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Old 01-10-2021, 08:56 PM   #1
dallasrules
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Wifi boosters.

I saw some posts about this from a number of years ago, but nothing recent.

I am looking for a wifi booster for campground use, but I am confused by the descriptions. It is really difficult to tell which one need access to the router to set up which you wouldn't have in a campground.

Then there are the mbps ratings. From about 300 to 2500, but its all relative. OK more is better, but how much do you really need?

So what do you all use?
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Old 01-10-2021, 10:10 PM   #2
kowbra
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dallasrules View Post
I saw some posts about this from a number of years ago, but nothing recent.

I am looking for a wifi booster for campground use, but I am confused by the descriptions. It is really difficult to tell which one need access to the router to set up which you wouldn't have in a campground.

Then there are the mbps ratings. From about 300 to 2500, but its all relative. OK more is better, but how much do you really need?

So what do you all use?
We have used Ubiquiti products with great success. The Nanostation is the antenna, and the Aircube acts as the router. Outside, I clamped the Nanostation antenna to an extendable fiberglass painter pole, which is then clamped to the ladder. Then, I ran the ethernet cable inside through the seals of a slideout near the TV. The Aircube was installed in the TV cabinet.
Note that this is a setup we used for over a year on our old rig, but have not installed on our new Montana. I plan to mount some permanent connections on the outside rear wall and into the TV cabinet there. (the TV cabinet is on the rear of the 3790RD we have)

This blog post does a better job of explaining it than I can:
https://outsideourbubble.com/build-a...for-under-100/

Some comments:
-Ubiquiti is carrier grade equipment and they make a lot of the backhaul equipment that is used for large scale cellular and wifi installs. Their products are very solid but their interfaces are a bit technical.

-some park wifi systems will not allow any router or antenna system to connect, by design. It seems this has now evolved beyond just a popup login to bypass; they are intentionally blocking devices that try to share the signal, like a router (I understand the underlying technology and several ways they may do this, but it varies by the technology the park is using). Simpler to just say that any wifi antenna and router system may or may not work depending on what system the RV park installs and how they have it configured.

-last is that no matter how good or how fast your wifi system is, you are at the mercy of the total available wifi bandwidth in the RV park system. Think of water as an example; if the park has low water flow, you could replace your 1/2" water hose with a 1" water hose, but you will make no difference to your water flow as that is not where the bottleneck is. If the park wifi is over used, a faster wifi system on your end will make little difference. Those who are really serious about reliable and fast internet will usually rely on a combination of shared wifi and shared cellular.

It can get very complex very quickly, but I hope the above is a good start.

Check out the blog above and video and let me know what you think and if you have other questions.

Brad
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Old 01-11-2021, 05:36 AM   #3
RMcNeal
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Like Brad said, it all depends on what is available where you are and what you are willing to spend. There is equipment like the Wifi Camp Pro kit https://www.technorv.com/wifi-camp-pro-kit-2/ and more robust commercial grade equipment like PepWave and others available on https://www.mobilemusthave.com/?AffId=16.
The sky's the limit as they say.
I have an AT&T mobile hotspot and an external Mimo antenna that I suction cup to the side of the rig. It has worked quite well for us and I haven't had a need for any booster setup yet.
There is a lot of info on Techno RV about what's available and getting the most out of what you have.
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Old 01-11-2021, 07:39 AM   #4
kowbra
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Originally Posted by RMcNeal View Post
Like Brad said, it all depends on what is available where you are and what you are willing to spend. There is equipment like the Wifi Camp Pro kit https://www.technorv.com/wifi-camp-pro-kit-2/ and more robust commercial grade equipment like PepWave and others available on https://www.mobilemusthave.com/?AffId=16.
The sky's the limit as they say.
I have an AT&T mobile hotspot and an external Mimo antenna that I suction cup to the side of the rig. It has worked quite well for us and I haven't had a need for any booster setup yet.
There is a lot of info on Techno RV about what's available and getting the most out of what you have.
Just sharing my experience... I used the Wifi Camp Pro for a few years. When it works it works pretty good. But, the "tube" (the part that the antenna attaches to) seemed problematic. I had to replace it about every year, and they kept saying it was due to water getting in around the antenna. Yet, I had installed it as directed with their outdoor tape, etc. I hesitate to recommend the Camp Pro, other than it is a good "starter system" and relatively easy to use.

