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Old 05-16-2019, 06:36 PM   #1
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Aftermarket cell/WiFi booster

Has anyone installed a cell/WiFi booster? We asked ETI but unfortunately they don’t install this but will will provide a drop for it. Any tips?
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Old 05-16-2019, 08:00 PM   #2
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In most cases, you need a separate device for boosting cell phones or WiFi. I use a Wilson Sleek (now called a WeBoost) cradle amplifier. The advantage is you get lots of gain, however you must place the device you want to amplify in the cradle, ie it only does one device at a time. Wilson does make other WeBoost systems that use 2 antennas, one outside the trailer & one inside that allows multiple devices. They require careful placement of the antennas so they don't feedback.

There are a number of WiFi boosters, some that plug into a USB port on your computer, others that provide a connection between the campground (or other) WiFi systems & provide local WiFi to your trailer. I have a Ubiquiti NanoStation system that lets me pick up WiFi from as much as one mile away, and relay it to a router in my trailer. A video of how to set up one of these systems is at

One point - if the campground WiFi is slow, boosting it won't help, and in most cases, that is the problem. Too small a connection to the outside world for the number of people trying to use it, particularly if they are attempting to stream video or other high data rate enterprises.
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Old 05-16-2019, 08:18 PM   #3
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Aftermarket cell/WiFi booster

Check out the Winegard ConnecT series of boosters. They make WiFi only versions or combo WiFi/cell boosters. We have the original WiFi only one and it is a great piece of gear. Powerful, reliable, and easy to use. They have refined the design further and I would expect it to now be even better.
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Old 05-16-2019, 08:43 PM   #4
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Check out these folks: https://www.rvmobileinternet.com They are full time RV folks who's business is evaluating mobile connectivity solutions. Not only do they review various hardware, they keep up on different cell plan options as well.

Personally I bought the WeBoost RV 65 system. (Not Cheap!) I just picked up my new trailer on April 25th so have not had a chance to field test it yet. I will be posting pictures of the bracket I fabricated for the 21' telescoping pole once I put the finishing touches on it this weekend. If you are at the Rally, I will have my red balloon out for tours on Saturday.
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Old 05-16-2019, 09:48 PM   #5
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my wifi booster

I went with the wifi booster that Jon Vermilye mentions above (i.e. the one described in the youtube link).

Bottom-line, it works great. Specifically, when we have weak wifi, using the booster made the signal much stronger and the speed became much faster. However, if there is no wifi, boosting zero still gets you zero.

I mount the antenna to PVC mast that I assemble and then put in a flag pole holder that goes into the back of the trailer (where most people would connect a bicycle rack).

I was hesitant to put any extra holes in the trailer, so I send the cable out the same hole our AC power cord uses for connecting to shore power.
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Old 05-16-2019, 11:02 PM   #6
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Post Wifi

I went with the Ubiquity solution. I even bought both the 2.4 ghz and the 5 ghz.
The 5 is better for channel congestion if the camp ground supports it. 2.4 has better range. You have to get in the “weeds” a bit but the tutorials are excellent.

I was an it specialist by trade and deployed a lot of wireless links in my career. However these units were designed as commercial grade connections to ISP provided wireless and are robust and powerful. Just not plug and play easy. PM me if you need info and or help.
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Old 05-16-2019, 11:59 PM   #7
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I use the same WeBoost as Jon. It's great in areas where there's only random towers, like the Alaska Hwy. It seems to extend the time you have a usable signal.

My wi-fi amplifier is a Jefa Tech. It works super well. It exceeded my expectations. Although I never thought that I'd have any use for a local network in the trailer it's proven to be very handy. Most of the time it works well on the shorter pole but for extreme range I put it even higher in the air. The internal unit is the one on the left with two green lights.

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Old 05-17-2019, 04:17 AM   #8
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And the phone itself, can make a very big difference in reception.

My older iPhone 7 in the WeBoost cradle gets very similar reception as my wife’s iPhone XR just sitting on the table. We use them both as hot spots and see no significant difference in speeds.

https://www.signalbooster.com/blogs/...ellular-signal
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Old 05-18-2019, 10:03 AM   #9
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Thank you all for the replies. We will be finalizing our build soon. We will have ETI install one solar panel. Is there anything ETI can do in the build to help prep for the cell booster antenna to be setup at a later time. What would be a good location for a drop? Thank you!
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Old 05-18-2019, 11:52 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by infinity View Post
Thank you all for the replies. We will be finalizing our build soon. We will have ETI install one solar panel. Is there anything ETI can do in the build to help prep for the cell booster antenna to be setup at a later time. What would be a good location for a drop? Thank you!
If you use the WeBoost RV65, the interior antenna is large. In my 5.0 about the only place it would fit is on the rear-facing upper cabinet next to the entry door. I paid for ETI to run CoAx cabling from the rear dinette overhead cabinet to that location during the build. I also had a 12V drop installed in the upper dinette cabinet for the amplifier.

