As a van lifer who works from the street, having dependable web in my van is a very powerful. A normal paintings day in my van may come with Zoom calls with my van training purchasers, sending dozens of emails, updating my web page, and importing pictures to my weblog and movies to Instagram. Those are data-heavy actions, and a gradual web connection manner glitchy video calls and a large number of wasted time whilst I sit down round looking ahead to pages to load.
I’ve a Starlink for once I’m tenting in my van and out of cellular vary, however the Starlink dish isn’t completely put in at the roof of my van. So except I’m parked someplace for a longer duration and make an effort to arrange my Starlink, it implies that I’m extra regularly than now not the use of my mobile phone as my number one supply of web.
I’ve been a Verizon buyer for almost twenty years. When evaluating carrier whilst tenting with my van lifestyles buddies, it’s transparent that Verizon has the most productive protection, particularly in far off spaces round the USA. Alternatively, a couple of years in the past, one in all my Bearfoot Concept members (Courtney Stephenson) switched to a provider I’d by no means heard of: Visual. As a full-time van lifer who used to be running remotely (together with from down in Baja), Courtney used to be so proud of the carrier that she wrote a Visual evaluate right here at the weblog.
This 12 months as my contract with Verizon used to be up, I determined to modify to Visual too. With Verizon, I used to be paying $115 a month, and now with Visual+, my plan is solely $45 a month (or $395 for a whole 12 months when paid every year). Switching to Visual used to be so much more uncomplicated than I anticipated, and I’m sooooo satisfied to be saving just about $1,000 a 12 months on my telephone invoice, particularly when the carrier is similar.
Visual is in fact owned through Verizon and operates on Verizon’s 5G and 4G LTE networks. Except for having the similar protection as Verizon, Visual additionally provides limitless information, communicate, textual content, and cellular hotspot utilization. It nearly gave the impression too excellent to be true, however I had not anything to lose giving Visual a take a look at. Visual calls for no annual contract, so I knew if I didn’t adore it up to Courtney did, I may simply transfer again to Verizon or every other provider.
I’ve been trying out Visual for a couple of months now – and I’m satisfied it’s the most productive mobile phone provider in the marketplace for van lifers. It used to be so easy to modify over, billing is easy, and there are not any hidden taxes or charges. Additionally in evaluating my carrier to my spouse Ryan’s (who continues to be with Verizon), I haven’t spotted any distinction in velocity or protection, and I’ve executed velocity checks to turn out it.
On this up to date Visual evaluate, I wreck down Visual plan choices and pricing, the professionals and cons of Visual, and my private enjoy the use of Visual to paintings remotely at the highway.
Backed through Visual
This weblog put up is subsidized through Visual. Visual plans get started as little as $25 a month, and if you wish to give Visual a take a look at with out committing, they’re providing Bearfoot Concept readers $10 off any Visual per month plan for the primary 3 months. Use code MOOLAH for a restricted time to say. As all the time, I solely counsel services and products I really like and assume you’ll love too!
What Is Visual?
Visual is a low cost mobile phone provider this is owned through Verizon and runs off of Verizon’s 5G/4G LTE community so anytime there’s Verizon protection, Visual must even have protection. Although you’re now not a van lifer, Visual can be a nice provider choice if you happen to are living in a space with sturdy Verizon protection.
I discussed above that Ryan continues to be on Verizon. This has given us the chance to check Visual towards Verizon each at house and on a contemporary highway go back and forth to Arizona. There hasn’t been anyplace the place Ryan has had protection with Verizon that I didn’t have the similar selection of bars with Visual.
Visual has two easy plans – the Visual plan ($25/month) and the Visual+ plan ($45/month). Each plans be offering limitless information, communicate, textual content, and cellular hotspot utilization. I’ll get into the main points and variations between the 2 plans beneath.
Visual is a pre-paid carrier that calls for no credit score verify except you’re financing a brand new telephone. There are not any required annual contracts or activation charges, so there’s better flexibility than different telephone corporations. Billing is treated thru their app the place you’ll be able to simply arrange per month auto-pay or arrange your bills. You’ll additionally pay every year for even better financial savings.
