France is a great destination to discover with an RV. The French love camping, there are campgrounds about everywhere and motorhomes are easily welcome to park in most touristic areas.
Traveling with an RV provides many advantages: you’re flexible, you’re independent, you’re comfortable and you have everything you need with you. Everything? Not quite, rental motorhomes and campervans are not equipped with wifi. Does this mean that an RV trip is a disconnected trip? Of course, not.
We have listed the various solutions available for you to enjoy your camping trip while staying connected.
Wifi coverage in France
Although some “white zones” remain, France is one of the countries offering the best coverage in 4G and Internet. The areas that are not covered are usually remote, on the country side or the mountains, if you drive a few miles you’ll be in a connected zone again. Note however that if almost 100% of cities, town and villages are covered by the internet, quite a few have poor service depending on operator, way below 130Mb/s.
Connect to public wifi hotspots
If you’re traveling with a motorhome, you will have to stay in designated areas as wild camping is strictly regulated in France, especially in national parks. The good news is that many camping sites and RV parking areas are well equipped and offer public wifi.
Other places where you can also access public wifi:
- tourist offices
- some cities and towns have public wifi access
- fast food and coffee chains
- highway fuel stations
Advantages:
- available in many locations
- unlimited access
- unlimited devices
- free or buy a coffee to get the access code
Disadvantages:
- unavailable while driving
- often poor service due to many users
- unsecured connection
- each time you need to provide personal information to be alble to connect
Connect to internet with your own phone plan
If you have a European phone plan, it won’t cost you extra as roaming charges have been suppressed in the European Union. However, if you’re not an EU resident and you connect to the internet with your phone, you are bound to have an unpleasant surprise when you get your bill. Before you leave, check with your operator for the roaming charges in France and whether they offer temporary international plans.
Advantages:
- no changes to your navigation
- available almost everywhere
- good service
- secured connection
Disadvantages:
- (very) expensive
- limited data volume
- limited number of devices connected
Connect via satellite
If you’re mainly travelling to “white zones” and absolutely need to be connected at all times, you might want to consider renting a satellite antenna for the duration of your stay. With satellite, you don’t go through the French 4G or internet network but directly through satellite connection. As long as you have the antenna pointing to the sky, you can get network.
Advantages:
- available everywhere
- secured connection
Disadvantages:
- expensive
- low to very low speed connection
Connect with a pocket wifi hotspot
With a pocket wifi hotspot, you have the same advantages as when using your regular phone connection, but for a much lower price and the possibility to connect up to 10 devices at the same time. It’s ideal if you travel with family or friends. Rent your pocket wifi hotspots from Nomadewifi for the duration of your stay and have it delivered anywhere in France: your arrival airport, the RV rental office, etc.
Advantages:
- no changes to your navigation
- available almost everywhere
- good service
- secured connection