Living in a van, a lot of people work, even if it is just a little bit. For the first 6 months of our van journey, Zak worked full-time in his sales job, so he needed Wifi 9-5 Monday through Friday. I have been tutoring part time and writing blogs for work, which also require Wifi. For fun, Zak and I also do a lot of Instagram and Youtube posting to keep everyone updated about our travels. So, how do we get the Wifi to be able to do that?
What Are the Wifi Options?
There are lots of options nowadays for Wifi on the road. There are Hotspots provided through your phone, separate hotspots provided through your phone provider, Starlink, Mimo Antenna and router. However, there are also public options that work pretty well, such as Panera, Starbucks, Tim Hortons, McDonalds, and public libraries.
What do We Use For Wifi?
The Verizon Mifi
We personally have the Verizon Mifi. We have 100GB/mo, which we have not even gotten close to using all of yet. It costs us approximately $100 USD/mo. This was originally used for when Zak was working full time and was on, at the very least, one face-to-face video chat a day. In addition, I was also using this same hotspot for my own video calls, etc.
The Mifi works really well (usually better than a hotspot on your own Verizon phone) because the antenna is stronger in the hotspot device. The only catch is that it can really only be used inside of the US and it only works where you have good Verizon service. If you are looking to buy the device, you can buy it here on Amazon. However, make sure you go to Verizon and set up a plan!
Panera
In addition to the Mifi, we personally love Panera. Panera is great, especially if you have the Sip Club subscription, because for about $12/mo you can come into the restaurant and basically get unlimited coffee/ drinks. Another perk of this program is that they usually give you little discounts on other things like bakery items or Entrees. We personally like Panera as our all-day place to work if we have a lot to do. Usually, Panera’s Wifi is strong enough to make video calls, but there have been a handful of times when Panera’s Wifi is painfully slow. This tends to happen in smaller towns.
Starbucks
Even though we love Panera for its work environment (and ease of food access!), we do all of our downloading/uploading work at Starbucks. One of the coolest things about Starbucks is that you can use their Wifi regardless of if you buy anything. Don’t worry, we looked it up, and you can find out more about the policy here! We would say that the Starbucks Wifi is superior to most (if not all) of our other Wifi options if you need something strong.
Public Libraries
The last place that we love to use Wifi is public libraries. They are quiet, and people there are so nice! Plus, we get to check out the books too– we love that. 🙂
Are we missing anything? What do you use? Let us know in the comments!
Are you looking to learn more about life on the road? Check out our Vanlife Journal!