BEST Internet Solutions For Off Grid Travel | Pros, Cons, Costs | Is Starlink The Best Option?

[@asnomads]

Hey guys, regarding the nighthawk and antenna (we use the same for a long while now as well) here is our setup: Use some adhesive Velcro dots (from Bunnings), stick one side onto the wall inside your entertainment hatch on your caravan (under the awning preferable) and the other side onto the back of the nighthawk. Our nighthawk lives in the entertainment hatch, which is handy as there is the USB charger for it as well. Win win. The antenna (if needed) is mounted to the rear bar of the caravan. Even without using the antenna the nighthawk sits outside because we found the reception outside is better than inside the caravan to get signals 🙂 No mozzie issues due to open windows 😀 Thanks for another great video here. Phantastic, we love your series. (Y)

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Thanks guys. That sounds like a neat and simple solution. We don't have an entertainment hatch on our van but we might look at that option for our new Titanium. Cheers

[@kadachiman7234]

For your Nighthawk this is the setup that I have (also works for Starlink) - Weatherproof box, similar to what you would find for a GPO (PowerPoint) on the outside of your caravan with the 2 x sma connector plate to connect your 2 x leads from the aerial too. (or RJ45 for your Starlink as Starlink cable can be cut) - for your MIMO antennae, an outlet plate with 2 x sma connectors on the inside of your van (similar to foxtel in a house) or an RJ45 plate for Starlink (basically a data outlet) - connections between the 2 x outside and inside plates (RF cables for nighthawk and cat6 for starlink) - pigtails from the inside plates to your devices being Nighthawk or Starlink This will give you a much stronger signal as you now have the modem inside the van which means it is not trying to transmit through metal from an outside storage box, also keeps bugs out. I have gone one step further and have my Starlink router going to a gaming router with directional antennae inside the van and then making a few programming changes to the Starlink router so it acts as pass-through router only and does not allocate IP addresses, thus letting my gaming router do this. Same can be done for the Nighthawk....in fact I have both Startlink and 4G signal going into my gaming router. - I have also modded my Starlink to be permanently mounted on the roof (flat packed) and to run from 12volts....as setting it up and taking it down was getting annoying 🙂 - My MIMO antennae is on a fold down mount on the roof so that all I have to do to set it up when arriving on site is to flip it up and rotate it to the tower location (there are websites that show you mobile phone tower locations) It also means I now have wifi on the go which means I have talk availability on my mobile regardless of location via Whatsapp as an example. Another major advantage is that you know have permanent internet at your van to allow devices such as security cameras antitheft devices (e.g. WiTi), etc...which can be transmitted to your phone if you have left your van and go on a day trip. PS: disable the snow melt function on the Starlink app (if you don't think you will use it) as it saves a lot of power.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Thanks for the detailed info! Much appreciated.

[@johncumberland2762]

Having been through this can I say that this video is the best rounded discussion that I have seen on internet connection. We have been through tall the progression that you have talked about and we are finally at the Starlink stage as have flat mounted it on the roof of our fiver. It serves us well and we get adequate if not amazing coverage. Once again we’ll done and keep them coming.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Thanks, John. That's great to hear.

[@kathiegriffin2829]

Internet has always been something we worry about off grid. Thanks guys 😁

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Glad it helped!

[@paulkeehan8915]

You can clamp the Starlink to the 6mtr pole and get a better sight of the sky, less obstructions. A gland is what you can use to get through the wall of the caravan/trailer. Starlink has since purchased more satellites too. You can also get a “go repeater” for your phones which is similar to the nighthawk but relies on towers. Downside is it’s not a seperate network so everyone in the local area will gain from your repeater. Up side is you can have it running while driving. Go repeater/cel fi boosts data aswell as phone connectivity. Cel fi has just released a new version of hardware.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Thanks for sharing. I don't think a booster is for us now we have starlink and a good 4g/5g solution but it probably works well for some.

