FAQ
General
Our beacons use the nationwide GSM cellular network to deliver a private, secure, mobile WiFi signal.
Nope! Our ‘internet included’ beacons come with their own embedded and unlimited data plan. These devices are completely self-contained and require no integration with your cell phone provider. Many of our customers will switch their phone(s) to a less expensive plan with a lower data allotment. This way they can use their beacon as their everyday connection and keep a small amount of data access on their phones for when they’re out and about.
Yes, provided you are in a location with adequate reception, you can absolutely use it as your home connection. Just bear in mind it is designed for RV travel, so the WiFi won't fill a larger house. However, you can use in combination with another WiFi router or mesh system if you have one to distribute the signal over a larger footprint.
Check out our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pg/ITforRVs/reviews/
Of course! You can reach us at (414) 399-1687 during the hours of 8am – 8pm CT Monday thru Friday.
We’re based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin – but we’re an entirely virtual company staffed by former IT industry pros turned full-time RVers roaming the countryside. 🙂
Plans & Options
Our $59/mo plan is for customer who already have internet access through another provider, but would like to take advantage of our personal tech support service that can remotely troubleshoot any IT-related issue on any connected device. The $99/mo plan is our more popular of the two, as it also includes an unlimited mobile internet connection.
Nope! There are no contracts, commitments, or cancellation penalties with our service (we don't like them any more than you do). Everything is prepaid monthly and billed automatically. You can cancel service at any time, and we'll pay the return shipping for the equipment. You also have the option to put your service into "suspended mode", dropping your monthly fee to $15 (device lease only) so that you can hold onto the equipment and reactivate service at any time without re-incurring setup costs. This is especially popular with our seasonal travellers.
Data Usage
Our service doesn't throttle down your internet speeds based on your usage like many of the plans from other carriers. Plus, your first 50GB every month (22 GB on our Alternative network) get first priority should you encounter network congestion on your local cell tower.
Our service is fully encrypted, so our maximum speeds are 10Mbps in both directions. This is typically suitable for the moderate internet consumption of 2-6 people. There are faster services out there, but they usually come with a throttlepoint, and after so much usage each month your speeds can be slowed to a crawl. Our service does not throttle your speeds as a penalty for utilizing your connection.
Yes! We support streaming at standard definition (DVD quality). This is part of how we deliver a truly unlimited connection that doesn't get throttled down to lower speeds part-way through the month. It's also the best way to ensure a smooth video stream that doesn't buffer or stutter across a wide array of signal conditions.
Note that some live TV services like Hulu Live have restrictions on the use of mobile internet connections on their platforms, and require you maintain a home-based internet service provider to use their apps.
Yes! Provided you are in an area with decent signal strength, our connection is suitable for most online gaming. We find latency, or ping times, typically have a higher impact on gameplay, and in areas of strong reception, our ping times can be well below 100ms.
Ordering, Shipment & Setup
Refunds are difficult given that we're a prepaid service, but there is a limited return window to allow you to try out the service. Within 10-days from your order (which translates to roughly 5-6 days once your device has arrived), if you decide to cancel service and return the equipment, we can refund your setup fee and first month of prepaid service, less a $40 restocking fee.
Not really, unfortunately. Since we're a prepaid service, refunds are a challenge. But, within 10 days from your initial order, if you elect to cancel service and return the equipment, we can refund your setup fee and first month's prepaid service, less a $40 restocking fee.
(That usually transates to about 5-6 days with the device once it arrives to test things out)
No, we typically don't mess with our pricing, and instead try to keep it straightforward and consistent.
We configure all orders from the day each evening, and they ship first thing the following morning via USPS Priority Mail (2-3 day ship time).
Our service is prepaid monthly via auto-billing until you elect to either suspend or cancel your service. You’ll receive a statement each month by e-mail, and can easily change your form of payment at any time by logging into your account on our website or calling us at (414) 399-1687.
Coverage
We deliver a connection to your beacon using cell towers. You can check out our coverage maps at https://www.theRVITguy.com/coverage to see if we can deliver signal in the places you frequent. And if you are going to be traveling the edges of the coverage network, a lot of our customers pair our device with a cell booster to optimize performance where reception is weaker.
We can provision beacons on either of the 2 major nationwide GSM networks. Our primary network can communicate with our beacons on ultra-low frequency bands, which have about 2x the range and 4x the signal resiliency of standard mid-frequency cellular bands, making it an excellent choice for RVers traveling in more rural places. You can check out our coverage maps for both network options at https://www.theRVITguy.com/coverage.
Our data plans include 5GB of LTE data connectivity each month for travel to Canada and Mexico.
Head over to our coverage maps to check signal availability on both our primary and alternative nationwide networks. https://www.theRVITguy.com/coverage
We highly recommend our primary network due to its compatibility with your beacon’s ultra-low frequency receiver, extending coverage to more towers in more places. However, if the places you frequent are not adequately covered by our primary network, our alternative network may be a viable choice. Each beacon is provisioned on one of these networks (not both) and you can select either option using the ‘network’ dropdown when ordering.
Equipment
Our beacons are leased as a part of your monthly service fee. Should it become defective at any time, we simply ship you another one free of charge. There is a setup fee for the service that covers configuration of the device, activation costs, device insurance, and shipping and handling. That fee ranges between $75 - $195 depending on which of our beacon devices you choose.
1. Original “yellow box” beacon: This is our first-generation equipment. It can pick up a signal on two different frequencies, and has a smaller setup cost of $75.
2. XR-2: quad-band second-generation device that picks up signal on four frequencies. The XR-2 is designed for performance, with our fastest processor and external antennas for better native reception. There is no battery, so this device must be plugged into an outlet, but since it doesn’t need to conserve battery life, it can optimize performance instead. This is our most popular model, setup fee also $195.
No matter which device you choose, our unlimited internet plan is $99/mo.
Our second-generation XR beacons are quad-band devices that connect to more towers in more places than our first-gen "yellow box" beacons, which are dual-band. When you lookup a particular location on our coverage map, if you see a note in the signal strength readout denoting "device compatibility", that means this particular location will only work with our XR beacons.
In general, we recommend the XR models for new customers. If you plan to travel to different destinations or are in a location that denotes device compatibility requirements, its definitely the right choice.
Our XR-2 beacon must be plugged into a power source.
All our beacons come with a 110V AC plug adapter. We have 12V DC vehicle adapters available by request for $19.
The most popular booster among our customers is the WeBoost 4G-X RV: https://amzn.to/2Kg6wkp
They're not cheap (retail for $499) but we found ours to be a worthwhile investment.
Technical
Our service is encrypted, and our maximum speed is approximately 10Mbps in either direction under ideal signal conditions. However, varying signal conditions at your location can have a significant impact on performance, so real-world speeds in most areas of "good" to "excellent" signal strength are between 4-8Mbps. The same is true for latency. Our ping times can be as low as 20ms in strong signal conditions.
Yes, all of our devices come with an ethernet port for hard-wired connection.
Our beacons are designed to fill the footprint of an RV with wireless connectivity, about a 25-ft radius. To extend the beacon’s connection to a larger area, mesh systems and range extenders can be paired via ethernet cable.
Pausing and Cancellation
Yes! We have the option to move your account into "suspended mode", which drops the monthly fee to $15 (device maintenance portion only). That way you can hold onto the equipment and reactivate service at any time without re-incurring setup costs.