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NealC · 10-01-2017, 10:21 AM

I'm a software biz owner / techy and I bought my RV to work on my software from anywhere. Internet is crucial to my experience. I have the AT&T mobley primary, Verizon MiFi 7730 secondary, Google Fi on Nexus 5X via Hotspot tertiary.

I have a WiFi ranger and Weboost4G-X setup and have tried multiple antennas, Weboost recommended I use the white one that comes in their new RV kit, it was for homes and they got it approved for RV's, it's the omni etc. The one I had before had issues with LTE, wish they would have told me that when I started 3 months ago. Anyways, I've ironed things out and learned a lot.

I'm in Sedalia now for the Newmar rally and something is just strange with the Weboost - it cuts the speed in half it seems! I haven't really seen this, for the most part it's been a good setup with good speeds. My phone (AT&T) shows about 35-50 Mbit download speeds - amazing! I realize the LTE in the Mobley is not the same so I don't expect the same.

The mobley by itself will hit about 12 MB download. With the weboost ON and "desktop antenna" I'm using (also in their RV kit) I get 3-5 MBit download speeds. Turn off weboost and it goes back up. Same exact thing happens with Verizon on the MiFi. Extremely odd!

I'm not convinced the Weboost is always a good thing and may add noise to the mix and cause issues. Anyone else experienced this or know what's going on?

BraveWrigley · 10-01-2017, 04:19 PM

I saw a YouTube video that mentioned same thing .... Search YouTube and I bet you'll come up with similar!

Isaac-1 · 10-01-2017, 04:51 PM

This is inherent in how the Weboost works, it is acting as a relay repeater, so will by definitions cut throughput in half or worse.

YC1 · 10-01-2017, 05:31 PM

I respectfully disagree that it will cut speeds in half because it is a repeater.

However, you may be getting an overload situation that causes the amps to be overdriven. This is called Desense.

Often with these repeaters the antennas are too close and much like a microphone screaming when placed in front of a speaker these things electronically feed back.

I don't want to get technical. Just trying to help visualize the issue.

NealC · 10-01-2017, 08:07 PM

The external antenna is on the ladder on the back of the RV. It comes in above the driver's seat to the weboost unit which goes to a desktop antenna in the same box about 8-10" (sometimes less) to the Mobley. It's been fine for a while, this location it's a problem and degradation which is odd.

RickySpanish · 10-01-2017, 11:48 PM

I have a WeBoost I've never used beyond testing for the same reason. The antenna it comes with is a joke - and I've tried replacing it with a yagi and a few omnidirectional options without positive results. My best set-up so far is a Cradlepoint AER1650LPE-VZ with a Verizon SIM. I've crossed the country twice and always had full or near full LTE.

EDIT: The best part about the Cradlepoint is that (so far) the data I use does not count as tethering or hotspot - so I have no hard caps on speed.

YC1 · 10-02-2017, 06:05 AM

Neal, that is a very long run of coax from the box to the outside antenna. If I understand your setup that is.

With near forty feet of coax you are probably losing half or more of the incoming and outgoing signal.

I understand it was working "before", but just how good is questionable. At this stage you could have a loose connection or dirty connections at the antenna mount. Any issues with the antenna or feed line must be addressed.

I did telecommunications installations for 40 years and owned my own service center so have done literally tens of thousands of repairs and installations.

You could be overloading the input of the amp by being too close with your phone.
Without seeing your setup and getting some readings I am shooting in the dark of course.

NealC · 10-02-2017, 06:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YC1

Neal, that is a very long run of coax from the box to the outside antenna. If I understand your setup that is.

With near forty feet of coax you are probably losing half or more of the incoming and outgoing signal.

I understand it was working "before", but just how good is questionable. At this stage you could have a loose connection or dirty connections at the antenna mount. Any issues with the antenna or feed line must be addressed.

I did telecommunications installations for 40 years and owned my own service center so have done literally tens of thousands of repairs and installations.

You could be overloading the input of the amp by being too close with your phone.
Without seeing your setup and getting some readings I am shooting in the dark of course.

I spoke with them on the setup and they offer a 50 and 20 ft low loss RG6 which I purchased from them. Again, it's been working great other than this location. I'm not sure what's going on with the signal here where it cuts the speed in half where other places it's been fine.

All I'm saying is weboost ON is not always the best. Try with and without and see what's best. I guess too, only use it when needed is what I'm learning.

RKins · 10-02-2017, 07:35 AM

As I understand it, a repeater does have to reserve enough bandwidth for what it is receiving and then enough bandwidth for what it is sending, so in effect it halfs the bandwidth.
I agree, based on my observations, that if the antennas are too close they swamp each other. When I spaced them farther apart it worked great.
Seems if I have a little signal the booster works great if I have a good signal it doesn't.

I have a different brand booster (zBoost) and I attach the antenna (omni) to a collapsible 25' flag pole on my rear ladder - puts it pretty far up there. The instructions were to have 25' between antenna and repeater antenna. I run the coax from the antenna to the park "TV In" coax in the electrical bay which runs it through the coach to the front. I connect the repeater and then hang the mobley about 5 feet from the repeater antenna. Seems to work ok - I go from one bar to 3 and my speed test is around 8M in the last campground I was at. Being I am routing through 20year old coax (through the coach) probably doesn't help but I have adequate signal.
Where I have a problem is when I am on generator - it whacks the repeater - seems the power is not clean or something.

ghaynes754 · 10-02-2017, 06:41 PM

Neal this is normal. If you have a good signal without the WeBoost then leave it turned off. With a good signal it will slow down that good signal going through the booster. Same thing will happen with the WiFi Ranger. A direct connection from your device (cell or wifi) nearly always will go slower.

