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We’ve long recommended using HDMI output from smartphones to allow for big screen streaming using unlimited on device data. This is a clever way to avoid hotspot data usage limits that make using tethered Smart TV devices (Apple TV, Roku, Samsung, Chromecast, etc…) while mobile a recipe for blowing through your entire monthly hotspot usage […]
UPDATE: The new AT&T plans went live this morning (June 28th) – and we’ve been digging deep into the fine print. A few interesting discoveries: You can only change between the free premium channels (HBO, Showtime, Starz, Cinemax, Pandora, Amazon Music, or VRV) that come with the &More Premium plan once every twelve months. This seems […]
JULY 2018 UPDATE: It’s Fixed! The DirecTV Now 2.1 update fixes HDMI output, and seemingly many other issues. Read our article about the update, and other changes to AT&T’s treatment of DirecTV streaming data, here. Original article continues below… If you’re a DirecTV Now app user, and you utilize HDMI or Chromecast to broadcast your […]
The Hulu iOS is bringing back support for HDMI output, after a long hiatus of not supporting this method of media viewing. Support for Chromecast has been added as well. Many nomads on plans with mobile hotspot data caps use HDMI out to utilize their on device unlimited data to catch up on their favorite […]
2017 has sure been a wild ride in the world of mobile internet! The undeniable big story of the year is the return of “unlimited” cellular data plans, but the real limits lurking behind the scenes have never been more confusing. But despite the confusing limits and loopholes – overall there has never been a […]
UPDATE: Verizon’s “Premium Streaming” Tested We can confirm that Verizon is indeed now allowing customers to opt-in to “Premium Streaming” for an additional $10/mo – but it is not at all as simple or straightforward as one might hope. Particularly if you want to watch Ultra-HD video on a big screen via a tethered laptop […]
The latest versions (5.6.0 and 5.6.1) of Hulu’s popular iOS streaming app brought several unwelcome changes for digital nomads. The newest version of the app dropped support for HDMI mirroring via Apple’s Lightning HDMI connector. Additionally, mirroring via Airplay now only works with the 4th generation Apple TV. Previously the app worked with 2nd and 3rd […]
Article updated 10/6/17 to reflect Netflix price increase, which T-Mobile will still fully cover for the standard plan. Starting September 12th, the self-proclaimed ‘Uncarrier’, is giving their customers free Netflix. Some of their customers, that is. T-Mobile announced today that Netflix will be “on us” (aka, paid for by T-Mobile) for those customers on their […]
Verizon is making some major changes. Starting tomorrow (Wednesday, August 23rd) Verizon is retiring its newly launched Unlimited plan from February, and is replacing it with a whole new set of Unlimited plans – with a whole lot of complicated fine print and limitations attached. Most significantly – video is now being throttled on every […]
UPDATE (July 23rd, 2017): Experiment Seemingly Over We can confirm that as of this morning, it seems as if Verizon has stopped experimentally throttling video streams. The line we had witnessed consistently capped at 10Mbps is now humming along at 30+ Mbps. Some have speculated that Verizon only backed down from the throttling because of […]
We’ve written at length about the amazing unlimited AT&T Connected Car plan that came out in February. When used with a Mobley, it allows for unlimited hotspot data on AT&T for just $20/mo. With such an amazing offer – it is no wonder that this deal has taken the RVing world by storm. But lately – […]
Netflix began offering customers the option to download videos to watch later on mobile devices via its Android and iOS apps late last year. Now, that feature is making the jump for downloading on a Windows 10 PC. To be able to download on a PC, users must use the Windows 10 app. Users who have the most recent version […]
Last week was the busiest ever here at the RV Mobile Internet Resource Center – starting with Verizon’s surprise announcement that it was bringing back unlimited data plans. This started a chain reaction – with every other carrier scrambling to respond with new or updated unlimited plans of their own. Here is a quick recap of the […]
2016 has been a good year for staying connected. It has never been easier to get online in more places than ever – but the number of options and the tradeoffs between them remains as overwhelming as always. Things may be getting faster, data more bountiful, and connectivity better overall – but the world of RV Mobile […]
As hopes for the ‘perfect’ mobile internet plan (i.e. low cost, fast, reliable, widespread, unlimited) continue to go largely unanswered, we can find some solace in a new offering by Netflix. Netflix just announced an offline feature, which allows Netflix members to download a selection of their library in addition to streaming- at no extra cost. Streaming and downloading […]
AT&T on Monday afternoon announced its long awaited new online version of its DirecTV satellite TV service: DirecTV Now. Now at last RVers can stream 100+ channels of DirecTV content without needing to worry about signing long-term contracts, or carting around and aiming a portable satellite dish. And if you are on AT&T cellular – you can […]
UPDATE: February 2017 We’ve received several reports that AT&T is at last rolling out Stream Saver widely to customers, even those with unlimited data plans. If you are on a data-limited plan, this means that your AT&T plan will now last longer while watching video before running out of data. But if you are on […]