GUEST POST: One Modem Everywhere, Home or Away.

This article was written by NZMCA member, Enrie Newman, for the Motor Caravanner magazine. 

The modem requires a 240V or 12-24V power supply to operate.

Like the faithful old Labrador that’s inseparable from the family, the Wireless Nation modem comes along everywhere with an increasing number of NZMCA members – in their motorhome, boat, car, home, or holiday house. That’s because every element of Wireless Nation’s service meets every need of mobile, nomadic motorhomers.

John Morgan is a typical example. The former polytech teacher connected with Wireless Nation initially just for his motorhome, keeping the fibre connection for his home near Lincoln University in Canterbury. 

“Initially the fibre was very good,” he said, “but as a lot more housing was developed around Lincoln the fibre speeds slowed down. When the university and the nearby schools are in session the fibre speeds are really bad. So I started using the Wireless Nation modem at home as well as in the motorhome, and found it better than the fibre.”

Now John has only one Internet bill each month. Wireless Nation is everywhere for him. At home it powers his smart TV, 3 computers, and a laptop. In his car, plugged into the cigarette lighter, he streams live music. And in the motorhome, where he roams the country using a mixture of POPs and parks, he watches TV on his laptop, using far less electricity than the TV and no longer needing a satellite dish. The economics are obvious.

NZMCA Member Jan shows all her devices connected to the Portable WiFi Modem. The modem requires a 240V or 12-24V power supply to operate.

Colin Wilson’s another big Wireless Nation fan. Ironically when I phone him the connection drops out – he’s driving through Transmission Gully which has become well known as a black spot for mobile services.

Despite that trivial glitch Colin’s “very impressed” with the service. “The people in the company are very good – I can’t speak highly enough about them.”

Colin has a fifth wheeler, built to order in Wales and shipped in, with a sophisticated Victron energy system. The connectivity allows specialist technicians in Wales to monitor the performance of the entire system in real time – how long the vehicle has been moving, the rate of charge or discharge, and other relevant metrics. Colin can forget about energy management knowing he’s being checked from across the world. Like John Morgan, after experiencing Wireless Nation in the motorhome Colin researched the options, then took the plunge and cancelled his separate home connection making Wireless Nation his sole provider. 

Mike Butler’s eye-catching bus – 11 metres long, 15 tonnes in weight – catches the eye wherever it goes. Mike has lived in it full time for 4 years. Connectivity is crucial – his partner runs a business from the motorhome and often travels in the Pacific, so connectivity for the two of them was previously a big expense. Now, with a Wireless Nation service and the NZMCA discount, they are getting 300GB of data each month for $69.

“To me, that’s real value,” Mike says. “I can use it anywhere, including my apartment. It works better than my phone. We’re big users and into all the technologies – Snapchat, Whatsapp, Netflix, and Sky TV.”

He describes the coverage as never having been a problem. Occasionally there is a challenging spot, parts of the Lewis Pass being an example, but very rarely has he encountered a significant dead area.

NZMCA Member Trish working remotely using three screens, at Lake Tekapo NZMCA Park. 

Meanwhile, avid TV and Netflix watchers John and Judith Bradley, from Feilding, have also ditched their home fibre broadband in favour of bringing the Wireless Nation modem in from the motorhome.

“It’s every bit as good, John told me – no jitter or buffering – on a far with the performance of the fibre.”

The Bradleys make craft jewellery and have numerous outlets around New Zealand, so accessibility on email and phone is important.

So it seems the days of motorhomers having one Internet connection at home and another in the motorhome are well behind us. And as the phone companies, with government support, progressively infill “mobile black spots” that trend can only increase – since its inception the Crown Infrastructure Partners programme has lit up nearly 1000km of state highway and 85 tourist sites that were previously on the fringes of coverage.

The “one modem, everywhere” service is a concept whose moment has arrived. NZMCA members are leading the way.

Get in touch with Wireless Nation today to find out the benefits of staying connected with Portable WiFi, at home – and on the road!