Wifi / Cell / Starlink connectivity

[DavidL]

I can work anywhere if I have a cellphone and an Internet connection.

Problem1: Love to be on the boat, but my lake has crappy Cellular and my house Wifi only covers 100 yards from the house.

Problem2: RV has an older generation WifiRanger (Elite outside antenna) but I am finding that connects to campground wifi worse than my laptop. It will connect, but very skittish on getting Internet data. Maybe that's a setting, maybe that's the age of the product. I have "unlimited" data on my cell phone and can hotspot to the WifiRanger, but as we all know, all campgrounds are placed where cellular is marginal.

So, the plan is to get a "3rd gen" Starlink Mobile High performance dish. Not sure when that will be available. I hear rumor it uses standard RJ45 connectors and not the proprietary Starlink cable ends? Or is that just RJ45 ethernet on the new router?

Next solution is what to replace the WifiRanger with....I see most on these threads use a Peplink BR1 Pro 5G? Is that the latest and greatest? Optionally supports Bonding of multiple Internet sources? I assume the StarLink can plug into the WAN BR1 connection?

To solve Problem 1, the idea is to make the StarLink Mobile dish quick connect. Hence the want for standard RJ45 ethernet jacks / cables. I assume this is POE (power over ethernet). Then I can swap the dish to the boat. BTW, this is for Michigan boating, not ocean boating so I think that means the $150/month plan will work on the inland boat?

Solving both problems will improve quality of life Comments? Recommendations?

 

[Neal]

If on boat, don't be on Internet. If on RV...wait, never mind.

Okay, so you're like me...but much smarter First, ditch the Wi-Fi ranger, you'll feel liberated, then get a Pepwave, the newest line just came out with x62 chipsets for the 5G series. But figure out what works best with your budget and desires, below would work for me, a newer version of what I have but I have no plans to replace mine, the x55 chipset works just fine for me.

Peplink MAX BR1 Pro 5G Mobile Router (X62)

Pepwave new MAX BR1 Pro 5G now has the latest x62 2nd Generation 5G Chipset. 4Gbps+ max download speed. WIFI 6, 2xGb LAN, 2.5Gbps WAN port, multiple sim slots, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, direct dc wire kit. Price match guarantee.

mobilemusthave.com

 

[DavidL]

If on boat, don't be on Internet. If on RV...wait, never mind.

Okay, so you're like me...but much smarter First, ditch the Wi-Fi ranger, you'll feel liberated, then get a Pepwave, the newest line just came out with x62 chipsets for the 5G series. But figure out what works best with your budget and desires, below would work for me, a newer version of what I have but I have no plans to replace mine, the x55 chipset works just fine for me.

Peplink MAX BR1 Pro 5G Mobile Router (X62)

Pepwave new MAX BR1 Pro 5G now has the latest x62 2nd Generation 5G Chipset. 4Gbps+ max download speed. WIFI 6, 2xGb LAN, 2.5Gbps WAN port, multiple sim slots, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, direct dc wire kit. Price match guarantee.

mobilemusthave.com

Thanx Neal,
re: Boat - Wife likes to go on the boat. Here idea is to cruise around just above idle, go to the far side of the lake, dock and take in the sun. I can do that for about 30 minutes. I start figgiting with my phone to get my last hours emails. No cell connection. Done with floating. If Internet, that would double my wife's sun exposure to harmful rays. I will continue to cower under the Sunbrella shade to take the glare off my screen.

So, the X62. That just means same features but faster UI performance than the X55?

At the lower $ end of the line...the Mini...I would not get the multiple cell connections like the Pro. But, each of those connections needs it's own SIM card / account $'s? Sounds like an expensive (even more expensive) week's RV trip. My idea was to park, setup, and decide to activate StarLink for the month if no good Campground Wifi and no good Cellular (Spectrum on Verizon towers) if Starlink hadn't already been activated for the boat sessions (which are more frequent than RV sessions).

I was considering buying a PepLink used via eBay to see how their UI is. The WifiRanger is not very intuitive.
Some of these are sub $100. Looking for the gotchas: Out of date technology, Can't use my cellular provider (locked to a different one), broken, etc.

 

[Neal]

You can find videos on the x62, I think it adds carrier aggregation. I would not buy a device with less than a CAT 18 modem which offers the 4 x 4 MIMO antenna technology. Personally, I would not buy a device that doesn't support 5G, today. Spend the money to get something you will be pleased with for years to come and use on the boat, house, or RV. Great device and versatile.

