RV – Riveted

The New Best Mobile Internet

Kevin Morris — Tue, 19 Apr 2016 00:10:13 +0000

A couple years ago, we wrote that we had found the best-ever mobile internet solution for our boating and RV adventures – The “Moovbox” from SinglePoint Communications. We have used our Moovbox on both our boat and our RV over the past couple of years, and it has performed brilliantly!

But, time and technology march ever forward and it was only a matter of time before something better came along. Now, SinglePoint Communications has a new family of “WiFi In Motion” solutions specifically for RVs and boats. Their “WiFi In Motion – Max RV” and “WiFi In Motion – Max Marine” solutions are comprehensive – including routers, antennas, mounting and wiring hardware, and even competitively priced service plans – all from one source. SinglePoint has partnered with PepWave for the router part of the solution to develop capabilities that are tailored to the RV and marine crowd.

We’ve been testing Max Marine the past few weeks on Airship as we cruise the San Juan Islands, and our initial experience has been superb. We were skeptical that we could be persuaded to replace our Moovbox this soon, but at this point it looks like the new WiFi In Motion – Max Marine has bumped Moovbox from our upcoming Alaska expedition.

As those who have followed this blog for awhile know, we’ve tried a lot of internet options over the years for our work-from-the-road/water lifestyle. Since we spend the majority of our time traveling while working and running an internet business (and this blog), our mobile internet setup is mission-critical for us.

So, what about Max Marine moves us to retire the Moovbox?

First, there is WiFi speed. Max Marine supports the latest WiFi standards, so the local WiFi network (assuming your client devices support it) can take advantage of significantly faster local speeds.

Second, the LTE backhaul (the speed at which the router can connect to the internet using a cellular SIM card) is – in our testing, significantly faster. (NOTE: We have only anecdotal comparisons and accurate performance testing is very difficult and requires a complex setup. We just sat in the same place and compared “speedtest.net” results between the two with the same SIM card.) The results? Check this out:

Yep, you are reading that right. 60.29 Mbps download. Upload was unusually low on that particular test, (it is usually in the several Mbps range) but download is generally the most important factor for most people’s use.

Third, ease of use. The admin console on the Max Marine device is easier to use, clearer, and more capable than we had with the Moovbox – including a number of features that we either did not have or could not find on Moovbox.

Fourth, WiFi as WAN. This is a big deal. It means you can introduce your Max Marine/Max RV router to the WiFi in the marina or RV park, and the system will use that for an internet connection if it’s available, automatically falling back to your cellular data plan when you pull away or the Marina/RV Park WiFi is unavailable. This lets you save data from your data plan, using it only when other WiFi is not available.

So, why use your Max Marine/RV to connect to marina/park WiFi rather than just connecting your devices directly? The Max Marine/RV is using an external high-gain antenna, so it will have stronger/faster signal (often a huge problem in parks and marinas when the antennas are far from where you are parked. If there is a charge for the WiFi service, you only have to pay it once, and all your devices can share a single connection. You have your own secure, fire-walled network so you won’t get hacked by any bad guys who happen to be on the same marina/park WiFI. And, you don’t have to reconfigure all your devices – they can continue to just be connected to your own local Max Marine/RV network, even when you’re using marina/park WiFi.

Here is our device connected to marina WiFi.

Then, when we cruised away from the marina out into the San Juan islands, Max Marine automatically transitioned to our Verizon SIM card.

Fifth, unlike Moovbox, Max Marine/RV allows you to easily swap and manage SIM cards. Going to Canada and want to buy a local SIM and pop it in? No problem. Got one of those old grandfathered unlimited-data Verizon SIM cards/accounts? (We do). Just pop that card in for unlimited data awesomeness. (We did, it was awesome). Or, if you have a T-Mobile account that doesn’t charge international roaming, slip that baby in when you head up to Canada. The plan provided by SinglePoint is (we believe) served by Verizon. In our experience roaming around the country, Verizon has had the best coverage – particularly in remote areas. The only exception we’ve found to this was SE Alaska last summer, where AT&T was the clear winner.

