My attempts to create a private WiFi network

[ken02802]

I thought others might be interested in my attempts to create a private WiFi network and my eventual solution for full-time living in my fifth wheel.

As background, when working for a living, I was extremely connected. As each came out, I was an early adopter for pagers, then flip phones, then smart phones. When on vacation in the bush in Africa, I carried a satellite phone. So, breaking the umbilical cord was a big step when I retired to the full-time RV life. I've been able to break my addiction to carrying a cell phone on my hip every second, reducing this to reading email several times a day. I know that some people can live off the grid, but I can't. I still need to be able to keep in touch with friends and family via email.

What I needed was to create a reliable, stable private network for my electronic devices: laptop, iPad, and Nook.

My first attempt was to use a router in "bridge" mode extending the free campground networks. Although I got it to function, it didn't meet my needs. The bridge standard says that the local WiFi network produced must have the same security as its host network, namely Public.

Further, each campground has it's own unique way of allowing access. For example, some periodically put up a "login" screen to which you must "agree". I had to routinely process this login request on each device whenever I got assigned new IP addresses by the campground. Plus, my Nook can't do this so it couldn't access the network at all.

Next, I tried using two routers. The first one ran off the campground WiFi in "bridge" mode (as an "extender"); the second one was hard-wired to the first and generated a local, private WiFi network.

At each campground, after I selected an SSID on the bridge router and passed the login request, all of my devices could access the Internet. Some of the campgrounds would require me to pass the login once a day. If the campground had multiple access points and one went down, I had to select a new SSID on the bridge router.

Further, I've discovered that it's basically impossible to use the campground WiFi on Friday night or anytime Saturday because so many of the neighbors are trying to use streaming.

At times, the entire campground WiFi would be down. To compensate I tried some alternatives.

My truck has what they call "UConnect HotSpot". This runs on the Sprint cellphone network (and can roam to Verizon). It gets a reasonable cell signal. It's not cheap ($10/day or $35/month) but it's extremely reliable. Unfortunately, it only works when the truck is ON or in ACCESSORY mode, both of which require leaving the key in the ignition. Further, the network it generates can only be received inside or very close to the truck. For backup, this isn't bad. But, I can't use it inside the fifth wheel.

My iPhone can generate it's own HotSpot. But, the phone battery is quickly depleted and the phone overheats. Further, for some reason, my iPhone routinely disconnects devices after a short time-out, requiring me to manually reset the WiFi on each device connected to it. Again, this is OK as a backup but not practical for daily use.

So, I wound up creating a network center at the rear of my RV (behind the recliner chairs). The "bridge" router was positioned near the window so that it could pick up a good WiFi signal. My local router plugged into the bridge router. All of my devices connected wirelessly to the local router using the same SSID network and passphrase all the time. It took a non-trivial effort to setup and take-down the network at each campground. And, I had to frequently fiddle with the bridge router whenever the campground WiFi went down.

Once when the entire campground router was down for an extended period and I couldn't get a cell-phone signal at my campground site, I drove to a nearby Wendy's, sat in their parking lot and used their free Wifi to check my email.

I've been chatting with many of my neighbors at the campgrounds. Those that travel in their RVs extensively routinely said that they don't even attempt to use the campground WiFi. Instead, they generate their own independent WiFi network using a cell-phone router.

So, I bought an AirCard from At&T. It works perfectly! I get four bars even out in the woods at campgrounds. This is far better than my iPhone can do. (I'm planning to purchase a cell-phone amplifier for when I'm out west.) It's not free like the campground WiFi. It's costing me $20/month plus data. But, it's reliable and, so far, trouble free.

A big plus is that this AirCard is tiny and unobtrusive. It's smaller than 5"x3"x1/2". It runs on battery power and charges with USB, hence I can run it on shore power (120V) or house battery (12V). I placed in the cabinet over my microwave, which has a 120V outlet and is out-of-sight.

So far, knock-on-wood, it's been working flawlessly. Once configured, I never have to change any settings on the AirCard or any of my devices that connect to it, even when I change campgrounds. Set it and forget it!

I can access the private network anywhere in or near my RV. I can even access it from inside my truck when I'm parked at my campground site. If I'm not near my RV, such as staying overnight at a friend's house or in my tent, I can bring the AirCard with me. It runs continuously night and day.

When I wake up in the morning, I can check my email on my iPad before I get out of bed. My 5th wheel has an office where I can run my laptop just as if it was on a normal wired connection. I can read the morning newspaper outside on my Nook. Everything just works!

In conclusion, I now know why my experienced full-timer friends gave up on trying to use the free campground WiFi. I've given up, too!

Hope my tale is useful to you!

[Fred and Bonnie]

Yep, use a Verizon Mifi, coverage for 5 devices.


Fred

[ChasA]

I use my Verizon smart phones and tablet to create my own hot spot. I get 10 GB of data and only came close to using it all one time.

[cb1000rider]

Kent, I'm interested in what you've figured out. I want to run a local (my RV) network also - largely for shared video, chromecast, etc... This part is fairly easy to do, but it's extending that for internet access that seems problematic.

