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Old 09-05-2019, 07:03 AM   #421
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I have the AT&T Mobley and it works well except for the 2 hour timeout and limit of 5 connected devices. I just ordered a Nighthawk M1 and received the SIM unlock codes from AT&T. I’m hoping this solves my issues.

One issue that I don’t understand is need for a router in my Airstream. Since both the Mobley and Nighthawk broadcast WiFi, what is the purpose/advantage of having a separate router? We boondock a lot, so are there good 12v routers?
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Old 09-05-2019, 08:39 AM   #422
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If the Nighthawk does the job for you wrt the number of connections it supports, provides acceptable speeds, and offers acceptable wifi coverage, there's no real requirement for a router. Connecting a hot spot to a router can allow you to connect more devices through the hot spot via the router (e.g. the router looks like one device to the hot spot), and give you better wifi coverage. Using a straight up LTE router can, under the right LTE-bandwidth conditions, provide greater speeds. Like a wifi router, it will also support more devices and offer better wifi coverage than a hot spot can provide. Some LTE routers also allow for two SIM cards so you can switch carriers based on which one has the best coverage where you are.
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Old 09-06-2019, 05:03 AM   #423
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I will connect my Netgear hotspot with Mobley sim to my Pepwave Soho router if I need a wired port. Usually this is for the DVD player to stream Netflix. But often a Firestick in the hdmi port with a wireless connecting to hotpot gets the job done. I think my Netgear supports 10 or 25 devices ; I get it mixed up with capacity on my Verizon 8800.
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Old 09-28-2019, 07:30 PM   #424
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Airstream Connected has stopped working

Our Airstream Connected has quit working. Worked fine up until two days ago. Got settled in our new site and found there was no internet connection. RV reviews of the campground indicate that AT&T service in the location was good. Router has power, so power not a problem. Devices can connect to the router, but there is no internet. When I bring up the AS Connected App, it shows it is not paired, even though it previously was. Tried to pair using the QR code and pair fails. Tried to pair manually and pair fails. Oh and by the way, I have rebooted the Peplink modem twice. We left that campsite and traveled down the interstate. Tried again a hundred miles down the road. Same result. Traveled to a different RV park 300 miles from the other, and same result.

I'll call JC on Monday, but for some reason it appears the modem cannot connect to AT&T. If I connect my device to the router and try to do a speed test, the speed test indicates it is not connecting to AT&T.

A visual inspection of the antenna on the roof indicates that it is OK.

Has anyone had this happen? Any ideas?

Thanks,

Steve
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Old 09-28-2019, 07:44 PM   #425
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check the tightness of the antenna leads on the back of the Peplink
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Old 09-28-2019, 08:10 PM   #426
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hsgsports View Post
check the tightness of the antenna leads on the back of the Peplink
I did. They are fine.

However, I just tried a 3rd reboot of the Peplink, since we are now at a new location. This time after booting it is working. Not great performance, but I think that is more a function of where we are (Ogallala, Nebraska). Verizon doesn't work very well here either. At our last location, where it quit working, we were near a power line. Perhaps that caused the problem.

Now when I bring up the AS Connected app it connects to the router.

So I guess all is well. We'll see how it goes as we head down the road.

Steve
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Old 09-29-2019, 10:46 AM   #427
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I am heading to Jackson in couple weeks for some work and upgrades. Need some help understanding the overall value and cost of doing the ATT upgrade with hardware, vs just getting a new phone and using as a hot spot? How much better connected are you and is there a less expensive solution? Seems we typically have pretty good connections via cell of Verizon and in some spots ATT with our phones...in the campgrounds and mountains out in the wilderness, not so much consistency. Looking at the new Apple and Samsung models that recently came out and are advertising better reception. Appreciate a simple break down of your experiences and recomendation.
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Old 09-29-2019, 12:44 PM   #428
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We had the Airstream Connected system installed 11 days ago by Airstream of Tampa. After they installed, we headed north to Savannah and Stone Mountain State Park, in North Carolina. The system worked great at Skidaway Island in Savannah, while we had weak (but usable) AT&T service on our iPhones. We were able to use the Airstream Connected WiFi from the TV while on the road to NC as well—a nice benefit.

When we got to Stone Mountain SP, we expected nothing. All the reviews online said no AT&T service at all. With the Airstream Connected we got what we expected: nothing. The app said “Local Only” on the status page.

What’s interesting is that our iPhones have AT&T service here, although it’s spotty...move a few feet and it goes away. But I set up the WeBoost and get 3 bars. The WeBoost antenna is on a pole, no more than 3 feet away from the Airstream Connected antenna and at just about the same height.

I tried to place the WeBoost inside antenna on the roof near the Airstream Connected antenna but got no joy there.

We’ll see tomorrow whether it’s just a location issue or something else going on with our install.

