Day 25: No Signal Booster Means No Internet
I don’t have the right equipment to work remotely from a van. That much is clear to me now. I thought I could mange with a large data plan on my phone and tether internet to other devices (television, laptop, Alexa) but it’s not working.
It’s not working because signals that the phone relies on for a hotspot cannot penetrate the van walls. I could be in a 5G area with good service but when I go inside my van service drops from 5G with a few bars to 4G with one bar. (This happens to a greater extent when my phone is in the back of the van.)
Solution: weBoost Drive Reach OTR
To solve this problem, I am shipping a weBoost signal booster to my friend in Tampa. It doesn’t seem like the installation or the antenna on the roof is intuitive so I may need to find a local van builder or repairer. In the meantime, I can place the antenna outside of the van temporarily.
What’s interesting is that right before I decided to order this product a travel van drove past me in the Planet Fitness parking lot, and on the roof was the same signal booster I was investigating: the weBoost Drive Reach OTR.
Gratitude for internet and all things
Having sporadic internet over the past few days has helped me appreciate high speed and consistent internet. It will be a beautiful thing to be able to work, write, research, plan, and communicate from virtually anywhere. I would never take this for granted. I have faith in you weBoost and T-Mobile. (I’m still deciding whether I should get a Verizon plan as a backup.)
Having gratitude for the internet reminds me to have gratitude for all things: my health, Chester’s health, the van’s health, and the minimal amount of quirks I’ve discovered in the van thus far. I am also grateful that, after having a mini panic attack in the shower at Planet Fitness, I rebounded back to truth: everything is still, everything is fine. Appreciate the motions but don’t get caught up in them.
Tonight I am parked on a “retired” van lifer’s driveway who is very generous and who I connected with through Boondocker’s Welcome. He offered use of his water, electricity, backyard, and knowledge of this lifestyle. I am grateful for that as well.
