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Old 04-12-2020, 12:45 PM   #1
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Question Is Airstream Connected Worth the Price Anymore?

This month, we were supposed to be at JC getting some service done—that's now rescheduled for July. One of the items that I was considering having installed was the Airstream Connected hardware. The total price for the package (hardware plus professional installation) runs about $1,500 ($999 for the hardware and I think they told me $500 for the labor).

I see in the specifications, that the antenna is 5G ready, but that the modem is only 4G. Is that a problem? When 5G gets up and running, will it work? Would I have to change out the modem? Does the hardware really help boost campground WiFi?

The unlimited data plan is now gone, but I see there are some monthly plans, although they seem a little pricy. Up until now, we have used our iPhone's data plan to get WiFi in the Airstream.

I thought I would ask what everyone thinks about the Airstream offering now, so I know what to do if we get to JC in July.

Randy
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Old 04-12-2020, 12:54 PM   #2
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Is Airstream Connected Worth the Price Anymore?

I don’t think it’s worth it now that the data plan is gone. Airstream connect was all about the unlimited, uncapped, non-throttled and non-network managed data plan.

The hardware itself is relatively old technology - It’s an older category 6 modem with limited bands and 2x2 MIMO antenna.

You actually get better speeds out of an at&t nighthawk or Verizon mifi 8800 category 18 modem with built in 4x4 MIMO antenna. If needed you can deploy a portable, directional 2x2 MIMO antenna panel.

That device is portable and costs $200 bucks.
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Old 04-12-2020, 01:00 PM   #3
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5g need not apply here...

I guess it depends on what it's connected to.🤔

My DW's 'smart phone' is still in the third semester of first grade and it's only on when we need to call.
Interweb on the road, yes when it's secure and needed. GPS,yes. Cloud,no.
TwitFace etc, no...sold @+60% and never looked back.😂

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Old 04-12-2020, 01:37 PM   #4
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You can buy the hardware yourself (Peplink modem and Poynting antenna for about $750. Take it to your dealer and let them install if you like. Peplink does make a duel band modem that would be newer and better. These are industrial modems designed to operate in very cold and very hot areas. They lag behind in the technology sometimes.
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Old 04-13-2020, 09:30 AM   #5
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Have had two Verizon MiFi modems get pregnant batteries from being plugged in all of the time during our summers in the mountains. Fortunately the battery is replaceable. I am planning on getting an "industrial" modem that can be on all of the time. I have an external antenna already mounted on both Airstreams. This is the unit we are planning to buy.

https://5gstore.com/product/6967_pepwave_br1_mini.html

They are a good source for cabling, modems/routers and antennas.

Don't be in a hurry to buy the new 5G stuff as there is no 5G service outside of the major cities yet. I will believe the hype when I can get a signal at our Airstream only RV park in Lakeside, AZ. I can see the Verizon tower from my space and 4G/LTE works just fine for streaming and computer use. There is also cable in the park if one wishes to subscribe.

Wb have the top unlimited tier at Verizon with ten devices so use the data as we are paying for it.
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Old 04-13-2020, 09:42 AM   #6
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Do these devices actually boost a signal?

Quote:
Originally Posted by wulfraat View Post
I don’t think it’s worth it now that the data plan is gone. Airstream connect was all about the unlimited, uncapped, non-throttled and non-network managed data plan.

The hardware itself is relatively old technology - It’s an older category 6 modem with limited bands and 2x2 MIMO antenna.

You actually get better speeds out of an at&t nighthawk or Verizon mifi 8800 category 18 modem with built in 4x4 MIMO antenna. If needed you can deploy a portable, directional 2x2 MIMO antenna panel.

That device is portable and costs $200 bucks.
I am really not sure what these devices are suppose to do. I wanted something that would take a signal from 1 bar to 3 or 4. (I think)
I purchased a weboost 4GX OTR and returned it because it didn't make a difference in our signal strength. Although it did change the decibels. It didn't seem to improve the speed or bars listed on our devices.

Is the Nighthawk any different or better?
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Old 04-13-2020, 09:59 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by switz View Post
Have had two Verizon MiFi modems get pregnant batteries from being plugged in all of the time during our summers in the mountains. Fortunately the battery is replaceable. I am planning on getting an "industrial" modem that can be on all of the time. I have an external antenna already mounted on both Airstreams. This is the unit we are planning to buy.

https://5gstore.com/product/6967_pepwave_br1_mini.html

They are a good source for cabling, modems/routers and antennas.

Don't be in a hurry to buy the new 5G stuff as there is no 5G service outside of the major cities yet. I will believe the hype when I can get a signal at our Airstream only RV park in Lakeside, AZ. I can see the Verizon tower from my space and 4G/LTE works just fine for streaming and computer use. There is also cable in the park if one wishes to subscribe.

