Question What are the best CELLULAR antennas for RV's today?

[Neal]

I cringe when asked "what antenna should I get?" and I've tested (bought) quite a few. Most recently I had great luck with the Pepwave "Puma" antennas (recently renamed) by going with separate Cellular and WiFi (probably because they didn't have an all in one) but that may be a good lesson learned as well. Based on @MapNerd's recommendation I spent some big money (got him back later) on Parsec Husky's (2) which I mounted on top of my air conditioner covers to get max height and unobstructed 360 degree view of towers. Cellular has been great, WiFi not so much, but the importance of a roof antenna, to me, is cellular. With that said I'd probably go with a cellular only for future roof antennas. Less wires means easier wire runs.

Lots of options out there, I have no experience with some of the brands that are popular among RVers. I've been impressed with the cellular performance of my Parsec Husky's so I'll stick to that brand at least for my first post. Again, Pepwave antennas worked well and part of that was their 6.5ft leads. Parsec's have a lot of options including long or shorter leads so be sure to order what you need and shorter is better.

So I took a look at the Parsec website this morning as I'm going to be asked this question again soon I'm sure. I noticed 3 Parsec's of interest. "Belgian Shepherd", "K9 Pro", and "Husky". Looking at the spec sheets (attached) it appears the K9 Pro is the best performing per dB gain values. I'm not sure if a ground plane is required on these lower profile antennas or not. I don't know what the "radiated efficiency" numbers are as there is quite a difference there. Maybe someone shopping for antennas should give Parsec a call or email and see what they suggest.

It's very important to look at the spec sheets (attached) to find the config you want, for example I'd buy a 4:1 (cellular only). Take that part number and google it to see where you can buy it.

Mobile Antennas Featuring LTE, 5G, Wi-Fi, and GPS

Parsec’s mobile antennas offer high performance multi-band antenna options that support LTE, 5G, Wi-Fi, and GPS and can be mounted on any vehicle.

parsec-t.com

Belgian Shepherd Antenna | Parsec Technologies

The Belgian Shepherd antenna is a rugged, high-performance, 5G antenna available with 4X4 MIMO Cellular, up to 4X4 MIMO WiFi, and optional Bluetooth & GPS.

parsec-t.com

K9 Antenna | Parsec Technologies

The K9 antenna is a low profile 5G antenna that comes with 4x4 MIMO Cellular, up to 4x4 MIMO Wi-Fi, and optional Bluetooth and GPS.

parsec-t.com

Husky Antenna | Parsec Technologies

The Husky antenna is a high-performance, IP67-rated, 5G antenna, available with 4X4 MIMO Cellular, up to 4X4 MIMO WiFi, and optional Bluetoooth and GPS.

parsec-t.com

 

[MapNerd]

That Belgian looks very interesting. I think Neal has made me spend 3-4x the amount of money by now that I made him spend. Others should learn this lesson.

 

[Neal]

Here are the Pepwave antennas:

Mobility Antenna Series

Peplink's Mobility Antenna Series is designed to provide stable, high quality connection for travelers on the road. It is 5G ready and IP67 rated.

www.peplink.com

Attached are the two options either for all in one or cellular only.

 

[Neal]

Some have mentioned Poynting which I have no experience with and it honestly still doesn't catch my eye. For those with Girard awnings you have a metal wall around your roof that you have to get above. Profile (height) of the antenna should be a concern especially with the taller coaches with less room to play for highway height concerns. (sorry, freeway for lefties).

Transport & Mobility Antennas

TRANSPORT & MOBILITY ANTENNAS Moving Connectivity Our range of transportation and mobility antennas is the antenna of choice on a wide variety of vehicles that range from Caravans, RVs, Campervans and Luxury Coaches to Emergency Service vehicles and trucks and trailers.Reliable communication...

poynting.tech

 

[Neal]

Panorama is another brand I'd consider. I used their omni's early on and they worked well for that use which is quite different from today with 5G, etc. I believe.

Panorama Antennas | Panorama Antennas

Established in 1947, Panorama Antennas is a global leader in the design and manufacture of RF antenna solutions for wireless communications.

panorama-antennas.com

 

[Neal]

The first two antennas in the Parsec post offer LTE-LAA which I am not aware of so I googled it. Looks like something to consider.

