Winegard 2.0 vs At&T Hotspot

[Johnandcarols]

Hello. We’ve recently purchased a new ACE 29D which has the Winegard 2.0. We’ve been RVing for about 3 years, and I’m pretty tech-comfortable. Question is this: what, in the opinion of the group, is the advantage of the Winegard 2.0? We’ve been using one of our iPhones as a hotspot on our travels, and have had no problems streaming for entertainment or work. We pay $5.00 per month for the hotspot, regardless of data usage.

As I understand it, the Winegard is basically a roof mounted hotspot. Am I missing something? If I was going to use it I’d want to put in an AT&T Sim and join it to our plan. I doubt I’d get the same $5.00 we have now.

I’d appreciate anyone and everyone’s thoughts. Thanks a lot!

[EA37TS]

I purchased the Winegard and had it installed when we bought the coach 3 years ago. Wish I didn’t waste the money. Modem kept going out and it slowed internet connections. I have dice sent with a PepWave Max Transit Duo with Verizon and AT&T SIM cards. No longer have connection issues and I can take it with us when site seeing giving us multiple connection options depending on which service has the strongest signal.

The only good part of the Winegard, IMO, is a single connection when using campground WiFi.

[TheGoodLife]

I would keep using the iPhone as a hotspot if it’s working out well.

[DavidEM]

The only possible advantage of using the Winegard vs a cell phone as a hot spot is that the Winegard is located higher and “may” have a more efficient antenna than the cell phone. I have never compared the two to know for sure.

David

[The Gritz Carlton]

We have wired AT&T at home and Winegard on coach, in driveway. Often my devices will select Winegard over AT&T as they look for and search for the strongest signal. For TV, I carry the Dish Tailgater Pro. I'm debating replacing the TV in coach with a smart version and see if the Winegard is "fast enough" to stream YouTube TV and just leave the cumbersome dome, tripod and cables at home. Winegard has been stellar in all areas except while out west in the high mountains where signal was blocked. The Winegard is connected by their own service...not AT&T or Verizon.

[Chateau_Nomad]

I gave our Winegard a try when new in 2020. It was slower streaming than our Verizon phone hotspot. It was more expensive long term. Our Winegard is now essentially a useless plastic paperweight on the RV roof.

IMO, Winegard needs a massive upgrade to keep up with simpler cell based hotspot technology. The connection interface is awkward and clunky, and the whole experience is like going backwards to early 2000s 3G technology and speeds. C'mon Winegard... you can do BETTER!

[Dan-sr@perra-us.net]

Originally Posted by Johnandcarols

Hello. We’ve recently purchased a new ACE 29D which has the Winegard 2.0. We’ve been RVing for about 3 years, and I’m pretty tech-comfortable. Question is this: what, in the opinion of the group, is the advantage of the Winegard 2.0? We’ve been using one of our iPhones as a hotspot on our travels, and have had no problems streaming for entertainment or work. We pay $5.00 per month for the hotspot, regardless of data usage.

As I understand it, the Winegard is basically a roof mounted hotspot. Am I missing something? If I was going to use it I’d want to put in an AT&T Sim and join it to our plan. I doubt I’d get the same $5.00 we have now.

I’d appreciate anyone and everyone’s thoughts. Thanks a lot!

Using the I-phone hot spot might have limits. I have T-Mobile I can use the hot spot but that comes with limits. On my plan that limit is 10 GB then the hot spot slows down to become nearly unusable. It would take me around three days to hit that wall. I am currently using a 5G Cellular home internet. device and that works much better. I also installed 3 Smart TVs and those TVs stream great through the 5g home internet.

[HMCSW]

Originally Posted by Johnandcarols

Hello. We’ve recently purchased a new ACE 29D which has the Winegard 2.0. We’ve been RVing for about 3 years, and I’m pretty tech-comfortable. Question is this: what, in the opinion of the group, is the advantage of the Winegard 2.0? We’ve been using one of our iPhones as a hotspot on our travels, and have had no problems streaming for entertainment or work. We pay $5.00 per month for the hotspot, regardless of data usage.

As I understand it, the Winegard is basically a roof mounted hotspot. Am I missing something? If I was going to use it I’d want to put in an AT&T Sim and join it to our plan. I doubt I’d get the same $5.00 we have now.