Note: the WeBoost RV65 is more robust than most folks need. If you go with a smaller interior antenna you will have more flexibility. My point is you should decide on your solution now and plan for it even if it is not installed right away. You don‘t say what model trailer you are getting. That will influence the antenna layout too.
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Old 05-18-2019, 12:07 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by arniesea View Post
If you use the WeBoost RV65, the interior antenna is large. In my 5.0 about the only place it would fit is on the rear-facing upper cabinet next to the entry door. I paid for ETI to run CoAx cabling from the rear dinette overhead cabinet to that location during the build. I also had a 12V drop installed in the upper dinette cabinet for the amplifier.

Note: the WeBoost RV65 is more robust than most folks need. If you go with a smaller interior antenna you will have more flexibility. My point is you should decide on your solution now and plan for it even if it is not installed right away. You don‘t say what model trailer you are getting. That will influence the antenna layout too.
Thank you for your feedback! We are going for the 19’ escape. ETI did mention they can do the 12V drop anywhere we please and suggested this forum for suggestions

We agree it’s better to plan ahead for the larger antenna solution in the event we need it.

Do you leave the antenna attached even when driving? Or is it removed during your transport?
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Old 05-18-2019, 02:15 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by infinity View Post
Thank you for your feedback! We are going for the 19’ escape. ETI did mention they can do the 12V drop anywhere we please and suggested this forum for suggestions

We agree it’s better to plan ahead for the larger antenna solution in the event we need it.

Do you leave the antenna attached even when driving? Or is it removed during your transport?
In my case, the internal antenna is permanently mounted. You can just see the bottom of it in the upper right of this photo. The external antenna is on a telescoping pole that is only set up at camp. In the second photo I'm using the pole for a windsock not the exterior antenna.
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Old 05-18-2019, 07:19 PM   #13
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Finished fabricating pole bracket

I finished fabricating the brackets for my WeBoost RV65 Telescoping antenna pole. The brackets that come with the pole assumes that one has vertical sides on their rig. Vertical does not exist on Escapes! One of the reasons I like them. So I had to fabricate a way to hold the pole steady.

I started by using 1 1/2" aluminum angle stock riveted to the support arms of the Solar panel. I also riveted a SS hinge so the support arm would fold for travel. I found a spring loaded hatch latch at West Marine supply to hold the folded arm in place while under way.

The support arm is braced by 1" aluminum stock back to an exiting hole on the underside of the solar frame. Two bolts with wing nuts secure everything in place in the open position. I used aluminum sheet stock more angle stock to fabricate a vertical surface for the bracket that came with the pole. The other bracket is attached to the bumper. Both brackets came with peel and stick adhesive for attaching to a flat surface.

Next I ordered two extra brackets from WeBoost to hold the pole on top of the bumper frame while not in use. I found a cover that just fit designed for Color Guard flags.

Now to field test at the rally!
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Old 05-19-2019, 02:03 AM   #14
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Originally Posted by arniesea View Post
I finished fabricating the brackets for my WeBoost RV65 Telescoping antenna pole. The brackets that come with the pole assumes that one has vertical sides on their rig. Vertical does not exist on Escapes! One of the reasons I like them. So I had to fabricate a way to hold the pole steady.

I started by using 1 1/2" aluminum angle stock riveted to the support arms of the Solar panel. I also riveted a SS hinge so the support arm would fold for travel. I found a spring loaded hatch latch at West Marine supply to hold the folded arm in place while under way.

The support arm is braced by 1" aluminum stock back to an exiting hole on the underside of the solar frame. Two bolts with wing nuts secure everything in place in the open position. I used aluminum sheet stock more angle stock to fabricate a vertical surface for the bracket that came with the pole. The other bracket is attached to the bumper. Both brackets came with peel and stick adhesive for attaching to a flat surface.

Next I ordered two extra brackets from WeBoost to hold the pole on top of the bumper frame while not in use. I found a cover that just fit designed for Color Guard flags.

Now to field test at the rally!
Wow nice job! That is a great idea to use the solar panel brackets to help stabilize the pole. It appears plenty sturdy for camping.

I was a bit surprised by the $550 price tag for the weboost rv65.

The rally seems so much fun. We hope to join next year!
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Old 05-19-2019, 02:14 AM   #15
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The Wilson sleek appears to now be called the weBoost Drive Sleek Cradle Signal Booster.

Can the phone that is cradled in the booster share a hotspot and thereby allowing other devices to connect to it? If so this would be a lot more economical.
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Old 05-19-2019, 03:55 AM   #16
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i'm curious about cell boosters, started reading about what I could use to improve my Verizon signal here at home... apparently there's a fair number of cheap 3G boosters, but less so for LTE, and what I've seen looks pretty tricky to setup and get working. the LTE stuff that looks halfway decent is $$$$, like WeBoost.
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Old 05-19-2019, 04:55 AM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by infinity View Post
The Wilson sleek appears to now be called the weBoost Drive Sleek Cradle Signal Booster.

Can the phone that is cradled in the booster share a hotspot and thereby allowing other devices to connect to it? If so this would be a lot more economical.
Yes, the cradled phone can be a hotspot. In my case, I do part time consulting and may combine work with pleasure on some camping trips. So my system will be a business expense.
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