Wi-Fi antenna & receiver/router for RV

[CalvinD49]

I am looking for a wifi antenna/booster to get a better signal to our RV. We are going to Delaware Seashore State Park and the closest Comcast Wi-Fi hotspots are either up by Dewey Beach or down by Bethany Beach. Both are about 6 miles from the campground.
I would prefer a complete system rather than piecing it together.
Thanks!

[morleyz]

There are no "systems" for connecting wifi at 6 miles away. You maybe could pick up some signal with clear line of sight and a high gain directional antenna, but I'm still very doubtful you'd have success because the Comcast access point is not going to be capable of the same distance. I use a Unifi Nanostation Loco M2 on my rig which says it has a range of 5km, but that's only if the other side is using a powerful enough device aimed at me. In real world experience, I can usually pull in wifi signal from outdoor antennas up to about 1/2 mile and I have to rotate my M2 to get the least signal loss.

Now...if you want to go mobile hotspot/router, I think you'll have better luck. Cell signal transmits better through trees, etc and is typically designed to transmit much further (40-60 miles in rural areas). There are a ton of solutions for mobile cell data, but they have an associated cost.

[CalvinD49]

Thanks for the information. You are correct in “associated costs”. They are pricy little buggers!

[FPM III]

The last time I camped at Delaware Seashore SP was in 2017. I had no problem connecting to the Internet using my iPhone’s personal hotspot on an AT&T network.

The campground is on both sides of the Indian River Inlet. The north campground is newer and more accommodating to RVs with paved sites and, to me, makes it more preferable than the south, with gravel, mostly pull-thru sites that are close together and can be a challenge getting a large RV into.

[CalvinD49]

This will be our third year going to DSSP. We always stay on the north side, usually site 420. I was hoping to go WiFi but it looks like cellular may be the way to go.

[FPM III]

I live in a mountainous area of PA with limited options for Internet and things like Comcast and Verizon FiOS aren’t available. Our home Internet has been a Personal hotspot since moving here in 2015. While this setup won’t work for everyone, it works for us. We receive a good cellular signal and the data speed is satisfactory. The only things we shy away from are those which require large amounts of data like videos.

Currently, I have three iPhones and an iPad on my cellular plan and all the iPhones have Personal Hotspots. All four devices share a 35GB “unlimited” data plan. I say “unlimited” because it’s not truly unlimited. When you exceed 35GB, your speed is throttled.

If you already have a cellular phone and can access the Internet on it without connecting to a Wi-Fi, you have a data plan. I think Personal Hotspots on iPhones became available starting with iPhone 4 and higher. and if you have an iPhone in that range, Check your settings for a Personal Hotspot. If it’s there, you might be already set up. If not present or doesn’t work, all you should have to do is call your cellular carrier and if they support Personal Hotspots, have it turned on. The last iPhone I purchased in June, the Personal Hotspot was all ready to go.

Even if you had to purchase an iPhone to get to get the Personal Hotspot, I think it would be a worthwhile investment. I bought the iPhone SE for $400. How much more money over the cost to purchase all the equipment you need to do Wi-Fi would you need to add to buy the iPhone? Then you have to install and set it all up. With the Personal Hotspot, anywhere you have cellular service, you have Internet.

The only recurring charge(s) with a Personal Hotspot would be possibly moving to a higher data plan and the cost of adding another line to your cellular plan if you don’t replace an existing cell phone.

[pconroy]

Originally Posted by CalvinD49

I was hoping to go WiFi but it looks like cellular may be the way to go.

It's the six miles that's an issue.


The record, IIRC, is over 200 miles. But I'm thinking that was some pretty specialized equipment.


The average Joe like you and me are not going to get much farther than "a football field or two". Without spending some cash on antennas and amplifiers.



And even if you did connect, odds are the campground wifi is awful.