RV Internet: Starlink, Phone Hotspots or GlobLinker?

Internet access has become almost as important to many RVers as water and electricity. We use it for trip planning, weather, entertainment, keeping in touch with family and, for those still working from the road, sometimes earning a living.

There are more options for staying connected than there used to be. Starlink has become common around campgrounds, most smartphones can serve as WiFi hotspots, and companies such as GlobLinker are advertising portable hotspots that can connect through multiple cellular networks.

So which is best?

I don’t think there is one answer. Before comparing prices, data limits and equipment, the first question should be: What kind of camping do you do and what do you actually need internet for?

Our Internet Needs

Our situation is probably similar to many recreational RVers.

We have AT&T service on our iPhones. Our plan includes hotspot data that doesn’t roll over from month to month. As long as we have a decent AT&T cellular signal, our phones generally provide all the internet access we need.

We do, however, use quite a bit of data. One of our phones has 60GB of hotspot data because we stream quite a few of our grandkids’ sporting events while we’re traveling. We also use the phone hotspot as backup internet at home when our regular internet service decides to quit at the most inconvenient time.

For us, that means cellular internet is something we’re already paying for whether the RV leaves the driveway or not.

That is important when comparing costs. If your phone plan already includes enough hotspot data for your needs, the cost of your entire cellular plan shouldn’t necessarily be compared with the cost of Starlink or another hotspot. You’re already paying the phone bill. The real question is what it costs to add enough hotspot data to meet your needs.

Using Your Phone as a Hotspot

For many RVers, this may be the simplest and least expensive solution.

There is no additional equipment to buy. You already have the phone with you, and many cellular plans include at least some hotspot data.

If you primarily stay in established campgrounds, near cities or along major travel routes, that may be all you need.

The obvious weakness is coverage.

Your hotspot is only as good as your cellular carrier’s signal. If your phone says “No Service,” turning on its hotspot isn’t going to change anything.

You’re also primarily tied to your cellular provider’s network. We use AT&T and have found its national coverage to be very good for the places we travel. That affects how we look at products such as GlobLinker.

GlobLinker and Dedicated Cellular Hotspots

GlobLinker has been advertising heavily lately, which is what got me looking more closely at it.

At the time I’m writing this, GlobLinker lists its portable hotspot for about $165. The company says the device uses CloudSIM technology to find and connect to available AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile networks rather than being tied to one cellular carrier.

That sounds like a significant advantage. If AT&T isn’t working at a campground but Verizon or T-Mobile is, a multi-network hotspot could potentially provide service.

GlobLinker’s current offer also includes 10GB of starter data and 2GB of additional data each month. The company says unused free monthly data accumulates rather than expiring. Additional U.S. data is prepaid, with packages ranging from 3GB to 300GB and pricing averaging about $1.40 per GB, with larger packages costing less per GB.

There is no required monthly subscription.

I think that could make GlobLinker particularly attractive to seasonal RVers and weekend campers. You aren’t necessarily paying a large monthly internet bill throughout the winter while the RV is sitting in storage, and unused data can be there when your next trip comes around.

For us, however, the calculation is different.

The cost of purchasing additional hotspot data through our existing AT&T service is fairly close to GlobLinker’s data pricing. We would therefore be purchasing another device primarily for the opportunity to connect to Verizon or T-Mobile when AT&T wasn’t available.

Based on our travels, we haven’t encountered that situation often enough to justify another cellular device. We’ve generally found AT&T coverage to be good nationally in the areas where we travel. If we’re somewhere without usable AT&T service, adding another cellular product doesn’t give us the same additional capability that satellite internet would.

That doesn’t mean GlobLinker isn’t a good solution. Someone whose travels regularly take them between areas where different carriers perform better could reach a completely different conclusion.

Then There Is Starlink

Starlink solves a different problem.

Instead of connecting to a cellular tower, Starlink communicates with satellites. That makes it particularly attractive to RVers who boondock or spend significant time in remote locations where cellular coverage may be weak or nonexistent.

Starlink currently offers several Roam plans. There is also the initial cost of the equipment, and the equipment needs power and a reasonably unobstructed view of the sky.

We have researched Starlink but have not used our own Starlink system.

Our plan for now is to continue using our phone hotspots. As long as they continue to meet our needs, there isn’t much reason for us to add another internet service.

If we reach the point where cellular service is no longer meeting those needs, however, our next step would probably be Starlink rather than another cellular hotspot. Another hotspot might improve our chances of finding a cellular signal, but Starlink would give us a genuinely different way of connecting.

For RVers who regularly boondock in remote areas, particularly out West, that difference could easily outweigh the additional cost.

What About Campground WiFi?

There is another source of internet that shouldn’t be overlooked: the campground itself.

More campgrounds are using Starlink to provide internet service to their campers. That can be a major improvement, particularly in locations where traditional high-speed internet isn’t readily available.

But Starlink feeding the campground’s WiFi system doesn’t necessarily mean every campsite will have a great connection.

We experienced that firsthand recently.

We stayed at a campground that was using Starlink for its internet service. On our first night, the campground was only about 30 percent occupied. We were able to stream television over the campground WiFi without a problem.

The next night was the weekend and the campground was nearly full. Streaming became difficult because of constant buffering and pixelation.

Fortunately, our AT&T hotspot was working well, so we switched to it and streamed without a problem for the rest of the weekend.

There could have been several factors involved, but the dramatic increase in campground occupancy certainly demonstrated something important: even a good internet source can perform very differently when it is being shared by a campground full of people.

For us, campground WiFi is a welcome benefit when it works well, but we don’t want to depend on it as our only connection.

So Which One Makes Sense?

That’s where I think the comparison becomes pretty simple.

If your phone hotspot works in the places you normally camp and your existing plan provides enough data, you may already have the internet solution you need.

If cellular service generally works where you travel but your particular carrier doesn’t always have the best signal, a multi-carrier product such as GlobLinker becomes much more interesting. Its prepaid approach and accumulating data could be particularly attractive to weekend and seasonal RVers.

If your travels routinely take you beyond reliable cellular coverage, Starlink offers something neither of those options can provide: an internet connection that doesn’t depend on finding a nearby cellular tower.

The costs matter, but I wouldn’t let price alone drive the decision.

A weekend camper staying primarily in established campgrounds has very different needs from a full-timer working from the road. Someone who spends weeks boondocking out West has different needs again.

For us, the phone hotspots remain the best fit today. We already have them, they provide enough data, and AT&T has generally given us good coverage. If that stops being enough, our next move will probably be toward Starlink because it adds a capability we don’t already have.

Someone else’s answer could be GlobLinker, Starlink, a phone hotspot or some combination of them.

The important part is to assess how and where you camp first, then buy the internet solution that fits those needs.