Wb have the top unlimited tier at Verizon with ten devices so use the data as we are paying for it.
This is not a duel band router. This is why we added the second router to the mix to get 5GHz speed.

Here is the better router that has duel bands 2Ghz and 5 Ghz. Two radios will let you use the "campground" feature without it affecting the speed.

https://5gstore.com/product/7865_pep...x_br1_mk2.html
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Old 04-13-2020, 10:03 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mikebrady62 View Post
I am really not sure what these devices are suppose to do. I wanted something that would take a signal from 1 bar to 3 or 4. (I think)
I purchased a weboost 4GX OTR and returned it because it didn't make a difference in our signal strength. Although it did change the decibels. It didn't seem to improve the speed or bars listed on our devices.

Is the Nighthawk any different or better?
One of the reasons it didn't work is that the Weboost halves the bandwidth in order to reach out farther for a signal. It works great to get a signal far away, but at the sacrifice of speed. You are much better using a modem and an MIMO antenna on the roof in most cases.
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Old 04-13-2020, 11:14 AM   #9
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Take a look at the new offerings from WiFi Ranger.
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Old 04-13-2020, 12:02 PM   #10
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Connected

Last year I installed the TOGO unit (same as AS factory unit), installation was very simple and straightforward using solar panel mounting brackets with 3M VHB tape from AM Solar. The cost was $399 plus $360 for the annual unlimited service plan. This provided excellent 4g internet service all winter as we traveled from Indiana to Texas along the gulf coast to Myrtle Beach through the Smokey Mountains and then home. I cancelled our home internet service as this unit provides faster and more reliable internet than the hard-wired internet service provider in our area, the AS is in our driveway and we have great wifi even throughout the house. Would I purchase this unit again??? Definitely NOT for the following reasons. First, no more unlimited plan and the new data plans are rather expensive, my cell service from consumer cellular has much better data plans at very reasonable prices. Second, tech support from Winegard reads from step by step troubleshooting guide and do not know/understand the system, you will feel like you're on your own to figure out any quirks. Third, since we will most likely be using our cell phones for data then why not invest in a good quality cell phone booster (from 5gstore.com) so you'll have improved voice and data - I've used then for 15 years and support is excellent. I purchased the SureCall Fusion4Home - Omni/Whip (SC-PolyH-72-ORA-Kit) for $249.99 (on sale) and the improvement in cell signal (voice and data) is incredible from -116db to -94db at our current location. I did switch to an old wide band yagi antenna mounted on 12 foot pole (collapsible boat hook) hoping there would be less interference with the inside antenna. I'll use the omni antenna on my sailboat where I can achieve 50ft of vertical separation between inside/outside antennas. I will probably remove the TOGO unit and replace with the WiFi booster I previously installed - it's a marine grade version from islandtimepc.com and allows the user to boost outgoing signal, using this device is not intuitive, but it works exceedingly well. I'll leave the TOGO unit on top our AS for the next several months and use it as a camground wifi booster to see how well that works. We used it as a wifi booster just once since installation, it seemed to work just ok. I hope the above makes some sense. For me the big draw of the TOGO unit was the unlimited data plan, now with no unlimited plan there are much better options.
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Old 04-13-2020, 12:35 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by turk123;
One of the reasons it didn't work is that the Weboost halves the bandwidth in order to reach out farther for a signal. It works great to get a signal far away, but at the sacrifice of speed. You are much better using a modem and an MIMO antenna on the roof in most cases.
Correct. There is no device that "boosts" a signal. we-boost, etc, replicate a weak signal to the endpoints (mobile phones in your trailer). But you are still fundamentally working with a weak signal in the first place arriving at your airstream roof where the antenna is typically located. we-boost with roof-mounted antenna are good in getting a voice call to go through when your mobile phone antenna cannot get a signal, but for data speeds that they are almost always slower due to a 1x1 configuration.

To get a "good" or "better" signal reception, higher data speeds, etc, you need a better antenna solution. The we-boost uses a single 1x1 antenna.

The airstream system (and most others) use two (2) antennas that are roof mounted and improve signal reception capabilities. This is "multiple-in / multiple-out" (MIMO) for transmit and receive.

The most advanced systems, use four (4) antennas for LTE mobile reception, further improved signal reception and data speeds.

That is why, a hand held mifi (Verizon 8800 or AT&T nighthawk) can actually outperform a we-boost or similar single antenna solution, because these devices actually have 4 antennas built in.

Roof mount 2x2 is definitely better than a 1x1... but not necessarily better than a 4x4 in-device antenna in all circumstances.
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Old 06-03-2020, 01:37 PM   #12
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Not going to do it

Thanks, everyone for the information and replies. I've decided that the Airstream Connected option isn't worth it. You were all a great help.

