Wifi in van

Sue Paskins

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We are thinking about wifi set up in the van. I am a director (non exec) for a couple of companies and with the event of Zoom am attending meetings even if ‘away’ Mobile signal not always good, but I think I've heard that these systems are able to perform better on low signal reception.

Does anyone have any experience or knowledge of these systems and I am totally non techie, I just use the stuff no idea how it works (or doesn’t)

Thanks

Sue
 
Thanks for the link. This may be what we need. But do they actually work? And how complex are they to set up and use? Has anyone used one
 
Been covered loads of times, You can simply tether your phone to a laptop, iPad etc.

You may find the phones signal inside the van isn’t as good as outside, should this be the case look at options, but try the simple tether method first.
 
Sue Paskins said:
Thanks for the link. This may be what we need. But do they actually work? And how complex are they to set up and use? Has anyone used one
Click to expand...
You can search for reviews heres the first couple I found theres many more

www.outandaboutlive.co.uk

Caravan WiFi: everything you need to know

Our comprehensive guide to caravan internet makes sure that you know everything you need to make sure youre connected on your next holiday
www.outandaboutlive.co.uk www.outandaboutlive.co.uk
and installation videos here
 
Re tethering laptop to phone This is basically what I have been doing. Signal may be stronger outside van but when raining this is a real no-no. Also very bright sunlight also causes problems. Am having to turn video off a lot of the time, and also screen keeps freezing.

Just looking for a better solution! But thanks for all info.
 
Hi Sue
I posted this thread last week
MiWi discussion
And I’m using it this week while en route to Orkney, so far it does show an improvement if you have a signal, however if no signal to boost then still nothing.
 
I've got a maxview roam. It works very well indeed. You can put your phone sim in it if you don't want to buy another SIM card. The aerial on the roof means you will get a much stronger signal and faster speed than a tethered phone. You connect your laptop or tablet via wifi. There is an ethernet port if required. I had mine fitted by a van conversion company.
 
We have a problem in the UK with the infrastructure and not sharing each others masts. Just been to South Coast and I could get Internet via my 3 phone but SWMBO was struggling with her Virgin phone. I have put my phone on the roof before now you just have to remember its up there ..
 
We used a HUAWEI e5577 mifi unit but we’re never very happy with it. I thought of getting an external aerial but heard they won’t increase download speeds much, if at all because if the design of the unit. In the end we bought a Cat 6 mifi, which has similar internal antennas to an iPhone.
What a difference, we now get on average about 50-60mbps download speeds, very often more, in our average 4g reception area.
No need for an external antenna now.
 
Snapster said:
We used a HUAWEI e5577 mifi unit but we’re never very happy with it. I thought of getting an external aerial but heard they won’t increase download speeds much, if at all because if the design of the unit. In the end we bought a Cat 6 mifi, which has similar internal antennas to an iPhone.
What a difference, we now get on average about 50-60mbps download speeds, very often more, in our average 4g reception area.
No need for an external antenna now.
Click to expand...
I've got a Poynting antenna mounted just inside one of the windows, and was going to get a 5577 mifi. Are you saying there's no need for the antenna then? What type of Cat6 mifi is best?
 
I contacted Poynting and they told me that it was unlikely to improve reception if I was in a poor signal area. I just bought a HUAWEI e5785. It’s a Cat 6 unit and I get a massive improvement on speeds verses my old 5575. There are other Cat 6 units, but I can recommend this one.
 
Snapster said:
I contacted Poynting and they told me that it was unlikely to improve reception if I was in a poor signal area. I just bought a HUAWEI e5785. It’s a Cat 6 unit and I get a massive improvement on speeds verses my old 5575. There are other Cat 6 units, but I can recommend this one.
Click to expand...

Which network is your SIM?
 
The Maxview Roam looks to be a somewhat expensive solution. It should be possible to purchase the required components (including a higher spec Teltonika router) considerably cheaper. And there are much cheaper SIM options (with unlimited data) than the SIM offered on their website.
 
I’ve tried a couple of mobile speed testers, the best ones I have used so far is Opensignal and Meteor ( another app by Opensignal)
Opensignal works with 3G 4g and 5G
 
I use a Vodafone R216 off eBay for £15 with a 2x ts9 to sma cable (£8 amazon) connected to a 9db gain external antenna (£15 eBay). My wife has Vodafone 100Gb sim only for £12pcm so we remove her phone sim and put it in the MiFi hub. This works really well. Family of 5 can stream Netflix, YouTube and play mine craft without issues. Be careful which sim deal you get. Some cap the speed so ensure it’s ‘fastest available’.
Data wise we use around 80Gb per month when we go for 5 weekend breaks in a month. We live in Aberdeenshire and typically head to Deeside, Braemar, Stonehaven, Banff, Findhorn etc.
If we get one bar on the phone it’s normally full bars on the mifi setup.
 
The antenna fits through the hole in the roof where the truma exhaust used to be. We removed the truma and fit a Eberspacher diesel to the duct system to free up a cupboard for shoes and washing.
 
Sue Paskins said:
We are thinking about wifi set up in the van. I am a director (non exec) for a couple of companies and with the event of Zoom am attending meetings even if ‘away’ Mobile signal not always good, but I think I've heard that these systems are able to perform better on low signal reception.

Does anyone have any experience or knowledge of these systems and I am totally non techie, I just use the stuff no idea how it works (or doesn’t)

Thanks

Sue
Click to expand...
My guess is the system you post about is quite pricey, there are alternatives that do work but as a non techy you might want to pay the premium to make sure you get the best and take out any hassle. I can tell you 4G will work for zoom and you will likely have a reasonable signal in most places. Should you find the signal is not good enough you can always move to where it is for the duration of your zoom call. I would recommend the Smarty SIM card, you can pay for it a month at a time and cancel when you do not need it.
 
www.motorhomewifi.com

Motorhome WiFi | 4G/5G Built in WiFi for Motorhomes and Caravans

Since 2012 we have provided fast, secure and reliable solutions for motorhomes and caravans for use in remote and rural locations. We have a range of 4G and 5G products with installation available form over 150 dealers across the UK.
www.motorhomewifi.com www.motorhomewifi.com

I recommend you check these out, we had one of their systems installed last year, they’re very helpful and give some of the best - and fastest - customer service responses I’ve experienced.

I worked from the van throughout Spain and Portugal last Summer including Zoom meetings and it all worked excellently.
 
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