Well, hello everyone, this is Amber with Story Chasing and in today's video we're going to
talk about how I stay connected on the road as a digital nomad.
Guys have been asking for it, what equipment do I use?
How do I use it with my solar panels?
So we're going to talk all about that today.
So the first thing that I use is hotspots.
So I have a Verizon hotspot here and I also have an AT&T hotspot.
Now, in my video from last week, I talked about how I use my Verizon hotspot with a
new prepaid plan so check that out.
You may want to look into that because the Verizon hotspot that I was on before with
my regular cell phone plan just didn't work that well.
So here's the thing, as a digital nomad, you need to make sure you're connected everywhere
you go.
I'm online at 24/7, it seems like I'm always charging my equipment, I'm always online loading
videos or answering emails, social media, etc.
As a digital nomad, that's very important that you are always online and connected.
So in order to make that happen, I have the two hotspots that I was just telling you about
with Verizon and AT&T.
The other thing that's super important to make sure you're connected is a cell booster.
So the system that I use is called a weBoost and it is connected to an antenna on the roof
and well, you know what, let me just show you.
So here's the weBoost, I usually have it mounted to the side of the wall, but my Velcro has
somehow come loose and that is actually connected to AC power, so you do need to have your inverter
on in order to make that work properly.
And then let's go outside and take a look how it's connected outside to the antenna.
All right, so the antenna that came with my weBoost is not the antenna that I'm using
here.
This antenna is one that I specifically bought because it has an earth magnet on it.
The one that came with the system is one that you hard mount onto your van or to your RV,
and I didn't want to punch any holes in my RV so I got the magnet instead.
And that just sits up at the top, I take it on and off when I travel and when I'm stationary
I just keep it up there so that actually runs down the side of the van and in through the
driver door and then that connects to the weBoost inside.
That is how I stay connected to a cell booster.
So that cell booster, if you're not familiar with it, a cell booster will boost your signal
typically when you're going to be in rural areas.
The cell towers are far and few between more so than an urban area, so you need sometimes
to boost your signal.
That thing has helped me so many times when I'm in rural areas, sometimes it'll say I
have no signal whatsoever, or just maybe one bar and then I'll plug that thing in and it's
amazing.
I can get sometimes anywhere between two, three and even four bars.
That will help me to get that cell signal in those rural areas.
If you're going to be doing a lot of boondocking, make sure you get some kind of a cell booster.
There's different ones out there, weBoost seems to be the best one in my opinion, and
so that's the one that I went with and it's the first one that I bought when I actually
started RVing and so I've kept it.
It's worked really well.
I haven't had any issues with it, so except the fact that oh guess what?
I had a different antenna and that antenna was just a slender antenna that had an earth
magnet on it and I would put it on the top of the roof and I could actually drive around
a lot with that one on, but I was on the coast so much and with all the salty air it got
rusted.
That's the antenna that I have up there now that I just showed you is the one that I got
instead and it is good for being in outside.
It won't get rusty or anything like that.
The next thing you need to know is when you have ... So you have your cell booster set
up now, it's plugged in, the green light is on.
Now the green light means that it is getting a signal from the antenna on top of the roof
and that it's working properly inside.
So the next question is how do you actually get that cell tower signal boosted to your
devices?
Like your hotspot or your cell phone and how does that whole system really work?
So you have the antenna on top, you have the weBoost system that I showed you in the bottom
that's connected to the AC power, so then you have this antenna right here that's plugged
into the booster at the bottom, and I just let that sit right here and sometimes I'll
just throw my hotspot like up here in the window so it's getting a signal outside and
it's close to this antenna.
This antenna is what ties it altogether so that you can get a good cell signal to your
devices.
The closer it is to the antenna, the better.
Making sure that I use my weBoost and cell booster and these two hotspots.
That's how I stay connected most of the time.
I have the option of going to like a Starbucks or place that offers free wifi, but I generally
don't have to use that because this is what really works for me and I haven't had too
many issues with it except if I go to a different country like Canada or something like that.
I am capped at how much I can use when I go into those countries only because I haven't
purchased a plan that allows me to have more usage there so I will make more use out of
the Starbucks or believe it or not, Home Depot they have really good wifi if you sit out
in their parking lot next to the contractor section, they have really good wifi there.
So that's an option too if you are traveling around and for some reason you don't have
a hotspot or you can't get a good cell signal for some reason, go to a Starbucks, go to
Home Depot, a Lowe's, Walmart.
I've had iffy luck with Walmart, I've had better luck with Home Depot to be honest so
try that if you are looking for some free wifi.
The other thing about being a digital nomad is making sure that you have enough power
in order to charge everything.
So I tend to use a lot of power because I have a lot of things to charge like a computer,
a camera, several cameras, iPhone, my two hot spots over here.
Those need to stay charged up so that I can always stay connected.
I have multiple other devices.
My weBoost needs to be plugged in so that it can actually get a signal.
So I do have my solar panels which actually charge everything and then I just have to
make sure it's plugged in.
So my Verizon always gets plugged in over here to my USB ports.
This is all AC power for me, which means I need to have my inverter on in order to get
power to the USB port and to these plugs.
So I have to turn on my inverter and I have to make sure my lithium batteries are on and
then I will be able to have power to everything.
So because I'm pulling so much energy from my batteries, I want to make sure that I'm
getting enough solar power so I make sure that either one, I am charged up by using
my solar panels and that just means that my batteries have to be on in order to actually
convert the solar energy to energy into my batteries and store it, or I'm driving throughout
the day or I can turn on my under hood generator, which is part of the Hymer Aktiv van system.
And that allows all of the batteries to charge in the coach.
It's pretty easy once you get the hang of it and you understand the system and really
get to know your coach and figure out how much power you're pulling in from the sun
and how much energy you're actually pulling out of your batteries on an everyday basis.
So as a digital nomad, that is something that I really have to pay attention to on an everyday
basis.
I'm very conscientious of how much power I'm using just to turn the lights on or how much
power I'm using when I'm cooking.
So anyways, I want to make sure that I'm completely powered up throughout the day and just managing
how much energy I'm using and consuming every single day.
One of the things you might think about too is getting that Verizon hotspot that's prepaid
and that is not throttled completely unlimited.
I have the video up on the screen now that I put out just a couple of weeks ago.
Go ahead and watch that video so you can see how you can get that hotspot, make sure that
you're always connected, no throttle and unlimited.
That's a big deal in this digital nomad community as well.
Have a great day and I'll see you in the next video.