way to assure this. (As long as I have a clear path to the sky.)
Costs are high to get going that is for sure. A new MotoSat G74 unit is $4,750 for the unit, the D4 Controller, and the Hughes modem. You also need a router. ($50) Price installed is about $5,295. (Thus a $545 install fee for general install.)
Service will run you $79 a month. That is for a speed of 1 meg down and 200Kbps up. That buys you 375 megs of download service per revolving 24 hour period. (You can not go over 375 megs in any 24 hour period.) You get back about 16 megs per hour. If you go over, they cut your download speed to about 28kbps for 24 hours to discurrage you from doing it again. Note however...if you used all the 375 megs every day for a month, that is 11gig of download vs 5gig on a data card. The difference here is no change in speed for going over 5 gig yet the cell company will hit you large for fees per meg over. You really just need to watch the 24 revolving use and not hit the 375 mark. (Between 2am and 7am ET is not counted towards your 375...thus is the time for downloading updates.) This service can not be used while moving.
So, I will end up using both I am sad to say. Costly? yes. Needed? yes. Happy about it? Not really. But hey, I will have access even in Mexico.