Visual’s plans are designed for single-line customers as a substitute of households, and there are not any multi-line reductions. This makes it particularly excellent for solo van lifers and vacationers. Even with Ryan and I, if we each had the costliest Visual+ plan ($45/month), it might nonetheless be inexpensive than if we have been on a circle of relatives plan with every other provider.
Visual Professionals
Visual Cons
Visual Pricing and Plan Comparisons
There are recently two plans to be had, Visual ($25/month) and Visual+ ($45/month). There are some evident advantages of the Visual+ plan and a few key variations to believe when opting for a plan.
Visual vs Visual+
The most important variations between Visual vs Visual+ are:
I for my part selected Visual+ as a result of excessive speeds are necessary to me, particularly once I’m running remotely, so my Visual evaluate is concentrated at the Visual+ plan. Even if I’m now not running at the weblog, I depend on my telephone for such a lot of issues. I take advantage of my telephone to seek out campsites, potable water, climbing trails, instructions, grocery retail outlets, and extra. To reduce my frustrations with day-to-day making plans on my telephone, I sought after the quickest community to be had.
What I really like about Visual is that I’m now not locked right into a plan and will alternate my carrier at any time. For instance, if there’s a stretch of time once I’m now not touring, I will downgrade to the Visual plan with the press of a button, saving myself $20 a month. Or if I’m at the Visual plan and am headed to Baja or Canada, I will in an instant improve to the Visual+ plan.
Plan Pricing and Comparability
Under is a breakdown of what each and every plan supplies and the fee when paying per month. You’ll take a look at the main points of the two Visual plans on their web page. The overall value is what you notice right here. There are not any hidden taxes or charges tacked on in your invoice.
Visual Plan
$25/mo
inc. taxes and costs
Visual+
$45/mo
inc. taxes and costs
Paying Every year
Not too long ago, Visual began providing the facility to pay every year which comes with further financial savings. When see the yearly price in comparison to what you’d pay for a 12 months with every other provider, it in reality places it into standpoint.
visual
$275/12 months
visual +
$395/12 months
My Enjoy Switching to Visual
I used to be a little bit frightened about switching from Verizon to Visual. It kind of feels like on every occasion I am getting a brand new telephone, it’s all the time a trouble coping with my mobile phone supplier. I didn’t be expecting this enjoy to be any other.
I used to be pleasantly stunned through how simple it used to be. All I needed to do used to be enroll on their web page, obtain the Visual app to my telephone, come out my previous SIM card, and input some data like my telephone’s IMEI quantity (which may also be discovered for your settings). The app walks you in the course of the step by step procedure that normally used to be beautiful simple to practice.
There have been a few instances all through the method once I had questions, and I used to be in a position to start out a web-based chat. It took a minute to head from the bot assistant to getting an actual individual within the chat. After that, the individual stayed within the chat to stroll me thru all the procedure, ensuring my telephone quantity used to be transferred correctly, and I used to be in a position to obtain and ship texts and calls earlier than we mentioned good-bye.
One of the most causes Visual is so reasonably priced in comparison to different carriers is that they don’t have a telephone quantity you’ll be able to name or brick-and-mortar retail outlets. As a substitute, you’ll be able to get started a web-based chat with a Visual Rep any time of the day or week both on their web page or proper within the app.
Something you’ll wish to do earlier than you turn over is to ensure your telephone is suitable. You’ll use Visual’s compatibility checker to verify your instrument is supported, and if it’s now not, you’ll be able to get a brand new telephone thru Visual. As well as, if you wish to carry your present telephone with you, you’ll wish to be sure that your telephone is unlocked. You’ll in most cases to find that data for your telephone’s settings or you’ll be able to name your present supplier to determine.
When you’re feeling skeptical, you’ll be able to additionally take a look at Visual at no cost for 15 days. I did this to ensure I preferred it earlier than making the transfer. Mainly, they set you up with a tribulation telephone quantity that you’ll be able to use to make calls, textual content, and visit cyberspace the use of your current telephone.