Where you will find a dilemma is when your downloads are great with just the device but upload speeds are slow. Then turn on the booster.

I always run a check at a new site for both cellular unbolted first. If the results are good I leave the WeBoost off. Driving I always leave it turned on.

Also the testing done by the Technomadia folks with the new RV antenna using the 75 ohm cable was less than stellar. Since I didn't have enough clearance to mount my Trucker antenna I simply put the standard stubby antenna on top of a metal plate attached to my center AC shroud. In the Technomadia testing date the stubby did a better job most of the time than the new 75ohm RV Omni antenna.

R.B · 10-02-2017, 08:17 PM

I have the weBoost 4G-X RV model, and for my installation it has been a net gain overall. I have never used the antenna it came with, instead using this antenna: https://www.amazon.com/VERIZON-NOVAT...T6/ref=sr_1_35 (despite having Verizon in the name, this should cover all US LTE frequencies).

One potential problem is that the default equipment introduces an impedance mismatch: the cabling for the antenna is RG-6, which is 75 ohm, while the spec sheet for the device (https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/06...42307004548467) states the booster is 50 ohm. This creates a standing wave (https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/tex...ircuit-design/), which will degrade the signal.

A second issue can occur if routing through an F-connector (the standard cable TV/satellite connector). They come in multiple varieties with maximum frequencies ranging from 1 GHz to 4 GHz with the former being the most common. Unfortunately, most LTE bands are above 1 GHz (http://www.droid-life.com/wp-content...rier-bands.png) and you'll end up with a degraded signal.

Lastly, the shorter the cable, the better. There's a calculator here that can be used to estimate your power loss due to the length of the cable (and type) in use: Coax Loss Calculator

NealC · 10-17-2017, 04:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by R.B

I have the weBoost 4G-X RV model, and for my installation it has been a net gain overall. I have never used the antenna it came with, instead using this antenna: https://www.amazon.com/VERIZON-NOVAT...T6/ref=sr_1_35 (despite having Verizon in the name, this should cover all US LTE frequencies).

One potential problem is that the default equipment introduces an impedance mismatch: the cabling for the antenna is RG-6, which is 75 ohm, while the spec sheet for the device (https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/06...42307004548467) states the booster is 50 ohm. This creates a standing wave (https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/tex...ircuit-design/), which will degrade the signal.

A second issue can occur if routing through an F-connector (the standard cable TV/satellite connector). They come in multiple varieties with maximum frequencies ranging from 1 GHz to 4 GHz with the former being the most common. Unfortunately, most LTE bands are above 1 GHz (http://www.droid-life.com/wp-content...rier-bands.png) and you'll end up with a degraded signal.

Lastly, the shorter the cable, the better. There's a calculator here that can be used to estimate your power loss due to the length of the cable (and type) in use: Coax Loss Calculator

I ordered the VERIZON-NOVATEL antenna and have been struggling to find a connector to connect this to RG6 but I think I found one. However, in my research this antenna is directional vs. the omni antenna in the Weboost RV kit. While it may be a good option for a house where you know where the cell tower is, I'm not sure this is a good option for a RV. Anyone use this antenna have any results and whether the directional issue is relevant?

R.B · 10-17-2017, 10:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NealC

I ordered the VERIZON-NOVATEL antenna and have been struggling to find a connector to connect this to RG6 but I think I found one. However, in my research this antenna is directional vs. the omni antenna in the Weboost RV kit. While it may be a good option for a house where you know where the cell tower is, I'm not sure this is a good option for a RV. Anyone use this antenna have any results and whether the directional issue is relevant?

It is directional, but it's also able to provide much higher gain as a result. Mine I use in a way that lets me easily adjust the direction it points. Between OpenSignal and antennasearch.com, I'm able to get it tuned in pretty quickly.

ghaynes754 · 10-18-2017, 08:40 AM

Neal WeBoost sells their own Yagi antenna. Yes it is directional and is another tool in the arsenal of staying connected. I use it a few times per year in fringe areas.

As mentioned the Yagi is 50 ohm which is really what the 4Gx uses as a native connection type. This means that you will need a different set of cables for this type of antenna. The Antenna uses a 'N' connector. WeBoost has a heavy low loss LM400 cable that I use from the antenna to the side of the coach. Then an N to SMA conversion connector and small RG cable up to my 4Gx in the coach.

For performance and any possible damage to the 4Gx don't connect a 50 ohm Yagi to your RG6 cable. May negatively impact your reception.

For aiming if you are using a something like the Verizon 7730L which has the two antenna ports on it you can get a adapter cable that goes from the T9 connectors on the 7730L to an SMA. I hook that up to the LM400 cable while I am outside and simply watch the signal strength screen on the 7730L. Start out pointing in 90 degree segments then refine from there.

I never did understand why WeBoost went with the 75ohm Omni. Testing by the Technomadia folks found that it didn't perform as well as just the short stubby and the better omni was the Trucker antenna. Both of those are 50ohm antennas.