[@ericculmer9838]

Thankyou so much for your consideration of travellers as this was NOT a sales pitch. So all the info was excellent as you have tried it all You guys are so honest.We also love reading the comments from your other subscribers. We are thrilled to be your patrons, to get honest down to earth videos.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Really appreciate your feedback and support, Eric. Thanks mate.

[@gillischop]

we have a Jayco and have 3 water tanks and 2 double filler points. i have modified one if the fill points to have a 25mm cable gland instead of water fill port and slide the cables through there and tighten seals well and allows the cable to go through where normally the hose connector runs at tunnel boot to run other connections out of..

[@aplaceinthesun7280]

I run a Nighthawk modem connected to a Yagi aerial (might upgrade to an RFI one day) when we are at Ningaloo Station. As long as you don't mind taking a hole saw to your van wall here is my solution to getting the cable in to the van. I used the black threaded irrigation pipe fittings from Bunnings. There is a myriad of fittings. You can get threaded locking rings and a threaded cap for the outside. By using a threaded pipe from the outside wall into a cupboard I can just remove the screw cap and poke the cable through. When it's not being used it's hardly noticeable on the side of the van. Just make sure the pipe diameter is big enough for the cable. My cable to the Yagi is quite thick. I used silastic around the pipe and under the locking ring to weather/dust proof it. Doug.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Nice work. Thanks for the tip 👍

[@frankguernier2280]

Hi from another Ex Leeton boy. Your fond memories of Leeton and the Ski beach plus jumping off the Euroley bridge etc are also my fond memories. My decade was in the late 60's so I am a bit older and now retired. I notice your van is a Zone and am about to upgrade with a zone as well. It's my first time viewing so am looking forward to exploring. Cheers. Frank. G.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Thanks, Frank. And welcome! We've just changed from our Zone into a Titanium.

[@andrewmcwilliam8353]

Great video, as always! Just a quick comment. I run the antenna cables up through the floor to the nighthawk using a large boat bung . The antenna is fixed to a telescopic pole on the drawbar and I located the bung close to the outside of the van so that was in easy reach from the side of the van to insert the cables. It needed a 40mm cut out to insert and has a 30mm internal diameter to fit the cables. One advantage of running it through the floor is the cables are located under the van and not where someone can trip over them. The bung is designed to keep water out of boats so no issues with red dust. I purchased mine from Whitworths, but any chandlery, (boat shop), should have one.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Thanks Andrew. That's good to know. We might look into that option with the new van.

[@sharonwemyss]

Thank you! This answered quite a lot of question I have while trying to justify the cost of different types of connectivity for our travels and farm sits.

[@mickell4adventures]

top job well done thank you very much covered all the best tips cheers 😊

[@steveeccles]

Great episode Simon & Liz, we just use our phones to hotspot off & don’t have any commitments for the need to get anything else at this stage. Keep up the great work!!! 👏🏻👏🏻

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Keep it simple! If we weren't working/schooling on the road we would've stuck with the phones.

[@mjpt57]

Our Essential van was fitted with the RV WIFI unit. Despite having it sent back for an update it’s network performance is still terrible. Lots of cutout periods which required the unit to be turned off and back on. So I bought the Telstra M6 Pro modem and an external antenna off Amazon. It works. Nothing to write home about, though. We have the modem and our two mobile phones on data sharing plans. Currently have around 380 GB of shared data which is plenty. This costs $150 a month or less if we ratchet back the mobile phone plans for when we’re at home. I’ll look at getting that antenna that you’re using to see if it’s any better than our $85 Amazon one. Thanks a lot for your videos. Learn a lot from them.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Thanks for watching. Glad it was helpful for you!

[@mjpt57]

@@TheLifestylePioneers just remembered. You mentioned passing cables into the van for antenna. I posted a link to what I fitted to our van. Just wondering if you've received the post (and the link). If not, I'll post it again, if you wish. It is a $35 rubber conduit with weatherproof cap and weatherproof seal through which cables are threaded.

