I’ve Been Living in Vans for 8 Years. Here’s How I Get WiFi on the Road

After eight years of working in campervans from the Sierra to the Alps, I can tell you the truth about van life internet: the gear matters less than the strategy. The strategy is simple: never depend on one connection.

My whole online business runs from the road. Every blog post, every newsletter, every Facebook page I manage gets published over a connection I set up myself at camp. Here’s exactly what I use in 2026, what it costs, and how to pick the right setup for how you actually travel.

The short version

• Full-timers and remote workers: Starlink Mini + a cellular backup plan (We use Visible). This combo has never left me offline.
• Weekend warriors: your phone’s hotspot on a plan with real hotspot data is probably all you need.
• Everyone: two different connections beat one perfect one. Cell towers die in canyons; satellites struggle under heavy trees. Carry both bases.

My setup: Starlink Mini + Visible

I bought my Starlink Mini when we were doing van life in Europe, and it’s been the backbone of my mobile office ever since. Mine is registered in France, which puts me on a Roam plan that runs me about $100 a month which is a quirk of where I signed up, and honestly the paperwork followed me home without drama.

If you’re buying in the US today, the numbers look better than when I started: the Mini kit has dropped to $199 (it debuted at $499 — satellite internet is finally getting cheap), and Roam plans currently start around $50/month for 100GB of travel data, with an unlimited option at $165/month. Prices checked August 2026; Starlink adjusts them often, so confirm before you order.

The Mini is the van-lifer’s dish: it’s the size of a thick laptop, runs off a power cord or your 12V system, and lives on the ground or our dash when we’re driving. Setup is genuinely five minutes — app, dish, clear sky, done. I wrote a full review of living with it here: Why I Chose the Starlink Mini for My Van Life Adventures.

My backup is Visible, which runs on Verizon’s network. When the trees are too thick for satellite or I just need to fire off an email from the passenger seat, my phone carries the load. Visible’s plans run $25, $35, and $45 a month, and the difference that matters for van lifers is hotspot speed: the base plan caps hotspot at 5 Mbps, the middle plan at 10, the top at 15.

All three include unlimited hotspot data, which is rare and exactly what a traveler wants. The honest caveat: Visible rides Verizon’s network as a budget brand, so in crowded areas your data waits in line behind full-price Verizon customers. At a trailhead in Utah, you’ll never notice. At a music festival, you will.

Option 1: Starlink — the off-grid king

If you boondock, work remotely, or camp beyond cell coverage on purpose, Starlink is the answer. What it gives you:

• Internet where phones show SOS. Public lands, desert washes, national forest — if the dish can see sky, you’re online.
• Real bandwidth. Video calls, uploads, streaming — this is home-internet performance at camp.
• Pause-able service. Roam plans can be paused in months you’re not traveling, which part-timers should absolutely do.

What it costs you:

• Power. The Mini sips compared to the big dishes, but satellite internet still draws more than a phone. Factor your battery bank. We have 400amp hours of batteries plus solar on the roof.
• Trees. Dense forest canopy is Starlink’s one real enemy. Pacific Northwest campers, this is why you keep a cellular backup.
• The monthly bill — worth it for full-timers, harder to justify for two trips a summer.

Option 2: Cellular — cheaper, simpler, everywhere people are

For most part-time travelers, cellular data is the right answer and the only answer you need. The playbook:

• Use a plan with real hotspot data, not “unlimited” fine print. That’s what makes Visible interesting — unlimited hotspot on every tier, speed being what you pay for.
• Match the network to where you go. Verizon’s map (which Visible uses) is strongest in the rural West where I travel. Check coverage maps against your actual routes, not your city.
• Your phone is your hotspot. A dedicated hotspot device is one more thing to charge; for most travelers the phone in your pocket does the job.

The two-connection rule

Here’s the strategy part, learned the hard way over nine years: carry two connections on two different technologies. Mine are satellite (Starlink) and cellular (Visible on Verizon’s network). When the canyon kills the cell signal, the sky is still there. When the forest blocks the sky, the tower down the highway still works. Since running this combo I have not missed a single publish day…. not in the Sierra, not in a Mexican boatyard, not in the Alps.

Which setup should you buy?

• You work remotely and camp off-grid often: Starlink Mini ($199 kit, ~$50–165/month) + the cheapest Visible plan as backup ($25). This is the full-time kit.
• You travel one or two weeks a month: Starlink Mini on a pause-able Roam plan, active only in travel months, phone hotspot the rest of the time.
• You camp on weekends, mostly at campgrounds: skip the dish. Upgrade to a plan with strong hotspot data and put the savings in your fuel fund.

The gear will keep changing — my first van office ran on a signal booster and prayer — but the rule hasn’t changed in nine years: two connections, two technologies, and the sky as your fallback. That’s how the work gets done out here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Prices verified August 2026 from current provider listings; Starlink and carrier pricing changes frequently — always confirm current rates before purchasing.