All things Internet related

[Bluesky]

I am not very good at finding old threads so I thought I would ask a question that I am sure has been asked and covered before but here goes.....

Cell phone booster, wifi booster, unlimited data options, hot spot options, interior/exterior antenna
...

There are several youtube videos for these questions but I thought I would get info from Escape owners.

What have you had success with? I will be working sometimes while on the road and need cell and internet.

Thanks

[C&G in FL]

Honestly, you will have to play it by ear. In some cases campgrounds have free WiFi, others charge for it. I personally have a plan with unlimited data and I rarely have problems with cell reception. But I would go with a hot spot if I needed internet for work, or at least a lot of bandwidth for work. Worst case scenario fast food outlets like McDonalds often have free WiFi. If you plan to make camping reservations, ask when you make the reservations.

[Rossue]

For a cell amp this is the best there is now.
https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f...amp-15891.html

[Bea]

Hi Bluesky,

I built up the system described by David Bott in this youtube video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGLwwREDzNQ

Basically, this is a wifi booster. It will turn a relatively weak wifi signal into a much stronger one.

It has worked well for us. However, when there is no wifi, a booster won't work.

-Bea

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by Rossue

For a cell amp this is the best there is now.
https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f...amp-15891.html

Originally Posted by Bea

Hi Bluesky,

I built up the system described by David Bott in this youtube video:

Basically, this is a wifi booster. It will turn a relatively weak wifi signal into a much stronger one.

It has worked well for us. However, when there is no wifi, a booster won't work.

-Bea

Both valid methods for boosting cellular or WiFi signal. But if the signal is not there, neither will work. That is why knowing about the destination is one’s best bet. I do have a WiFi booster and it works, but not if there is no nearby (open) WiFi.

[Bluesky]

Originally Posted by Bea

Hi Bluesky,

I built up the system described by David Bott in this youtube video:

Basically, this is a wifi booster. It will turn a relatively weak wifi signal into a much stronger one.

It has worked well for us. However, when there is no wifi, a booster won't work.

-Bea

thanks

[Bluesky]

Originally Posted by C&G in FL

Honestly, you will have to play it by ear. In some cases campgrounds have free WiFi, others charge for it. I personally have a plan with unlimited data and I rarely have problems with cell reception. But I would go with a hot spot if I needed internet for work, or at least a lot of bandwidth for work. Worst case scenario fast food outlets like McDonalds often have free WiFi. If you plan to make camping reservations, ask when you make the reservations.

Thanks

[Vermilye]

Originally Posted by Bea

Hi Bluesky,

I built up the system described by David Bott in this youtube video:

Basically, this is a wifi booster. It will turn a relatively weak wifi signal into a much stronger one.

It has worked well for us. However, when there is no wifi, a booster won't work.

-Bea

I have the same system, but rarely use it. While I have managed to make a useful connection to a Loves truck stop a mile from my location, most of the time I've found that campground WiFi is overloaded to the point where it is not all that useful.

I rely on cell modems for most of my internet usage, and carry both an AT&T & Verizon hotspot. Very few locations where one or the other doesn't provide a usable connection. While I also have an external antenna & Sleek (now WeBoost) amplifier, for all but one location on the last trip across the country it was not necessary.

[drjp]

Originally Posted by Bea

Hi Bluesky,

I built up the system described by David Bott in this youtube video:

Basically, this is a wifi booster. It will turn a relatively weak wifi signal into a much stronger one.

It has worked well for us. However, when there is no wifi, a booster won't work.

-Bea

I built this out, too, and even had Reece install a stub antenna to attach the acres point on the driver’s rear corner with an Ethernet cable feeding into a cabinet inside for the router attachment. He also installed a Wilson external cell booster antenna for me a bit in front of it on driver’s side toward the rear. What I’ve experienced:
1. While the Ubiquiti Nano Station access point system works well, the bandwidth available on Every RV site we’ve camped at which offers it is so lousy that it’s essentially useless. Bummer, and now I have potentially one more leak site on the beautiful Escape shell. Thankfully, Reese did a yeoman job at sealing his shell. No leaks! [emoji1696]
2. I’m getting no better signal inside the rig from my present cell booster/antenna combo, and it’s an energy suck through the inverter when I’m boondocking. So, not using that either. Probably need a taller antenna like another person just posted. Luckily, a magenta plan with T-Mobile and using my iPhone hot spot has let me stream and phone most places pretty well.
Jonathan

[Rossue]

UtYour problem in the boondocks is T-Mo. Also, many don't understand that all cellphone boosters/antennas are the same. We go in many remote spots where without our amp we can't even text- and with many times we have internet service. The Wilson OTR antenna is a game changer.

[Bea]

Originally Posted by drjp

1. While the Ubiquiti Nano Station access point system works well, the bandwidth available on Every RV site we’ve camped at which offers it is so lousy that it’s essentially useless. Bummer, and now I have potentially one more leak site on the beautiful Escape shell. Thankfully, Reese did a yeoman job at sealing his shell. No leaks! [emoji1696]

Hi djrp,

You bring up a good point. If a campground's wifi is bad everywhere, then a booster won't help.