Sixth (and we haven’t tested this yet) you can easily set up a “captive portal” that would allow your friends or traveling companions use your connection to check their e-mail on a limited basis, without fear that they’ll clobber your data plan or have access to your private network. This feature might make you the most popular RV in the trailer park.

Seventh (list is getting long, huh?) There is an App. (The screenshots above are from the iPhone app). This makes it super convenient to check the status of your router and connection, make any required changes, and get notifications when something important changes (like maybe you transitioned from campground WiFi to your metered cellular data plan.) Oh, and that’s not all – if you like notifications and you have an Apple Watch, you can get the notifications on your watch. (I discovered this by accident when we pulled out of the marina and my watch tickled my wrist with a notification that we’d left marina WiFi.) Here are some screenshots from watch notifications:

Finally, the box is smaller and lighter than the Moovbox – and appears to be similarly rugged, with an all-metal enclosure and high-quality connectors.

One question people often ask us is – why spend money on a heavy-duty solution like Moovbox or Max Marine/RV rather than using one of the available mini-routers like Jetpack, MiFi, etc. There are a number of advantages (most of them listed above) but the most compelling for people like us who camp and boat in remote areas is range/coverage. The combination of external high-gain antenna, high-quality radios, and the ability to use SIM cards from multiple carriers, you’ll get internet in a BUNCH of places that your MiFi won’t reach. The antenna alone is a huge deal, since many RVs and boats kill a lot of signal just because the device is inside with no external antenna. The high-quality solutions also bring “real” full-featured WiFI routers that can handle a large number of devices and provide true firewall security – unlike most of the small portable solutions.

We found the Max Marine switched smoothly and automatically between marina WiFi, our Verizon SIM, our T-Mobile SIM, and our AT&T SIM as we traveled through zones with different coverage. (Yeah, we have a lot of accounts, shush.)

We’ll report more as we stress test our WiFi In Motion Max Marine over the summer – traveling up the Inside Passage through British Columbia to SE Alaska. By the time we’ve done that, we’ll have a lot more first hand experience to share.

Airstreamin’ in Wine Country

Laura Domela — Sat, 24 Oct 2015 14:49:27 +0000

We dusted off the Airstream on Thursday morning and headed down to the Willamette Valley wine country (only a little over an hour from our house in Portland) to meet up with some friends for the weekend.

When we got to our RV storage unit, everything was just as we'd left it and there were no big issues. Pretty good after sitting for a year in storage! The tires needed a little air, the clocks needed new batteries, and the fridge light needs a new bulb, but other than that everything was ready to go.

We are camping at the Willamette Wine Country RV Resort and so far, we have mostly remembered how to do everything. Campgrounds are definitely noisier than anchorages and mooring buoys, but it's still fun to be out in the trailer. (And there are no ferry wakes tossing you awake at 7am!)

Kevin and I had a reservation for dinner on Thursday night at the Joel Palmer House (thank you to Kevin's mom for the sweet gift card!)

The Joel Palmer House, in Dayton, Oregon:

Our table:

Because this is truffle country, we did the Mushroom Madness tasting menu, and because we're in pinot noir country, we shared a bottle of Methven Family Vineyards Pinot Noir. All was delicious and it was a nice evening.

In the morning, we met up with our friend Kathy Hardersen and her son Kyle. (Kyle just bought a new Airstream International 25' and is parked right next to us, and Kathy left her Airstream at home and is staying here in one of The Vintages.) We had breakfast at our trailer, and then went over to Sokol Blosser for some wine tasting on the patio.

Sokol Blosser has a gorgeous tasting room and patio, and we couldn't ask for better mid-October weather!

We were there for a couple hours just visiting and playing cards and tasting wine. Kathy is a wine club member at Sokol Blosser, so we got a nice complimentary charcuterie tray during our card game:

We brought back a deck of cards from the Trickster Company in Juneau, Alaska. This is the Tlingit language edition, and they're fabulous to play with!

