WiFi booster

[Solidude]

We have the camp pro kit. Haven't used it in a couple years. Yes it amplifies wifi, but campground wifi is barely functional as it is, even if your site is next to a repeater. I have had more success being close enough to pick up a sbucks or mcd wifi signal. Line of sight makes a big difference too.

That being said, I echo the rest that was said here. We work on the road. Best option is variety. I have unlimited plans from all of Vz, At&t, and t-mobile. The vz 'unlimited' gets throttled at 10g (they say optional but it seems to happen every time) but it is almost always full signal. The At&t and t-mobile are truly unlimited, but the At&t is one of those questionable reseller things that may get shut off at any time, and the t-mobile is great (also via reseller) but just does not have the tower coverage. When working remote and choosing a campsite, you can go online and find the nearest cellular towers and at least get an idea of coverage. Some hotspots allow a directional antenna which often helps a lot too (also why it is good to know where the towers are).

Lastly, I would like an integrated wifi solution where I could pick the backend and/or multiplex them. Pepwave has some nice things but they seem pricey for what they are. I might have to look at the Comfast one mentioned earlier. However, it is also nice to keep them all separate. When more than one are working, I can keep one just for work use and put the kids and streaming on another one...then if it does get throttled I am not shooting myself in the foot.

Hope that helps

[Foothiller]

I don't know if your rig comes with a Wingard 360+ powered TV antenna. Mine did. That roof-mounted box includes cellular and Wi-Fi antennas, which are pre-wired to the ceiling of the rig. Look for a round plastic disk about 4" in diameter.

If you have this setup, you can buy a Winegard "router" from Amazon or elsewhere, $272 on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
The box is easy to install and you don't have to drill a hole in your roof. It behaves much like the WiFi router you have at home - you connect all of your RV devices to it (no change from RV park to RV park). The router will either connect to an RV park WiFi (as others have said, many of them are not worth spit) or a 4G service like Verizon or ATT. There are other threads in this forum talking about pluses and minuses and installation.

[MachWun]

I don't know if your rig comes with a Wingard 360+ powered TV antenna. Mine did.

How good is the signal? Heard it works, but not far.

[papermakermd]

I don't know if your rig comes with a Wingard 360+ powered TV antenna. Mine did. That roof-mounted box includes cellular and Wi-Fi antennas, which are pre-wired to the ceiling of the rig. Look for a round plastic disk about 4" in diameter.

If you have this setup, you can buy a Winegard "router" from Amazon or elsewhere, $272 on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
The box is easy to install and you don't have to drill a hole in your roof. It behaves much like the WiFi router you have at home - you connect all of your RV devices to it (no change from RV park to RV park). The router will either connect to an RV park WiFi (as others have said, many of them are not worth spit) or a 4G service like Verizon or ATT. There are other threads in this forum talking about pluses and minuses and installation.

Thanks foothiller for the info. The reviews on Amazon are very poor. This is probably not an option.

[MechWolf]

I too work from the RV and went with the MOFI 4500 cell modem + WiFi router combo and haven't looked back. I have a Wilson directional cell antenna for low cell signal areas and a second line on my Verizon account for the unlimited data that comes with it. Throttling starts after 25 GB on that one since it's not a phone hotspot.

I'm on teleconferences all day and can get thru a week using 15GB for work.
The longest I've been on the road is 3 weeks though and my data plan switchover usually helps. Streaming TV/movies will easily use 5x that amount though.

This is the video that got me looking at the Mofi, about 3:30 in:
https://youtu.be/TZH99q5G9rc

[trkester]

X2 on using Visible. It's a Verizon mvno and has truly unlimited data. No throttling back to almost unusable bandwidth when you hit 22GB. (seems to be a typical limit before throttling)

The caveat is teathered connections max at 5mb download speeds (can be lower).

I use a USB tether from the phone to a Gl.inet Beryl router (around $75) to provide connectivity of everything in the trailer. (2 phones, tablet, 2 chromecast, laptop)

Has worked all summer so far and have rarely not had "ok" streaming.

I had some small issues with cell service at Mill Creek in Mackinaw, MI but remedied that by a Taylortucky (inside joke of about my city) solution of mounting the phone in a waterproof pouch at the top of my 20' boathook strapped to the rear ladder. �� Got a much better signal.

