Another question. If I get a tablet, do I hook up to Comcast or Verizon? Guess I don't know much about those yet.
Our RV cellular system access consists of an antenna mounted on the top of our RV's rear ladder, an amplifier in the cable from the antenna, a network wireless router, and a wireless Verizon modem plugged into a USB slot on the router. The amplifier plugs directly into the Verizon broadbad modem so the modem receives it's (amplified) signal from the antenna/amplifier combination connecting to cell towers ... instead of being connected directly (not amplified) through the airwaves to cell towers, as is the case for normal use of a cell phone.
This system amplifies communications between our RV and Verizon cellular system towers -> makes them stronger from our RV to the tower and makes them stronger from the tower to our RV.
We can connect our cell phones directly to the amplifier, as well as surfing the Internet via the Verizon modem by having our laptop communicate wirelessly with the router. When using the antenna/amplifier combination to provide signals to our cell phones when we are drycamping in remote areas, we often have 2 or 3 bars showing on the cell phones when the phones by themselves would show no bars.
Using this whole setup for connecting the laptop to the Internet, we can surf the Internet or watch Netflix material on the laptop screen or have the laptop feed a larger flatscreen in the RV. Thus we are able to surf the Internet or use Netflix when we are drycamping in remote areas - way further out than where TV signals would normally be available.
We are doing all this via the cell phone system - nothing to do with Comcast.
The laptop, amplifier, and router can all be powered directly from our RV's batteries. No generator or inverter is required to operate this system in real time.
* This post was
edited 05/23/12 10:58am by pnichols *
We finally pulled out the old boxy tv from its perch and surprisingly the new 24" tv fit right in the space of the old one. I ran the channel finder and get a few channels not hooked up to cable. The antenna was up but I'm not sure that's where the channels come from. The listed channels were cable but it wasn't hooked up. Anyway, we are happy with a few channels and will run that each time we park on our summer travels.
