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Cell Signal Boosting

Started by daplumbr, August 29, 2016, 03:09:30 PM

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daplumbr

A cellular signal booster is an often-needed accessory in a Camplite. The all aluminum exterior creates an effective block to all but the strongest cellular signal and campgrounds are often in areas of weak cell signals to begin with. The basic premise of a booster is to receive the signal with an antenna outside the camper, amplify it, and the re-broadcast it inside the camper for the phone/tablet to pick up. For anyone wanting technical details, practical advice, or the full scoop on equipment, The Mobile Internet Handbook is an excellent reference book that covers both cellular and wifi usage while traveling.

All boosters need to be registered with the carrier (AT&T, Verizon, etc.). Improper use of a booster or a defective booster can screw up signals for everyone within range of the tower, so the cell phone carriers care a lot about boosted signals. Mobil boosters are more limited in power than fixed location boosters.

There are many ways to approach the basic issue of cell phone and Internet usage while traveling. A few phone calls/texts once in a while will take less expensive and easy to use boosters. Multiple devices with heavy bandwidth use will take more expensive and carefully installed boosters to get a good signal inside a Camplite.

In our case, we are very heavy Internet and cell phone users for a wide variety of purposes and the set up described below has given us a fast, strong signal on multiple devices at the same time in every campground we've been to so far. My wife and I don't share well (cue the laugh track). She has an AT&T iPhone and iPad and I have a Verizon iPhone and iPad. We have found that both carriers have strengths and weaknesses when it comes to coverage and speed. Many times we have found a usable signal with one carrier but not the other. With the separate carriers, we are covered pretty much everywhere, if there is even a faint signal available. Controlling data costs is an issue, but having both Verizon and AT&T available is worth it for us.

For the latest booster work in our Camplite, I installed a WeBoost Drive 4G-X in a cabinet over the bed and plugged it into a switched 12VDC outlet on the TV wall. We don't leave it on when we are not using it. The small antennas that come with it are meant more for use in a car, so I purchased and installed better antennas both inside and outside. The booster and the antennas are all multi-band, to cover all possible frequencies used by all cell carriers in all locations.

The outside antenna is a Panorama Multi-Band Low Profile Permanent Mount Antenna. I bolted it to the highest place on the camper, which is the top of the AC housing on the roof. Underneath the antenna is an 18" square piece of galvanized sheet metal to serve as the ground plane. The wire runs along the roof in a puddle of self-leveling caulk to a well-sealed hole I drilled in the side of the camper under the awning and goes directly into the booster cabinet.

The indoor antenna is a WeBoost wide band directional panel antenna. I mounted it on the ceiling in a central location in the camper. That wire is fastened with Velcro tabs to the ceiling. By aiming it down, I eliminated interference with the external antenna, which can cause the booster to stop boosting. And, by mounting it centrally on the ceiling, we get good coverage anywhere inside the camper.

Cellular signal boosting is an ever-changing industry that will have new stuff coming out all the time. I have found that a phone call to a specialty store helps a lot to make sure I get the latest info and that all the parts and pieces I buy can plug into one another. The 3GStore.com and the Repeaterstore.com have both been extraordinarily helpful, as has WeBoost.com. The next generation of cell signal enhancing equipment will re-create the signal before re-broadcasting it rather than just amplifying it. That has the potential to be terrific, because the noise will be eliminated and not amplified along with the signal.







montedtrotter1

Well we have struggled numerous times getting wifi or a cell phone signal in our 21BHS.  I tried a wifi booster but it was complicated and simply did not work well enough to keep the device. I decided to stay with my iPhone as a cell phone hot spot and it works sometimes. I usually have one bar deep in the woods at most GA state parks which is not enough to run a lap top or iPad. It takes two bars to get the lap top to work so I can read the paper etc. If you hold the phone and/or mouth just right and get it in the window (no additional signal with screen in place) sometimes I could get two bars or enough to load the Atlanta paper in 2-3 minutes.
 
So recently purchased a WE Boost 4g RV cell phone booster, way more money than i wanted to pay at $400 but it came with a 30 day guarantee or send it back. We used this week in NE GA where I got the usual one bar. I was given a number for for my iPhone to call to convert the bars to decibels which is a better indication of signal strength but did not need it. I simply hooked it up as instructed and ran the antenna out to my pickup without really searching for a signal. Wham, went to four bars and when the phone is near the internal antenna 5 bars. It was like were at home  regarding signal strength. The Atlanta Journal loaded in seconds, weather channel and general web surfing was again like at home.

At first I was not sure about the 4g RV as it is to be used only when stopped. It comes with 30 feet of cable and one actually is to attach the antenna with suction cups to the upper side our your
trailer. I just ran it out to my PU and attached to the back glass and ran the cable in through the bottom of the slide out vial the rubber seals (I was shocked at how easy this was) and attached the
other end to the internal antenna and booster. Again very easy. Now that I know  it works very well I will do a modification running the ten foot section of coaxial cable under my trailer through the cargo area and into one easy internal location. I will just attach the antenna and place it where needed. The internal antenna needs to be 3-4 from an electrical outlet as it also plugs into the booster.  The outside antenna to me is similar to the portable satellite antennas you see where guys have placed the TV antenna out in the open for better reception. I think the one Merlin installed (above )also works when moving but I chose to go with a little more powerful booster but it only works when stopped.

We did not stream any Apple TV stuff as we were too busy but almost certain this will work well because of the strong signal.

It is really nice to buy something that actually works as advertised!

david

Boaters have similar problems trying to get a cell signal in a remote anchorage far from any population center. Jeff Siegel, who developed the Active Captain software/internet system for boaters, lives aboard his boat full time and operates his business from the boat. Since his business is entirely internet based, he HAS to have good connectivity.

Jeff has written this series of articles about cell phones, boosters and routers: https://activecaptain.com/articles/mobilePhones/intro.php

David
David M

16TBS towed with a 2013 Nissan Pathfinder