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Old 06-06-2023, 10:40 PM   #1
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Considering the Osprey Cat12 for Internet access

I’m going full time in 8 days and working remotely as a Software Engineer. We have Starlink but need a backup. My RV has the Winegard air 360 + and considered the Osprey cat12 with T-Mobile hotspot

What’s the opinion for folks with hat have used it?
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Old 06-07-2023, 12:38 AM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lanztek View Post
I’m going full time in 8 days and working remotely as a Software Engineer. We have Starlink but need a backup. My RV has the Winegard air 360 + and considered the Osprey cat12 with T-Mobile hotspot

What’s the opinion for folks with hat have used it?

Is budget the driving concern for an LTE solution or is feature level/performance?



The Wifiranger stuff is the best in class at the price range you will find. The indoor stuff (Osprey) should not be used for LTE, you want an Everest on the roof instead.



That said, there is a big difference if you spend more for say a Pepwave with bonding, VPN and automatic failover.



Starlink is good as long as the network isn't down and isn't occluded by trees.



With WFR you will wind up with two distinctly separate networks, one Starlink, the other WFR, no (reliable) failover.
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Old 06-07-2023, 05:36 AM   #3
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If I was looking at T-Mobile I would NOT be looking at a CAT 12 Modem. I use a Pepwave Max BR1 Pro 5G (999.00) with a CAT 20 modem. For any device you buy make sure it supports Band 71 which is a long-range T-Mobile band and First Net band for AT&T. Using band N71 and Pepwave I have gotten over 500 on the speed test.

You can also get a Pepwave Balance 20X with CAT 7 Modem that would support Band 71 and would be a better choice for T-Mobile than the CAT 12.

If you are at a campground sometimes that closest tower could be congested and with the Pepwave you can band lock and lockout that tower and use a less congested tower that may have a slightly weaker signal with higher thought put.
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Old 06-08-2023, 12:16 PM   #4
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The Wifiranger stuff is the best in class at the price range you will find. The indoor stuff (Osprey) should not be used for LTE, you want an Everest on the roof instead.
I'm not saying that an Osprey is the equal of an Everest, but the Osprey does utilize antennas built into the Air360+ 5G which give it longer range than it would have it were truly an "indoor router." If a user already has an Air 360+ it is a less expensive alternative to an Everest.
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Old 06-08-2023, 12:57 PM   #5
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Hello lanztek,

We have the WiFiRanger Osprey Cat12 using Winegard AIR 360+ V2 and the AT&T $55/month for 100GB of data plan. It has served us well in the year that we have used it. As I understand with the latest firmware it integrates well with Startlink.
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Old 06-08-2023, 01:13 PM   #6
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Hello lanztek,

We have the WiFiRanger Osprey Cat12 using Winegard AIR 360+ V2 and the AT&T $55/month for 100GB of data plan. It has served us well in the year that we have used it. As I understand with the latest firmware it integrates well with Startlink.
'
I assume you are aware that you could update your Osprey to the latest firmware version if you wanted Starlink integration.
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Old 06-09-2023, 06:33 AM   #7
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Considering the Osprey Cat12 for Internet access

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Hello lanztek,

We have the WiFiRanger Osprey Cat12 using Winegard AIR 360+ V2 and the AT&T $55/month for 100GB of data plan. It has served us well in the year that we have used it. As I understand with the latest firmware it integrates well with Startlink.

By V2, are you talking about the 5G version? My air 360+ is the 4G-LTE version

Would like to hear more about your AT&T plan. What part of the country are you using it and what general speeds are you seeing.

Edit to add: I looked into this plan and see it’s no longer available
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Old 06-09-2023, 06:36 AM   #8
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Would like to hear more about your AT&T plan.
If it's the plan I think it is, note that it is now $90/month for 100 GB.
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Old 06-09-2023, 06:50 AM   #9
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I assume you are aware that you could update your Osprey to the latest firmware version if you wanted Starlink integration.

Docj, tell me about the Starlink integration. I’d really like to have the Osprey work the Wi-Fi router in my house where everything connects to it but it’s possibly getting its Internet connection from multiple sources.