It doesn’t have an effect on your current carrier or telephone quantity, and it used to be most commonly simple to arrange. It took about an hour, and I did want some the help of the Visual Rep within the chat, however it made me really feel extra assured about switching and used to be additionally a possibility to look what their customer support is like.
How Rapid is Visual’s Information?
The most important distinction between the Visual plan and the Visual+ plan is information speeds. Here’s what you’ll be able to be expecting:
To peer simply how briskly Visual+ is in apply, I ran a velocity check on my iPhone 12 Professional max with Visual+, in addition to on Ryan’s iPhone 13 Professional with Verizon. Listed here are the consequences.
I ran the check more than one instances on each telephones and were given beautiful identical effects each time. You’ll see that the Verizon telephone had rather upper obtain speeds, however the Visual+ telephone had upper add speeds. General even though, there isn’t an excessive amount of distinction in information speeds between Verizon and Visual+.
The 306 Mbps obtain velocity at the Visual+ telephone may be very speedy. For a Zoom assembly at 1080p answer, you want 3.8 Mbps (add velocity) and three.0 Mbps (obtain velocity). For 720p answer, this requirement drops to at least one.2 Mbps. For Netflix 1080p streaming (which is all you in reality want in case you are gazing on an iPad), Netflix recommends no less than 5 Mbps obtain velocity.
I did this velocity check at my house within the mountains outdoor of Park Town. Clearly in a extra far off house the place there isn’t a 5G community to be had, information speeds are going to be slower. The purpose of this velocity check even though is to turn there there’s a negligible distinction in information speeds between Verizon and Visual+.
Whilst at the Visual plan, BFT Contributor Courtney Stephenson reported that she hardly had any problems with gradual web speeds in spaces with protection. In her unique Visual evaluate, she wrote, “When operating web velocity checks from my telephone, my obtain speeds with the Visual plan are regularly 60Mbps or better, once in a while even topping 100Mbps. With those speeds, I’m in a position to browse the web, circulate Netflix, and use my telephone with out lag or a lot idea in any respect about information speeds.”
Courtney added, “I’ve solely spotted slower carrier two times – as soon as at a tune pageant in San Francisco and as soon as having no cellular reception within the small the town of Stanley, Idaho whilst my buddies with Verizon had a gradual connection. I chalked this as much as the city itself having tremendous spotty protection, and to this point, that’s the one time I’ve ever now not had any reception when Verizon shoppers had sign.”
Visual Cellular Hotspot
What units Visual with the exception of different carriers is its limitless cellular hotspot. The usage of a telephone as a hotspot is a quite common means for van lifers to get web at the highway, however it’s beautiful unusual to have a plan that provides actually limitless cellular hotspot information utilization. Maximum different carriers will cap information utilization and seriously decelerate your web speeds when you’ve hit your information prohibit for the month, making your hotspot unreliable and unusable when you’ve hit the cap.
As a substitute of capping information allowance, Visual caps your information speeds. The usage of your telephone as a hotspot, the Visual plan provides limitless information at 5 Mbps and 10 Mbps at the Visual+ plan. This implies you’ll all the time have the ability to use your telephone as a competent hotspot, regardless of how a lot information you’ve used each and every month.
For the typical individual, this shouldn’t purpose many problems. Courtney used Visual’s cellular hotspot as her number one web supply for running at the highway for two+ years and not using a court cases. She used to be in a position to do all of her pc paintings and not using a problems and sign up for our BFT staff video calls with minimum to no disruption.
I extensively utilized my Visual+ plan as a hotspot whilst in Arizona not too long ago and located it greater than ok for fundamental duties. I used to be in a position to put in writing my weekly publication, add pictures, and make some updates on my web page with none frustrations.
Alternatively, in case you are somebody who incessantly downloads/uploads massive information, is on video calls all day, or calls for extremely speedy web speeds, you could to find 5-10 Mbps hotspot speeds proscribing. Alternatively this will be the case whether or not it’s Visual, Verizon, T-mobile, or every other mobile phone supplier. On days once I wish to do data-heavy paintings (like importing a YouTube video), I can both arrange my Starlink or I’ll head to the closest the town with a espresso store or library.
