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Old 09-11-2014, 08:46 AM   #15
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Sorting through the maze: Wifi as WAN + 4G

From what I've read, the WiFi Ranger is basically a boosted antenna. It's not going to do any good if the internet source is crappy in the first place (as it is almost always the case in campgrounds...)

IMO the best way to go (thus why I'm set up this way) is the following:

- unlimited 4G/LTE cell phone plan (~80$/month)
- wilson DT4G booster (~350$)
- good quality wireless router/access point (~150$)

You set up the router to pick up the internet from your cellphone (hotspot) and create a wireless network to which all your other devices (even your guests') can connect and get data.

The Wilson booster is there to assure the best possible cellphone signal and the router offers many possibilities (access control, firewall, etc.) All of this without breaking the bank.

Of course if there's no cellphone coverage where you are, you're screwed. But a crappy CG WiFi is not really better anyway...
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Old 09-11-2014, 09:11 AM   #16
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We've the WiFiRanger, and currently have a Wilson Sleek 4GV(erizon) vetsion (naturally, a month after we purchased the Verizon version, they came out with the Sleek that would support either format, and I could have had my DW's ATT supported too).

The WiFiRanger has matured a great deal, and does a good job on simple boosting of park WiFi especially if you add the external antenna. For those that want to go to a higher level of WiFi reception, a second directional/yagi antenna on a raised pole (ladder mount works well, with say a painters telescoping pole). This way for the times you are not supported by the omni roof mounted, or even attached to a raised TV antenna mast, due to distance and or obstruction - you can swap out to a second run cable and put out the directional/yagi antenna.

For phone boosting. I'd suggest anyone planning to purchase a first or replacement booster/antenna system, hold off a bit until Maximum Signal's which was recently approved by the FCC. They're just now ramping up the build and final pricing. Maximum Signal » The Ultimate Solution For Cellular Reception Problems ----- This unit should be worth the wait, as it brings LTE amplification into the mix too.

Best to all, have fun, be safe,
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Old 09-11-2014, 10:23 AM   #17
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^^ Just to be clear, Wilson also offer LTE boosters.
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Old 09-11-2014, 11:17 AM   #18
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Ok: There are advantages and disadvantages to all three of the options I will list below:

Cell: Generally limited bandwidth (Download limits) means if you download a lot of Video you will run into those limites.. Signal strength may vary RV park or even site to site withn the park to park. Where I am just now signal strength approachs non existant on my service.

Cell providers fall into 3 groups when it comes to download limits
Some (Virgin Mobile) simply cut you off
Some (Verizona) SURPRISE!!!! OVERAGE CHARGE Cha-Ching!
Some (T-Mobile) slow you down, but that's all

NOTE: different plans may act differently within a provider

Speeds also vary tower to tower 4G when you have it, is GREAT!


2-way Satellit Internet

Higher initial cost, lower speeds, bandwith limits, high monthly cost but.. You are almost NEVER in an area of no coverage. Very hard to find those.

Park Wi-Fi.. Bandwidth can vary (one park I frequent uses 2-way Sat by Verizon,, not good at all, this park has multiple cable feeds for a 24 site park, Can you say Greased lightening) However if you stream a lot of videos (or even download) you may be branded a "Leach" by your neighbors.. Of course if you download mostly between midnight and say 6 am.. NO problems (Faster downloads too) I download about a gig of video a week.. Usually at off hours.

(That is one hour of video folks, that's all)

I toss many gigs a day around the motor home but well, both the source and the destination devices are inside the motor home (Only _____ lets you record in one room, watch in another or take it with you on your portable device.... WRONG, been doing that for longer than ____ has offerend this service, IN fact even befor TiVo had it)

Also Park Wi-Fi, this park has very very good coverage, Most do not, Most you have to hike to the "internet room" wherever that is.
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Old 09-11-2014, 01:24 PM   #19
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Originally Posted by wa8yxm View Post
Ok: There are advantages and disadvantages to all three of the options I will list below:

Cell providers fall into 3 groups when it comes to download limits
Some (Virgin Mobile) simply cut you off
Some (Verizona) SURPRISE!!!! OVERAGE CHARGE Cha-Ching!
Some (T-Mobile) slow you down, but that's all

NOTE: different plans may act differently within a provider
Regarding Verizon, there should be no suprises....

Been using Verizon for internet since last Jan. In April finally gave up my 3g unlimited data phone for the "Verizon share everything" for 3 of us. What I've found is that if you get to 90% of your data limit, Verizon will text you if you want to increase your data limit @ $10 for 2 gig more (just reply yes to text) so you should never get into a penalty situation. When the new billing month starts, just go online and change your plan back down. We range from 10 to 16 gig/month.

