Tired Of Working From Home? Put The Office On Wheels

As the RV industry continues to expand in popularity, more people are finding ways to hit the road while still enjoying the comforts of home and their connections to the office. The BBC spoke with several travelers to understand how they're staying connected.

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"The truth is that first time travellers, and even seasoned travellers, might hesitate staying in an RV in fear of having to ditch their comforts," says Joanna Franco, the host of Netflix's The World's Most Amazing Vacation Rentals.

"But the experience is getting close to staying in a standard home - with way better perks," Ms Franco adds. "RV technology is getting more user-friendly."

Among the companies offering solutions for digital nomads is the Indiana-based Aluminum Trailer Company (ATC), which offers a range of caravans (or trailers in the US).

ATC chief executive Robert Paden says demand for mobile connectivity has spiked as a new generation of nomads takes to the road.

"We've seen an especially large increase in people new to the camping and off-grid world coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic. Many of those still want to stay connected for remote work or family purposes, so we've seen increased demand for features that allow for reliable connectivity."

His company offers solar panels and mobile phone signal boosters.

"It's somewhat ironic, because the idea is you can be totally unplugged…. but still catch up on your Netflix shows," says Mr Paden.

"We certainly have a lot of customers who don't want to have anything to do with technology in their RVs, but the majority are wanting to have access to the same entertainment they do at home."

Mr Paden adds that for a new generation of consumers, road trips are no longer merely about getting away and unplugging from the digital world.

"It's about lengthening stays and extending experiences, including bringing along technology you would normally have at home," he says.

Brian Demo is a retired US Marine Corps helicopter mechanic and now a master RV technician and expert at JustAnswer - a website which connects subject matter experts to people with questions. He has noticed mobile homes becoming more and more sophisticated.

"The computer systems that are in some of these coaches are mini-tablets that you can [use] to operate the entire RV," he explains.

As an example, Mr Demo points to In-Command, a company that produces control systems that allow users to control a variety of features remotely from anywhere in the world.

"You can run that from your cell phone to run the electrical system in your coach, operate your levelling jacks and even adjust temperature for your air conditioning, or furnace," he says.

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Kevin Taylor, the founder of Powerful Signal, says WiFi at mobile home parks can often be patchy - so his firm specialises in mobile phone signal amplification devices.

Each amplification system includes an aerial outside the mobile home that works to capture signals outdoors from local towers.

"That signal is then transmitted by cable to an amplifier inside," he explains. "The amplifier boosts the signal power and sends it to [another] antenna inside the RV, which rebroadcasts the signal to the cellular devices inside the vehicle."

According to Mr Taylor, these antennas are constantly improving, making it likely that in the near-future travellers will be better connected than ever before.

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Read the full article from BBC News here.