Get Reliable Connectivity with Verizon RV Internet

Getting reliable internet access on the go has never been easier. Whether you’re looking to stream a movie by the fire or get some work done on the road, you have tons of options for staying connected.

Verizon, one of the nation’s largest mobile providers, offers several options to get online, including cell plans, mobile hotspots, and even 5G home internet. Each has its pros and cons, so we’ve done some digging to help determine which might be best for your RV usage and to see how they stack up against the competition.

Jump to:

• Verizon cellular plans
• Verizon hotspot data plans
• Verizon 5G Home internet
• Alternatives to Verizon for RV internet

 While it’s nice to take the RV out and get away from the stresses of modern life, you’ll likely need internet access to communicate with friends and family, pay bills, and take care of other responsibilities.

Satellite internet and campground Wi-Fi are solid options, but each has its limitations. Satellite often has restrictive data caps or high costs, and public Wi-Fi networks can be slow and insecure. Fortunately for the road warriors out there, 5G cellular networks offer a compelling alternative to satellite and Wi-Fi.

5G is speedy and affordable, and coverage has grown to the point where many carriers—including Verizon—offer nearly nationwide availability. While there will always be dead spots, it’s possible to get excellent coverage on the road. This may improve even further with future generations of mobile internet.

Additionally, 5G can be used while in motion, something that’s not possible with Wi-Fi. Starlink is the only major satellite provider to offer in-motion internet access (with Starlink Roam), and it’s both costly and very restricted in availability. 

Among mobile providers, Verizon has long had a reputation as “the reliable one.” That said, T-Mobile has made significant strides in availability in the last few years so that this difference may be less pronounced—and, of course, the coverage of any provider can vary dramatically from one location to another.

A downside for Verizon is that there are no unlimited high-speed data hotspot plans available. The Unlimited Plus plan from Verizon does give you unlimited data, but your speeds will be reduced once you use 30GB of data each month. However, Verizon does offer much more generous high-speed data allotments, which may fit heavy data users better. By comparison, T-Mobile’s hotspot plans of 2GB, 5GB, and 10 GB may have heavy users on the much slower unlimited-data speeds for much of the month.

Pretty much all smartphones these days include a hotspot feature, and most providers offer some hotspot data with their phone plans. The advantages of using your phone as a hotspot are cost and convenience: You already own the phone, so there’s no need to purchase a separate device, and you likely have it with you most or all of the time.

The downsides are that you may not want to always have your phone with you, particularly on vacation in the RV. Additionally, the hotspot feature can drain a lot of battery, which you may need to conserve for communication when you’re away from a charger.

Verizon keeps things super simple with its phone plans. There are only two plans: Unlimited Welcome and Unlimited Plus.

The main difference between these two plans is the hotspot data included in the Unlimited Plus plan. Although Unlimited Welcome lets you purchase data as a separate package on a month-to-month basis, Unlimited Plus includes it in the cost for just $5 per month more, which means you’ll want to go with this plan if you want to use the hotspot in your RV.

It’s also worth noting that the cost per line drops dramatically as you add additional lines to the package. As you add lines, the prices change as follows:

If you don’t want to use your phone as a hotspot, you can opt for a separate hotspot device and a dedicated hotspot data plan. Verizon offers several tiers based on the amount of high-speed data each plan provides.

Verizon’s hotspot plans include increasing amounts of high-speed data, with the highest tier offering a generous 150GB—that’s a lot more than competitors like T-Mobile and at a lower price than similar AT&T plans. Once that’s gone, you can continue to use the hotspot for the rest of the month at a (drastically) reduced speed. 

Of course, nothing is perfect—Verizon requires you to have an existing unlimited smartphone plan in order to purchase these packages. That’s not necessarily a bad thing because Verizon’s service is excellent overall. However, if you’re currently a customer with a different cell provider, switching may not be a desirable option.

Verizon mobile customers can look forward to satellite direct-to-cell services, allowing for connectivity when you're out of cellular range. Several companies are building out satellite networks, with Verizon customers getting multiple choices.

Apple/Globalstar: Exclusive to iPhone users, Apple provides an emergency SOS function that allows you to contact emergency services when out of cellular range via Globalstar's satellite constellation. The service is currently free and limited to messaging emergency services only.

Starlink Direct to Cell: Satellite internet giant Starlink initially partnered with T-Mobile to provide its customers with direct-to-device messaging, voice, and data services.  However, in a surprise announcement, the two companies announced the service would be made available to customers of any carrier, including Verizon. Customers would just need a compatible, unlocked smartphone. The service is currently in free, open beta for text messaging, but will officially launch in July and charge non-T-Mobile customers $15 per month.

AST SpaceMobile: Verizon, along with AT&T, has partnered with satellite startup AST SpaceMobile to launch its own direct-to-cell service. This is an upcoming service that's currently in development. There's no set timetable when the service will be ready for consumers, but the company has already launched its first test satellites. It hopes to launch a service to compete with Starlink. As a partner, it will likely be more affordable for Verizon customers.

If you don’t want to go with Verizon for your RV internet, you still have options.

• Other cellular providers: T-Mobile and AT&T both offer competing hotspot plans. Each has its pros and cons—T-Mobile is affordable but doesn’t offer a ton of high-speed data, while AT&T offers more but is also the most expensive of the three. T-Mobile also has an excellent home internet option for those who want to go down that route.
• Campsite Wi-Fi: Many campgrounds and RV parks offer Wi-Fi for guests. This is often free and can be boosted a bit by Wi-Fi extenders to improve performance. Of course, the downside is that not every campground will have fast (or even any) Wi-Fi available.
• Satellite internet: Satellite internet for your RV offers a very widely available internet connection for your RV—after all, it’s available nearly everywhere in the US. This option means you can get a signal in places that lack cell towers or other infrastructure. The main problems with satellite internet plans are cost and a difficult setup process.

Verizon offers a number of options to power your RV internet experience and help you stay connected. These include relatively affordable cellular options with Unlimited Plus and Unlimited Welcome plans, dedicated mobile hotspots with generous data allotments, and 5G home internet with unlimited data. Whatever your need or budget, Verizon offers a plan that can get your RV online.