Wifi Ranger Denali/Spruce LTE

[BBelanger]

Originally Posted by docj

Bill:

You've now received a detailed response from my colleague, Ted. He found a number of things that can be causing your issues.

Thanks Docj, I haven't received anything from WIFI Ranger.
I've checked my spam folder and all mail, nothing there.
I've checked back to 7-21
Any chance they've got my email incorrect? Not sure that explains the reset password not working, but if I try to create a new account, it says my email is on file.

Bill

[GW4607]

WifiRanger Support has decided that I have a bad/faulty SIM Card. They can see it from my Denali hit the tower but AT&T doesn’t recognize it. So I contacted my selling dealer, NIRVC in Lewisville TX. They said they would get me a new one and install in. Which made me happy since I was not interested in going on the roof unless I have to. So I am scheduled in Lewisville Monday morning to have a short list of items taking care of along with the WifiRanger.

I must say the WifiRanger Support group tried their best to get me going but I guess with a bad SIM Card they where handicapped. One of them, Kristain noticed there was a new version out “b10”. I was running b09. She said that was not causing my issue but since she was in there she would go ahead a get me up to date. I think Randy Keys, another support member did the actual update but between Kristain and Randy they have stuck with me.

So I will sign off this tread at least for a few weeks until I get my coach back from NIRVC. I told Randy and Kristain I would update them after I get the new SIM.

[Phil_Cook]

Docj



I recently purchased a 2021 Newmar Dutch Star. It is equipt with the Denali Spruce LTE. If i want to swap out the Spruce for an Aspen how do I know if the Denali is Cat 4 or Cat 6?


Phil

[GW4607]

Phil I am sure Doc will answer but WifiRanger support logged into my Denali and told me mind is CAT 4. You can contact support through email.

[Phil_Cook]

Thanks Gary. When I do know for sure I am going to upgrade to the Aspen.


Phil

[docj]

Originally Posted by Phil_Cook

Docj



I recently purchased a 2021 Newmar Dutch Star. It is equipt with the Denali Spruce LTE. If i want to swap out the Spruce for an Aspen how do I know if the Denali is Cat 4 or Cat 6?


Phil

I just responded to your PM; your modem is a Cat-4

[Greg Hindson]

Originally Posted by Yellville

We have the WIFI Ranger Denali/Spruce in our 2021 MA. The WIFI is so bad in most parks that the WIFI functionality of the Ranger didn't really help. Not the Ranger's fault.

However, what is the Ranger's fault is that the put the sim card in the most ridiculous place possible. We wanted to use a T-Mobile sim since we already have a T-Mobile plan.

Now in every other device I have ever seen, the sim card can be swapped in less than a minute. In the WIFI Ranger it takes hours. Here are the steps:
1. Climb on top your coach.
2. Remove the significant amount of sealant around the device.
3. Remove the screws and take the cover off.
4. Pull out the circuit board and finally find the sim card on the bottom.
5. Screw the cover back on.
6. Find an RV supply store and buy sealant.
7. Climb back on the roof.
8. Seal the unit up.
9. Repeat steps 1-8 every time you want to swap the sim.

This is the worst design I have ever seen, and I'm an IT professional with decades of experience. A sim card is a consumer replaceable item and it is completely reasonable that in a mobile device a consumer may want to carry two sims to ensure the best signal in a given location.

I replaced the preinstalled AT&T sim with a T-Mobile sim. Had a pretty involved conversation with the guy at the T-Mobile store. Finally told him to just give me the same sim and plan I have for another hotspot device I use. Cost is $20/month. It is 4G but downgrades to 3G after 50gb.

The WIFI Ranger Denali/Spruce is a great idea and a good attempt. Please put the sim card inside the coach and make it easy to replace (under 60 seconds). There is really no excuse for this poor design, except perhaps they are getting a kickback on those AT&T plans and so want to discourage you from swapping the sim.

Would anybody from Winegard be willing to go on record and say if you do or do not make anything from AT&T? Nothing wrong with it if you do I suppose. At least this would explain the poor design.

I agree, I had to replace my sim card and when I found out I had to climb on the roof, I was thinking, why is the sim card not inside the coach. It is a terrible design.

[Greg Hindson]

Originally Posted by BBelanger

Thanks Docj, we tried for two weeks to get my sim activated through an AT&T reseller and the modem would never work. So if we are not restricted to the Winegard plan, its possible my modem is faulty. I wouldn't know where to strat to check it. Would you have any suggestions on that?

Thanks
Bill Bélanger

Contact Winegard customer support. There are a couple weird settings that have to be set on the router to get it to work, that are not set by default. I am a tech guy and I couldn't get it to work without contacting Winegard and ultimately replacing the SIM card.

[docj]

Originally Posted by Greg Hindson

I agree, I had to replace my sim card and when I found out I had to climb on the roof, I was thinking, why is the sim card not inside the coach. It is a terrible design.