I assume the aircard is just another tether device (same as most mobile phones these days).. Is this really any different than allowing multiple devices to tether off my smartphone? This provides the internet access I want, but doesn't do much for a NAS or any sort of shared video storage.

[ken02802]

Originally Posted by cb1000rider

Kent, I'm interested in what you've figured out. I want to run a local (my RV) network also - largely for shared video, chromecast, etc... This part is fairly easy to do, but it's extending that for internet access that seems problematic.

I assume the aircard is just another tether device (same as most mobile phones these days).. Is this really any different than allowing multiple devices to tether off my smartphone? This provides the internet access I want, but doesn't do much for a NAS or any sort of shared video storage.

Yes, the AirCard is the AT&T equivalent to the Verizon MiFi.

It's functionally the same as tethering to your smart phone. But, if you tether to your smart phone 24x7, you risk burning out your smart phone. They overheat and eventually warp. Just because it CAN doesn't mean it was designed for heavy use.

As for NAS, I personally wouldn't try it. The data demands are huge, particularly if video is involved. Whereas I stay at multiple campgrounds every month and frequently boon dock, I don't want to depend on getting enough bandwidth to access my data. I occasionally get 4G but more often only have 3G. I wouldn't be surprised if I sometimes drop to Edge speeds.

I do use DropBox and SugarSync for cloud backup. But, they run in the background when they can.

Fast reliable Internet is one of the luxuries I gave up when I started the full-time RV life. I'm happy to have email and web browsing.

Of course, your mileage may differ.


Sent from my iPad using iRV2 - RV Forum

[DegoRed]

ken, Thinkg part of your fustration, was you were trying to use CONSUMER products to solve a COMMERICAL problem. While yes you can solve your problem using consumer products, its just very hard to do so.

There is a guy named David Bott who did a write up somewhere on here, which does a great job of showing how to use Commerical/Provider equipment to solve your problem. Consumer grade equipment just does not have the power needed to do the job. While I do not use the exact same set up that David Bott layed out, but use something very similar, still all in the Ubiquiti family. IIRC David said he did it all for under $100, which is a very inexpensive setup for a very robust setup.

The main problem with using Provider grade equipment is the setup and configuration is rough at best, since there is no instructions or directions included to help you with the set up process. I am a Ubiquiti certified installer and have trouble setting up this stuff up all the time. If a person is semi-technical and has even the basic ability to work through and troubleshoot problems, the reward is a great personal WiFi setup.

Fully agree RV park wifi can really suck at times, some campgrounds its non exsitant due to useage, but overall using the appropriate equipment makes a huge difference in your sucess or failure.

[luvlabs]

I did what you did in about 1 hour (almost 2 years ago) with a Pepwave SOHO router and a MiFi from Verizon. The Pepwave is capable of using WiFi as WAN, backed up with the MiFi, or even a regular WAN source. A Cradlepoint router or WiFi Ranger can be setup to do the same thing.

You end up with your own private network with the option to use three different WAN sources. I only use the campground wifi on rare occasions when it actually works well, most of the time my WAN source is my Verizon JetPack.

[cb1000rider]

Originally Posted by ken02802

It's functionally the same as tethering to your smart phone. But, if you tether to your smart phone 24x7, you risk burning out your smart phone. They overheat and eventually warp. Just because it CAN doesn't mean it was designed for heavy use.

I think that depends on the phone. Early phones did overheat. Modern phones and tablets - the ones I have experience with:
Nexus 4/5 and Iphone4+ - it's no problem. Draws pretty good battery, but they've got more than enough processor.

Originally Posted by ken02802

As for NAS, I personally wouldn't try it. The data demands are huge, particularly if video is involved. Whereas I stay at multiple campgrounds every month and frequently boon dock, I don't want to depend on getting enough bandwidth to access my data. I occasionally get 4G but more often only have 3G. I wouldn't be surprised if I sometimes drop to Edge speeds.

I mean NAS on the LAN. Not over the internet. I do it at home - fast (streaming) data is part of what NAS was built for. It works great. Lots of end-user routers have simple USB connections for storage - which isn't a traditional "NAS" - but it functions as one.


I don't think this is a "commercial" problem.. Also, isn't this what the WiFIRanger does, essentially? I haven't used one, but I assume it establishes a local network.

[Leslie Mike]

Most of this is over my head, but I read it all as I am trying to set up internet in my motorhome, and use it here at my stick house, too. I already paying for UVerse internet at home. I hate to add more to the cost while traveling.

Just today on "How-t0 Geek" there is an ad for Connectify: Turn your PC into a WiFi hotspot. Connectify | Turn your PC into a WiFi Hotspot and share Internet with all your devices

It is inexpensive $18 for a lifetime to make up to three computers a hotspot MAX. (DEAL70) When I read the site I get confused. Does one have to use the campground wifi? Does it amplify the wifi? Is it stronger than the existing wifi?

You can tell, I am not too savvy. When I read the above posts I wondered if this product, Connectify, would help the situation, so I am throwing it out here.