We had some lunch at the Red Hills Market, then went to Penner-Ash Wine Cellars for another tasting (and met up with more of Kathy's family). I didn't take any photos at Penner-Ash, but they too have a gorgeous place up on the hill with a fantastic view of the valley. We really enjoyed several of their wines, and left with four bottles: a 2013 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, a 2014 Viognier (served at the White House State Dinner a few weeks ago), a 2013 Oregon Syrah, and a 2013 Rubeo (70% pinot noir, 30% syrah).

We decided to finally let Kyle have something HE wanted drink, so we stopped at Deception Brewing for a bit. (Kevin and I didn't try any of their beer though…next time!)

Dinner last night with the entire Hardersen family (table for 9) was at Ruddick/Wood in Newberg and was a blast. We always have so much fun with these guys. So. Much. Laughing!!

We started with a Honey Badger and a Whiskey Sour, and shared the duck confit hushpuppies (the winner) and a grilled octopus salad for starters, and the Fishermen's Stew and the Chicken Roulade (the winner) for entrees.

Today, we've got some more friends (Lisa and George, in their Argosy motorhome) joining us here and we'll probably visit two more wineries today…maybe ride our bikes around a bit, and just spend more time visiting and catching up.

It's definitely nice to be back in the Airstream, but I miss the boat and the water a little bit (and the rocking!). I think we're going to need to revisit the boondocking side of RV travel a bit more next time we set out for a longer trip…get away from the traffic noise and the leaf blowers and lawn mowers.

Do You Need a Dehumidifier?

Laura Domela — Thu, 23 Oct 2014 01:45:19 +0000

This Eva-Dry dehumidifier came with our Nordic Tug, and we're impressed! One of these would be great in the Airstream during the soggy months in the Pacific Northwest, too!

It sits on the counter and runs quietly in the background, collecting water right out of the air. I usually empty it when it's half full or so, but it's got a little light that turns on when it needs to be emptied (and a shut off switch that turns it off when it gets full). The reservoir holds up to 16 oz of water, and there's a larger version if you want it for a bigger space.

Tofino to Qualicum to Victoria

Laura Domela — Wed, 23 Jul 2014 22:11:00 +0000

This morning we left our gray rainy campsite (wow! things changed overnight!) in Tofino and headed back across the island on our way to Victoria. But first, here's one more shot from yesterday at Bella Pacifica Campground while it was still sunny:

Oh wait, there are a few more things I want to mention that we did before we left Tofino. Yesterday afternoon we went into town to grab some oysters, and right as we got back to the car I looked up in response to some intense bird sounds and said to Kevin quickly "lookuplookuplookup!!!"

There were about eight bald eagles flying overhead, and two of them were in dramatic combat. As we watched them RIGHT above us, two of them went careening into each other, locking talons (you could HEAR them hit each other, that's how close they were) and spiraling through the air. After a couple rounds of that, the loser retreated to the top of a nearby tree while the others went on their fish-hunting way over the bay. It was so cool to see this so close!

Here are two of them — already much higher than before — after the drama was over (when I could finally stop watching for a second to get my camera out):

Also, yesterday we stopped for lunch at Tacofino, a taco truck right off the main highway near our campground (in the parking lot behind "Live to Surf" surf shop). This place has seriously great tacos. We each had a regular Baja-style cod fish taco, and the Tuna Ta-Taco (seared sesame albacore with wasabi mayo, cabbage, salsa, and seaweed salad). So good!!

Also, check out their fabulous t-shirts! The skull is made of flowers and in the middle of his forehead there's a Tacofino logo (praying hands holding a taco), and the skull has a big fish in its mouth. (Kevin's wearing his right now!)

Okay, back to today! We left early (for us…8:30am). The drive was soggy but beautiful and looked mostly like this:

We made a stop at Qualicum Beach to pick up a bit more seafood (still not tired of fresh seafood). I did a little research while Kevin was driving and found a highly-rated spot called French Creek Seafood. We parked in the nice big marina parking lot and walked around the marina to the seafood store (it's the large clump of buildings you can see in the distance, across all the boats):

The entrance to the fish store was completely nondescript and working-harbor awesome, and had the nicest fish ladies inside helping customers. We highly recommend a stop here if you're up this way. Enter through the brown door with the little red neon "open" sign:

We picked up some clams for dinner tonight, some fresh crabcakes, more frozen calamari (I love putting this in risotto or pasta!) and some more smoked salmon pate.

