Updated on April, 19th, 2022
With Zoom meetings and remote learning still overwhelming your family’s day-to-day, it’s time to get out of the house for a change of scenery.
You’re probably tired of being tethered to the walls of your home office. Why not make use of being remote and
take work and school on the road?
There’s nothing like waking up surrounded by towering mountains, rolling plains, or vast expanses of desert to reset your mental health after a hectic week.
But to really bring the outdoors into your day, you’re going to need a strong portable WiFi device.
If that’s the case, a portable WiFi device is perfect for you. There are tons of portable internet setups that make remote learning and working feasible for your family while camping and Overlanding this spring.
We’ve rounded up some of our favorite devices that will get you out of your home office and back into nature — without having to constantly search for a signal.
So go ahead, make your office the coolest travel experience yet.
Camping WiFi Tips
Before diving into all your device options, it’s important to know how you can automatically boost your WiFi signals on your camping site.
Even if you can’t see any cell phone towers in sight, try to park your Roofnest at the highest elevation campsite you can find. This way, you’ll be just a little closer to connection with those towers.
Lucky for you, you’re already up pretty high on top of your car with an RTT.
You might also want to avoid heavily forested areas if you can, as this can make it more difficult to connect to a signal nearby.
We recommend adding the Condor
Awning or
Annex, and setting your kids up at a pop-up table while you send emails from the tent — or vice-versa.
Being outside can improve your connectivity since you’re out in the open and the internet signals can go straight to your devices and
won’t bounce off the walls of your car.
ar.
The Future of Camping with WiFi Looks Rosy
Starlink, Elon Musk's ambitious satellite internet service is still in Beta at the time of this writing, but so far, the service appears to be holding up to all the hype. The first application for this new tech is to make high speed internet available in isolated, rural areas that do not currently have it. With speeds ranging from 50-150 Mbps, streaming 4k video, zoom calls, and even high def gaming without interruption are all likely benefits.
What does this mean for camping?
Well, that's still in beta too. Setting up service in campsites would require a portability feature that is currently being tested out. In fact, this option has been made available in Ukraine in response to an appeal made to Musk for war-time support. While portability is also in use domestically, it is limited to certain areas. The anticipation of a full release appears imminent, and once testing is complete, a full-scale rollout will be an absolute game-changer for living the nomad life, bringing reliable, high speed internet to your campsite.
Can Starlink be used during travel?
While Mr. Elon is not shy in making bold tweets about
Starlink's mobile destiny, recently claiming it can now be powered by your vehicle's cigarette lighter, full mobility is likely several iterations out. The future of driving or boating while maintaining fast, uninterrupted internet is in sight, so be on the lookout for this highly anticipated feature.
The Sky’s the Limit with a Skyroam
The Skyroam lets you access a secure and fast internet connection, including access to a VPN, in case you need it for streaming live sports or watching movies.
For setup, you can skip SIM cards and link Skyroam to up to 10 of your devices. This will be great if your kids are doing school work on iPads, laptops, or phones.
The 4G LTE will keep everyone operating at top-speeds, and you’ll never hear another complaint about lagging websites or sluggish loading.
Check out the Skyroam for your next trip >
Connect Anywhere with Google Fi
With everyone on different devices during the school and workday, you might want to keep track of who’s doing what and where.
Google Fi is an excellent service to try out if you’re hitting the road. They offer flexible plans (without pesky contracts) that allow you to link up from home and in the great outdoors.
After you connect your devices, you can easily see which devices are using the most data. This makes monitoring your family’s phone and internet usage easier than ever.
The
family protection plan is also great for blocking strangers and scam calls from coming through your kid’s phones.
Get your family on Google Fi >
Boost Your WiFi with a Cell Signal Booster Kit
Sometimes, all you need is a little boost. If you’re not venturing too far out into the bush — or if you have a heavy-duty cell phone plan — you might look into a signal booster kit for your camping WiFi needs.
The
weBoost Drive Reach installs to your car, and helps prevent dropped calls, streaming speeds, and boosts 5G signals no matter where you are.
The device works even better with an
added antenna and is an excellent solution if you’re trying to keep your kids busy with an iPad or phone on your drive up to the campsite.
You’ll never miss an important business call, and you won’t sound like you’re underwater either.
Try out the weBoost portable router and hit the road >
Make a WiFi Hotspot from Any Camp Site
If your family is on a specific phone and internet plan (T-Mobile, AT&T, Sprint, etc.,) there are plenty of gadgets on the market just for you.
Portable WiFi hotspots connect directly to whichever device you’re using and ensure that you’re not using up all that family data.
Many of these portable WiFi devices are small enough to fit in your backpack, and allow you to purchase as many G’s of data you want, or pay as you go.
Check out more portable mobile devices for your phone plan >
Take Learning and Work Outdoors This Year
There are plenty of reasons to get your family outside. It’s a way to reset and refresh after long days spent starring at a screen.
You can prioritize your family’s mental and physical health by bringing their schoolwork outside and taking breaks for hikes and healthy snacks.
Who knows? They might even be able to incorporate the outdoors into their next school project.
Learn more about how to make camping educational for your kids >