In addition:
Can one use the ATT AIR Card at home, too, in lieu of another internet service? (like my UVerse Internet)

Leslie
2003 Minnie

[gemini5362]

My 2 cents worth. I use an IPHone as well as my wife. We use the hotspot function on it all of the time and never have had problems with devices dropping out. Until april of this year I have used my Iphone 4 for hotspots and have had it for several years. It has never had a overheating problem. I leave it connected to a charger when using it as a hotspot.

The Bridge system works well as the OP said and another poster talking about commercial equipment. They are hard to hook up. Without some background it can be a little bit perplexing. Nice thing about the outdoor routers are the ability to put them on a pole and use them outside. Increases signal strength quite a bit and you can use an external antenna if necessary. Problem with these are they use the camggrounds wifi. Very few of the campgrounds i have seen have decent wifi. First of all they do not purchase enough bandwidth second of all they do not know what they are doing when they set up their system. It is usually a friend that knows a little bit that sets it up and is gone. At the campground near the Elvis Pressley museum they have the worst free internet I have ever seen. No bandwidth to speak of. The few minutes I could sign on I would be dropped off within a half hour at the most. When I was in the office using their computer for an important email i noticed they had gigabyte service at the office. When i mentioned that they could run their entire campground off of that instead of the contract service they used they told me it ran their reservation system. They did not understand what they could do with a gigabyte bandpass so they paid someone to give bad service and they lose customers because of it.

biggest problem is netflix users. or some similar service. They literally keep everyone from using the free service because of the way it takes up bandwidth.

IF you are going to be somewhere for a while get your own internet account. I am in oklahoma for a while so i have a cox cable acount. Cox recently told me they have thousands of hot spots I can use by just logging into them. I have not researched where they are at but that might be something worthwhile for my outdoor router system.

Wifi Ranger seems to be one of the best options out there. It is pretty expensive but seems to be easy to use for the novice and can pick between multiple sources.

A lot of people like air cards. I think they are a waste of money in this day and time. When I looked into them the adviser for AT&T recommended against it. It is a seperate fee each month whether you use it or not. I can do the same thing with my hotspot on my smartphone.

One of the things i have not seen anyone talk about doing is getting a hughes manual sattelite system and go that route. I do not know how hard they are to set up but it would be a very reliable way to get decent internet. I believe that hughes does not allow movie streaming though so it would not work for that.

[AppleUser]

Originally Posted by luvlabs

I did what you did in about 1 hour (almost 2 years ago) with a Pepwave SOHO router and a MiFi from Verizon. The Pepwave is capable of using WiFi as WAN, backed up with the MiFi, or even a regular WAN source. A Cradlepoint router or WiFi Ranger can be setup to do the same thing.

You end up with your own private network with the option to use three different WAN sources. I only use the campground wifi on rare occasions when it actually works well, most of the time my WAN source is my Verizon JetPack.

LuvLabs, After reading your post, I realize that I'm dumb as dirt (DAD), but, I also am beginning to realize there must be a better way for us. What we have at present in our Winne is our iPhones, iPads, MacBookPro, and Nook (hers) and Kindle (mine).

If we get a Verizon MiFi and the Pepwave SOHO router, like you have, then I take it that we can have our own private network within our motorhome, and out on the patio area. But, that uses up our data allowance.

So, how difficult is it to save our Verizon data and access the campground WiFi, when available, with the Pepwave to feed our private motorhome network. Does the Pepwave have an easy to understand user interface app to make the switch from the Verizon MiFi to campground WiFi and back easy for us DAD types?

Your, and others, help here will be appreciated.

[cb1000rider]

Originally Posted by Leslie Mike

It is inexpensive $18 for a lifetime to make up to three computers a hotspot MAX. (DEAL70) When I read the site I get confused. Does one have to use the campground wifi? Does it amplify the wifi? Is it stronger than the existing wifi?

You can tell, I am not too savvy. When I read the above posts I wondered if this product, Connectify, would help the situation, so I am throwing it out here.

In addition:
Can one use the ATT AIR Card at home, too, in lieu of another internet service? (like my UVerse Internet)

PM me if you need more details:
1) Your PC can already do that out of the box, IF it has a wired internet connection (or an air-card) and a WiFI card. No need to pay for software.

2) It won't work for campground wifi as PCs typically only have one WIFI card. It can only be used one way... IE - for sharing or for internet.

3) You can typically use an air-card at home, depending on coverage.

[luvlabs]

Appleuser,

The Pepwave SOHO can easily do WiFi as Wan. It will take the campground wifi and rebroadcast it as your own network. The interface on the Pepwave is easy to use and you can drag and drop your WAN source making it the primary source for your internet. So if you are campground wifi and want to switch to your Verizon mifi, you drag and drop the Verizon source to the top of the WAN source page and you are operating your network on 4G.

We hook our Mifi to the Pepwave via a mini usb cable which keeps the Mifi charged and transfers data without broadcasting it via the Mifi's radio.

[cb1000rider]

Sounds like a good alternative.. currently priced at about $150.