Recommend SIMs or eSIMs for RV roaming 2024

Everything Else Wireless Carrier Troubleshooting
1

I’m an occasional RVer with a Peplink Max BR1 Mini (dual SIMs but only one 4G LTE modem).

Prior to this month, my two SIM cards were:

  • $15 Verizon 1G/month postpaid - paid year round as a backup/emergency
  • $35 ATT 15G/month prepaid - only activated this during the 3 summer months.

Two things changed:

  1. Verizon started blocking my SIM from working on my Peplink with no warning, getting a message about “your sim card was recently switched to a new device.” When I log in to allow the switch, I get this message “Some of the devices are only manageable or ineligible to switch for various reason [sic].” (Yes, it says “for various reason”. )
  2. Peplink is selling eSims

Any advice about what to do?

The Peplink eSim which gives $100 for 10GB which lasts 90 days Link might good for me over the summer.

Is the Peplink eSIM locked to a specific network or can I tell it which one to use? I travel to one campground where only ATT Channel 12 (700MHz) works, and nothing else does.

2

The Peplink eSIM Data Plan should be a good option for you, which covers the three major US carriers. You can find information with the below link.

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3

Let me answer this part of the question. No, eSIMs are not locked to bands. Band assignment is done by the cellular network within the limits of the client hardware. If you are on the AT&T network and your device’s hardware is capable of B12 it will work fine. - Rick

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4

Thanks @Rick-DC.

Although the base price for the Peplink eSim ($100/10GB) = $10/GB is not as good as my ATT SIM ($35/15GB) = $2.30/GB, the Peplink lasts for 90 days whereas the ATT only lasts for 30 days.

Also, I see this in the Peplink FAQ:

Any unused data of either SpeedFusion Connect Usage or Peplink eSIM Data Plans will roll over when a new plan is purchased so long as the purchased plan is still within its expiration date

The ATT plan doesn’t offer any rollover.

My desires:

  • It would be nice if the Peplink prices can come down a little bit - $10/GB is on the higher end of what’s available out there. If it were closer to $5/GB there would be no question.
  • It would be nice if there were a smaller plan (say $10-$30, for one month) so I could test this out. Having to commit to a $100 purchase is a bit steep for the part-timer RV crowd.
5

Wow - I asked for a cheaper eSIM plan and less than a week later, Peplink delivers!

(I’m pretty sure my forum posts have nothing to do with this).

The new plans look great for me, for example, the new NA & EU plan offers 20GB for $79 with a one year validity!

Link

To illustrate how good a deal this is for someone like me (who RVs over the summer, but needs both ATT and Verizon for coverage).

My prior costs in a typical year:

  • $15/month for 1GB on Verizon (this plan requires you to pay monthly)

  • $35/month for 15GB on ATT (30 day retention, so over the summer I would usually pay this plan 2 or 3 times).

  • I would spend $15 x 12 + $35 x 3 = 180 + 105 = $258 and get 1 x 12 + 3 x 15 = 57GB of data, = $4.53/GB In my case, it’s worse than that, since 9 of the 12 months of Verizon data are wasted, so I’m actually paying $258 for 48 GB of data, which is $5.38/GB.

The new Peplink plans give me some options, but if I were to try to match it exactly, I’d choose the $189 plan which gives 60GB and lasts one year, which works out to only $3.15/GB.

In addition, there are other potential benefits:

  • not having to deal with ATT and Verizon directly (two different accounts, etc.)
  • fewer compatibility issues (for example, last month Verizon told me my plan would no longer work in my Peplink!)

Looking forward to these new plans :grinning:

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6

Drat - I just realized the eSIM requires a BR1 Mini Hardware version 3, and I have the older model. Maybe it’s time for a hardware upgrade…?

7

Circling back to this topic, I have more questions:

  • what’s the best Peplink for an RV which supports eSIMs? Some older models (such as my BR1 Mini HW1) do not.
  • does Peplink eSIM support also require PrimeCare? If so, one needs to include this in the cost.
8

To use the Peplink eSIM Data Plan, the PrimeCare isn’t required. :wink:

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I know we are talking about Peplink eSIMs but be aware that the MAX BR1 Mini LTE CAT4 (HW3) does not support BYO eSIMs, you will need to aim for at least the MAX BR1 Mini LTEA CAT6 (HW3) if you want to use BYO eSIMs

Are there any plans for Peplink eSIMS to become available in ANZ specifically or do we go with the Global eSIM plan still?

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