Help us make ‘The Mobile Internet Handbook’ 2nd Edition Awesome!

About this time last year, we decided it would be nifty to put all of our mobile internet related posts in one place – creating a central spot for all of this stuff that we get asked about so frequently.

Topics covered included cellular options, WiFi, boosting systems, antennas, satellite internet, and figuring out just what combinations you actually need to stay connected out there.

Very soon into compiling that massive master blog post, we realized we had enough content to write a book!

So we did.

We launched The Mobile Internet Handbook in early June 2013, and we were thrilled and humbled with how well received the book was in the months that followed.

So many people wrote and told us that the book had been essential in their own planning process, and even that we had written the definitive resource on a complicated topic.

This book is written to answer questions like:

• What is the best setup for my travel style, needs and budget?
• Can I realistically work remotely from the road?
• Can I stream movies and play online games over mobile internet?
• What are the advantages & trade-offs of cellular data, satellite, and public WiFi?
• Do I really need all these boosters, antennas, gadgets, and monthly plans?
• What are the best deals out there for mobile internet? Are unlimited plans worth it?

Technology is always changing, and for ‘The Mobile Internet Handbook’ to stay relevant – it is coming due for a massive update.

There’s lots of new stuff to include – such as changes in Millenicom’s plans, new FCC rules for boosters, and new options like StraightTalk’s hotspot.

And there’s still some unknowns that are ‘just around the corner’ – like new 5-band 4G boosters that are just starting to the hit the market, and even some brand new satellite internet options.

Since we have some time before we can fully update the book while waiting to evaluate and review some of this new tech, we realized that now would be an excellent time to also expand the book and add entirely new sections that folks have been asking for.

And as the first edition was our first book and was completely self published, we admittedly made some amateur mistakes – such as an overly small font in the print edition. We want the next edition to be much better put together – including professional editing, graphics, and layout.

We want the book to look beautiful and be easy to read on Kindle, iBooks, PDF, and in print.

This will take a lot of time and energy… and some substantial up-front cash investment.

Our new Membership Service

And while we’re at it, we think it’s time to implement an idea we’ve had for a while – a membership site where we keep all this information up to date throughout the year. Through this site, we’ll offer extended and exclusive content about mobile internet topics, a forum for members to interact with us and each other, and exclusive interactive Q&A events with us.

We’ve done some of this in the past year by adding new in-depth articles on the blog (all posted on our Mobile Internet Resource Center) and through our Mobile Internet for RVers Facebook group. This will be a continuation and expansion of that, creating a spot where those who want to be kept in the know can come to.

And we still need to come up with a nifty name for this new group. Any ideas? *grin*

So, we’re asking for your help…

We are aiming to create an incredible resource for RV’ers, and for anyone who depends on mobile internet in their travels. To pull this off, we need to know how much support we have for an expanded and updated book, and for a premium membership site.

To test the market and determine how much time and effort we can afford to put into the book and the membership resources, we’ve put together an Indiegogo campaign. If you’re unfamiliar with crowdfunding sites like Indiegogo (others you may have heard of include Kickstarter and GoFundMe), these are ways for individuals to help creators with projects by signing up to support them in advance.

Here’s some more information about this project in a quick video we made:

But we’re not just asking for money – this is not a donation drive.

We’re using the campaign to pre-sell copies of the new book and memberships to the new premium service. This is us asking for a show of support upfront, before we invest our time and effort and personal funds into creating the next edition.

We’re also offering lots of other ‘perks’.

For instance, you can get copies of our ‘when i grow up i wanna be like me’ sticker, autographed copies of the print book, discounted bundles of our iOS apps, and even private consulting sessions with us.

And of course, if you don’t need a copy of the book or our services and just want to toss us some bucks to help fund the project, that’s appreciated too!

How much we raise will determine how much new content we’re able to add to the book – such as chapters going back to the very newbie basics, or more techie topics like explanations of cellular frequencies. Other new chapter ideas include more in depth installation tips and tricks, and even a chapter on staying connected while crossing the borders into Canada and Mexico.

We appreciate any support you can send our way – from pre-purchasing the final product, signing up for the new membership site, booking a consulting session, or just sharing this campaign with your RVing friends.

Your funding helps us focus on creating something awesome for you and our mobile communities. We hope you are excited by the possibilities here, and are eager to join us!

Please help us make The Mobile Internet Handbook even MORE awesome!  Thank you!