WiFi on the road

[dtrombley]

I am hoping to get some feedback on what wi-fi extender or Cell booster people have had good luck with. We are relatively new to the RV world and constantly find our wi-fi and cell service lacking. We are now in “Paradise RV Park in Sun City AZ and they have “Really Bad” WiFi. However for a “Fee” they will allow us to buy stronger service from the local provider ? Right ? We would like to carry “Great” service with us wherever we go,,,TechnoRV recommended cell boosters at a cost that can go as high as $1000.00 . I am willing to spend this kind of $$ if all (ALL) my problems with connectivity are solved. Any input from the RV community is greatly appreciated ….

 

[MapNerd]

If you want to carry it with you wherever you go, you want a cellular modem, not a booster or an extender.

Many of us on this forum use Pepwave products. I have also had good luck with MoFi products.

There are quite a few threads on this forum about mobile internet, so use the search function and poke around, I’m sure most of your questions would be answered by the threads that already exist, but if not feel free to ask and I’m sure someone will give you some food for thought.

 

[dtrombley]

If you want to carry it with you wherever you go, you want a cellular modem, not a booster or an extender.

Many of us on this forum use Pepwave products. I have also had good luck with MoFi products.

There are quite a few threads on this forum about mobile internet, so use the search function and poke around, I’m sure most of your questions would be answered by the threads that already exist, but if not feel free to ask and I’m sure someone will give you some food for thought.

Thank You for this information. I will go looking. TechnoRV also recommends the Pepwave products so that alone may narrow my search. Again, thanks for your response and I hope to hear from many others regarding their experiences.

 

[Sonic]

All of your connectivity problems will not be solved with a cell booster. A booster boosts a weak signal, but won’t help with a strong signal on an overloaded tower. As an example, if you’re in an area with a cell tower nearby but too many users trying to access it, a cell booster won’t be of any help. Cell boosters also cannot legally boost certain bands so it depends on which provider you’re using. Depending on your needs, a MIMO antenna setup may be a better and less expensive solution.

The mobile internet resource center is an excellent source of information on mobile internet solutions hosted by RVers and boaters. Heres’s their article on boosters:

Mobile Cellular Boosters for RVs & Boats Overview

Cellular Boosters for Mobile Data Performance Boosters are a popular (and pricey) option to get a better cellular signal for stabilizing cellular signals. But are they the right choice for cellular data performance, and more

www.rvmobileinternet.com

 

[MemoriesByTheMile]

We started out full time just over a year ago and spent more time than I care to admit reading up on how to get internet. I work full time and need dependable internet and a fair amount of data (more than 400gb a month).

We started out with a Sprint MiFi 8000 and purchased a MiMo yagi directional antenna along with a extendable mast. That helped marginally, and required a little bit of work at each site for finding towers and setting it up with direction, testing each tower site for speed. Used this for many months and dealt with some stress when I would lose connection during video calls. Not good!

Finally plunked down more cash for a Pepwave transit duo with the Parsec Husky antenna. Around the same time we had our sprint MiFi updated to the 2000 model. Also added the AT&T plan. (Our phones are Verizon and I keep the hot spot on those as my third data source, but only have to use that once in 7 months).

I should have gotten the Pepwave much earlier. The hardware and Parsec antenna works great after getting it setup. Overall the toughest challenge is finding the data plans that will meet your need at the budget that you find acceptable.

 

[dtrombley]

All of your connectivity problems will not be solved with a cell booster. A booster boosts a weak signal, but won’t help with a strong signal on an overloaded tower. As an example, if you’re in an area with a cell tower nearby but too many users trying to access it, a cell booster won’t be of any help. Cell boosters also cannot legally boost certain bands so it depends on which provider you’re using. Depending on your needs, a MIMO antenna setup may be a better and less expensive solution.

The mobile internet resource center is an excellent source of information on mobile internet solutions hosted by RVers and boaters. Heres’s their article on boosters:

Mobile Cellular Boosters for RVs & Boats Overview

Cellular Boosters for Mobile Data Performance Boosters are a popular (and pricey) option to get a better cellular signal for stabilizing cellular signals. But are they the right choice for cellular data performance, and more

www.rvmobileinternet.com

Thank you, Still looking.

 

[dtrombley]

We started out full time just over a year ago and spent more time than I care to admit reading up on how to get internet. I work full time and need dependable internet and a fair amount of data (more than 400gb a month).

We started out with a Sprint MiFi 8000 and purchased a MiMo yagi directional antenna along with a extendable mast. That helped marginally, and required a little bit of work at each site for finding towers and setting it up with direction, testing each tower site for speed. Used this for many months and dealt with some stress when I would lose connection during video calls. Not good!

Finally plunked down more cash for a Pepwave transit duo with the Parsec Husky antenna. Around the same time we had our sprint MiFi updated to the 2000 model. Also added the AT&T plan. (Our phones are Verizon and I keep the hot spot on those as my third data source, but only have to use that once in 7 months).

I should have gotten the Pepwave much earlier. The hardware and Parsec antenna works great after getting it setup. Overall the toughest challenge is finding the data plans that will meet your need at the budget that you find acceptable.

Thank you, I will look into Pepwave..

 

[dtrombley]

Thank you, Still looking.

Not really sure what a Memo is but more info to consider.

 

[MapNerd]

@dtrombley if you’re still looking and willing to put out some money, I can’t recommend the Pepwave MaxTransit BR1 Pro 5G highly enough. This is a relatively new device on the market that supports 5G cellular and has a CAT-20 modem, which essentially means it’s the newest in the market and relatively future proof for the next 2-5 years.

Several of us have recently purchased this device and are seeing amazing results.

MIMO by the way is an antenna. With any cellular modem, you want as many antennas per modem as you can get. More antennas means you can potentially access more signal bands from the carrier(one per antenna) and the modem can then aggregate them into a single connection with strong speeds.

Here’s what I am seeing right now for example.

To provide a frame of reference, to stream Netflix on a single device in HD resolution, you want a minimum download speed of 5mbps. I am at 224mbps at the moment. That’s very fast internet.

 

[lemondrop9344]

My experience with 'signal boosters' was disappointing. That's not to say they don't work, but in my case, money was better spent on a Peplink cellular modem/router which would also capture & distribute a WIFI signals.
If I were purchasing a unit today, I would most likely purchase the same unit as MapNerd. Keep in mind these units are commercial grade units & can sometimes be difficult to configure if not matched to the correct cellular data plan for the carrier you choose. In reviewing the various forums on this subject, it's apparent not all cellular plans will work with all cellular devices. Manufacturer forums are a good source to get a feel for the types of issues people are experiencing. Not trying to discourage you as the folks on this forum & others can be very helpful.
Available WIFI signals that are dependable should be considered a plus in the traveling RV community. Many members on this forum have multiple cellular data plans (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile & other carriers) just in case a carrier's signal is not available/overloaded.