Jim
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Old 09-29-2019, 12:57 PM   #429
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Jim, when you placed the WeBoost internal antenna on the roof how close together were the internal and external antenna? Did you see any red flashing lights on the WeBoost indicating that the WeBoost was in oscillation due to interference/closeness of the two antennas?



Depending on your WeBoost model/antenna it may have have more power than the PepWave, though the Pepwave with the MiMo antenna that is on the roof seems to be doing very good on my rig.
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Old 09-29-2019, 01:14 PM   #430
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Originally Posted by ghaynes755 View Post
Jim, when you placed the WeBoost internal antenna on the roof how close together were the internal and external antenna? Did you see any red flashing lights on the WeBoost indicating that the WeBoost was in oscillation due to interference/closeness of the two antennas?
That’s a good question; I hadn’t considered the oscillation issue. I wasn’t able to see the LED on the amplifier as it was on the roof and I...wasn’t.

Moving the external antenna will involve a bit of work, and since we’re leaving tomorrow morning, it’s not worth testing at this point. But if we end up in a similar situation again, I’ll try again with the antennas well separated.

Jim
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Old 09-29-2019, 04:30 PM   #431
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gypsydad View Post
I am heading to Jackson in couple weeks for some work and upgrades. Need some help understanding the overall value and cost of doing the ATT upgrade with hardware, vs just getting a new phone and using as a hot spot? How much better connected are you and is there a less expensive solution? Seems we typically have pretty good connections via cell of Verizon and in some spots ATT with our phones...in the campgrounds and mountains out in the wilderness, not so much consistency. Looking at the new Apple and Samsung models that recently came out and are advertising better reception. Appreciate a simple break down of your experiences and recomendation.
We started out full timing with just our Verizon phones and then had AS Connected installed. On our phones, we have the "beyond unlimited" Verizon data plan. As a comparison:

Using Phones as Hotspots

Ok for email, website browsing, and light internet. On our plan data is unlimited. However data when phone is used as a hotspot has a quota. Once you hit the quota you are throttled. So for streaming, we hooked our phone directly to the TV using a lightning to HDMI adapter and an HDMI cable. More or less worked OK except for Netflix. I think Netflix sees that you are "watching" on a phone and reduces the resolution for a smaller screen. So on the TV was always crappy. I spent way too many hours on the phone with Verizon and Netflix trying to resolve that issue and finally gave up. We could stream with Amazon Prime or any other source and it worked fine. With Netflix, was a crappy picture. Also because of the hotspot quota issue, we could not use our Apple TV. It used up the quota too fast. Bandwidth on the phone is highly variable and location dependent. Also with an Airstream, the signal inside the trailer is diminished since the aluminum trailer is a large Faraday cage and shields the signal. So you need a Weboost system or an external antenna to get a good signal on your phone. The other problem we had using our phones as hotspots is our laptops would constantly loose the hotspot connection. As much as 4-5 times an hour I would have to turn the hotspot off, then back on again, then connect my laptop again. Constantly. Very annoying. Another drawback to using your phones as hotspots is that an iPhone will not back up to the cloud over a hotspot. You have to be on WiFi.

Using Airstream Connected

Airstream Connected solved every problem I had using my phone as a hotspot. Did not need to worry about a hotspot quota. All my devices, including the Apple TV connect to the AS Connected router. I don't constantly have to reconnect. Apple TV works great. Netflix works great. We rarely are in a location where internet speed is an issue. My phone backs up whenever it needs to. My laptop also backs up dynamically to OneDrive.

We keep our Verizon plan as a backup for any location where AT&T is too weak for Airstream Connected to work. Also we use our phones all day for navigation, looking for stores we need to find, laundromats, campgrounds, restaurants, fuel, etc.

Hope this helps.

Steve
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Old 09-29-2019, 05:06 PM   #432
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Steve,

You can pop your Verizon SIM card into the Pepwave and use it as the fall back when AT&at doesn’t work. Unfortunately you can’t manage any of the settings or force it from AT&T to Verizon if AT&T is just weak. But it’ll work. Just put it into the second slot, or manually replace the AT&T one whenever you want.
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Old 09-30-2019, 09:32 AM   #433
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Quote:
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Steve,

You can pop your Verizon SIM card into the Pepwave and use it as the fall back when AT&at doesn’t work. Unfortunately you can’t manage any of the settings or force it from AT&T to Verizon if AT&T is just weak. But it’ll work. Just put it into the second slot, or manually replace the AT&T one whenever you want.
Thanks for the reply's from you and Steve above! Now the other question about plans...We have been with ATT for long time...30+ years...not "married" to ATT however, and no subscription. When in MT during summer months, many spots up there support better coverage from Verizon.

Have been looking at Spectrum offer of $45/line unlimited since I have their internet at home...(only internet in my neighborhood) They use Verizon I am told, and claim most hotspots in US with the "unlimited use" claim, including streaming...

Wife has Apple 6S and I have a Samsung Galaxy 7; considering moving to the newer models with the current offerings of $300-450 plus trade in of $200....

