Welcome to Motor Home Computing.  

After our first year as full timers in our motor home, I have learned several things about staying connected while traveling.

-------My desktop computer is too large to fit in any of the cabinets, or behind the TV in our Fleetwood Discovery.

--------There is no place to set up a large computer monitor.

--------Campground Wifi access is generally terrible.

So now I have decided to try and solve all three of these problems by asking you, the other RV'ers out there, to submit your comments and experiences in these areas.  In other words, what works for you, and what doesn't.  At the same time, I will be researching all types of equipment that would work well in an rv or motor home.

Let me start with what we are using now.

1.  My wife uses a Sony Vaio 17" laptop running Windows 7, with built in wifi access.  It sets on the dining room table where she handles our personal business, as well as keeping her blog up to date.  Call me Old School, but I don't care for laptops.  They are great for the people that like them, but I prefer a full size keyboard, mouse, and large monitor.  I also want to be able to repair or upgrade my equipment as needed.  I don't work on laptops, only desktops.

2.  I have a home built desktop computer running PC Linux OS, with a D-Link Extreme Wifi Access Card installed.  This is a great alternative to Windows.  It is easy too learn, and it is FREE.  The only place it fits is on the dashboard of the MH, with wires running everywhere.  Not very neat or professional looking.

3.  Since I don't have room for a regular monitor, I hooked my desktop up to my 40" Toshiba LCD TV.  I also have an RCA Sound Bar mounted under the TV.  I needed this due to the Toshiba not having enough volume.

As you can see, this is not a good solution.  It all works fine, just looks bad with all the wires running from the computer to the TV and the MH electrical outlet at floor level.  It is also a pain to have to unhook, and store everything when moving from one campground to another.

I am hoping that all you RV'ers will respond with your comments or solutions.  Let me say that there are some great Websites out there addressing motor home computer solutions.  Two of my favorites are www.irv2.com and www.fmca.com.  They have great forums that cover almost all areas of RVing.

So let's get started first with the actual computer (CPU).  What do you use?  Is it small enough to fit in a cabinet or behind the TV?  Do you hook it to a monitor or a TV?   While I am waiting for your comments, I will be researching various min-itx, micro-atx, and mini-pc computers

I look forward to hearing from the GREATEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD, RV'ers.