What are the Internet options for semi off the grid living? We want to get away from it all; however, the internet is needed for part-time work/school
Off the grid living
Started by Mariamaria87 · Nov 6, 2021 · 25 replies
Satellite Internet called Vis Sat, I believe. Star Link in a few years.
You will need a generator/Solar system for long term stays. .
We built in Cholla before electric went in, 2-3 day stays were OK just running a small generator for minimal power needs.
After trying to stay for 7-10 days at a time, we realized more power was necessary to really have comforts like using fans and lights.
After laptops/Internet came about more power is needed.
Finally when power came into Cholla we could run A/C which is necessary in July-mid Oct,
unless you enjoy sleeping with night temps 85-90 with humidity levels at 75-80%. I sure can't sleep with those conditions.
When the ocean temps are 88-90, a cool breeze off the ocean is fiction.
You will need a generator/Solar system for long term stays. .
We built in Cholla before electric went in, 2-3 day stays were OK just running a small generator for minimal power needs.
After trying to stay for 7-10 days at a time, we realized more power was necessary to really have comforts like using fans and lights.
After laptops/Internet came about more power is needed.
Finally when power came into Cholla we could run A/C which is necessary in July-mid Oct,
unless you enjoy sleeping with night temps 85-90 with humidity levels at 75-80%. I sure can't sleep with those conditions.
When the ocean temps are 88-90, a cool breeze off the ocean is fiction.
The internet satellite company is Viasat. I had it for awhile. It’s relatively expensive. Star link isn’t available here yet.
You will roast in the summer… in my area ( Santo Tomas) you get service from a antennesystem.I would suggest looking into renting a house in Ejido Alvaro Obregon 6 miles inland from Santo Tomas …be super cheap and have a beer store with a town full of people that actually tolerate Americans …helpful friendly and kind
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Old55 said:
You will roast in the summer… in my area ( Santo Tomas) you get service from a antennesystem.I would suggest looking into renting a house in Ejido Alvaro Obregon 6 miles inland from Santo Tomas …be super cheap and have a beer store with a town full of people that actually tolerate Americans …helpful friendly and kind
Gives a whole new meaning to sveaty nuts.
Thank you!:)
Old55 said:
You will roast in the summer… in my area ( Santo Tomas) you get service from a antennesystem.I would suggest looking into renting a house in Ejido Alvaro Obregon 6 miles inland from Santo Tomas …be super cheap and have a beer store with a town full of people that actually tolerate Americans …helpful friendly and kind
What's the beach access ramp looking like these days down in ST? Still able to get a vehicle down that thing?
check out skyroam.com
Mexico Joe said:
What's the beach access ramp looking like these days down in ST? Still able to get a vehicle down that thing?
Sure thing….Scott is still launching from there
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Old55 said:
Sure thing….Scott is still launching from there
and he is catching lots of nice fish but nothing like this Dorado my buddy caught in Baja last week!
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Old55 said:
and he is catching lots of nice fish but nothing like this Dorado my buddy caught in Baja last week!
Who's launching him? Do they do it with a tractor? I remember that beach access being deep sand. That's a nice Bull.
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He has that bronco with the big tires…really big but your new boat would be better in Lobos where we launched your kayak that time….woody would launch you and there are a couple of good places to rent there these days
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Mariamaria87 said:
What are the Internet options for semi off the grid living? We want to get away from it all; however, the internet is needed for part-time work/school
Mariamaria87, If you have access to a cell tower, Telcel has 4 plans, cost betwen $ 299 & $499 per month (pesos) We have the 125gb with speeds to 50 mbps.. it says unlimited but they mention they will slow the speed down if you use over the specified amount of gb's.. however they never have..ours works without any interruptions.. the 125 gb plan is not for some reason on the first page, if you browse the site you will find it. It' an inexpensive option that actually works good. https://www.telcel.com/personas/telefonia/planes-de-renta/tarifas-y-opciones/internet-en-tu-casa If Telmex or any other internet is available they probably won't sell you the plan.. P.S. if they do slow the speed, the cost to speed it back up is $100 pesos per 25 extra gb's..
Last edited: Sep 23, 2022 at 8:02 AM
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Mariamaria87, if you haven't purchased solar panels or intend to use them, and live in the Phoenix or Tucson area, here is where I have purchased many solar panels in past years, they 100% honest and if you are interested in used or new, they are all checked for power output.. I would skip buying accessories here, there are other places a little cheaper.. but panels cant be beat.. Talk to Jason or Rusty..The solar companies here in penasco buy them here.. dont tell them Corndog sent you they know me by another name..I am not an installer, just a hack... https://santansolar.com/ P.S. dont be afraid to ask you a discount.. they are usually happy too... well maybe not happy, but not mad either.. This kid will teach you everything you need to know about building off grid solar power systems.. his youtube channel, even if you aren't interested in DIY, when you have an off grid solar sytem its yours, you own it and if you dont know how to maintain it, sometimes its a huge problem sometimes finding somebody to come fix it.. so you could be without power for a while.. probably expensive to for something maybe simple or basic.. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoj6RxIAQq8kmJme-5dnN0Q His name is Will Prowse..
Last edited: Sep 27, 2022 at 4:38 PM
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I had Viasat the first year we lived here. As mentioned, it was expensive and had data limits. I read last week that starlink is available in Sonora and it costs half the price that it does in the US. You can find the details on their website.
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richwi said:
I had Viasat the first year we lived here. As mentioned, it was expensive and had data limits. I read last week that starlink is available in Sonora and it costs half the price that it does in the US. You can find the details on their website.
Thank you..I just left the website, they did drop it 1/2 to 1100 pesos..we live rural and have Telcel internet from a cell tower, but they have maxed out customer wise where we are and there are still people that have no internet, also if you dont have residency or are a citizen of Mexico, they wont sell you the service.. so Starlink could help..