I’d appreciate anyone and everyone’s thoughts. Thanks a lot!

Winegard is on the roof but never use it.1: PITA 2: data cost is stupid high. We use Starlink out in the sticks where there is no cell coverage. Lots of that in the western states.

[Bob Nodine]

Originally Posted by DavidEM

The only possible advantage of using the Winegard vs a cell phone as a hot spot is that the Winegard is located higher and “may” have a more efficient antenna than the cell phone. I have never compared the two to know for sure.

David

I see I am in the minority here. We love the Winegard 2.0 and besides the better antenna than a cellphone and higher up, it is a modem. We connect our laptop, Roku, and our printer thru the Winegard. We use a 100 GB AT&T Sim Card in the Winegard that cost $55 a month. We have been in weak cell signal areas where the cellphone would barely work but the Winegard got a signal and we actually streamed on the Roku. The downside we have experienced with this setup is that it will not work in Canada because the AT&T Sim card cannot be authorized there but our cells can. There we had to use our cellphones to stream and get online. I have thought about looking into a Shaw or Rogers sim card but the cost for a few more trips may not be worth it.

[16ACE27]

Originally Posted by Bob Nodine

The downside we have experienced with this setup is that it will not work in Canada because the AT&T Sim card cannot be authorized there but our cells can. There we had to use our cellphones to stream and get online. I have thought about looking into a Shaw or Rogers sim card but the cost for a few more trips may not be worth it.

That's interesting. We use ATT Prepaid in our cell phones and they work in Canada. We use the "Connected Car" ATT plan in the MH Modem and assumed it would work in Canada as well but have not tried it. I guess it depends what plan the SIM is tied to.

[Bob Nodine]

Originally Posted by 16ACE27

That's interesting. We use ATT Prepaid in our cell phones and they work in Canada. We use the "Connected Car" ATT plan in the MH Modem and assumed it would work in Canada as well but have not tried it. I guess it depends what plan the SIM is tied to.

I think it is on the AT&T side and their agreement with services in Canada. Most cellphone plans will work their.

We are planning a big trip in the future thru Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and up to Yellowknife. I am thinking for that trip it might be nice to sign up for Starlink. Will have to do some research. The downside is the cost and the fact that it only works when you are setup in a site.

[16ACE27]

Originally Posted by Bob Nodine

I think it is on the AT&T side and their agreement with services in Canada. Most cellphone plans will work their.

We are planning a big trip in the future thru Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and up to Yellowknife. I am thinking for that trip it might be nice to sign up for Starlink. Will have to do some research. The downside is the cost and the fact that it only works when you are setup in a site.

I'm pretty sure you can dig deeper in your pocket for the in-motion hardware and plan.

[Bob Nodine]

Originally Posted by 16ACE27

I'm pretty sure you can dig deeper in your pocket for the in-motion hardware and plan.

Easy for you to say Ace since its not your pocket!

[Jimbo56]

Originally Posted by Bob Nodine

Easy for you to say Ace since its not your pocket!

Based on other reads the advantage of Starlink is you can turn the service on/off when needed. Only pay when traveling/turned on. If we go west or into Canada, that’s what I’ll have. Otherwise T Mobile home worked everywhere but Zion and Crater Lake.

[16ACE27]

Originally Posted by Bob Nodine

Easy for you to say Ace since its not your pocket!

That's true, and probably never will be for a Starlink hardware/subscription. It just isn't living up to the promised $100 equipment/$70 subscription price.

Remember when cabletv was only $10 a month?

We recently had fiber installed in our neighborhood. We currently pay $35 a month for home Internet on the fiber. Comcast can jump off a bridge.

If our ATT hotspot doesn't work in Canada at least we have our cell phone hotspots. But if you're going to remote areas in Canada the Starlink may be your only option. I was just letting you know they do have in-motion plans.

[Bob Nodine]

Originally Posted by 16ACE27

That's true, and probably never will be for a Starlink hardware/subscription. It just isn't living up to the promised $100 equipment/$70 subscription price.

Remember when cabletv was only $10 a month?

We recently had fiber installed in our neighborhood. We currently pay $35 a month for home Internet on the fiber. Comcast can jump off a bridge.

