Staying online in a caravan
Chris Hogan, 16th November 2015, Caravan
Now, we are well aware that many caravanners can't understand why people would want internet access while they're getting away from it all in their caravans. But we also know that there's a growing number who want to be online, whether its for fun, to stay in touch, or even to work so they can stay away for longer.
With 3G and 4G access spreading wider across the UK the simple solution for people with a smartphone is to use their usual data service.
However, a lot of people have tablets that only have Wi-Fi, they don't have the capability to access the phone network. If you want to allow friends and family to use tablets, laptops or games machines then you can share your signal for them to use.
Tethering
The technical term for this is 'tethering' and most smartphones are able to do it. The setup is roughly the same for all phones - once you turn it on your phone acts like your router at home. Any device can then connect to it once you give it the name of the phone and the password.
The process is different depending on the type of smartphone you have, but here's a quick run down that should get you going in the right direction.
iPhone - look for 'Personal Hotspot' in Settings - if it's not there then your mobile operator may have disabled it. Turn it on and your phone will show you the phone's name and wireless password to enter on other devices.
Android - this will differ slightly across different versions and manufacturers but you should see either 'tethering' or 'portable hotspot' in the 'Wireless and Network' section of your settings menu.
Tick the 'Portable Wi-Fi hotspot' option then tap 'Portable Wi-Fi hotspot settings'. Here you can set up your own network name and choose the password that other devices will use.
Windows Phone - in Settings go to System and look for 'internet sharing'. In that menu tap the button to turn it on, then hit setup at the bottom of the screen. This takes you to a menu where you can set the name and password which you use to connect other phones, laptops or tablets.
Take care
You do have to be careful with your data usage if you're sharing your connection, unless you have an unlimited data connection tariff. If you're not careful, with half a dozen people all accessing the internet through your phone, you could get through a month's allowance in a few days.
The service will not be as fast, of course, with other people sharing it, so people may have to be a little more patient than usual.
Remote location
The snag with this is that a lot of caravan sites are in remote locations; in fact that's usually why they are there! So if anywhere is going to have poor reception it's a campsite in a gorgeous location.
But campsite owners recognise that this is a growing need so they are setting up their own Wi-Fi services. In fact both the main caravan organisations - the Caravan & Camping Club and the Caravan Club - have set up their own services that affiliated campsites can sign up to.
Camping & Caravan Club setup
Wi-Fi will be accessible within a certain distance from the hotspot. The Club are careful to point out that many factors affect reception and that it can only guaranteed within a certain area around the hotspot. The service can be accessed by buying vouchers at the site shop or making an online transaction.
The Club website shows the following tariff structure (as of 14th Nov 2015):
- £2 voucher for 1 day/500mb - available from reception and on-line at site The voucher is valid for 24 hours or 500mb internet access after first login whichever occurs first. Limited to one device at one time only. Terms and conditions apply.
- £10 voucher for 1 week/3.5gb - available from reception and on-line at site The voucher is valid for 168 hours (1 week) or 3.5gb internet access after first login whichever occurs first. Limited to one device at one time only. Terms and conditions apply.
- £20 voucher for 1 year/12gb - available from reception and on-line at site The voucher is valid for 1 year or 12gb internet access after first login whichever occurs first. Limited to one device at one time only. Terms and conditions apply.
Caravan Club setup
Access to the Caravan Club's wireless service is through vouchers that can be purchased at participating sites. They ran a trial with a faster service on two sites in March which was successful so it is now being rolled out to the majority of wireless-enabled sites (see reference 3 below).
Their tariff is (as of 14th Nov 2015):
- 24-hour (1 day) package, £2.50 - Unlimited use of Wi-Fi within a continuous 24-hour period (from when you first sign on) for one device at a time.
- 168-hour (7 days) package, £10 - Unlimited use of Wi-Fi within a continuous 168-hour period (from when you first sign on) for one device at a time.
- 12-month package, £25 - Unlimited use across all Club sites with Wi-Fi available for 12 months.
Other onsite facilities
Note that not all Club sites will have this wireless service. Some will have decided not to offer it, others will have installed their own service from a different provider. But both Club's websites will have the details in their site directories.
Sites that aren't affiliated to either of these Clubs may have installed their own wireless service, with many making it a complimentary service. Others won't have it, either because broadband in the area isn't good enough to support it or the site owners believe that an unconnected site will suit their customers better.
Commercial campsite directories should show whether internet access is available but it's worth checking beforehand if it's important to you.
Be realistic
Finally you need to be aware that, whichever service is on offer, it's not going to be the same as accessing the internet at home or in an office. Available broadband speeds will vary from site to site and you'll be sharing it with everyone else.
Unless you're very lucky you probably won't have much joy with data intensive things like watching films or having video calls, but web browsing and social media ought to be ok.