Last edited: Sep 27, 2022 at 8:01 PM
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corndog said:
Mariamaria87, If you have access to a cell tower, Telcel has 4 plans, cost betwen $ 299 & $499 per month (pesos) We have the 125gb with speeds to 50 mbps.. it says unlimited but they mention they will slow the speed down if you use over the specified amount of gb's.. however they never have..ours works without any interruptions.. the 125 gb plan is not for some reason on the first page, if you browse the site you will find it. It' an inexpensive option that actually works good. https://www.telcel.com/personas/telefonia/planes-de-renta/tarifas-y-opciones/internet-en-tu-casa If Telmex or any other internet is available they probably won't sell you the plan.. P.S. if they do slow the speed, the cost to speed it back up is $100 pesos per 25 extra gb's..
Thank you!
corndog said:
Mariamaria87, if you haven't purchased solar panels or intend to use them, and live in the Phoenix or Tucson area, here is where I have purchased many solar panels in past years, they 100% honest and if you are interested in used or new, they are all checked for power output.. I would skip buying accessories here, there are other places a little cheaper.. but panels cant be beat.. Talk to Jason or Rusty..The solar companies here in penasco buy them here.. dont tell them Corndog sent you they know me by another name..I am not an installer, just a hack... https://santansolar.com/ P.S. dont be afraid to ask you a discount.. they are usually happy too... well maybe not happy, but not mad either.. This kid will teach you everything you need to know about building off grid solar power systems.. his youtube channel, even if you aren't interested in DIY, when you have an off grid solar sytem its yours, you own it and if you dont know how to maintain it, sometimes its a huge problem sometimes finding somebody to come fix it.. so you could be without power for a while.. probably expensive to for something maybe simple or basic.. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoj6RxIAQq8kmJme-5dnN0Q His name is Will Prowse..
I appreciate your response! Have a great weekend
Making hot water with a solar panel.. The higher the wattage panel the better it will heat... Alternative sells this product, Im sure its fine, but a waste of money,, He compares his product with a 110 volt element.. The 110 volt element that comes in small electric water heaters works fine, another waste of money is the thermostat on his 12 volt element, as the thermostat that comes in electric water heaters will turn the 110 volt stock element on and off.. The solar panel hot water heater is an inexpensive way to make hot water..... on cloudy day's you probably won't have hot water..
Last edited: Sep 29, 2022 at 8:31 AM
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I had a photographer for a big national magazine call me, that had purchaed a 12 volt truckers crockpot.. He said he was away from the camp he had set up in the desert and wanted to try hooking a solar panel to the crockpot to warm his food while he was out filming.. so I hooked him up with the highest wattage 12 volt panel I had.. never heard back from him, but it probably worked... https://www.roadprobrands.com/products/12-volt-1-5-quart-slow-cooker-black .
Last edited: Oct 1, 2022 at 7:40 AM
corndog said:
Mariamaria87, if you haven't purchased solar panels or intend to use them, and live in the Phoenix or Tucson area, here is where I have purchased many solar panels in past years, they 100% honest and if you are interested in used or new, they are all checked for power output.. I would skip buying accessories here, there are other places a little cheaper.. but panels cant be beat.. Talk to Jason or Rusty..The solar companies here in penasco buy them here.. dont tell them Corndog sent you they know me by another name..I am not an installer, just a hack... https://santansolar.com/ P.S. dont be afraid to ask you a discount.. they are usually happy too... well maybe not happy, but not mad either.. This kid will teach you everything you need to know about building off grid solar power systems.. his youtube channel, even if you aren't interested in DIY, when you have an off grid solar sytem its yours, you own it and if you dont know how to maintain it, sometimes its a huge problem sometimes finding somebody to come fix it.. so you could be without power for a while.. probably expensive to for something maybe simple or basic.. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoj6RxIAQq8kmJme-5dnN0Q His name is Will Prowse..
Great info …thanks, I have a extra lot in Santo Tomas I was going to build on but decided it made no sense for 70 year old me ….one of you guys should buy it and go off grid solar…screw cfe
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corndog said:
Thank you..I just left the website, they did drop it 1/2 to 1100 pesos..we live rural and have Telcel internet from a cell tower, but they have maxed out customer wise where we are and there are still people that have no internet, also if you dont have residency or are a citizen of Mexico, they wont sell you the service.. so Starlink could help..
If we get StarLink in Sonora, would we be able to use it in our RV when we are parked in the USA?
I know they have plans in the USA where you can roam with it. But, not sure if it would roam into Mexico. It would be nice to have one service that would work in both countries.
Kea said:
If we get StarLink in Sonora, would we be able to use it in our RV when we are parked in the USA?
I know they have plans in the USA where you can roam with it. But, not sure if it would roam into Mexico. It would be nice to have one service that would work in both countries.
Looks like a yes, you can cross borders with Starlink, but the posted article say's $25.00 extra per month.. i assume it's only when you are arcross the border..If you buy it in Mexico, check the price for crossing the border with them.. It might be different. https://www.reviews.org/internet-service/can-satellite-internet-connection-cross-international-borders/
Last edited: Oct 3, 2022 at 6:15 PM
Cool. Thanks for the response.
Kea said:
If we get StarLink in Sonora, would we be able to use it in our RV when we are parked in the USA?
I know they have plans in the USA where you can roam with it. But, not sure if it would roam into Mexico. It would be nice to have one service that would work in both countries.
You can use your starlink equipment from the US in Mexico for 60 days and the Mexico starlink equipment in the US for 60 days only
Thanks. We spend more than 60 in each country per year. So I guess this isn’t a good option.