If our ATT hotspot doesn't work in Canada at least we have our cell phone hotspots. But if you're going to remote areas in Canada the Starlink may be your only option. I was just letting you know they do have in-motion plans.

We were in eastern Canada in the fall of 2022 and managed with using our cells to stream on the Roku. Guess we are spoiled to the convenience of the router. If we go into remote areas in Canada it will only be for a short period so we may just keep a good selection of DVD's and use a DVD player for our entertainment.

We have two main reasons for wanting to go to Yellowknife. One is so we can check off the Northwest Territory on our camping map and the other is a bucket list thing about seeing the Aroura Borealis live. That natural phenomena is visible about 220 nights of the year in Yellowknife. We plan to be there in September to increase our chances. In the summer there is very little darkness but the sun does set in September. The campground closes September 15 and the first snows are possible in the latter part of September so staying later into the year is not practical.

We have AT&T fiber for our internet service and it rocks. We actually saved money by switching from AT&T on the twisted pair to the fiber. AT&T is pushing fiber because copper is so expensive plus lightning does not induce voltage in the fiber. We dumped Comcast years ago and moved to satellite. Satellite kept creeping up on the price plus you had to pay monthly for all the equipment and you would loose the signal in a bad rain storm. Also when you had a problem it was difficult to get service and they charged for it. Finally dumped them and went streaming all the way. We kept satellite for a long time because of the motorhome. We still have a Wineguard portable satellite dish but don't plan to use it anymore. If we have any kind of cell service the Roku works just fine for watching TV. And the big plus in the motorhome is you don't have to worry about the trees blocking the satellite anymore.

[Mofingus]

I'm finding the Winegard (ConnecT 2.0) is not that useful. The connectivity to WiFi as an extender is okay at best, even when it is sitting in my driveway connected to my home Wifi. I'll do some more testing on local trips we have planned, but I am already looking at other options. It's too easy to blow through the data plans offered by AT&T and Winegard (via AT&T). I checked into Starling and didn't see that you could turn the plan off and on as you like as you travel. It was a bit too expensive for the data you could use.

The Winegard is definitely disappointing so far, although I haven't given up yet, regarding connectivity. I'm hearing recommendations from other RVers/campers I know that use alternate devices because the Winegard is just not a solid consistent product. It's nice to hear someone on this thread has had good luck with the Winegard, so I will hold out hope for now that I can get it working solidly.

[HarryTh]

Johnandcarols;
Who are you with where you can get a hotspot with unlimited streaming for $5. a month?
Harry

[Bob Nodine]

Originally Posted by Mofingus

I'm finding the Winegard (ConnecT 2.0) is not that useful. The connectivity to WiFi as an extender is okay at best, even when it is sitting in my driveway connected to my home Wifi. I'll do some more testing on local trips we have planned, but I am already looking at other options. It's too easy to blow through the data plans offered by AT&T and Winegard (via AT&T). I checked into Starling and didn't see that you could turn the plan off and on as you like as you travel. It was a bit too expensive for the data you could use.

The Winegard is definitely disappointing so far, although I haven't given up yet, regarding connectivity. I'm hearing recommendations from other RVers/campers I know that use alternate devices because the Winegard is just not a solid consistent product. It's nice to hear someone on this thread has had good luck with the Winegard, so I will hold out hope for now that I can get it working solidly.

Maybe the reason we have such good service with the Winegard is because we took the information AT&T ask for from the Winegard to the AT&T store and they programmed the sim card for the Winegard application.

At any rate, we are not giving up this sim card even if we get a Starlink setup. We seem to have great internet connection as we travel down the interstate and our Garmin GPS is WiFi connected to the Winegard 2.0. Just about every time we stop for lunch we turn on the television while eating. It is great to not have to fool with a darn satellite.

We never use the campground WiFi since getting the Winegard and this post and every post I have made for the past week are thur the Winegard. Sitting in a campground now.

[16ACE27]

Originally Posted by HarryTh

Johnandcarols;
Who are you with where you can get a hotspot with unlimited streaming for $5. a month?
Harry

I suspect they have an "unlimited" phone plan and the $5 is just to allow them to use the phone as a hotspot.