For us, we have some campgrounds we often visit that have acceptable wifi in some spots (usually near the main office building). Unfortunately, we usually end up in a spot that is relatively far away from the main building and thus has a weak wifi signal. This is when the booster works great.

- Bea

[brightday]

Originally Posted by Vermilye

I rely on cell modems for most of my internet usage, and carry both an AT&T & Verizon hotspot. Very few locations where one or the other doesn't provide a usable connection.

Jon, does this mean that you also maintain cell phone plans for both AT&T & Verizon? Any suggestions as to specific modems?

[Vermilye]

Originally Posted by brightday

Jon, does this mean that you also maintain cell phone plans for both AT&T & Verizon? Any suggestions as to specific modems?

Yes. The AT&T plan is for a Mobley device, unlimited data only for $22.00 per month, $23.49 with fees & taxes. Unfortunately, its is no longe available. I moved the SIM from the Mobley, which is designed to plug into the ODB II port built into newer automobiles, to a Nighthawk MR 1100 cell modem for use in the trailer.

The Verizon Jetpack is an 8800L provided by Verizon. It adds $20.00 per month to my Verizon cell phone plan, again for what Verizon calls unlimited (that is actually limited to 15GB per month before it slows down to dial up speeds).

While the AT&T unlimited slows down at 22GB, it only does that on congested towers, and I've gone as high as 75GB in a month without a slow down. The Verizon slow down is a hard limit when you reach 15GB until the end of the current cycle.

[brightday]

Thanks, Jon. Very helpful information!

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by Rossue

UtYour problem in the boondocks is T-Mo. Also, many don't understand that all cellphone boosters/antennas are the same. We go in many remote spots where without our amp we can't even text- and with many times we have internet service. The Wilson OTR antenna is a game changer.

Hi Ross what would you suggest for a very simple inexpensive setup for our trailer . Basically just need for reliable very little use ? Pat

[drjp]

Here’s what we’re running right now with WiFi in our 17B. This setup is plenty reliable and fairly cheap, but it’s not the simplest thing to setup.
While planning the rig’s options I was scratching the old noggin about what to do on the wifi front. We have to work on the road sometimes so we needed a decent connection for that, to keep in touch with family, and maybe stream a film now and then.
I found this site run by a friendly tech nerd, David Bott, who goes step by step through how to set up things. His site has been mentioned elsewhere in this forum, but it bears repeating, especially as I’ve followed his latest suggestion regarding the AirCube router.

http://www.outsideourbubble.com/secu...-for-under-100
(He named the site some years ago; the setup costs a bit more than $100 now)

His plan: set up your own trailer’s network with a router paired with an Access Point to pair with the park’s network. Your new network will easily reach all over an escape and outside a fair distance.

Ubiquiti Network airCube ACB-AC airMAX 802.11ac Dual-Band Home Wi-Fi Access Point PoE 24V In/Out OPEN BOX. It’s set up and controlled with the free UNMS app (iOS and Android)

It’s small, light, and doesn’t take a bunch of power. It is dual band (2.4 and 5.8 GHz) but as most parks are still running just 2.4, you might plunk for the somewhat cheaper single band AirCube

How does it ‘talk’ with the campsite’s internet? Through an Access Point, a powerful directional radio which links the router to the park’s access point. It’s powered directly by an ethernet cable from it to the AirCube router, so it only needs that one wire to work.

Ubiquiti NanoStation loco M2 - Wireless Access Point - AirMax (LOCOM2US) This is the cheaper, single band device which I’m still using.

You can get a mount for inside your rig and just mount it on an inside window pane. In retrospect, I would have done that. This thing is powerful enough that if you have a decent park wifi signal at all plus a tolerable amount of bandwidth, inside mounting (Way simpler) might be the way to go.

Ubiquiti Universal Antenna Mount UB-AM (Original Version)

But, being a noob, I got complicated. Reece installed an ethernet cable (one end inside the upper cabinet next to the TV mounted on the passenger side bulkhead by the fridge, the other snaked over to the driver’s rear corner roof—see photo) and the hinged pipe antenna mount for the Nanostation. I step up on the bumper and strap it to the mast with a piece of velcro strap after we’re parked, plug it into the cable, wait 5 minutes for all to boot, rotate it on the mast to direct it to the park AP with the strongest signal, lock onto that, and we’re getting there!
My nanostation is an older model which is single band (2.4 GHz), but I may pop for the somewhat more powerful dual band antenna one day. The AirCube talks just fine with it so far.
David Bott’s website is worth a look on the wifi front; he’ll give you the goods. My above explanation is just a preliminary look. Good luck on the road!
Jonathan

1. AirCube router on the left, Nanostation Access Point on the right; pen for scale.
2. The folding mast with the Nanostation strapped on and plugged into ethernet cable from inside the trailer. Reace did a Solid job sealing this mast and wire!
3. A closer view.