We drove the rest of the way to Victoria (about 4.5-5 hours total from Tofino) and now we're at the Westbay Marine Village. It's still gray and rainy, but we're close to town and we'll have a great time here exploring (and working of course) until we catch the ferry over to Port Angeles on Friday morning.

Here's Victoria, just across the harbor from our spot at Westbay:

Nanaimo to Courtenay and Comox

Laura Domela — Sun, 20 Jul 2014 01:57:39 +0000

Today we drove north to check out the towns of Courtenay and Comox. We took the oceanside route and we're glad we did. We got to see some really lovely towns, including Qualicum Beach. There are a bunch of oceanside RV resorts near here and we'd definitely come back and explore some waterfront camping!

Also, we found ourselves driving right through Deep Bay and Fanny Bay, home of Kusshi nd Fanny Bay oysters. We couldn't NOT stop, right? After a little research (Mac's Oysters vs. Fanny Bay Oyster Co.) we stopped at Fanny Bay. It's a tiny little store near the ferry landing and we picked up a dozen Fanny Bay, a dozen Kusshi, and a pound of fresh Qualicum Beach scallops (and a little container of smoked salmon pâté):

With a cooler full of ice and shellfish, we continued north to Comox. We stopped to have lunch at a spot near the marina called the Blackfin Pub. The food was great. We shared a one-piece halibut fish and chips and a seafood sandwich with a side caesar salad.

View from lunch:

We wandered down to the marina after lunch and saw this boat here selling fresh halibut. Too bad we are already stocked up, or we'd have gotten some!

We met some fabulous folks here at the Comox Marina! They are all on a cruise from Anacortes to Desolation Sound with about 30 boats…all Ranger Tugs. These boats are like the Airstream of trawlers…we fell in love and they invited us aboard a few of them and even to their bbq tonight (sadly, we passed though, because…oysters in the cooler!). It was just like a group of Airstreamers though…super friendly folks with recreational vehicles they love.

We even got to go out on a short ride in the bay on one of their 31' models! They've got solar, just like us!

Kevin at the controls:

Returning to the marina:

These are awesome boats!

On the way home we stopped in Courtenay to check out their 44th Annual Saturday Market. It was pretty much what we expected. Live music, booths selling handmade items, stuff from the downtown stores, etc. I don't know why they don't do it more often, actually. Why wait a whole year?

Back at camp we shucked some oysters and smoked some scallops and had a delicious seafood dinner.

Oysters were all raw on the half shell with a champagne/vinegar/shallot/pepper mignonette (delicious) and with the smoked scallops, I made a sauce using olive oil, garlic, tomatoes, red pepper flakes, capers, fresh local zucchini, and basil and put it all over a little bit of fresh angel hair pasta. It turned out great! This fabulous iPhone photo doesn't do it justice, but still…I thought I should show you.

Tomorrow we head over to Tofino, and we're really looking forward to it!

Living Forest Waterfront Campsites

Laura Domela — Sat, 19 Jul 2014 13:55:53 +0000

This is what the campsites along the waterfront look like here at Living Forest Oceanside Campground and RV Park:

Our spot is on the terrace right above (I took this from the dinette window). The park is terraced so in additional to all the waterfront sites there are plenty of water view sites as well.

The tide is out this morning so you can see a lot of land and marsh, but when the tide is in it's all waterfront. The non waterfront sites are forested and private and gorgeous. Most of the sites are full hookup, and the park has Wi-Fi available (it cost us $10 Canadian for a week). If you don't want to pay for Wi-Fi, the little cafe/snack bar just to the right of that open campsite there has free Wi-Fi. In the mornings you'll see five or six people sitting outside in little chairs with their phones and tablets. (We actually can get free Wi-Fi from the cafe from our site here, so if you're near the cafe, your chances are good.)

This is a beautiful park and an easy bike ride away from downtown Nanaimo. We would defintely stay here again!

Downtown Nanaimo

Laura Domela — Thu, 17 Jul 2014 18:05:53 +0000

We rode our bikes into town late this morning and did a little sightseeing and picked up a couple Canada pins for our collection. Check out my bike bag now!