Many new RV's are delivered with ONLY a rooftop WiFiRanger router; therefore, that is the only place a SIM could be located.

If your coach has an indoor router it can be used to tether up to three hotspots or phones, or, alternatively, it could be upgraded to a router that does have an integrated modem which would place the SIM inside the RV.

In summary, having the SIM in the rooftop device results from choices made by your RV manufacturer and there exist ways you can mitigate that decision.

[Rad22]

Hi docj!

We have the Wi-Fi Ranger Spruce/Denali system on board our 2021 New Aire. I am using a MiFi 8000 Sprint hotspot for internet which is tethered by USB to the Spruce and everything is working well. Currently, the Denali is not plugged in.

In this configuration, what could I be using the Denali for and how would I configure it for that purpose? I am not using the modem or sim in the Denali.

(Interesting aside…I could never get My Rozie to stay online until I tethered the MiFi with USB. Using Wi-Fi to connect the hotspot to the Ranger never allowed Rozie to stay online.)

[docj]

Originally Posted by Rad22

Hi docj!

We have the Wi-Fi Ranger Spruce/Denali system on board our 2021 New Aire. I am using a MiFi 8000 Sprint hotspot for internet which is tethered by USB to the Spruce and everything is working well. Currently, the Denali is not plugged in.

In this configuration, what could I be using the Denali for and how would I configure it for that purpose? I am not using the modem or sim in the Denali.

(Interesting aside…I could never get My Rozie to stay online until I tethered the MiFi with USB. Using Wi-Fi to connect the hotspot to the Ranger never allowed Rozie to stay online.)

If you don't have use for the modem in the Denali, then you should use it as your primary way of connecting to WiFi such as you encounter at RV parks and campgrounds. If you never connect to WiFi then this might not be of interest to you.


To use the Denali to connect to WiFi you would need to activate the WFRControl line of the Setup page of the Spruce's control panel. Be sure to click on save, afterward.


Then click on the gear at the right side of that line and a window will open; it is a miniature version of the Denali's control panel. Make sure that the line labeled Internal WiFi is has a check in the active box and save, if necessary.


Then close the windows and go back to the main page of the Spruce control panel. The upper left hand box labeled WiFi now has a dropdown which should show the Spruce's WiFi (both 2GHz and 5GHz if you have them activated) but now it will also show the Denali as a third choice. So now you can select the Denali and connect to WiFi with it.


I hope this answers your questions; feel free to ask others if you have them.

[GW4607]

Got the FreedomGo SIM card installed and now system is working great. Docj thanks for your input and special thanks to WifiRanger support.

[TW Smith]

"I hope this answers your questions; feel free to ask others if you have them."


Docj,

I just took delivery of a 2022 Newmar Bay Star Sport motorhome with Denali/Spruce equipment. I have two questions for you:

1. I see in this thread that 2021 Newmar coaches with Denali/Spruce use a CAT-4 Ethernet cable between the indoor and outdoor units. I see that CAT-4 cable is speed limited to 16-Mbps. How do I find out if mine uses CAT-4, and if I replace that cable with CAT-6, will it make an important difference in WiFi performance?

2. The speed tests built into the Denali and Spruce control panel are 10-Mbps faster for the Spruce than Denali when Denali is connected to my home WiFi. What are these two speed tests testing? It doesn't seem like they are pinging an outside server over the Internet...

Thanks, TWSmith

[docj]

Originally Posted by TW Smith

"I hope this answers your questions; feel free to ask others if you have them."


Docj,

I just took delivery of a 2022 Newmar Bay Star Sport motorhome with Denali/Spruce equipment. I have two questions for you:

1. I see in this thread that 2021 Newmar coaches with Denali/Spruce use a CAT-4 Ethernet cable between the indoor and outdoor units. I see that CAT-4 cable is speed limited to 16-Mbps. How do I find out if mine uses CAT-4, and if I replace that cable with CAT-6, will it make an important difference in WiFi performance?

2. The speed tests built into the Denali and Spruce control panel are 10-Mbps faster for the Spruce than Denali when Denali is connected to my home WiFi. What are these two speed tests testing? It doesn't seem like they are pinging an outside server over the Internet...

Thanks, TWSmith

With all due respect, the use of Cat 4 Ethernet cable was decertified years ago. I think this is a situation where people have confused Cat 4 modems with Cat 4 Ethernet cable. I'm sure the speed rating of the cable in your coach is more than adequate to match the capabilities of the rest of the system.

As for the speed tests built into the Ranger's firmware, if you are using the current firmware (7.1.0b11) it actually incorporates the Ookla speed test logic so the results should be the same as what you get from SpeedTest.net. They do, indeed, involve the use of an external server.

When you say that the speed test through the Spruce is faster than the test using the Denali, are you using the 2.4GHz radio on the Spruce or the 5.8 GHz one? The 5.8 will often show higher speeds than the 2.4 GHz radio on the Denali can provide.