Visual World Carrier
If you wish to cross to Mexico or Canada for your van, you’ll want the Visual+ plan because the Visual plan doesn’t come with any global carrier. At the Visual+ plan, you get limitless communicate, textual content, and roaming in Mexico and Canada (in addition to Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands).
This lets you make native calls or to name again to the USA or a lot of different international locations. It additionally contains 2 GB of high-speed information in step with day. After you employ the two GB, speeds are diminished to 3G, which if I’m being fair is frustratingly gradual.
So as to make the two GB closing, you’ll need to cross in your settings and switch off “background app refresh” for your entire apps. That means apps like Instagram and Fb aren’t refreshing within the background squandering precious information. You’ll additionally flip off cell information for your entire apps that you just aren’t the use of frequently (like Zillow, Amazon, or no matter they is also), so the ones apps received’t paintings except you’re on wireless.
Whilst I haven’t long gone to Mexico in my van, BFT Contributor Courtney made an annual van lifestyles go back and forth to the Baja Peninsula each wintry weather. She relied at the Visual+ plan to be in contact with folks within the States, in addition to to paintings remotely.
Courtney upgraded her plan to Visual+ proper earlier than crossing the border. The improve took not up to 10 mins and might be executed proper within the Visual app with none help. The alternate happened instantly, and she or he didn’t must look forward to every other billing cycle.
After the use of Visual+ in Baja for a whole wintry weather, in her Visual evaluate she reported, “I’ve been in reality inspired with Visual’s carrier down right here. In spaces with cellular protection, I’ve been in a position to name and textual content friends and family again in the USA as commonplace and use my telephone minimally for Google Maps, social media, and lightweight web surfing. The speeds are quickest within the morning and decelerate over the process the day, as information utilization is capped at 2 GB an afternoon and slows down considerably after that. So long as you arrange your expectancies (you’re now not going to look the similar web speeds roaming in Mexico as in the USA), it’s a perfect perk and the carrier is similar to different main carriers’ global services and products.”
Now, there are boundaries to Visual’s global functions – maximum significantly that global communicate, textual content, and information are restricted to Mexico, Canada, Puerto Rico, and Virgin Islands, except you buy a World Cross which matches in over 140 international locations.
Visual+ Participants get 1 loose World Cross monthly. Differently, the World Cross is $5/day in Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Virigin Islands or $10/day for protection in over 140 international locations. World Cross contains limitless communicate and textual content and a pair of GB of high-speed information in step with day earlier than it’s diminished to 3G speeds.
When you’re solely touring for every week, that’s superb, however in case you are going in a foreign country for any prolonged time period and depending on World Cross, $10/day can in reality upload up. Then again, when you have Visual and your telephone is unlocked, you’ll be able to purchase a pay as you go native SIM card within the nation you’re touring by which is most often inexpensive than paying for global carrier on any provider.
Conclusion
General, I’ve been tremendous proud of Visual+. I in truth can’t imagine how a lot inexpensive it’s than the contest whilst offering a majority of the similar advantages. It’s lots speedy, I don’t have to fret about any further charges or fees, and it’s month to month, so there is not any long-term dedication.
Regardless of having no customer support quantity, within the few on-line chats I’ve had all through the sign-up procedure, I’ve discovered the buyer carrier brokers to be useful, responsive, and in actuality excited by discovering answers.
The limitless cellular hotspot information is a large perk, and because lots of the shuttle I’m doing at the moment is home I’m now not too nervous through the loss of global protection. I’m hopeful that Visual will extend its global roaming protection sooner or later, and the truth that it’s monthly manner I will all the time transfer to every other provider if want be.
When you’re excited by giving Visual a whirl, consider you’ll be able to get $10 off any Visual per month plan for the primary 3 months. Use code MOOLAH all through check-out.
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Have you ever heard of Visual or have you ever attempted it? I’d love to listen to about your enjoy within the feedback.