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Old 09-21-2015, 11:00 AM   #21
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Ours was on all day, each day on our Alaska trip. Can't say I ever noticed that it was hot. It did the job for us. It was a novelty for my wife to be under way on the road texting in areas that normally wouldn't have had a usable signal.

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Old 09-21-2015, 11:21 AM   #22
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Did you move the booster from your vehicle to the trailer when you were parked, Ron?
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Old 09-21-2015, 12:21 PM   #23
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I was reading too, that the weBoost 4G-S cradle should only be used for short periods of time, as the heat build up created will cause battery swelling, and possible damage. I know a few of you here, like Ron and Robert, use this cradle. Does anyone find this to be true?
Yes. I use the Wilson Sleek, which I think is the predecessor to the 4G-S, or maybe the same thing. It does get hot at times, which is why I am considering moving to another model such as the 4G-X that doesn't require physical contact with the cellular device, which in my case is a hotspot. I'd also like to use my hotspot and cellphone with a cellular amp at the same time, so I'd need something besides the Sleek anyway.

I covered the back of my hotspot with a big Velcro pad in order to mount it in my truck at times, when I'm not using the Sleek. Maybe this insulated the hotspot enough so that it wasn't damaged by heat.
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Old 09-21-2015, 12:47 PM   #24
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Yes. I use the Wilson Sleek, which I think is the predecessor to the 4G-S, or maybe the same thing.
Yes, the Wilson Sleek is the same thing, just changed names earlier this year when Wilson became weBoost.

I assume when you mean cellular amp, that this amplifies the signal from the phone for use as a hotspot, correct?

What i am still confused about, is how far can you be from something like the 4G-X, and still get the benefit of its boost? Could you be in the trailer with it in the tow? What I ideally want is good cell coverage while I am driving, with maybe a bit of data thrown in, but when camping, I would want good data in the trailer, plus have the stronger cell signal in their too. Am I asking too much?
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Old 09-21-2015, 01:13 PM   #25
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I assume when you mean cellular amp, that this amplifies the signal from the phone for use as a hotspot, correct?

What i am still confused about, is how far can you be from something like the 4G-X, and still get the benefit of its boost?
By "cellular amp" I just meant other models of WeBoost's products, such as the 4G-X. I still wish to continue using my cheap TracFone cellphone as only a cellphone, and also keep using the wifi hotspot for my Internet access. I think the 4G-X or some other WeBoost amp will let me do this, amplifying the signals from both devices.

From other threads on this subject I gather that the booster-to-cellphone range of the non-cradle boosters such as the 4G-X isn't great, maybe a few feet. The thing also needs good ventilation, so inside an overhead cabinet might not be a good place to mount it. Maybe the underside of the dinette table?
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Old 09-21-2015, 02:21 PM   #26
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Did you move the booster from your vehicle to the trailer when you were parked, Ron?
No, you can barely see in post #10 the little Weboost antenna on my truck roof parked near the trailer. As you can see I'm online with it in the trailer.

Drove around this morning and keep touching the cradle to see if it was hot. Could barely detect any warmth. My netbook, on the other hand, gets quite warm by comparison when charging.

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Old 09-21-2015, 03:28 PM   #27
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I have the Wilson Sleek cradle with a Verizon MHS291LVW Jetpack, and have had to replace the battery due to swelling after 1 1/2 years of heavy use. While the combination does get quite warm, I believe the real problem is the 291 Jetpack - they have had problems with swelling batteries even without the Sleek. I just checked my second battery & it is slightly swollen...

As to the WeBoost 4GX, you might want to take a look at the installation PDF - here is an interesting quote- "Ensure a minimum of 20 feet vertical or 50 horizontal feet separation from the Outside Antenna." Might be a bit difficult to do in any of Escape's trailers unless you plan on an outside antenna on a pole that you set up at each stop. The 4G-M is designed for the shorter antenna separation distances expected with a vehicle or RV, is less expensive, however does have less gain.

In either case, how far you can get from the inside antenna and still have some gain from the amp depends on many variables, including antenna separation and whether the 2 antennas are directional.

When I used a previous 3G version of the outside/amp/inside antenna system from Wilson in my 17B, I found getting any further than 3' - 5' from the inside antenna resulted in no additional gain. The only way I could get anywhere near the specified gain was to attach the USB stick I was using as a modem to the inside antenna.

This was with the outside antenna (a Wilson trucker antenna) mounted on the rear driver's side of the escape & the inside antenna on the front shelf. It may be better with the newer technology, but I doubt you would find any gain in the tow vehicle from a system in the trailer.

By the way, I get far more gain with my current Sleek than I did with the old system.
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Old 09-21-2015, 04:38 PM   #28
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My Sleek doesn't get hot consistently, but a couple of times I have noticed it becoming very warm. Maybe its cellular radio amplifier turns up in a weak cell signal environment, like a cellphone does.