[@robertclarkson796]

Thank you Simon and Liz for another great informative episode

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Our pleasure!

[@davidmcginty2612]

Another great vid. I have missed a few but don't miss these off grid ones. keep up the GREAT work.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Glad you like them!

[@rainey9550]

Great episode guys. We use our mobile hot spot but have just acquired Starlink. looks like a combination of the both is the go.

[@gail9906]

Will definitely be rewatching this again. So much internet information. Thanks guys. 😃 Love the bush and bird call while you are doing this vlog, very Aussie! 🐨🦜❤🇦🇺🦘

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@berenicepembleton585]

Wonderful to get such a comprehensive and intelligent overview of the systems. Has made us really think why and what we may need. Up till this video , I was just assuming we had better get Starlink and we are just 2 occasional travel grey nomads in our Zone.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Great to hear. It's definitely worth thinking about.

[@seandolkens4021]

Great advice guys. Biggest issue is to remember to turn off the Nighthawk or set devices so they don’t do auto updates which chew up gigs of your data plan.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Good point. We rarely get close to our data allowance but if you're a little tighter that's a great option.

[@scottbailey2710]

Thank you again for this series. Enjoy your day.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Thanks, you too!

[@kellystravelauzplus2]

That was one best star link reviews that I have seen. Also knowing all other options around are awesome thank you

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Great to hear, thanks, Simon.

[@CherylCrick-y9i]

Thank you so much for this episode. We are heading back out on the road soon after having a 5 year break and we’re looking at our options re the internet. Have been trying to work out whether to go with the night hawk or StarLink. The info you have presented is making it much easier to decide which way to go.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Our pleasure!

[@trevtreloar1449]

Another great vid, we've got extensions to go between our nighthawk cables and the antenna cables. We then drilled holes in the back of our external shower box. Those are siliconed through the holes .

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Sounds great!

[@gregwade6719]

Another great review, thanks folks

[@nightowl1on1]

Good info thanks for sharing liked and subbed :)

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Awesome, thank you!

[@travelsolo2677]

I can see how Starlink would be a game changer for people running an online business while travelling. However the $180/month fee probably is out of reach for the average Joe. Great info video guys 👍🇦🇺🍻🥂

[@AshleyPearceImages]

Depends on how much you travel. We run a business but don't travel all the time, so we turn off our Starlink RV off when we don't need it.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

You're spot on. We wouldn't have it if we didn't need it for work.

[@AshleyPearceImages]

@@TheLifestylePioneers we’ve just got back from 10 days at Ningaloo and enabled me to keep our business ticking over whilst away

[@Hybrid_Adventurers]

​@Ashley Pearce so 100% the rv one can be paused for long periods? Is there a minimum amount you need to have it online?

[@AshleyPearceImages]

@@Hybrid_Adventurers all my research has indicated that you can pause for as long as you like. But like all big companies, they can be inclined to change their mind! WE will pause for three months and then switch back on for our next trip

[@julie-annesmith6478]

Thanks for all the different scenarios on internet.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

You're welcome!

[@murrayoldham943]

Thanks for this very informative episode. Greatly appreciated. Happy birthday as well 🎉

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

You are so welcome! Thank you.

[@Knibb28]

Thanks for the vid. Keen to see what you have to say about starlink when you’ve taken it around Australia.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Thanks, Jenny. We'll do a follow-up video for sure.

[@donaldo1974]

Staying down at Wee Jasper we could barely get a call out let alone any data, I was able to stream the State of origin using my celfigo powered on, it rained all week so we allowed the kids some game time, they were playing online games using my celfigo and phone as a hot spot, kids can also watch movies whilst driving long distances with less drop outs. I think the celfigo is awesome. Id love a star link but ill think ill wait for the hardware to develop

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

If it works for your needs then that's all that matters. Like you say, Starlink (and similar satellite options) are only going to improve.