Randy
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Old 06-04-2020, 04:56 AM   #13
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I do have the AS Connected system and love it, however, my AT&T Unlimited plan ends in October 2021 and then the system will be fairly useless I guess. Now all that said, I think as a result of COVID and so many people working remotely at home and on the road that we will see some really good plans coming out of AT&T, Verizon, etc. in the near future. And that will add all that value back into the Connected system.
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Old 06-05-2020, 09:34 AM   #14
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AllenMcD,

Let's hope. It will probably be next year before I decide to do anything on this subject since we're not going anywhere until then.

Randy
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Old 06-07-2020, 03:10 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AlanMcD View Post
I do have the AS Connected system and love it, however, my AT&T Unlimited plan ends in October 2021 and then the system will be fairly useless I guess. Now all that said, I think as a result of COVID and so many people working remotely at home and on the road that we will see some really good plans coming out of AT&T, Verizon, etc. in the near future. And that will add all that value back into the Connected system.
You can take out the AT&T SIM and put in one from another carrier, such as Verizon if you can find a decent unlimited data plan. The unit is not locked into AT&T.

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Old 08-06-2020, 02:34 PM   #16
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Different carrier

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You can take out the AT&T SIM and put in one from another carrier, such as Verizon if you can find a decent unlimited data plan. The unit is not locked into AT&T.

Steve
Just curious if you have done this. I purchased a Cricket data sim card, and put it in the Pepwave router in our 2020 Airstream. It does not provide any internet even when I am hardwired to the router. The sim card works since we tested it on our ipad. I am trying to get help, but still haven't been able to get it to work.
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Old 08-07-2020, 05:45 AM   #17
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Just curious if you have done this. I purchased a Cricket data sim card, and put it in the Pepwave router in our 2020 Airstream. It does not provide any internet even when I am hardwired to the router. The sim card works since we tested it on our ipad. I am trying to get help, but still haven't been able to get it to work.
I have not. I posted my own question asking for advice on how to do this:

https://www.airforums.com/forums/f45...er-211610.html


Got one response saying I had to do a factory reset of the Pepwave modem/router. The responder provided a link to how to do that.

In this thread,

https://www.airforums.com/forums/f45...ed-191803.html


I do believe some of the posters added a second SIM. You might try contacting them with a PM. Again I think you have to do a factory reset of the Pepwave.

I am very interested in hearing how things work out for you, since eventually I will have to do the same thing.

Steve
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Old 03-26-2021, 05:33 PM   #18
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Wulfraat, what are the cable connections out of your 8800L modem? Is the USB-C connected to the antenna? What are the other two connectors/wires for...that I believe are connected to your modem? What option do you choose for the "USB connection options" when its connected to your antenna (or am I not seeing the wiring properly, and it's connected to your router?)
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Old 03-26-2021, 09:45 PM   #19
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Is Airstream Connected Worth the Price Anymore?

I use the USB-C port to tether to my pepwave surf SOHO router for maximum throughput / ping / speed (all my devices connect through my gigabit router, then access the internet via tethered vz jetpack hotspot, att iPhone WiFi hotspot, campground WiFi, etc). The alternative use is for charge only.

There are two other small TS-9 ports to which I attach my 2x2 netgear directional antenna that I stick on the pano window for reception. I use the antenna 50% of the time, the other 50% I don’t bother and use the internal 4x4 MIMO antennas built into the jetpack... and simply place the jetpack close to the window...

I also have a Wilson 50db cellular repeater with roof mount 1x1 surecall Omni-directional antenna but I rarely use that. It’s really there for when I have zero bars on my mobile phone and need to make calls or send text messages.

Really for $200 jetpack / $50 antenna and optional $100 (used price) high speed router you can’t beat the value and performance now that att dropped the unicorn-at-the-end-of-the-rainbow-pot-of-gold-all-you-can-eat-uncapped-non-network-managed att airstream plan.... dropping that data plan leveled the playing field. Plus the airstream connect hardware is pretty old stuff - cat6 2x2 MIMO modem compared to the Verizon jetpack or att nighthawk devices which are higher performing cat18 4x4 MIMO hardware.....
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Old 03-26-2021, 10:59 PM   #20
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Thanks for that info and clarification on the config! The last piece of my "have highly reliable internet while traveling in my AS or lose my job" setup is whether a telescoping antenna mast would make a significant difference in the boonies. I realize it's highly situational (deep valleys, distance to towers, trees/obstacles). Being a CO guy, I assume you do your fair share of boondocking...how often do you find you can't nab a signal at all, and do you think 20' of elevation for the antenna would be of any consequence?
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