One other aspect of using Cell for tethering or hotspot is 3G vs 4G data usage. With my 3G phone the most I ever consumed was 5 gig on the computer all month and little or no wifi. With my new 4G phone, the first 5 days I used something like 3 gig's of data. With the faster data rate you get a lot of stuff off web pages (ads, video previews off on the side, all the extra crap on Facebook, etc) and everything buffers up fast. So you have to try to block as much of that as you can with the browser ad-ons.
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Old 09-11-2014, 02:02 PM   #20
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Sounds like most of these posts are about wifi for cheap. What if I am a work from home person that needs real speed, say 15 MB? No cellular phone/hotspot will do that kind of speed but there has to be an aftermarket product that can help. We just need normal internet for work purposes. Any help?
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Old 09-11-2014, 02:32 PM   #21
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Sorting through the maze: Wifi as WAN + 4G

Quote:
Originally Posted by wa8yxm View Post

Cell providers fall into 3 groups when it comes to download limits
Some (Virgin Mobile) simply cut you off
Some (Verizona) SURPRISE!!!! OVERAGE CHARGE Cha-Ching!
Some (T-Mobile) slow you down, but that's all.


T-Mobile offers an unlimited 4G/LTE plan, no throttling.

I know because I have it.
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Old 09-11-2014, 05:15 PM   #22
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Hi Tomzspot... my Verizon MiFi has great speeds.. i've had good signal and via speediest.net shown anywhere from 12 - 20MB download (thats LTE speeds not 3G) so it depends on your signal AND on how many others are using that 'tower'. I too work from home in my RV (along with the DW).. and in the middle of the aft.. high speeds.. but at night when all the RVr's start streaming or just overall high use, my thruput drops to 5MB and less.
Cell use us great for speed.. but fast speeds sometimes racks up the GB data usage real quick. We limit the kids laptops streaming and online gaming to the CG wifi OR watch our billing cycle and see how much cell data we have left in the month. its worked out well for the last 6-9 mos. just gotta watch it all closely.
Sprint now offers a family shared plan of 20GB. have to research that some more, but thinking of getting a Sprint USB stick and slapping that into the USB port on the WiFi ranger. Have to see if its supported first. Not all of the latest 4G/LTE USB hardware is supported on the WiFi ranger yet.
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Old 09-11-2014, 06:54 PM   #23
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Tom, if you live in a Verizon or ATT LTE area you can easily get 15 mbps. That actually is pretty slow these days where the 4G stuff is in place. I measure up to 70 mbps in my area (XLTE). Just depends on where you are. The bigger issue is the amount of data you get for your $$$, not so much the speed.
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Old 09-11-2014, 07:36 PM   #24
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I have a question for you guys.

The lady and I have no need for streaming video. We would just like a reliable internet connection for browsing and checking e-mail and watching youtube on occasion. Neither of us use smart phones so anything involving those is of no use. We've found the free local WIFI stuff spotty at best, an exercise in frustration as a rule.

We've been using an ATT MIFI with fairly good results, but the monthly fees march on whether it's in use or not. Searching for a prepay with similar performance.

Looking at the Wal Mart Straight Talk MiFi. I know it runs on the Verizon network, and from what I see it's cost is very reasonable when used as much as we need it. I'd like to know if others with similar internet demands have any first hand experience with it? Thanks!

Straight Talk WiFi HotSpot - Walmart.com
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Old 09-12-2014, 06:17 AM   #25
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tomzspot View Post
Sounds like most of these posts are about wifi for cheap. What if I am a work from home person that needs real speed, say 15 MB? No cellular phone/hotspot will do that kind of speed but there has to be an aftermarket product that can help. We just need normal internet for work purposes. Any help?

I use Mellicom MiFi on Verizon regularity for work while traveling. Not as fast as my home cablemodem connection, but serviceable. External antenna helps to get stronger signal and better speeds.
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Old 09-22-2014, 04:22 AM   #26
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wifi solutions

I am also doing homework to improve wifi reliability. the common answer here seems to be wifi ranger or MiFi. so what about antennas and repeaters? I have three different ones so far that I'm sorting out that are cheaper than the Wifi Ranger ($500-600).
so anyone have experience with these to share:
they all seem to setup your own hotspot (like the ranger), is isolated and password protected and all are much cheaper than the wifi ranger and the $/month for Mifi. yes it requires a signal---but in most places the signal is there just weak, etc.
so input please would help.
Gary
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Old 09-22-2014, 07:31 AM   #27
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Etcmss:
Careful you may be getting 2 technologies mixed up. Park WiFi is what the WiFi ranger, Jeff's and others help you bring in. You may have a great connection to the park network but the park may not have a good connection to the internet. By using hi gain antennas and boosters you may fix one side of that problem but you have no control over the other.
When you say mifi I believe you are talking about the device offered by come of the carriers. You are now dealing with a different beast. Those devices set up a personal local area wireless network for your use then they use the cellular network for the internet connection. As you can imagine the costs associated with cell data use is based on usage and the package you buy.
There is an excellent guide published by Technomadia.com explaining the differences and many of the options available
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