[@KeironMeakin]

Hi you two awsome presentation you look like you are still patying like you were youngsters, keep it up all best Keiron O

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Thanks so much

[@claypettitd5503]

Awesome video guys. Definitely going to look into the nighthawk now.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@explore_n_pour]

Great video! Thanks for clearing a few things up. Definitely going to look into the Netgear a little more now 😊

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Glad it was helpful!

[@live_work_play]

Thank you, thank you, and thank you...

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

You are so welcome

[@Karramar1]

Thanks again for another informative video. We're definitely looking at the Netgear Nighthawk option, at least until we head off full-time. If I keep working once we're on the road, then we would have to look at Starlink. Lots of really good, useful information. And thank you for the opportunity to win the EC&C voucher, I have emailed you, and we will put it to good use as we set up our LC200 for off-grid camping. You guys really are the best. Thank you. Kerryn

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Thanks Kerryn and congratulations again. We look forward to hearing what you spend the voucher on!

[@carladalton6220]

Very informative 👍

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Great to hear

[@kathleenwhelan6500]

Great informative video

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Great to hear!

[@richarddestefanis3740]

Thanks guys this has answered so many questions. Awesome work cheers 🍺🍺👍👍

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

That's great to hear, thanks Richard.

[@alishabab3]

I’m going the nighthawk route cause starlink is only for people with money.. $179 a month as if.. I already pay $135 for nbn 1000/50. I’d rather nighthawk with a good antenna. Telstra keeps putting new towers out and upgrading to 5g. It’s cheaper and I mean if your so into watching Netflix while camping via streaming you take away from the word of camping more and more… I remember when I was young in the late 80s my family traveled around Australia.. no streaming, no movies, no smart phones just pure fun and off the road camping.. now days it’s we need internet with high speed do we can watch movies and tv shows.. the main reason I’d go nighthawk isn’t for streaming it’s for being able to call my parents that I’m ok. Only reason I’d go with starlink is if the monthly drops to around $50-60 a month

[@Carpo74]

Great vid legends - great explanation of all the options 👍

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@bobr6555]

Great vid. The Netgear antenna sockets are a right pain! We took a Telstra Netgear modem with us to the Cape last year and it was near on useless even at Loyalty Beach outside Seisia. Cheaper than the Netgear is the industrial grade Teltonika RUT360 4G modem which has screw-in SMA connectors for the antennas, and I now have an external data antenna on the Everest along with a couple of magnetic base antennas from Jaycar for the camper. Teltonika now have a newer 5G modem too. We aren't regular travellers but we do like to get out into outback Qld when we can, so we have Starlink parked till our next trip in a couple of months, and looking forward to it.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Sounds great, Bob. That's an interesting option we weren't aware of. Cheers.

[@degers-o1f]

Great info. Gives us something to think about. Happy travels 😊

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Thanks, you too!

[@sailordavo]

Our system. To route the mimo cable into the van I used a 25 mm marine skin Fitting. Used a hole saw to drill the hole in the floor. When on the road, I scew a cap onto the top of the skin Fitting.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Thanks mate, we'll check it out.

[@outbacktraveller7150]

Fantastic info guys, I’ve been going crazy thinking about what I need. Thanks guys you’ve cleared my mind 👌🤙

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Good to hear!

[@kerrimeier6573]

Thanks guys really loving this series. We have starlink which we love but don't need for business or what not but my husband just felt it would make life easier when you get a bit older on the road.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Sounds great!

[@stephen_borg]

Thanks guys for another great video. Informative and good to see as we have pretty much landed with the same setups for our trips.👍.. a 300w small inverter for SL has also worked very well. I'm working on installing a bug free way of getting cables into the van as well...

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Sounds good. When we settle on a solution we'll let you know.

[@tonymeyerink6516]

Thanks guys that was great information and clarification about the different options

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Glad it was helpful!

[@jodysloane4271]

Love your videos, learning heaps before we start our adventure 😉

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Glad you like them!

