Grumbling

I do not grumble a lot. Really I do not. One exception is a poor Internet connection. I pay for a good one and I expect it to deliver. Trophy Gardens has provided park-wide Internet for the past 4 1/2 years. For some people that is a big plus. After full-timing for ten years and have a fair amount of experience dealing with different connections in different locations I can tell you that 90% of park-wide internet systems are not at all adequate. Most people have succumbed and found their own system to work for them. The system here in Trophy has been in existence because the company that provides it promised something they cannot truthfully deliver, particularly in January and February and the mangers are very tired of handling resident complaints.  The 5-year contract will be up in June of 2020. We have all been warned.
I knew I would need to find a solution for us. Google Fi is okay for the internet but it is pricier than I like and just okay for speed. As a phone, it is great and dirt cheap so it will stay our phone choice.  A phone bill of $25 a month is fine. and we will leave all that alone.

 I have always liked Spectrum in South Texas but this park will not allow any new lines to be buried other than what they already have and new poles with connections are not allowed either.

Trophy Gardens has embraced a system called www.cobainternet.com so knowing we would want something with enough oomph to stream movies and not frustrate the H out of me we decided to try Coba. There is a sizeable hookup fee ($150) because you are buying equipment and installation. It is a one time fee. There are no contracts and you can stop and start any time you please. You keep the equipment that you paid for and take it with you and bring it back each season. There are three levels of service and we chose the middle one. We are not gamers and they require lots of oomph. We require medium oomph. If all you do is Facebook and check your email the lowest oomph would be good enough for you. We decided it was better to try it this year instead of next when fewer options would be available.

When the guys installed it they needed an electrical outlet. It depends on line-of-sight for a signal and after trying to mount it on the ladder at the back of the motorhome and deciding it did not work we have it on a tripod beside the front of the motorhome with a cable to electricity. We had it plugged into an outdoor electric box in one of the basement bins near the rear of the motorhome. After a week of frustration with dropped service and intermittent signal, we decided to bring it inside through one of the slide-outs and that changed everything! It has been dependable and speedy ever since. The installers had told us it would not make a difference but it very much did.