 

[DavidL]

I got cheap. I bought an older BR1 pro from eBay. Like $70 including shipping. This should at a minimum directly replace WifiRanger. And get me up to speed with Peplink's software. If this works well, then maybe I'll put it on the boat and get an up to date one like the one you reference for the RV. Looking for an external antenna for it now. Maybe I'll get a modern one for future proofing. Ideas?

 

[Neal]

Looking for an external antenna for it now. Maybe I'll get a modern one for future proofing. Ideas?

This is tough and takes some careful research which I know you'll do and have the expertise to know what to look for. I've used far too many of them and have had good and bad experiences. My two favs are Peplink's antennas and Parsec's. I'm using Parsec Husky's now. But what I've learned is NOT to get roof antennas with Wi-Fi. Just use them for cellular. Ensure it supports 5G and if you want to go deeper investigate the bands supported. Look at dB gains but I'm not sure I trust the numbers but good info to digest. I have been very pleased with the cellular performance of my Parsec's and would buy again.

 

[DavidL]

Ok, got an older gen but new Parsec Husky PRO4H4L01B.
Interesting that Wifi is better using in coach antenna. Signal loss via cables? I will use the Parsec wifi as the used Peplink doesn't have any antennas. We'll see

 

[Neal]

Getting roof Wi-Fi inside the coach, at least with my antenna's mounted on top of the air conditioner shrouds has not been strong enough. I also see no need to clutter channels in campgrounds when my need is internal. I do use the Parsec Husky Wi-Fi. come to think of it, for inbound (WAN) use. In my setup I have 2 x Pepwave's. Pepwave 1 is my main controller per se and it has the paddle antennas I use for coach Wi-Fi. I also have an access point in the basement mid coach for exploration purposes but also my Pepwave sits over the driver's seat. Pepwave 2 is used to connect to campground Wi-Fi from the roof antenna which works well. So I retract, slightly, my suggestion as I now recall my Wi-Fi use scenario. Pepwaves, at least older models, have reported problems with handling both inbound (WAN) and internal (LAN) operations. While I've never experienced it but heard of it my usage is to separate as outlined above.

 

[DavidL]

Ah Ok, my only purpose for the Parsec is for external (WAN) communication. I have lots of networking / Wifi stuff already in the coach

 

[Neal]

Ah Ok, my only purpose for the Parsec is for external (WAN) communication. I have lots of networking / Wifi stuff already in the coach

I know, all I got was static on my FM radio at Hoots. I looked for alien spacecraft but instead found a Mountain Aire

 

[DavidL]

The used Pepwave came in. did the "30-30-30" factory default method to clean it up. Booted and we seen on the network. I had to bridge my home's network over to the Pepwave's default subnet to see it on my network. Once that was done, the Pepwave webpage came up, I was able to login and play.

So, I upgraded the firmware with it's latest. This is an older hardware gen so will only go to 6.3.5 firmware.
I presetup all network settings and found it very straightforward for someone who dinks with routers daily. More intuitive than the WifiRanger.

The Parsec antenna came in the next day. Opening the box, 4 long cables....hmmm, all marked LTE...no Wifi....dang, my quick ordering got the wrong model. So many choices. So that's being returned and I need to go shopping again.

But, on the positive side, looks like the Pepwave is functional and "as good as it's new". Not bad for a $64 investment.

Some further snooping finds that the Pepwave models has an API for software to talk to it....

https://download.peplink.com/resources/Peplink-Router-API-Documentation-for-Firmware-8.1.3.pdf

Looks like we will be integrating the Pepwave into our myServer automation system and building our own user interface. Now that's cool stuff to make this stuff easy. Looks like I will need to invest in a newer Pepwave for that effort. Firmware v7 starts to deliver those functions. V8 is where it gets nice. So, the $64 investment will be initial learning. The "$1000" new one will be the ultimate path.

so, survey question - what routers are people using? and what firmware version? I'll research how to post survey questions on Neal's new forum. Till then, post your details here!

 

[DavidL]

Thinking of making a mount similar to

Quick Release Mount for Starlink High Performance In-Motion Dish

Quick release mount for the standard Starlink High Performance flat dish. Quickly and securely mount your Starlink dish to any vehicle.

star-mountsystems.com

Note they also have extra bases. So, one for RV, one for Boat....
Of course I will have to DIY it...