[mdwilliams44]

We are new to RVing. We have an Imagine 2970RL and love it. We are finding that WiFi is provided at most places we go, but the signal is too weak to stream movies. Can we have some recommendations on what to get to help with this?

So everyone has been telling you all about plans and tech. I spent hours researching and finally found NOMAD.
https://nomadinternet.com/
I went for the SIM only option. I use a Cradle Point 600 Cellular capable router/modem with WiFi.
Started off really well. The SIM runs on T-mobile, and is truly unlimited (no throttling after so many GB).
The throughput was fine. Able to stream NETFLIX and YouTube without issue.
Lately, I have had an issue connecting, and am working with support at NOMAD to resolve this. So this recommendation comes with a caveat, and I will update once I have resolved the issue.
That said, I love this idea. About $65/mo. SIM only twice that if they provide the modem. I pay yearly so there is a little discount I guess for prepay?
This IS data only and you cannot connect for phone use. For me however, that is great because I use video conferencing a lot.

So check out NOMAD Internet before you plop down your ducketts. Watch this space 'cause I will update with more when I have the issue fixed with my SIM (I think it is my SIM as it may have been slightly damaged).
Best of luck in whatever you do!

[Rwriley]

i have a GL..iNet travel router. I can pick up CG Wifi, Hotel WiFi, (any other Wifi), Hotel Ethernet, and Hotspot WiFi (from my Verizon phone), and turn it into my personal WiFi Network. It has dual antennas, so it does a decent job of picking up the hotel and CG signals. But as others has said, it doesn't do anything for bandwidth. In any case - it is pretty flexible as to what it can turn into your personal wifi network.

[hlozano]

Good afternoon-
I am a network engineer, spending alot of time on WIFI, and Cellular. Agree with the info already stated, but wanted to add a bit more color for those that are embarking on network access for either streaming or work depending on location.
Cellular service like LTE or 5G has quite a bit of bandwidth in given areas, with the ability to stream. However it is a shared medium, so the more people using it the less we can get at any given time. During peak times, you likely can get enough to work (email, web browsing), but not enough for video conferencing, or streaming. It all depends on the amount of local usage on the tower, and believe it or not the weather too. Rain reduces it slightly, and outdoor temp.
If you have plenty of cellular, that is great. The next big challenge is Wifi. On a given spectrum (2.4 or 5.8 GHz), there are only so many channels available for all of us to use. When you are at a CG with hundreds of spots and 50% of them bring their own hot spot or they hot spot their phones, and then deliver wifi from those devices to their individual campers, we are all fighting for the RF (Radio Freq) in the are on the same channels. Those with greater "power" on their WiFi are gonna do better. So those with great cellular, but poor wifi from their device(s) will have a poor experience.
It obviously works, and I have a setup that works well for me with a mobile router, and hotspot and I can stream and work from the camper just about anywhere. But I also use a router that deconflict the channels in use to grab the one with the least congestion which helps me in my camper (43 feet long).
Happy to talk more about this and ways to achieve the best results in 99% of locations. Just getting a hot spot is not a sure thing to be able to stream well, or getting a WiFi booster either is my point.

Hope this helps. Happy to discuss more to help everyone here on what I do and how its setup.

You're spot on with your writeup.
My work provided me a Verizon hotspot jetpack 8800 3yrs ago w/ unlimited data. So I've been on the path to getting the most out of that hotspot when traveling via RV or hotel since I can work remote. Early on I discovered the Netgear 6000450 MIMO Antenna with 2 TS-9 Connectors. I later added a WifiRanger Spruce indoor mobile router which allows me to tether the jetpack via USB. These have worked well until a recent camping trip where I struggled to maintain cell service because of the partly cloudy conditions. What I think I need is an Outdoor antenna to mount higher since this is a campground we frequently visit. I recently purchased Omni directional antenna to mount on the back ladder.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YYYWFMP...roduct_details.

Prelimenary testing does show up to a 11dB gain on signal strength and an improvement on signal to noise ratio. Of course this testing is in my driveway. We are planning to be at the same campground next week so I'll see how effective this antenna works. Fingers crossed I'll be able to work from the campground. Otherwise I'll be driving home an hour and a half each way the first part of the week.

[Chuck.N]

Most wifi boosters come in pairs, and require you to physically plug one in to your main router. You then place the other in the area that the main router doesn't reach by itself. The two boosters then talk to each other.