This way, if I lost Starlink while working, it would switch over to the t mobile plan without losing a beat
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Old 06-09-2023, 12:48 PM   #10
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WiFiRanger Osprey Catagory 12 Winegard Air360+ V2

We bought our WiFiRanger Osprey Category 12 in April 2022.
Our travel trailer had Winegard Air360+ V2 pre-installed. It has an omni directional TV and FM radio antenna, a single 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi antenna, and two cellular MIMO antennas, all wired through the roof. The TV has a 12VDC signal booster installed by the TV. 12VDC power with wall switch pre-wired. We selected the Osprey with the category 12 MODEM when it became available as it supported more bands. I am not clear on the Air360+ versions other than the V2.S has an external satellite connector and assume the RV manufactures would pre-wire the additional cable for it. The Osprey kit included the unit, base plate to mount to the ceiling, power connector, SIM card, and instructions. When connecting be sure to confirm the voltage and polarity of the prewired power cable.
The AT&T $50/month for 100 GB prepaid hotspot plan was only available online. The price was double if you went to an AT&T store to set it up. We signed up in April 2022 at https://www.att.com/prepaid/mobile-hotspot-tablet/. I do not see the $55/month for $100 today but you might try the chat on the page to see if it is still available.
I did not read WiFiRanger's instructions on setting up the Osprey with AT&T or T-Mobile and tried to use the included FreedomGO SIM card to set up the AT&T plan which would not work. I did have to make a trip to the AT&T company store to get a new SIM at no cost. After that I had to get AT&T Prepaid telephone support to help clean up my mistake for not following WiFRanger's instructions. If talking to AT&T support use the keywords "WiFiRanger" and "is supported" as not all the first level support will understand. Also, they may ask about information displayed on the device message screen, but you will have to explain there is none and there is no way to see messages from AT&T. You need to connect to the Osprey's web interface to see connection information as well as to help troubleshoot. Another thing to note is the Osprey startup and connect time is longer than typical hotspots.
I understand that Osprey is only 4G LTE. This has worked well for us in MO, KS, OK, AR, TX, NM. We use it to connect our laptop, two cell phones, two tablets, and to stream two Roku TVs. The Osprey does support 5 and 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi with internal antennas and only 2.4 GHz with the external rooftop antenna.
Our truck and Gamin GPS are set up to connect to the Osprey when traveling. Between the Osprey with AT&T and our Verizon phones we can connect without problems where we travel.
I have used my Android OS phone as a hotspot and USB connected to the Osprey just to know it would work and have connected the laptop to the single Ethernet port also.
We have used the Osprey to connect to RV park Wi-Fi also, but some park Wi-Fi service will not support streaming. Before we sold our house, I connected to our home Wi-Fi to know it would work.
All this may seem like a commercial for WiFiRanger and Winegard, but it is our experience, and our setup has served us well. We did full time for 6 months looking for a new home after retirement, so we were not dependent on the setup for work. During our travels we did meet people using Starlink for work but never asked about their backup connections. We do not have Starlink so I cannot write of its connectivity to Osprey other than what I have read from WiFiRanger and online.
I know docj can provide expert advice and details.
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Old 06-09-2023, 06:29 PM   #11
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Considering the Osprey Cat12 for Internet access

Thank you so much MDH2021for the great reply. I think I’m going to go ahead and get one in the next month or so
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Old 06-09-2023, 08:53 PM   #12
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Docj, tell me about the Starlink integration. I’d really like to have the Osprey work the Wi-Fi router in my house where everything connects to it but it’s possibly getting its Internet connection from multiple sources.

This way, if I lost Starlink while working, it would switch over to the t mobile plan without losing a beat
I think there may be a misunderstanding of what it is meant by Starlink integration. With firmware version 7.1.0b13 the Osprey (or any other Ranger) is capable of managing Starlink without the need for the Starlink router. With the round and in-motion Starlink systems, the Starlink router can be eliminated entirely. With the rectangular Starlink the Starlink router is put into bypass mode.

This has no impact on your ability to have the Ranger switch from Starlink to a backup connection, if necessary. You can use MultiWAN Standby in the same manner you are probably using it today.
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Old 06-10-2023, 08:33 AM   #13
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Thanks docj. I have a newer rectangular Starlink so I would still need to have the router but in bypass mode? Are there instructions for this with the Osprey or at WiFiRanger?
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Old 06-10-2023, 08:39 AM   #14
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Thanks docj. I have a newer rectangular Starlink so I would still need to have the router but in bypass mode? Are there instructions for this with the Osprey or at WiFiRanger?
The instructions for putting the router into bypass mode are part of the Starlink phone app. Once you switch to bypass mode the router's WiFi will be disabled.

If you wish to return to the "normal" mode you will need to do a factory reset of the Starlink router following the directions provided by Starlink.
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