Total dinosaur needs help

[HandyAndy]

Well first things first I assume this is for UK use..
If so just fit a simple MIFI unit in the camper and plumb it into the 12v electric.
Any time you are in the van MIFI will be "live" therefore every time you pick up your tablet, phone, laptop it will always be connected to the net.
For the MIFI unit if you don't go away in it all the time then I would recommend an EE PAYG DATA sim. you can top up with more DATA as you require from as little as £1 for 7 days / 100 mb
Not a lot but if you think you are as light a user as you say you are I'd start off there and see how much you get through.
I can easily chew through 2GB on a weekend haha. (£7 for 20 days)
See here for PAYG details on EE > https://ee.co.uk/content/dam/ee-hel...ay-as-you-go-plans-and-add-ons-feb18-0319.pdf
As for MIFI you could do worse than to get a pack something like this with the MIFI unit , internal aerial and 12v power supply all included..

4G Mobile Lite - Motorhome WiFi

4G Window Antenna & 4G Portable WiFi Router Best for portability Our 4G Mobile Lite is a portable solution allowing you to easily transfer both the antenna and router between vehicles. This cost effective solution is ideal for those who want an incremental increase in thier data reception. With...

www.motorhomewifi.com

Personally I wouldn't use the "3" network as it's a lot smaller than the big players like EE and Vodafone so you may end up somewhere with no signal at all.

Oh and here's some info on provider choice and you should see why I recommend EE..
Slightly more costly but the coverage outweighs that, because as you have already found out, trying to get online when there is little or no signal is more of an inconvenience than the slightly higher charges.

The best mobile phone networks in the UK right now

Choosing the best phone network for you isn't easy. In this guide, we run through all four main networks, plus the other operators which use their service

www.techadvisor.co.uk

 

[Motorhome-dude]

Handy Andy has given some really good advice and links.

If you want to go one step further you could fit the next model up. It's a really easy install and the instructions are very clear.

The motorhomewfi.com Kit 2 option

This is what comes in the box



This is how to install it



I went for the 3 unlimited data package but you can fit any SIM from any supplier so it's whatever works best for you for data wise.

I'm with Handy Andy about motorhomewifi.com they are a really good company and whichever kit you get it'll work better than just using your phone for a signal.

 

[Al-Di]

we already have a mifi,(on 3payg) and an old 10'' tablet,(past its best) which we have used in the past but always when parked up, as both of us are technically challenged,didnt realise I could leave the mifi switched on all the time, thought it ate data,
Thank you handy andy & motorhome dude for your explicit explanation very helpful,

slowly getting used to the smarty , have done a route on it using waze, and seem to do what was asked, also park4night seem to find things as we traveled round local area, and its handy having it in the cab with us,

as we are low phone user's it will take some time to adjust but will get there,

so thanks again all that have inputted with various advice,