Recent years have witnessed a flight from the office, working from home, and the dawning of a new age of so-called “digital nomads”. These are the people armed only with a laptop or tablet who can continue to work while on the road, travelling from one place to another, or settling every once in a while. The perfect home from which to pursue that lifestyle, of course, is a caravan.
You don’t need to be a fully-committed digital nomad, of course, to pick up your internet-connected devices while you are on holiday in your caravan.
Mobile data speeds and capacities are improving all the time, but there is still nothing like the reliability and strength of a WiFi-enabled internet connection. Whether for work or pleasure, therefore, WiFi on the go has become a highly sought-after facility among the caravanning fraternity.
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Do caravan sites have WiFi?
In this day and age, therefore, the demand for WiFi is such that practically any caravan site worth its salt will also offer a connection to campers.
The Caravan and Motorhome Club, for example, boasts that from April 2023 it is launching a second stage in upgrading WiFi internet access across its range of sites through its service provider BT. It has already spent an estimated £1.5 million in the first stage of the upgrade project, has now connected 147 of its sites in the UK, and plans to add still more sites to that total.
Wireless hotspots are located close to the onsite reception area but the speed and strength of the connection will fall if you are pitched further away and will also vary depending on the site’s distance from the local servers and the number of users online. The Club warns that the intention is to provide a basic service only – suitable for emails and web browsing but not for the streaming of films or BBC iPlayer.
The majority of the Camping and Caravanning Club’s sites, now boast free access to a WiFi network. Powered by specialist WiFi providers, Infinium, the network is owned by the Club.
Coverage at the sites typically extends to a radius of between 50 and 100 metres from the WiFi antenna. Connection speeds will vary from one site to another, of course, depending on the distance from the local exchange and the number of users online at any one time. So, don’t expect the connection speeds or reliability that you might otherwise enjoy at home.
Boosters and mobile routers
If you want to improve your chances of a more effective and faster connection to your campsite’s WiFi service, you can buy antennae and onboard boosters to amplify the signal you are receiving. If your campsite doesn’t have a Wi-Fi connection, with the appropriate booster device you may even be able to connect to one provided by the local pub, café or restaurant.
These include iBoost WiFi systems and wireless travel routers. They all work in different ways – some have antennas for example. There are a number of suppliers in the UK, and you might want to start weighing up your options by visiting the website WiFi on board.
What to consider if using public WiFi
Accessing a public WiFi network – such as that provided by your caravan site or, indeed, a local pub, café, or restaurant – does not come without its risks.
As the website TechRound warned in a posting on the 21st of December 2022, your devices are going to be at their most vulnerable if you are connecting to a public WiFi network. The device itself and the traffic you are receiving and sending is potentially available not only to the owners of that network but anyone using it.
The biggest risk you are running then is that the network is used to forcibly install malware and other viruses on your connected device. That malware can be used to cause untold damage – including the theft of your identity or even software that prevents you from using the device at all.
What to do if you are concerned about WiFi security
If you are worried about the security of a public WiFi connection, you can lessen the risks by setting up your personal VPN (Virtual Private Network). The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) explains that this gives you an encrypted network connection that offers data security while it is transmitted across an untrusted network.
It is often explained that a VPN gives you an effective “tunnel” wrapped around your internet connection so as to keep it safely hidden from prying eyes, says the Consumer Association’s Which? magazine.
Beware, however, that a VPN does not remove all security risks. The public WiFi network to which you are connecting is likely to open a “captive portal” that incorporates some of the local terms of service. This leaves a brief gap of vulnerability between your connection to the public WiFi and the activation of your VPN
Other caravan WiFi options
When you are out of range of a publicly accessible WiFi hotspot, or you need a fast, reliable internet connection, a number of alternative options exist through the use of mobile broadband:
Dongles
- a dongle is a small device that plugs into your computer and lets you connect to the internet by serving as a miniature modem – for that reason, dongles are also known as USB modems, USB network adapters, or simply “internet sticks”;
- some dongles are used to give your computer Bluetooth capabilities, WiFi, extra security, multimedia, or other features – but usually when we refer to a “dongle”, it’s to the device that provides a mobile broadband connection;
- the affectionately named dongle is a way of adding a SIM (Subscriber Identification Module) card to your laptop through a USB connection;
- a dongle may be bought quite separately, with your choice of mobile broadband operator through the use of a SIM card only deal, or directly from the network operator;
MiFi
- a similar principle is used by a “mobile WiFi” (or MiFi) device;
- a MiFi can be used wherever you can get a mobile ‘phone signal, through a small, wireless device that lets multiple users and mobile devices share a mobile broadband internet connection;
- it is effectively a portable wireless router that is also known as a “pocket WiFi” and, in just the same way as your router at home, has the ability to link a number of wireless devices – typically up to ten – to the internet through the same internet connection;
- that lets you create what amounts to your own mobile WiFi hotspot and one that offers a considerably faster internet connection than that provided by your smartphone or tablet on a regular mobile network;
- MiFi is a separate, standalone device, or may be rented from the mobile network operator of your choice – you might want to beware, however, that some operators may “lock” your MiFi device in just the same way that operator-supplied phones may be locked into that operator’s network;
Tethering
- a further option is to use your smartphone as the principal connection for your laptop to the internet;
- by tethering your smartphone and laptop in this way, you may access the available mobile networks (if these are in range and available on your phone), using the phone’s access to the internet;
- beware that with tethering, it is probably not going to take very long before you reach the limit of your data allowance and, once that has been passed, you’ll have to start paying an arm and a leg for your access to the internet;
- also, tethering in this way is likely to provide a less rapid connection speed than using a dongle and/or MiFi arrangement.
Like it or not, therefore, there is probably no escape from the ability to work whilst enjoying the comforts of your caravan – whether it is a tourer or a static second home. WiFi communications give you the chance to stay abreast of whatever is happening on the work front and allow you to continue to make your own contribution to what needs to be done.
We hope our caravan WiFi guide will give you the solution in choosing the most appropriate hotspot or WiFi signal device so you can enjoy your holidays but still go online when you need to. In the meantime, any digital nomad can work remotely to your heart’s content.