When I go to Jackson it looks from above posts, It would be great to get the ATT solution? What all does that intail; router, wifi booster, ?? and approx. costs? (They have not replied to my request for pricing yet.)
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Old 09-30-2019, 02:22 PM   #434
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I've noticed that WiFi reception inside the trailer is horrid on my various devices. With the BR1 transmitter placed above the dinette, I almost can't pick up a signal with my iPad when in the bedroom (less than 25 feet away). So I was thinking to myself the other day... where is the antenna for the WiFi? Well, there is only ONE wifi antenna. And so I guess it has to serve dual purpose, because I am quite certain that the documentation indicates the antenna is used for WiFi as WAN (or "Campground") mode. So does that mean it ALSO is the transmitting antenna for me surfing the web? If so, it would make sense the reception is crap with two layers of aluminum and crud-tons of Air Conditioners, solar and other stuff on the roof interfering. Since I disabled the Campground mode, I think it will make more sense to just plug a standard "indoor" antenna in place of the antenna cable that leads outside.

Anyone else experienced this and tried an indoor antenna? Results?
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Old 09-30-2019, 02:49 PM   #435
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Happy a number of us have added a standard wireless router to make everything work faster. I have a TPLink AC1200 sitting on top of the the BR1 box. Speeds for wifi are much faster.
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Old 10-02-2019, 08:07 AM   #436
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ghaynes - thank you for the suggestion of an additional wifi Access Point. I'm hoping to avoid the electrical draw if I don't need it and would get a good result with just using an indoor blade antenna since I don't care at all about the external antenna.

Has anyone tried just replacing the outside antenna cable with an indoor blade antenna and willing to report results?

Thanks,

Matt
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Old 10-02-2019, 09:07 AM   #437
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Matt and others, the folks at rvmobileinternet.com released this interesting writeup on antennas, signal, MiMo boosters and other information in the last couple of days. Interesting read.


This was one standout item "In our extensive field testing over the years, external antennas - especially MIMO antennas - outperform amplified boosters about 70-80% of the time."


https://www.rvmobileinternet.com/gui...llular-signal/
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Old 10-02-2019, 10:53 AM   #438
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ghaynes755 View Post
Matt and others, the folks at rvmobileinternet.com released this interesting writeup on antennas, signal, MiMo boosters and other information in the last couple of days. Interesting read.


This was one standout item "In our extensive field testing over the years, external antennas - especially MIMO antennas - outperform amplified boosters about 70-80% of the time."


https://www.rvmobileinternet.com/gui...llular-signal/
First, note that the above statement / article / video refers to a single 1x1 (NON MIMO) roof mounted antenna with interior repeater / amplifier (aka weboost).

That being said I have seen similar results with the setup referenced by RV Mobile Internet. My simplistic WebBoost is a single surecall 1x1 roof-mounted antenna. But I most often get best data performance out of a portable 2x2 directional MIMO window-mounted antenna or the 4x4 omni-directional MIMO antenna that is built into my jetpack.

That being said the Airstream hardware that is roof mounted is a 2x2 MIMO antenna for cellular, so not quite apples to apples. I suspect a roof mounted 2x2 MIMO would work quite well. 4x4 is better, but 2x2 is better than a 1x1 that supports weboost and other repeaters.
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Old 10-02-2019, 11:15 AM   #439
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ghaynes - thank you for the suggestion of an additional wifi Access Point. I'm hoping to avoid the electrical draw if I don't need it and would get a good result with just using an indoor blade antenna since I don't care at all about the external antenna.

Has anyone tried just replacing the outside antenna cable with an indoor blade antenna and willing to report results?

Thanks,

Matt
When the system first came out, we tested all kinds of configurations. The blades are not the best solution. The antenna on the roof surprisingly works quite well inside the trailer. What works the best of all is the second router with its own 5Ghz radio plugged into the Peplink router's Ethernet port. You will get a great signal inside and out and have more than twice the speed.
I'd sacrifice a little power any day to have the speed. My $17 internal router reaches 100 ft around the trailer. The skin does not interfere that much.

We tested signal strength throughout my trailer (30 ft) and found little difference. The rear which was farthest from the antenna did drop a little but did not affect the speed. I would check all the lines going to the Peplink and make sure they are all connected properly. Make sure they are screwed on tight.
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Old 10-24-2019, 11:12 AM   #440
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Any of you "experts" here at Alumalina??

Looking for some of the "experts" on this thread to help contribute with a session at Alumalina..anyone here that can contribute, John said he would put together a session (if he hasn't already?) and it would be great to discuss best recommendations, if youall can share! Jackson Center quoted me $1600 last week but I could not stay an extra day for the 2 or 4 hour installation...headed hear instead...Appreciate anyone who can help us "novices" learn this stuff!

We could perhaps even do it while enjoying a "refreshment"??
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