27FB- WeBoost Drive 4G X roof install experiment

[J-Dog]

Completed our non standard WeBoost exterior antenna install yesterday. Not sure how well it will hold up when on the road; the TV antenna is not very robust so I will be keeping on eye out for any failures.

Why I did what I did was to be able to mount the antenna high enough so there would be no signal obstructions from our trailer. I had contemplated fabricating something completely different, then I thought that utilizing the existing TV antenna might work. Time will tell if the wind and towing will destroy the antenna assembly. I'll update this thread if things go bad so that nobody else will get the idea to perform this installation.

So far I like it, the cell phone booster is working fine.

[GMFL]

Looks great. We are looking at doing the same thing. Thanks for posting

[DannyClark]

As our 2017 26U only had the UFO antenna, I was stumped on how to move forward. I considered adding the tradition wind up antenna, but was dissuaded due to the vent channels the newer models use within the ceiling. Next thought was to attach to AC shroud, but that would increase my overall height, and there was the wire routing issue. I had hours into trying to think my way out of the box. Then, while wondering aimlessly through Camping World, I saw a Campmor flagpole kit on sale. This one:
Camco 51600 20' Flagpole Telescoping with Foot and US Flag https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00192JG9O..._Agc0zb34ZEZ42

And it hit me! A nearly perfect solution. It comes with a very well built foot that you place under a tire, or in my case the tongue. 20' is way up there. I'm stoked. I've gotten a Yagi directional antenna and the proper cabling. I plan to run the cable through the front locker and into the trailers inverter area where I'll mount/power the Weboost 4G-X. Then it's a realatively simple matter of routing the internal antenna and mounting it. Here's what you need:
Wilson Electronics 971151 F-MALE TO N-FEMALE CONNECTOR https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MEW9KDU..._wKekXzTFoJjCb

WILSON ELECTRONICS WSN952330 30 Feet Ultra Low Loss Coaxial Cable https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0018PVVBI..._G8r4VRTWkzT3L

Wide Band Directional Antenna 700-2700 MHz (Discontinued by Manufacturer) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002DV4JTM..._DMK3aQbEGBoCv


Good Luck!

[mixedpuppy]

I'm about to do something similar, except I have more antenna's on there. A wifi antenna and a directional. I ended up removing the tv antenna and placing a king omni on the roof. We don't watch tv often, so the directional wasn't that important. To keep the antenna mast working, I ordered bracket from King (for their directional antenna that goes onto the antenna mast) as well, $5 + shipping. That directional tv antenna doesn't feel heavy, but it made a huge difference when lifting and lowering the antenna from inside.

[mixedpuppy]

BTW, I've been traveling for a couple years now with a directional in a similar upright position on the mast, no problem so far...

[greghoro]

Caption on second photo indicates you drilled a hole in the roof to feed the cable inside. Just above an interior LED ceiling light.

What did you do to seal the roof area where it went through?

How did you feed the wire inside the trailer? Between the inner and outer skins?


Greg

[Kilroy]

Nice installation. I've a weboost in my truck. I've picked up a extra exterior and interior antenna which I thought I would put on trailer, but they are the same as is what is on the truck. I haven't yet because not sure of how I want to do it. Now I do. Which Antenna are you using with your weboost?

[Air83]

mixedpuppy, can you post a photo of your set-up?

[Holy Grail]

Hello folks. I've considered installing a wifi booster, but my experience has been that most wifi sources in rv parks, etc. are overburdened with users and people trying to download movies and live stream. So, does a wifi booster really help or can I get wifi from a Dish or similar satellite service? Any comments would be appreciated.

[gecko]

Looks nice!

A couple of thoughts for you after the fact, since we did something similar with an anemometer in 2009.

You could double hoseclamp a small rod (we used a 5 foot section of carbon mast to get way more height off the roof, but you could use something m’aller) to the antenna mast. That way, your antenna could lie flat on the roof when traveling, out if the 55-70mph “wind.” But yours looks substantial and has two other benefits—probably also works OK without raising antenna (?), and you don’t have to deal with it bouncing against roof (we created a rest fir the anemometer) when lowered.

On ours, we were able to remove the antenna base and route the cable thru the same opening used for the TV cable, avoiding g drilling new hole on Roof.

How did you seal your hole—Sikaflex?

[KJRitchie]

Where did you mount the booster? Got any interior photos?

