Anyone using Roku instead of Direct TV or Dish?
- Thread starter Lstierw
- Start date
danemayer
Well-known member
Hi Lstierw,
Internet service at most places we've been is pretty poor. The few parks that do have enough bandwidth to allow streaming video usually have software that limits what you can do (maybe watch a few cat videos per day). The rest barely support email and other text-based usage. A few people are grandfathered for unlimited data on their cell phone plans but the carriers are starting to cap your speed if you stream video.
Internet service at most places we've been is pretty poor. The few parks that do have enough bandwidth to allow streaming video usually have software that limits what you can do (maybe watch a few cat videos per day). The rest barely support email and other text-based usage. A few people are grandfathered for unlimited data on their cell phone plans but the carriers are starting to cap your speed if you stream video.
I think there are two parts to that answer. One is connectivity. As Dane suggests, campground internet is rarely fast enough to support streaming video consistently. At all the campgrounds I've been to, watching streaming video on the campground wifi has been a fail. However, if you camp in locations with good cell coverage, and you have the right data plan, streaming video can be quite effective. I am grandfathered on the verizon unlimited plan and stream video and music while camping often. But you better watch your data limits if yours isn't unlimited! I've used as much as 10 to 12 gigs worth of data in a month streaming video and music.
The second issue is content. You'll have to have a good "over the air" tv signal from local TV stations to watch anything live (local news, sports, weather updates, etc.). Depending on your location and viewing needs, this may or may not be an issue. With a subscription to Netflix and Hulu Plus (less than $20 for both)+ a couple of network web sites; you can stream almost any TV show a day or so after it airs plus have access to hundreds of movies on demand.
I personally would love to stop paying Directv for my home and coach. What stops me are live sports that I can't get over-the-air. Nascar, Football, and College Basketball are often only aired on cable networks. In the end, you have to evaluate your specific situation to determine if "cutting the cord" (or dish) is the right thing for you.
The second issue is content. You'll have to have a good "over the air" tv signal from local TV stations to watch anything live (local news, sports, weather updates, etc.). Depending on your location and viewing needs, this may or may not be an issue. With a subscription to Netflix and Hulu Plus (less than $20 for both)+ a couple of network web sites; you can stream almost any TV show a day or so after it airs plus have access to hundreds of movies on demand.
I personally would love to stop paying Directv for my home and coach. What stops me are live sports that I can't get over-the-air. Nascar, Football, and College Basketball are often only aired on cable networks. In the end, you have to evaluate your specific situation to determine if "cutting the cord" (or dish) is the right thing for you.
We tried cutting the chord before we started full timing. I found that streaming movies over Verizon 4G is spotty at best. Many times the movie would stop playing and buffer for a minute or two. We ended up installing a Winegard Trav'ler satellite and use Direct TV. We are very happy with the set up as long as we are not camping in trees!
DuaneG
Well-known member
Roku is great when you have a good internet where you don't pay per GB of data usage. You also have to have subscriptions to Netflix, amazon prime or hulu plus to really have a variety of choices. We used it for months but ended up getting a cheap dish plan and still use the roku at home and sometimes while traveling.
Sent from my VS870 4G using Tapatalk
Sent from my VS870 4G using Tapatalk
videoguy91
Member
Love roku 4 be sure to get playon well worth it!
Sent from my SM-T330NU using Tapatalk
Oregon_Camper
Well-known member
Oh heck yea!! Playon is the best thing on the planet. Use this when you're in a location with fast internet and you can make a local copy of just about anything...including all streaming services, like Netflix...Hulu..etc. Then you can watch the local copies when you're in an area with poor to no internet service.
Here is a link to Playon. Enjoy!!
Last edited:
JohnD
Moved on to the next thing...
We have Direct TV at home and love it, but it is getting really expensive (they have raised the price twice unannounced), plus now that our equipment is three years old, it doesn't work very well anymore (changing a channel often takes over a minute to happen).
Very seriously thinking about buying another King/Jack antenna from Camping World and mounting it on the roof of the house!
I pull in over 70 local channels in our side yard with the Prowler.
Very seriously thinking about buying another King/Jack antenna from Camping World and mounting it on the roof of the house!
I pull in over 70 local channels in our side yard with the Prowler.
avvidclif
Well-known member
Do a Google search for WA2608 Antenna. It looks cheesy and is. I don't know how long it would survive outside in the wind. At 20"x29" it's not big. I bought one to use at the house with my RV because the Jack antenna couldn't be raised (clearance issues). I put it on a Sat tripod abt 4' off the ground and pointed it at the local TV stations (which meant the side of my neighbors house). At my SB it is 65 mi to the tv towers. I have a large (8') fringe area antenna on the roof with a 20dB amp for reference. It does a better job sitting on the ground that my house antenna does 20' up. A friend tried it and kept it so I bought 2 more as my son wanted to try it. Neither came back. At the last campout a friend tried my last one that I had not opened and bought it so now I'll have to get another. He put it together and pointed it out the door of his trailer and it did better than the batwing on the roof. He wanted it to put in his MIL's attic (HOA problems).
The best price I found was $23, most around $30, cheap enough.
Standard disclaimer, not affiliated, just a happy customer.
The best price I found was $23, most around $30, cheap enough.
Standard disclaimer, not affiliated, just a happy customer.
TravelTiger
Founding Texas-West Chapter Leaders-Retired
We got rid of satellite at the sticks and bricks and used Roku, Apple TV and Amazon, plus regular over the air. Though I didn't add up the costs, we thought we were saving money and pretty happy with what we could watch. I wouldn't try this in the RV because of what Dan said.
We ended up going with Dish once we were fulltime in the RV because our park was out in the country enough that the local channels, even with the better Jack antenna head, were not coming in well, and there was no selection of content.
Now we are in town and have good wired cable internet, so we have streamed some content via Apple TV.
I have not tried streaming via an RV park's wifi.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
We ended up going with Dish once we were fulltime in the RV because our park was out in the country enough that the local channels, even with the better Jack antenna head, were not coming in well, and there was no selection of content.
Now we are in town and have good wired cable internet, so we have streamed some content via Apple TV.
I have not tried streaming via an RV park's wifi.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
