How to get reliable internet in a campervan
A practical setup for working on the road: SIM choice, roof antennas, power draw and what to do when you park in a dead spot.
19 July 2026 · 10 min read · Signal Station Labs
Connectivity on the road is a coverage problem before it is a speed problem. The goal is to be online in more places, not faster in the few places that already work.
Two SIMs on different host networks is the single most effective change most people can make. Coverage maps diverge sharply once you leave main roads.
A roof-mounted MIMO antenna feeding a 12V router will beat a phone hotspot in almost every marginal location we tested, often by a wide margin.
Watch the power budget. A router and antenna combination typically draws 8 to 15W continuously, which is meaningful on a modest leisure battery.
For genuine dead spots, plan around them. Download maps and work files in advance, and treat satellite as an occasional-use option rather than a daily driver.
Method note
Figures in this piece come from Signal Station Labs measurement. Where a result depends heavily on location we say so rather than reporting a single number as universal.
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