What is LTE License Assisted Access (LAA)? - everything RF

License Assisted Access (LAA) is a feature of LTE that leverages the unlicensed 5 GHz band in combination with licensed spectrum to deliver a performance boost for mobile

www.everythingrf.com

 

[Neal]

Husky is only one listed as "omnidirectional" so are the other two Parsec's directional?

 

[MapNerd]

Probably. They certainly look directional to me

 

[MapNerd]

The first two antennas in the Parsec post offer LTE-LAA which I am not aware of so I googled it. Looks like something to consider.

What is LTE License Assisted Access (LAA)? - everything RF

License Assisted Access (LAA) is a feature of LTE that leverages the unlicensed 5 GHz band in combination with licensed spectrum to deliver a performance boost for mobile

www.everythingrf.com

Is LTE-LAA something that also needs to be supported by the modem and or router though?

 

[Neal]

Is LTE-LAA something that also needs to be supported by the modem and or router though?

Good point. I'd think so.

 

[sheridany]

@Neal Out of curiosity have you ever tried the standard antennas that attach to the back of the router? I am using that set up and it seems to work well although I am sure I would get a better signal up above, I am not a roof guy to go up there unless it’s an emergency.

 

[Neal]

@Neal Out of curiosity have you ever tried the standard antennas that attach to the back of the router? I am using that set up and it seems to work well although I am sure I would get a better signal up above, I am not a roof guy to go up there unless it’s an emergency.

I have and that's what @MapNerd is doing now. It typically will work well but the optimal antenna setup is no obstructions (metal) between the antenna and the tower. The rabbit ears have the advantage of no line loss so it can improve in some cases. We have options, if struggling for Internet try going back and forth.

 

[MemoriesByTheMile]

We have the Husky and the cell performance for us has been good. Very happy with it.

When it comes to WiFi, not sure if it is the antenna or the Pepwave Max router or a config choice but I am surprised at how challenging it is to get the 5.8 signal just 20’ away (though the signal is going through a densely insulated fiberglass roof and some solid 3/4” maple).

Thinking about trying to use just one leg of the WiFi to go to the roof and the other leg use the rabbit ear. Current campground has decent internet, with password security, so having the roof WiFi antenna is nice to be able to pickup that signal and use it in the Pepwave.

Again, happy with the Parsec Husky for cell.

 

[MapNerd]

We have the Husky and the cell performance for us has been good. Very happy with it.

When it comes to WiFi, not sure if it is the antenna or the Pepwave Max router or a config choice but I am surprised at how challenging it is to get the 5.8 signal just 20’ away (though the signal is going through a densely insulated fiberglass roof and some solid 3/4” maple).

Thinking about trying to use just one leg of the WiFi to go to the roof and the other leg use the rabbit ear. Current campground has decent internet, with password security, so having the roof WiFi antenna is nice to be able to pickup that signal and use it in the Pepwave.

Again, happy with the Parsec Husky for cell.

I think it’s the Husky. Neal and I both have that and while it’s great at cellular, it is pretty bad at WiFi. I just use the paddles for WiFi when I am hooked up to the Husky.

Currently, as Neal said I am all
Paddles no Husky and seeing ridiculous speeds. I wager my Husky is poorly placed and I started working on fixing that today.

 

[Neal]

Husky is only one listed as "omnidirectional" so are the other two Parsec's directional?

Probably. They certainly look directional to me

It doesn't make sense to me as why would you put a directional antenna on a vehicle? All 3 antennas I listed are for first responders.

I think you should get one of each that you don't have and test them since you have paddle antennas installed and I don't want to have to go through disconnecting all those cables on mine!

 

[MapNerd]

It doesn't make sense to me as why would you put a directional antenna on a vehicle? All 3 antennas I listed are for first responders.

I think you should get one of each that you don't have and test them since you have paddle antennas installed and I don't want to have to go through disconnecting all those cables on mine!

Sounds like a good plan @Neal. I am happy to test any antennas you send me.

 

[MemoriesByTheMile]

It doesn't make sense to me as why would you put a directional antenna on a vehicle? All 3 antennas I listed are for first responders.

I think you should get one of each that you don't have and test them since you have paddle antennas installed and I don't want to have to go through disconnecting all those cables on mine!

Hahaha, we disconnect and reconnect “all those wires” each time we move (every couple months).

Tomorrow will try changing the WiFi to the rabbit ear paddles instead of the Husky. Will be interesting to see if or how the WiFi performance is better.