I've got this kit ready to be installed in my Classic 25fb. I'm going to run the cable down the fridge vent and have it come out the existing hole where the TV antenna come through the fridge wall. I'll have the booster installed on the the wall between the window and fridge wall and use the 12v power supply to plug into the 12v port behind the TV. I've run the 13' indoor antenna along the aluminum ledge that supports the curtain rails all the way to the rear dinette table where I'll plug in the indoor antenna. This should cover devices on the dinette table.

Kelvin

[wcrockett]

I have a Weboost that I use in my truck and 27FB. I use a telescoping 12’ painters stick to mount the antenna on when I have the booster setup in the trailer. I have found that being higher up does not always give the best signal. I walk around the trailer with the antenna on the painters stick and adjust the hieght to find the strongest signal. I also use the painters stick as a flag pole so it serves two purposes and collapses down to 4’ High.

[Rocinante]

Originally Posted by J-Dog

Completed our non standard WeBoost exterior antenna install yesterday. Not sure how well it will hold up when on the road; the TV antenna is not very robust so I will be keeping on eye out for any failures.



Why I did what I did was to be able to mount the antenna high enough so there would be no signal obstructions from our trailer. I had contemplated fabricating something completely different, then I thought that utilizing the existing TV antenna might work. Time will tell if the wind and towing will destroy the antenna assembly. I'll update this thread if things go bad so that nobody else will get the idea to perform this installation.



So far I like it, the cell phone booster is working fine.

I did something very much like this, and it looks like you did yours exactly right.

Here’s our set of photos:
http://www.casarocinante.com/Blog-Assets/Connectivity/

[waninae39]

this is my weboost antenna

it works so well, i find 60+ home wifi's in my home residential area

[rmkrum]

And how many of those home WiFi systems were wide open to anyone wandering by? I bet it was a bunch. As a casual reminder from your friendly computer security professional, remember to configure as much security as your WiFi (bad)** box is capable. You will sleep better, trust me.

**Heh, for once autocorrect got it right. An open WiFi point is really ‘bad’ news...

[Zybane]

If that TV antenna mount doesn't hold up, you could always go with an electric "Lift and Lay" antenna by Tarheel. It's electric. This is a picture of it right before I installed it:



I've since replace the omni antenna with a Yagi. I've found that works better to keep SNR higher.

A pic with installed:

[mixedpuppy]

Originally Posted by Air83

mixedpuppy, can you post a photo of your set-up?

Last year I did a post on my setup on our poorly maintained blog. https://tinyshinyhouseonwheels.com/t...-connectivity/


This post shows the directional antenna when the mast is down. https://tinyshinyhouseonwheels.com/wifi-boosting/






Pictures there are pre-tv antenna removal. I'm hoping to find time to do some updates on the blog in the next couple weeks.

[billrector]

Originally Posted by Zybane

If that TV antenna mount doesn't hold up, you could always go with an electric "Lift and Lay" antenna by Tarheel. It's electric. This is a picture of it right before I installed it:



I've since replace the omni antenna with a Yagi. I've found that works better to keep SNR higher.

A pic with installed:

Stupid question probably but how do you raise and lower that without going on the roof?

[Kyet]

I have my omnidirectional attached to an aluminum extension pole that is really a window washing setup which I have found is perfect for cleaning trailers. I pop off the antenna when i need the set up for washing. I made a holder that the handle sits in attached right behind the propane tanks. The pole extends to 12 feet.

Now my question is, are all of your units grounded? There are grounding plates sold for the weboost antennas if you attach them directly to the roof. Others I have seen find something metal to attach them to on the roof. Mine is attached to my trailer frame but on an aluminum pole so that's not really gonna do the trick. There is a lot of differing info out there about this. TechnoRV has the grounding plate other installation videos don't mention it. Thoughts, experiences?

[TravlinMan]

Originally Posted by Kyet

I have my omnidirectional attached to an aluminum extension pole that is really a window washing setup which I have found is perfect for cleaning trailers. I pop off the antenna when i need the set up for washing. I made a holder that the handle sits in attached right behind the propane tanks. The pole extends to 12 feet.

Now my question is, are all of your units grounded? There are grounding plates sold for the weboost antennas if you attach them directly to the roof. Others I have seen find something metal to attach them to on the roof. Mine is attached to my trailer frame but on an aluminum pole so that's not really gonna do the trick. There is a lot of differing info out there about this. TechnoRV has the grounding plate other installation videos don't mention it. Thoughts, experiences?

I think it also has to do with the antenna you're usin. Some of the Omni directional ones are already grounded as is. But the one I use is the little magnet one that needs to be magnetized to a proper metal in order to be grounded. In that case, you would need a small sheet of steel or other magnetic metal to ground it. For your extension pole, ya could probly find a way to make a lil steel cap.