I didn't re-check WeBoost's model numbers before posting earlier, so I might have mentioned the wrong one. If I replace my Sleek, it will be with the model intended for use in cars or RVs, not the one intended for use in a home or business. I shouldn't have a problem with antenna separation and hopefully it won't draw too much power.
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Old 09-21-2015, 05:08 PM   #29
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Mike: Great pic. Thanks!
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Old 09-21-2015, 05:29 PM   #30
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My S If I replace my Sleek, it will be with the model intended for use in cars or RVs, not the one intended for use in a home or business. I shouldn't have a problem with antenna separation and hopefully it won't draw too much power.
That's probably the one that I have. I believe it's the 4G-S. I don't know how many times we did the "OK, barely 1 bar signal on the phone by itself what does it have in the cradle?" Usually took a barely registering 1 bar and turned it into a usable 2,3 or 4 bar signal. So much better than the mi-fi we had before it.

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Old 09-21-2015, 05:43 PM   #31
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I use my sleek right below the trucker antenna on my 21 with no problems - the trucker has ground plane elements and that seems to isolate the sleek.
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Old 09-21-2015, 06:36 PM   #32
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So some of you mount it in the trailer, and some in the tow. I am curious as to your reasoning, as I plan out what to do myself. As mentioned, I want the best of both worlds, with boosted reception inside both.

I plan on giving weBoost a call, as it sounds like their support folks are really helpful, and bug them about my desired scenario.
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Old 09-21-2015, 06:48 PM   #33
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As to the WeBoost 4GX, you might want to take a look at the installation PDF - here is an interesting quote- "Ensure a minimum of 20 feet vertical or 50 horizontal feet separation from the Outside Antenna."
I finally checked WeBoost's website again to get my model numbers straight. The Drive 4G-X was indeed the model I was thinking of to replace the Wilson Sleek in my trailer. But when I looked at the installation PDF I didn't see the quote Jon mentioned about antenna separation. After all, a fifty-foot separation would be an unusual requirement for a mobile device. We seem to be looking at different documents.
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Old 09-21-2015, 06:55 PM   #34
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As mentioned, I want the best of both worlds, with boosted reception inside both.
You realize that your plan is to retire? Some of the benefit of retirement is not being in instant and constant contact.
Ask the Old Bag. Nothing irks her more than me talking to my "invisible friends" on the forum, when we are on "vacation".
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Old 09-21-2015, 07:01 PM   #35
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You realize that your plan is to retire? Some of the benefit of retirement is not being in instant and constant contact.
Ask the Old Bag. Nothing irks her more than me talking to my "invisible friends" on the forum, when we are on "vacation".
Hey, she has met me several times, and knows I really exist. But, you do have a point that I will be less in need of being connected once I retire. I might have to work longer to pay for all these toys though.
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Old 09-21-2015, 07:06 PM   #36
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Their model numbers are a bit confusing. When I did a search for WeBoost 4gx, the Connect 4G-X, SKU# 471104, which is listed at $899.99 under home solutions came up. The Connect 4G-X Installation Guide (PDF) is where the antenna spacing info is - page 5.

They also have a Drive 4G-X, SKU 470510 which is listed at $479.99 on the Vehicle solutions page. I suspect that is the one you are looking at. Sorry for the confusion...
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Old 09-21-2015, 09:02 PM   #37
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They also have a Drive 4G-X, SKU 470510 which is listed at $479.99 on the Vehicle solutions page. I suspect that is the one you are looking at. Sorry for the confusion...
Yeah, that's it. Their model numbers are confusing, as is the transition from Wilson -> WeBoost. I wonder what the story is behind that.

It will be a while before I try one of those. If someone else does, I'm sure we'd all be eager to find out how well it works.
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Old 09-22-2015, 07:25 AM   #38
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The WifiRanger is used with the Go2, which is wireless router that sets up a secure wireless network in the trailer. Cool. But isn't the weBoost 4G-M also a wireless router that broadcasts to the inside of the trailer? It seems redundant. What am I missing?
The Weboost is not a router. Its a signal booster. It has no routing, DHCP or switching capabilities - it just amplifies the signal it receives.

Most WiFi hotspots (or phones used as a hotspot) have a built in router. The Weboost just amplifies the signal produced by the hotspot.

To confuse matters more, the Go2, a MiFi, or a cell phone hot spot isn't really a "router" either - at least not in the data networking sense. Its really a layer 3 switch with NAT capabilities. I work with real routers every day, and they actually route traffic from one node in a network to another.
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Old 09-22-2015, 07:34 AM   #39
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So some of you mount it in the trailer, and some in the tow. I am curious as to your reasoning, as I plan out what to do myself. As mentioned, I want the best of both worlds, with boosted reception inside both.

I plan on giving weBoost a call, as it sounds like their support folks are really helpful, and bug them about my desired scenario.
Easy solution Jim - a booster in both locations. Just move the hotspot or phone from the trailer to the tow when underway. Of course, to take advantage of this, there would be a corresponding antenna in the tow too. So while its 'easy', it is also expensive.
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Old 09-22-2015, 08:30 AM   #40
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I am trying to figure out a way not to put a hole in the roof. If there is already wiring done by ETI for the TV ready cable plugs wouldn't that work? Plug outside bumper antenna cable into outside TV plug and inside TV cable into the wilson sleek cradle for the phone? If not the correct cable couldn't ETI install the cable needed for this to work, maybe just add another plug and leave the TV cable so you can have both.
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