The Ubiquiti is rock solid by comparison and able to boost weaker signals far more than the Camp Pro.

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Old 01-11-2021, 06:06 AM   #5
RipNC
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Agree with Brad. Ubiquiti makes solid products at reasonable prices. I used Ubiquiti on my boats in the past, but once our unit gets delivered I'll noodle thru the onboard Winegard 2.0 4G2 Plus and decide if I need to replace or supplement that.

Some of the new products I see, many marketed to RVers, seem overpriced (because "new" and limited market). Some are worth it to those who are still working or are YouTube content providers. For many they are overkill.
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Old 01-11-2021, 06:32 AM   #6
JoeUSNRET
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This is something that interests me also but every time I start researching options i get paralysis by analysis and information overload. Some of the more interesting youtube RV channels are suggesting the Mobile internet Resource center https://www.rvmobileinternet.com as a source of good information for WIFI and cellular issues. Please let us know what you come up with.
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Old 09-21-2021, 04:19 PM   #7
Daryles
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We installed a WeBoost Destination RV based on the good reviews. We tested it in the Campground we were at when it arrived.
I have a 3 year old Samsung Galaxy S10e.
DW has a new Samsung 21 Ultra 5G.
Testing internet on speedtest.net at midnight.
Weboost on:
I have 2 bars and get 3.2Mbps.
She has 2 bars and is getting 25Mbps.

Daytime test 5:00 pm.
WeBoost off:
I get 2 bars and 0.88Mbps
She gets 2 bars and 3.63Mbps
WeBoost on:
I get 2 bars and 2.4Mbps
She gets 4 bars and 40.9Mbps

I have heard of another trick to do with the WeBoost.
If you have a weak indoor antenna ( some models do, not a problem with the WeBoost Destination model, it reaches end to end on our 35' 5er).
Lay a cell phone on top of the inside antenna and make it a wifi Hotspot for the rest of your devices to connect to.
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Old 09-21-2021, 10:00 PM   #8
kowbra
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Daryles View Post
We installed a WeBoost Destination RV based on the good reviews. We tested it in the Campground we were at when it arrived.
I have a 3 year old Samsung Galaxy S10e.
DW has a new Samsung 21 Ultra 5G.
Testing internet on speedtest.net at midnight.
Weboost on:
I have 2 bars and get 3.2Mbps.
She has 2 bars and is getting 25Mbps.

Daytime test 5:00 pm.
WeBoost off:
I get 2 bars and 0.88Mbps
She gets 2 bars and 3.63Mbps
WeBoost on:
I get 2 bars and 2.4Mbps
She gets 4 bars and 40.9Mbps

I have heard of another trick to do with the WeBoost.
If you have a weak indoor antenna ( some models do, not a problem with the WeBoost Destination model, it reaches end to end on our 35' 5er).
Lay a cell phone on top of the inside antenna and make it a wifi Hotspot for the rest of your devices to connect to.
Thanks Daryl, good review!

I keep wondering what the mobile Starlink antennas and service will be like. It is rumoured to come before the end of the year.

We have some clients who have installed the fixed antennas and they are raving fans. Truly unlimited for $100/month, good latency (almost always very good for video conferencing), and speeds of 100-300mbs down and 30-50mbs upload. If that becomes available in a mobile unit, I think it will be very appealing.

Brad
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Old 09-21-2021, 10:38 PM   #9
Daryles
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I forgot to mention, there is no subscription for WeBoost. It is just an amplifier for your cell phone service signal.
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