WiFi and 4G Signal Boosters - Opinions and Reviews?

[Michael_Wild]

I am constantly finding myself on the fringe of cellular and WiFi networks where the signal is not strong enough to allow a connection or if I connect it is too slow to be useable.

I am looking to buy a cellular and or WiFi signal booster, but the cost of these units is very high. Would love to hear what models you would recommend? Any combo units? Any discount codes?

Thanks!

[joshjack]

I’ve been looking at this same issue, and quite frankly my experience with campground WiFi has been very poor. Even with good signal it’s usually so slow it’s not worth the trouble.

I’m leaning towards a cradle point IBR900 setup with 4G antennas, one would be a basic rubber duck for areas with good signal, and the other will be wired to a coil of cable in my battery box where I can go to an Yagi on a portable flagpole holder set under the front jack. That gets me high enough to grab signal for most places with poor signal.

[afk314]

I am using an IBR900 now and like it very much. People without an IT background might prefer the Pepwave MAX BR1 since it is less complex. It connects to a Yagi that is attached to the old batwing TV antenna that was decommissioned for this purpose. I think if I were to do it again, I would run two cables and put a MIMO antenna up top.

Feel free to ask questions or send me a PM if interested.

-Adam

[DKB_SATX]

Unfortunately in rural areas you can have excellent cellular signal (directly or via a booster) and still have poor data performance if the providers has weak provisioning to the towers in the area, so it's not a panacea but I want to put in a booster in our trailer because I'm often able to work on the road, and I'd like to do more of that (for longer Airstream trips without becoming unemployed!) but what kind of connectivity is available is a dice-roll until I've been to a place.

[Mansderm161]

I just bought a mobile hot spot from my cell carrier. It seemed at most campgrounds I could not get their wifi, but I could see that quite a few other campers had secure hot spots. Will try it for first time in West Virginia this weekend. Will let u know how that works. So overall cost is the price of the hardware plus a monthly fee based on amount of data you want.

[centennialman]

I just bought the Weboost RV from TechnoRV and it's scheduled to be delivered today. Looking forward to hooking it up and seeing how it works.

[OTRA15]

The following sub-forum is full of earlier threads on this FYI:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f451/

Also FYI, the new search function above in the blue box works great, and "WIFI 4G booster" produces these results:

https://www.google.com/search?q=WIFI...com&gws_rd=ssl

Cheers,

Peter

[Tschupp]

After wading through hours of reviews I happened on Mobile Internet Resource Center. Clear information, even I, a total novice at all things internet, could understand the reviews, and figured out what I needed while on the road to keep me connected and entertained.

[wmb]

We've been using the WeBoost 4G-X for about three months, and while it's not cheap at ~$500, I do find it reliably boosts a weak cell signal into something at least usable, and can turn a borderline signal (< -100 dBm) into something that will allow streaming.


Installs easily on Airstreams without drilling a hole if you don't need your Winegard antenna. We removed ours because we don't really watch OTA TV, and repurposed the coax to bring in the signal from the WeBoost's external antenna, which clamps nicely onto one of the crankable posts left behind by the Winegard.


I believe you can do even better if you get a directional antenna (which you can also rotate using the old Winegard crank), but we haven't tried that yet.

[PatLee]

Mansderm61 - I look forward to hearing your report!

[DaveP]

I bought a refurbished WeBoost 4G directly from Wilson Amplifiers for $200. The kit came with a flat coax cable which I use to run the cable out the storage door underneath the bed to an antenna on a tripod which I can move around to optimize the signal.

When there is a cell signal, it works very well to boost that signal. No signal, no boost.

[accordionman]

That "weboost" looks like a good idea. Like most of us, the wifi signals at RV parks is spotty at best. I have only encountered one in the last yr strong enough to let me stream and probably can count on one hand those that were good enough to do some work on my laptop. I use the hot spot on my cell phone. Now that presupposes that there is at least a 2 bar signal from Verizon, but if there is, that's enough for me to do just about anything I want on the web. If there is no cell signal then the hot spot does nothing. How 'bout this we boost ? Will that sufficiently boost a 1 bar signal to a point where it is usable ? Even with a hot spot, streaming can be an issue if you don't have the band width. Verizon will throttle down your feed after you reach a certain point. They now have a plan (for 55+ yrs of age) that will give you 15 hrs of good feed before they throttle it down. Since I have 2 phone ( me and my wife) on our account, that, effectively gives me 30 hrs that I can stream before buffeting ( or buffering, or whatever it's called). That's only $ 15 monthly more than my present plan. Not bad. Buying a physcial hot spot from your carrier is really unnecessary since your phone comes with one ( at least the iphone and Verizon do).

[Vagabonds_2]

Have unlimited data with AT&T, their Nighthawk hotspot has pulled in great WiFI every campground from Oregon to Kansas City.

[Mollysdad]

If Jeff Bezos developed a satellite based cell service he'd rule the world.

[Howard L.]

securifi almond

The above works great for us as a campground booster. Around $100 new, $30 used.

[kscherzi]

I installed a weboost trucker 4G-X kit. Mounted the antenna on the crank up winguard TV mount then routed the cable down the fridge vent to the powered unit. It does amplify the cell signal. Don't expect a miracle, but it will take a sketchy 1 bar and make it a more reliable 2 or 3 bar. It cannot turn zero bars into a signal though.

[donabston]

Look at bearextender.com. I'm pleased with my external directional wifi booster. The price and customer service were both very good. If there is any signal on the park you can usually pull it in. I mounted it on grey PVC and use velcro on the awning supports to hold it high.

[DaveP]

Where I hunt in central Colorado, we get 1 bar of 3G service. With the WeBoost, it boosts that signal to 4 bars and we can stream Netflix movies. The system works when there is a signal to boost!

Just to be clear, this is not wifi booster, it is a cell system amplifier.

Originally Posted by accordionman

That "weboost" looks like a good idea. Like most of us, the wifi signals at RV parks is spotty at best. I have only encountered one in the last yr strong enough to let me stream and probably can count on one hand those that were good enough to do some work on my laptop. I use the hot spot on my cell phone. Now that presupposes that there is at least a 2 bar signal from Verizon, but if there is, that's enough for me to do just about anything I want on the web. If there is no cell signal then the hot spot does nothing. How 'bout this we boost ? Will that sufficiently boost a 1 bar signal to a point where it is usable ? Even with a hot spot, streaming can be an issue if you don't have the band width. Verizon will throttle down your feed after you reach a certain point. They now have a plan (for 55+ yrs of age) that will give you 15 hrs of good feed before they throttle it down. Since I have 2 phone ( me and my wife) on our account, that, effectively gives me 30 hrs that I can stream before buffeting ( or buffering, or whatever it's called). That's only $ 15 monthly more than my present plan. Not bad. Buying a physcial hot spot from your carrier is really unnecessary since your phone comes with one ( at least the iphone and Verizon do).

[Isuzusweet]

Funny thing is, when I go camping in my Airstream, it's a vacation from TV, WIFI, and the internet I look forward too. I don't miss it enjoying the campfire.

Cheers
Sidekick Tony

[OTRA15]

. . . and walks on the beach or in the woods . . .

Well said!