Internet in a caravan, motorhome or boat: your options

Getting online away from bricks and mortar comes down to one question: does your home on wheels or water stay in one place? Home broadband is sold for an address, so a narrowboat cruising the canals needs a different answer from a static caravan on the same pitch every season. There are four realistic ways to connect, and many people combine two:

• Site Wi-Fi provided by a campsite, holiday park or marina.
• Your phone's hotspot, sharing its mobile data with a laptop or tablet.
• A portable 4G or 5G router (often called a MiFi) with its own data SIM.
• Satellite, such as Starlink's Roam plans for people on the move.

Everything below was checked in October 2026; plans change often, so confirm current terms before you buy.

Site Wi-Fi needs no kit, but it's shared with everyone on site. The two big clubs publish clear details (checked October 2026):

• The Caravan and Motorhome Club offers free Wi-Fi to the pitch at 115 of its campsites and paid Premium Wi-Fi at 108, through BT's Wi-Fi portal. The free service runs at up to 1Mbps for email, social media and basic browsing; it doesn't support streaming, gaming or large downloads, and it times out after an hour of continuous use. Premium runs at up to 100Mbps and supports streaming, but only one device at a time per registered email address. The Club says some pitches may not get full coverage, and both tiers block gambling and adult sites.
• The Camping and Caravanning Club says Wi-Fi is free at the majority of its sites, with coverage typically reaching 50 to 100 metres from the antenna. Speed depends on how far the site is from the local exchange and how many people are connected at once, and the Club recommends downloading films and TV at home before you travel.

Other parks and marinas set their own rules, so ask before booking: is it free, does it reach the pitch, can you stream, and how many devices can connect?

Tethering, or using your phone as a personal hotspot, shares your phone's mobile data with other devices over Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or a USB cable. It costs nothing to try. Check first:

• Your plan allows it. Apple says Personal Hotspot needs a provider that supports it and that extra fees may apply. Google says some mobile operators limit or charge extra for tethering, so check with your operator.
• Your data allowance and fair use rules. Three says its unlimited phone plans have no data caps and no fair usage policy in the UK and allow hotspotting. EE's fair use policy says it may slow SIM-only unlimited customers at busy locations if they use more than 600GB in a month. Other networks have their own rules.
• How many devices. Google says Android can share Wi-Fi with up to 10 devices.

The catch: the phone must stay in the best signal spot, and the connection leaves when the phone does. Google suggests plugging it in while tethering, and Apple and Google both suggest turning the hotspot off when you've finished.

A dedicated device with its own SIM gives the van a connection that doesn't depend on anyone's phone. Three's help pages explain the two common types:

• A dongle plugs into a computer's USB port and serves only that device.
• Mobile Wi-Fi, often called a MiFi, is a portable, battery-powered device that creates its own Wi-Fi hotspot for several devices. Three says its 4G and 5G MiFi devices connect up to 10 Wi-Fi devices.

A larger 4G or 5G router can also take a data SIM. Our guide to mobile broadband vs home broadband explains how these portable plans differ from home broadband hubs.

The providers draw the same line themselves. EE's home broadband page says to choose one of its mobile broadband hubs if you need Wi-Fi at home, and one of its mobile Wi-Fi devices if you need Wi-Fi on the go, calling the portable devices best for travel or working away from home, and listing them on flexible contracts. Three offers unlimited data on its 4G and 5G MiFi devices.

It's tempting to take the 4G or 5G hub from home with you. The providers' wording suggests caution (checked October 2026):

• EE says its Smart 4G Hub and Smart 5G Hub 7 Pro are for indoor use only, and that its home broadband plans are for mobile internet in a fixed location. See EE broadband deals.
• Three describes Home Broadband in its terms as a domestic service, with the indoor hub supplied for your home at the address on your account. Its help pages do allow the hub to go with you on a permanent house move, provided Three covers the new address, which is not the same as a weekend away. See Three broadband deals.
• Vodafone says whether you can get its 5G Broadband depends on strong 5G coverage at your address, and describes its rolling 1-month plan as ideal for a holiday rental; the page doesn't say whether the hub can be used elsewhere. See Vodafone broadband deals.

None of these pages says a short stay at another UK address is allowed or banned, so ask the provider and get the answer in writing.

For a static caravan with its own address and good coverage, check whether a home 4G or 5G plan can be ordered for that address in its own right: compare deals at the caravan's postcode. Our guide to switching from a fixed line to 4G, 5G or satellite covers what to check before committing.

Coverage from one network says nothing about the others, and rural areas lag. Ofcom's figures, as reported by ISPreview, show the gap:

• Connected Nations 2025: 4G reached 96% of the UK's landmass from at least one operator, but only 89 to 90% from all operators.
• 5G was on 48% of urban mobile sites but only 20% of rural ones.
• Ofcom's Spring 2026 update (January 2026 data): individual operators' outdoor 5G covered between 76% and 94% of premises, but only 64% of premises had outdoor 5G from all operators.

ISPreview reported in August 2026 that 150 publicly funded Shared Rural Network (SRN) 4G mast upgrades were live, and that 42 SRN sites had been activated in national parks, including 12 in Eryri (Snowdonia). Our guide to the Shared Rural Network and rural 4G explains the programme.

In practice: check each network's coverage checker for the places you'll stay, not just home; consider SIMs on two different networks, say your phone on one and the MiFi on another; and treat a coverage map as a prediction, because a test on arrival tells you more.

Where mobile signal fails, satellite can fill the gap if you can see the sky. Our guide to satellite broadband in the UK covers how it works; here we focus on travel.

On a fixed pitch, a fixed connection may be possible, depending on what has been built to the park. Quickline, which serves rural communities across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, sells holiday home packages: its help pages say a standard installation fee applies for holiday homes such as static caravans, set by package and contract term and given when you order, and that holiday home packages come with a Zyxel EX3301 router. See Quickline broadband deals.

Steps that help:

1. Ask the park first. Ask which providers serve the park, whether a line or fibre reaches the pitches, and what permission installation needs.
2. Find the pitch's postcode or address. Providers check availability by address.
3. Check what's on sale there. Find the area on our broadband deals by area pages, or go straight to compare deals at your postcode. It shows live deals from our partner and may not include every small local provider.
4. Match the contract to your season. For part-year use, weigh a rolling plan against paying a longer contract through closed months.

Touring in Europe changes the rules for mobile data. GOV.UK's guidance Using your mobile in EU and EEA countries, published by the then Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport on 31 December 2020 and not updated since (still live when we checked in October 2026), says:

• surcharge-free roaming in EU and EEA countries is no longer guaranteed, and operators' policies could change;
• a default limit of £45 per monthly billing period applies to mobile data spending abroad, with alerts when you reach 80% and 100% of it;
• operators must explain how to avoid accidental roaming in border areas, such as near the border in Northern Ireland, where your phone or MiFi can connect to a network across the border.

Check the roaming terms on every SIM you carry, including the MiFi's. On satellite, Roam 100GB covers Europe and the UK and Roam Unlimited more than 160 countries and territories; check each country's in-motion rules too.

We don't quote prices. For a fixed pitch, compare deals at your postcode.

• Do you need to stream or work, or just check email?
• Have you checked coverage for each network at the places you'll stay, and would a second SIM on another network help?
• Do your SIMs' terms allow tethering or your own router, and what fair use limits apply?
• Taking a home hub away? Ask the provider in writing first.
• For Starlink: a Roam plan, enough battery power and a secure mount for use on the move.
• Going abroad? Check roaming and Starlink's in-motion rules.