joanne0012
Boston, MA
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Any time a campground advertises a feature and then fails to provide it, we should be making a note of that in the online campground reviews sites. Not for temporary things like pool maintenance or effects of unusual weather, but for outright misrepresentation.
Joanne
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Modracer
central cal
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We were in a park in Florida in July that had great Wifi during the day but about an hour after the office closed it would go down. The wireless router signal was still 5 bars but it would not connect you to the Internet. It turned out that they would turn the office computers off when they closed, and if no one was using the Wifi their ISP would drop the connection after a certain amount of time, and would not hook back up until they logged on in the office in the morning. I talked to them about it but they said it was company policy to turn off the computers at night.
So I did a google search in the morning and found an Automatic Ping Program called Stayalive Pro which randomly pings various search engines every 15 to 90 seconds. I had Wifi the rest of the time I was there.
It also worked at what used to be the KOA in FT Sockton TX which had the same problem.
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HUTCH45
NORCAL
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Big Katuna wrote:
Most campgrounds state "WIFI available". I have never seen one advertise "Excellent WIFI signal at every campsite".
We must always manage our expectations so as not to be disappointed.
Took the words right out of my mouth..."Wi-Fi Available".
(There's an old saying:'Inspect your Expectations')
"HUTCH"
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ntar827
Cleveland, Ohio, USA
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Don't understand why some knock those who want to be able to use their computer while camping. No different than having a TV, refrig., stove, lights and your dog.
Now that I have a motorhome with a useable bath, WiFi is more important than a clean bathhouse. If it is advertised without explaining the limitations there should be a strong signal everywhere. Also, there should be sufficient capacity for everyone to use it. Sharing limited bandwidth will make it just as bad as not having it at all.
It appears that at some campgrounds when the office closes down their WiFi is no longer available. I have been in some campground where the signal is strong but no one can access the Internet.
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joanne0012
Boston, MA
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ntar827 wrote:Don't understand why some knock those who want to be able to use their computer while camping. No different than having a TV, refrig., stove, lights and your dog.
Now that I have a motorhome with a useable bath, WiFi is more important than a clean bathhouse. ...
Amen! More important than a clean bathhouse, pool, playground, fishing hole, game room, or pretty much any of those other extra features that I never use.
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Dixonmatco
Santa Rosa, California
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w4phj wrote:I have all but given up on WiFi. My Verizon air card has worked well for me everywhere, maybe too well in Canada (grin).
That is my answer also..
I have found that CG WI-FI is spotty at best..
If you really feel the need to have internet availability for whatever reason, the air card is the best, most reasonably priced alternative.
BTW, it also works at most State and National parks, where there is no WI-FI..
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webslave
Clearville, PA
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This is really kind of amusing to me...love the comments, some are true gems
I work in IT (actually, I'm retiring from it in 52 days...) I'm a Systems Integrator and am truly amazed at how people just can't live without their technology any longer. Can't live without a cell phone, can't live without their flat screen, can't entertain themselves without an X-Box, now can't live without WiFi. Cashiers that can't figure out the change back from a $10.00 bill when the cost of an item is $2.37 without using the computational portion of the cash register...
When the CG advertises WiFi Available, it should be available...not necessarily to every site, just, you guessed it, "available". One poster mentioned a gas station...they advertise gas and gas is what they have. You won't find it in their service bay, you actually have to go to the pump to get it. If the CG advertises WiFi available, and it is available in their play room only, then the WiFi is available as advertised. If they advertise that they have excellent signal strength to every site and then you find, upon arrival, that it is not true, then you've got a gripe. Even if that happens, it may be a technical problem that they are experiencing...these are CG operators, for the most part, good, honest people trying to scratch out a living in a very fickle business. They aren't MIT engineers, or certified technicians. Most wouldn't know a bit from a byte, let alone how to keep a system tuned up on their own; good IT service is expensive and in a lot of areas, pretty scarce.
My recommendation is that if you are indeed in a totally reliant position as concerns 24/7 connections, call ahead and check to see what level of "available" they have, and if they can't guarantee what you need, look elsewhere. While the technology will certainly improve and I suspect that most CG's will get better at it, there will always be some that won't and I don't mind those any more than I mind the areas in the country where my cell phone won't work or the CG that doesn't have, heaven forbid, cable for my television. I would never tie my life so tightly to "broadcast" technology that I couldn't go a week or two without, and if I did, I would go to great pains on my part to make sure those "required" needs were met and not base it on an advertisement that may be out of date, a misprint, or just plain criminally wrong, excrement happens and as a consumer, part of the onus is on me to make a good purchasing decision. I looked at my TT before buying it, based partly on a brochure, but, I sure went a crawled around on it first; it was an important purchase. If WiFi is important, call ahead to verify, and if it is really, truly, life or death,, then purchase a signal strength meter and check the site before you even set up...if it doesn't have the signal strength that you need, test other sites and base your selection on the meter...
Thankfully, I can base my decision on: does it have a view, shade, and a level pad. The rest is "icing on the cake"  I like W/E, but, I don't even mind having to "go to" the dumpstation...
Don
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tabraha
Pomaria, South Carolina
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I work while I camp a fair amount as I'm self employed and this is how I can get some serious vacation time in without bringing my small business to a screeching halt while out of town. The way I see it if it's available at the office then worst case I'm covered. I'm not happy about walking up to the office to check email or make my trips count to send files etc. but it is an option. Wi-fi at the site is good but very rarely do I have enough signal strength to get any kind of decent throughput nor do I feel happy about the security of the network etc. I use an air card and have had far greater success with that. Typically better coverage, typically better speed, typically better security IMO. MUCH more expensive but it gets me out of my office and I don't mind working on my laptop nearly as much sitting underneath my awning listening to a river run by or looking out at the mountains!
PS webslave: Congrats on upcoming retirement!
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ntar827
Cleveland, Ohio, USA
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I understand the comments about an air card being preferable but I do not have a cell phone contract.
I use a prepaid cell phone for the few occasions that I need it.
If I want an air card I will have to spend about $100 per month plus cost of phone and card. I only would use it during my summer trips. At best 30 days out of the year.
Thus my preference is to use the WiFi at the campground and feel that if advertised it should work. If not advertised and it is available then it is a plus that I would appreciate and I would pass on the info.
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bud121156
Shelby, North Carolina
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Joined: 04/15/2007
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I plan trips to campgrounds having WiFi available for my kids laptops.For us, its like choosing a campground that has a pool, over another campground that doesn't have a pool.
Now when the trips are just me and the DW, it doesn't matter if it has WiFi or not.
Just this weekend, we had to deal with hackers trying to access my son's and nephew's laptops at a campground.
Donnie and Cheryl
Shelby, North Carolina
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