[@The_Doc_Rocks]

Another great video, Simon and Liz. Thank you. We're on the Netgear Nighthawk M5 as well, but we don't have the external antenna (yet). Will look into ways to get that extension cable through the van wall. Will let you know if we come up with something. The nighthawk, by the way, when on a 5G signal with limited loading by other people, will pull over 750 Mbps (that's mega-BITS per second) download, and about 40 upload. As you said - that will crush even Starlink for download speeds. But 5G still isn't everywhere - mainly around population centres. Bottom line is - it's all getting better all the time :)

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Yeah absolutely, there's more 5g popping up all over which is fantastic.

[@russellunitt5502]

Hey guys, another great video, very informative. Re your question about ways to deliver signal from mast antennae to your Nighthawk, we had a full wiring installation done when our van was built. I’ll email you some photos (don’t think can attach in a KZbin comment) of our setup. Basically we have a mast attached to our rear bumper, a Clipsal waterproof box mounted just above the mast pivot point with 2 male connectors to match the female mimo wires from the mast. More mimo then travels through the van and up into one of our overhead cupboards where we keep all our Nighthawk and other tech doovies. It’s a very simple plug and play. Maybe worth considering in your next caravan build (not so easy to retro-fit I’m guessing). Hope that helps 😊

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Thanks, Russell. Sounds interesting. We'd be keen to see it, cheers.

[@russellunitt5502]

Posted pics on your Facebook page 😊

[@robynfennell8659]

Thanks for the great first hand information on what or did not work. It can be baffling trying to sort through all the options, but your recommendation on the antenna tower with Netgear sounds a good option for us. Plus great idea to take the prepaid data sim plan. Please keep up the good work, Enjoy the travelling year ahead. Have already subscribed to Everything Caravan & Camping.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

You're welcome! That's great to hear, thanks.

[@jollygoode4153]

Yep I've done the hotspot solution and I currently use the Nighthawk with an antenna on the roof which improves my signal a bit but the best part is it is really stable as in the connection never goes down. Getting Telstra support can be an issue as their operators hear the word mobile and think phone, it takes a while to find someone who knows what mobile internet actually is. I have it pointed at the second nearest tower at present ( about 3 or 4 k's away ) because the nearest tower has alot of interference issues. I tried a similar product through Optus and it was awful, dropping out constantly. Maybe I'll go Starlink next.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Great to hear! Sounds good

[@r_r_adventures_oz]

We love what you guys are doing.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Thanks guys. Glad to hear it!

[@seandolkens4021]

Starlink is still a contention network so if there’s 20 people hammering Netflix at your campground you’ll be back outside gazing at the fire. All satellite providers suffer from the bandwidth available for backhaul from the satellite back to the ground station. Thankfully there are a lot more options coming.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

That's why I think it will improve as we travel to more remote locations. I'm no expert on the technology by any stretch but I would think it would take more than 20 people in a campsite to have any noticeable effect.

[@lippyzadventures]

Great info we love your off grid series 😊

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

So glad!

[@tanyasutton7848]

Very interesting and informative. Thanks!

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Glad it was helpful!

[@coreymcculloch4282]

Awesome series guys well done

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Thanks!

[@PetSue]

Great vid guys well done, job done. Heads up, Boost is 5G now :). (PS - chapters would be great in these vids, hint hint lol)

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Thanks! That's good to know about Boost! And thanks for the reminder on the chapters, I'll have to get onto that. I've done it for all the other off grid ones 👍

[@jasondangers]

Hi guys buy a boat bung and put it in one of your Lockers and feed the cable through to your van then when traveling put bung in no dust

[@PHancock11]

Thanks, We use the Nighthawk, which works ok, but I can't find a decent aerial.. Can you show the antenna mast set up. I saw my friends put the nighthawk in a small tuppaware box and hoist it up a tree; they got better internet...Also with the nighthawk, we share the data with our phones ie, one 80gb data plan we use for the phone and the nighthawk uses the same plan. I subscribed to newsletter, looking forward to reading some good stuff there.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Sure thing, Peter! We've put links to all the gear we use in the video description.

[@christinehaydon8696]

Love you guys ❤

[@waynewright6410]

May be try cow fish Australian made have a look at it

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Thanks, that's what we have now. It's awesome.

[@ClaytonwFirth]

KYD did an episode a couple of weeks ago showing how to run antenna cables into the van. They set it up for starling but would work the same for the netgear.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Interesting. Who are KYD?

[@ClaytonwFirth]

@@TheLifestylePioneers Keep Your Daydream. Here is the link to the mod (kzbin.info/www/bejne/qoGzY6NpedapfMU)

[@Journey_and_Destination]

Super useful episode thanks. We are currently holidaying in Leeton and Griffith. Just wondering if you would have any sightseeing suggestions including things our 5 year old son would enjoy.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Thanks, Paul. For sure. The Altina Wildlife Park is a must and the young bloke will love it. The Whitton Malthouse is great for a drink and there's plenty of grass to run around on (there's also a golf chipping range) if the weather dries up a bit the Gogelderie Weir is a nice area on the river as well. Have fun!

[@Journey_and_Destination]

Thanks so much, we’ll look into your suggestions. Currently looking at the stunning view over Griffith from Hermit’s Cave Lookout. Happy Travels.

[@gardeningchris2901]

Thanks for the info setting out Friday small van older couple at this stage just going to hotspot mobile and ipad Love Leeton area we've been in Tocumwal 4 years

[@coldstream011]

Thanks for the great info, just a question where do you get the Night hawk connection lead for the antenna, also is it easy to change the sim cards in the Nighthawk to Boost from Telstra and what is the yearly prepaid costing you?

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Great to hear it. The leads we got from Telco antennas (same place we bought the antenna) and changing the SIM's is super easy. Boost change their plans pretty regularly, best to check their website for up to date info.

[@johnnyclark4548]

Good video thanx We mailed you something to check out. If you think its worth the effort then please share in your next video for everybody to benefit. Cheers Johnny&Rene

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Thanks guys, we'll check it out.

[@johncorlett3699]

telstra is joining up with starlink, so contracts may be simpler soon

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

That would be really good.

[@johncorlett3699]

at one time, we had a phone, hotspotted, on a 12 ft fishing rod on our van to get the net, ran 12 volts up the rod to a charger....

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Love it!

[@johncorlett3699]

@@TheLifestylePioneers good until it blew over and bust the screen, still it was only a cheapie bought for that purpose. now have a telescopic painters roller pole and bracketry........👍

[@thetrippinfoodies]

Done!

[@louisestone-weatherly5517]

Hi Guys u can pause starling if not full time on road

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Yes you can.

[@daviddreves5924]

Drill whole in the roof for the cable what could go wrong I did we have a RV WI FI unit about 6years old it was about the only thing you could get at the time has it’s own sim & you can put a memory card in and usb finger drive to watch movies and music ect and the wife can watch the netball games while we’re driving it has a 80 Mt connection distance with the aerial on top of the van.

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Yeah, not that keen to put any more holes in the roof 😂👌

[@8888westy]

Hi Guys our new motorhome will have an rv wifi have you had any experience with those

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

We haven't had any first hand experience, no sorry.

[@Accolades70]

Noice - One Day.

[@geniandrew3597]

You beady, internet

[@marc123uk]

YA talk way to much

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

We find hard to communicate information in a video without talking.

[@marc123uk]

@@TheLifestylePioneers Keep too the topic stop waffling

[@aussiewalkabout4x4]

In case you want to see what Cel-Fi Go is like for data i did a bit of a test here kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z5TLY6h_oZiihLc

[@PeteWilsonAHCPhotography]

Thank you Simon and Liz for another great informative episode

[@TheLifestylePioneers]

Many thanks!