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Old 01-20-2017, 06:55 PM   #1
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WiFi Booster

We find that the WiFi signal in many parks is weak. We will be picking up our TA in a few months and figured we get a booster installed.
Any model/brand suggestions?
sally and Dan
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Old 01-20-2017, 07:07 PM   #2
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We find that the WiFi signal in many parks is weak. We will be picking up our TA in a few months and figured we get a booster installed.
Any model/brand suggestions?
sally and Dan
This is one I am strongly considering. Lots of others out there I am sure others will chime in about.
JEFA Tech: Long Range WiFi Repeater Kit for RVs
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Old 01-20-2017, 07:29 PM   #3
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This is one I am strongly considering. Lots of others out there I am sure others will chime in about.
JEFA Tech: Long Range WiFi Repeater Kit for RVs
I think Leon has one of those.
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Old 01-20-2017, 07:59 PM   #4
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I think Leon has one of those.
Right, that was who turned me on to them. My recollector was not functioning fully.
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Old 01-20-2017, 08:06 PM   #5
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I travel quite a bit, mostly for business. One problem I find almost everywhere is ridiculously slow WiFi, even when you're close to the antenna. The Internet speed at many campgrounds and RV parks that offer 'free WiFi' is quite slow. A WiFi signal booster won't help with that - the speed is what it is. I have found consistently higher speeds and better results by either using a MiFi Hotspot or tethering WiFi off my phone - particularly if you boost the signal with an amplifying cradle and an external antenna.

Of course, my perspective might be a bit skewed since I'm used to very fast Internet at home/in my home office. At home I currently have Gigabit Internet, and it's ruined me for everything else. But, with even one or two bars of 4G at a campground, the Internet is usually fast enough for web surfing and even streaming a Netflix movie or Pandora Radio. With campground WiFi, I've never been able to do that.
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Old 01-20-2017, 08:23 PM   #6
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My experience has been similar to Robert's. Campground WIFI systems seem to seldom have enough capacity for the number of people using them. Even when I have had a strong signal, they seem like I'm back on a dial up modem.
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Old 01-20-2017, 08:27 PM   #7
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Agree with Robert that campground Wifi is not always speedy, but some are decent. Generally the packages the campgrounds have are OK, but when you slice up the bandwidth by 20 to 50 plus trailers all hitting it there's not much bandwidth for everyone that's sharing.

I've found the campground trick is to stay up past 10pm and the speeds start increasing exponentially. If you are in a park that is predominantly Class A's sometimes the speeds start rocking after 7pm.

Mifi's are probably the way to go if you need more consistent Wifi solution, but they do come with a cost.
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Old 01-20-2017, 08:30 PM   #8
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My biggest problem in campgrounds seems to be signals that fade in and out. I imagine if I could get a good signal, then my worry would be the speed of it, and that could be slow. I do like speed, but hate just stalling out for a minute or two or more.

I can often do good with my phone tethered, but that gets very costly for me, especially if I travel into the US, where data is expensive for Canadians. I guess with the right data plan it would be better. In the same vein, I much prefer Google Maps to any of the vehicle GPS systems I have, but it does draw on data a lot too.
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Old 01-20-2017, 09:57 PM   #9
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I think Leon has one of those.
Yup. I have one and like it.
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Old 01-20-2017, 10:02 PM   #10
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I travel quite a bit, mostly for business. One problem I find almost everywhere is ridiculously slow WiFi, even when you're close to the antenna. The Internet speed at many campgrounds and RV parks that offer 'free WiFi' is quite slow. A WiFi signal booster won't help with that - the speed is what it is. I have found consistently higher speeds and better results by either using a MiFi Hotspot or tethering WiFi off my phone - particularly if you boost the signal with an amplifying cradle and an external antenna.

Of course, my perspective might be a bit skewed since I'm used to very fast Internet at home/in my home office. At home I currently have Gigabit Internet, and it's ruined me for everything else. But, with even one or two bars of 4G at a campground, the Internet is usually fast enough for web surfing and even streaming a Netflix movie or Pandora Radio. With campground WiFi, I've never been able to do that.
True confessions. I have used my wifi booster to mooch wifi from Macdonalds and other places, especially while 'camping' in Walmarts, or even just stopping for lunch near a Starbucks. The speed is still unpredictable and certainly now where near gigabit, but often faster than a campground
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Old 01-20-2017, 10:38 PM   #11
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True confessions. I have used my wifi booster to mooch wifi from Macdonalds and other places, especially while 'camping' in Walmarts, or even just stopping for lunch near a Starbucks. The speed is still unpredictable and certainly now where near gigabit, but often faster than a campground
That's a fair point. Many nearby commercial establishments, like a McDonald's or a Starbucks, would have faster WiFi than most campgrounds do.
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Old 01-20-2017, 10:50 PM   #12
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That's a fair point. Many nearby commercial establishments, like a McDonald's or a Starbucks, would have faster WiFi than most campgrounds do.
Less likely to be streaming Netflix in a McDonald's, especially if they have a nut allergy.
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Old 01-21-2017, 08:01 AM   #13
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I've heard good things about the WiFi ranger but don't use a booster. I find WiFi sufficient in campgrounds that have it during the day, forget evening. For the most part I've been using a prepaid Verizon Hotspot, the cell booster is seldom needed. Utah is another story.
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Old 01-23-2017, 10:45 AM   #14
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Looks like we should check our cell plan and see if tethering would be cost effective. We are part-timers (not retired) but often work from home/road, so maybe a MiFi is the way to go.
Thanks for all the information.
Sally
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Old 01-23-2017, 10:50 AM   #15
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Sally - the quandary seems to be that the provider that has best coverage in more remote areas of the country - Verizon, also offers no unlimited plans. But on plans 12GB and higher Verizon now lets you use your data in Mexico and Canada.
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Old 01-23-2017, 10:53 AM   #16
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Great! We do plan on traveling to Canada once or twice this year so the 12GB+ Verizon plan might work for us..
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Old 01-23-2017, 12:40 PM   #17
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Less likely to be streaming Netflix in a McDonald's, especially if they have a nut allergy.
Or a junk food allergy!
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Old 01-23-2017, 01:36 PM   #18
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AT&T now offers free data, voice and texting plans for Mexico and Canada. They are separate plans but can be added at once. The Canadian plan carries 1 GB of data each month. You have to call and ask for the plans to be added. When you call be sure to ask for retentions, regular customer assistance cannot do it.
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