We rode all over the waterfront, and stopped and had some gelato and some fish & chips (in that order).

Great fish & chips at Troller's! We had halibut and salmon and both were great. (Not as good as the Bandon Fish House, but still quite good!)

Here's our route:

We rode just over 10 miles. Now we're headed down to Ladysmith to meet a guy about a boat.

Around Pedder Bay Marina

Laura Domela — Tue, 15 Jul 2014 12:25:49 +0000

Last night we went down to the marina to watch the sunset and wander around. The weather has continued to be sunny and gorgrous. The Wi-Fi here at Pedder Bay is slow and inconsistent so it's a little hard to work as efficiently as we'd like to, and we've got no cell service (AT&T) until we get out toward either Sooke or Victoria, so it's a bit isolating. But it's sure pretty!

Later today we're going to go see if we can catch some salmon! In a boat! With a guide! It should be fun. I love getting out on the water to see a place from a different perspective.

More Port Townsend, Again

Laura Domela — Wed, 09 Jul 2014 02:37:44 +0000

I know you want to see more photos of Port Townsend, don't you?

After work we rode our bikes around some more, enjoying the gorgeous weather. Where we're staying (Point Hudson Marina and RV Park) is just beyond all those docks in the above photo, on the right.

Back at our campsite we grilled up some salmon for dinner with an arugula salad, and then headed back into town on the bikes to catch the movie Chef, playing at the Rose Theater. What a great theater…popcorn with real butter, and a little bar of seasonings to choose from. I put Parmesan, brewer's yeast, a little salt, and chili powder on mine. Kevin did Parmesan, yeast, and a hickory smoke seasoning. Yummy! The movie was super cute…we really enjoyed it!

After the movie (at 9:15pm) it was still light out, so we rode back to the Airstream to grab jackets and happened upon a couple from France taking a photo of the trailer. The man said they LOVE Airstreams in France and we invited them in to take a look. They were sweet. Also, just before we arrived there were apparently several otters right down on the dock! Dangit! We missed 'em! (The couple from France showed us photos though….they were right there!! So cute.)

We headed back into town and rode along the waterfront a bit…windy tonight, but beautiful.

Tomorrow we're off to Bellingham!

Bicycling Around Port Townsend

Laura Domela — Mon, 07 Jul 2014 22:02:03 +0000

This afternoon we took a break and rode our bikes over to Fort Worden State Park to check it out. It's nice…seems like a great place to stay…but I like our spot here at the marina way better. But that's just me. You might prefer Fort Worden. Full hookups, beach right there, a cute little laundromat, a lighthouse. In fact, you'd definitely like it better. Forget I told you about the marina campground at all.

The fog came in and hung around for a little bit this morning, but it's back to being sunny and clear and perfect now. Whew! Every single time we've been to Port Townsend it's been perfect, Chamber of Commerce weather. (It's not usually like this…you can tell by how excited the locals always are.)

More Fort Worden:

The lighthouse:

After checking out the Fort Worden campground, we headed over to the Safeway in town to gather some groceries. We used our Reclamation Department bags as panniers, and I put my Brooks basket on for carrying stuff back home.

Cutting back across the peninsula:

Riding through town along Water Street:

The Airstream and Point Hudson Marina RV Park taken from across the marina at the Northwest Maritime Center:

We put our groceries away and walked not very far at all over to Doc's Marina Grill for some lunch (we shared some fish & chips and a crab louie salad, both very good). We sat inside by a window, but they also have a nice big deck with lots of outside seating, and they'll give you a loaner straw hat to wear out there when it's really sunny (there are no shade umbrellas at the tables). It's pretty cute though…all these people wearing straw hats on the deck. Right outside our window I registered two middle-aged women wearing straw hats with pink and purple fabric on them, eating salads…but then, oh hang on, no…it's two 20-something guys with muscles eating salads! Pretty great.

Tomorrow night we're going to ride our bikes into town and check out the Rose Theater (on Leigh & Brian's recommendation).

And now, back to work!

Oh yeah, here's our route: