The key to staying on the road is to live on the road. I know that probably sounds obvious but the definition of ‘living’ on the road means you will need to be financially sustainable while on the road. Luckily for me, I am self-employed and required only a steady and unlimited Internet connection to be able to do my job. But that is easier said than done.
Back in 2008 I blogged about what my strategy was for connection to the Web from the road. Since then, practically every mobile broadband provider have instituted a 5 GB monthly limit on 3G data usage. For me that is a major deal breaker. Although it is possible to find WiFi connections for the occasional large data consumptions, our needs far exceed what would be considered occasional.
Our search for an unlimited 3G broadband provider took us to a little company who resells Sprint’s service in Oregon called Millenicom. They offer a month-to-month plan that costs $70 a month but promises to offer a true unlimited data plan. Even though it’s $10 more than the plan offered directly through Sprint, they do not charge additional taxes and fees which might end up being cheaper. There have been months on the road where our monthly usage exceeded 15-20 GBs which would have been obscenely expensive on a traditional plan.
Check out this little video of our 3G broadband set up. I have added a portable power source to the system and is now truly a portable solution.
Do you have a YouTube account? If so , subscribe to our channel! We have big plans for our YouTube Channel this summer that you are not gonna want to miss!
Here are links to all of the items seen in the video above:
- Novatel Wireless EX720 EVDO ExpressCard Modem (Sprint)
- Cradlepoint Travel Router CTR-500
- iSound Portable PowerMax
- USB to Barrel Plug Cable
over and out,
dan
16 Comments
Thomas Norman · May 28, 2011 at 10:31 am
Dan:
Great article. I posted this link to Airforums with credit and kudos to you! Maybe you’ll get even more readers. I hope so.
dan · May 28, 2011 at 10:44 am
Thanks Thomas! Very much appreciate you for spreading the word about our blog 🙂 Hopefully a few of our fellow Airstreamers can benefit from our experiences.
Markdoane · May 28, 2011 at 11:11 am
You are a wonderful person. Bless you.
Thorsten · May 28, 2011 at 11:14 pm
Where are you traveling and what is the coverage you’re getting with Sprint? Out in the west, specially the desert areas, it seems the coverage is non-existent, except around the interstates. That wouldn’t work for me 🙁
dan · May 28, 2011 at 11:36 pm
@Markdoane Thank you!
@Thorsten We know each other from back in the day at EC! Glad you found my blog.
Depending on where in the desert you go, there can be poor coverage with Sprint. Although roaming on Verizon’s data coverage does work quite well and we were never charged roaming fees when we had to use it. Some times extensively.
One of our concessions with traveling and working is to be flexible with location. If a nice place has poor reception but we need to stay connected, we tend to pick up and look for some place else.
Mona Heath · May 30, 2011 at 3:52 pm
Great article. I just purchased a MiFi from Sprint – went with the unlimited data plan for 3G/4G connectivity. I love it
Safe travels
Mona
dan · May 30, 2011 at 4:32 pm
thanks Mona! I am sure you know but be aware of how much data you use while its on 3G with that plan. Although it is marketed as unlimited, it is only unlimited when you are in 4G. 3G usage is either capped at 5GB or 10GB depending on your plan.
Cece · June 24, 2011 at 10:45 pm
Thanks so much for this info. This is exactly how we plan to go as full-timers. Thanks for taking the guess work out of this… we need consistent internet as we will work from the road too. You rock!
Seth · August 8, 2011 at 9:39 pm
Wow. Thanks for putting this solution together and sharing it. A good, less-limited mobile Internet connection is just what my wife and I have been looking for as we work toward taking not just our lives but our careers on the road. I think you may have just solved our problem.
nick gorski · February 7, 2012 at 5:26 pm
Hello – Just a detail query – noted the date of your post. I went to Milleniacom site and didn’t see that Sprint device you use. I note that you have a link to it at Amazon: so – you buy the hardware separately then just buy into the plan? Would appreciate that clarification if possible. . .thanks in advance. .
Dan · February 8, 2012 at 9:06 am
Hi nick, we did buy the modem separately and signed up for their BYO (bring your own) plan. if you are looking to use it with a cradlepoint device, just use any of the ones they recommend will be fine. Our hardware is a bit outdated at this point although it still works great.
nick gorski · February 11, 2012 at 6:07 pm
thanks, and would have been back atchyoo sooner, but, brother, internet connections are spotty in the various parks I’ve been in ! I am motivated! thanks for your help to all in this. . .if we cross paths, there’s a drink in it for you ! cheers ng
Eric Woodall · March 29, 2016 at 1:33 pm
Hey Dan, this post is oooold so I doubt you’ll even see it but here it goes.
I looked at the Millenicom site and they have a “Hotspot Plan” that looks like it caps out at 20GB.
Do you still use this plan? Or have you upgraded since this post?
Thanks!
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