WiFi Signal is poor at some RV Sites

[Sawdust&Woodchip]

Is there a way to improve the WiFi signal coming to my RV at some sites? Sometimes the location where I'm placed I receive a very poor WiFi signal which makes it difficult to get on internet or even watch Neflix, Hulu, etc.. Someone said that if I raise the TV Antenna on the RV (even though I'm on their TV cable) this will improve the incoming WiFi signal as well as cell phone reception. Sounds "fishy" to me. Any recommendations?

[TWP723]

They make a WiFi booster from what I understand. I'm not at all techy..so I can't give solid advice as to which one to purchase. But I'd like to enhance my signal as well. I'll piggy-back on this post to see what's up!

[ROC-REQS]

Sawdust&Woodchip,

Here's WiFi Boosters you can check out:

WaveWiFi Rogue

Netgear WiFi Range Extender

If you do a Google Search on "WiFi Boosters", a lot of others will show up.

On Amazon.com search on "home wifi booster" and you'll get a lot of different options / products to view & compare.

I don't have any experience with any of these products, so I can't provide any insight on their performance.

Hope this helps.

[Cosmik Debris]

http://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/f3...nna-21441.html

[Mustang65]

Originally Posted by Sawdust&Woodchip

Is there a way to improve the WiFi signal coming to my RV at some sites? Sometimes the location where I'm placed I receive a very poor WiFi signal which makes it difficult to get on internet or even watch Neflix, Hulu, etc.. Someone said that if I raise the TV Antenna on the RV (even though I'm on their TV cable) this will improve the incoming WiFi signal as well as cell phone reception. Sounds "fishy" to me. Any recommendations?

Raising your Tv antenna on the RV will do nothing for your Wi-Fi. There are Wi-Fi Signal Extenders that will amplify the signal to and from the CG access point. The key to these Wi-Fi signal extender is that you need to have them mounted outside and above your (and other TT's) in the CG f or best results. The units that you plug into your USB port will give you a little better signal, but they do not have external antennas. I am on my second Wi-Fi Signal extender, I use the EnGenius ENS202EXT Wi-Fi signal extender. I have it mounted on a PVC that is attached to the rear ladder of the TT and extends about 6 feet above the TT and the other TT's between me and the CG's AP. Understand that 2.4Ghz is a line of site technology, and if you have a lot of trees between you and the AP, your signal will be affected, but will still be a LOT better than the one you would get without it.

Two years ago, we were camping in Colorado, CG had Electric but no cable. In clear site on a ridge a little over 1.5 miles away was a HomeDepot store. I put up the antenna, connected to their stores Wi-Fi and we were up and running.. Was able to stream my Rays base ball games from them with no issues. (Did not feel bad about using their customer Wi-Fi as we dump over $1K a year to their bottom line) Remember it is a line of site item.

There are many different types of these Wi-Fi extenders and I can only give you my results. There are others on the forum that use EnGenius and other mfr types and if you search WiFi Wi-Fi or EnGenius you will find them. This model requires a regular Wi-Fi router (like used in the home) to transmit the signal to your tablets, laptops, smart phones...

I wired mine directly to the battery (uses 12VDC) and runs 24/7 as my SOLAR data is available via Wi-Fi.

I also have Magic-Jack service that uses the internet for calling/receiving phone calls and with the POOR cell service in the mountains we forward the phones to the magic-jack and take/make the call from the wireless phones.

To the average person, it may take a few tries to set it up the first time, but after that, you just select the AP from your smartphone/tablet/pc.

I am a firm believer of don't leave home with out it!

One additional point, I have seen an increase in CG's blocking steaming video (Netflix, HuLu...) at their routers, which had some campers upset, but streaming really slows the service down, and add 3 or 4 campers streaming, you then start to get into problems.

Good Luck with your selection,
Don

I have a diagram and pictures how my Wi-Fi is set up on the TT in my albums. It is my old model but the new one operates the same.

[VicS1950]

Originally Posted by ROC-REQS

Sawdust&Woodchip,
...

Netgear WiFi Range Extender

...
Hope this helps.

WIFI boosters are not necessarily great at bringing in weak signals. The intention is to extend an in-house system by being placed where the signal is strong enough and then rebroadcasting to extend the coverage.

There are some cheap DIY solutions if you search.

vic

[oldmanAZ]

On a long trip this year we encountered WiFi problems similar to yours. Although we have a WiFi antenna that helped improve the signal strength in some situations, the problem then became the campground's limited internet capacity. In those situations the internet was painfully slow with buffering, etc. and we struggled to use Google maps, PassPort America, Harvest Hosts, etc. for trip planning. In those situations, I can't imagine there'd be enough bandwidth for watching movies etc.

We also encountered some campgrounds that advertised 'free WiFi' and we found that the 'free' part was a limited time (30 min) per day or a limited time only on the first day. We elected not to sign up for pay WiFi at about $5 per day. We were also unsuccessful at using the antenna to access free WiFi from McD's Home Depot, etc. near the campgrounds.

We ended up using the wife's cell phone ('phablet') for internet access for making reservations, google maps, etc.

I imagine some campgrounds have free WiFi with good signal strength and sufficient capacity for folks to watch movies etc., but we didn't find them. We were on a budget and stayed at lower cost CG and at reduced rates (except for Ft.Wilderness in WDW ).

[Sawdust&Woodchip]

Great info amigos! I too sometimes use "Hot Spot" on my cell phone for WiFi, but I just wonder if it's pulling too much data (more $$$) if I decide to watch a Netflix movie or 2 per nite.

[Mustang65]

Originally Posted by oldmanAZ

Although we have a WiFi antenna that helped improve the signal strength in some situations, the problem then became the campground's limited internet capacity.

What is the unit you use?

Some CG's offer "FREE" Wi-Fi" and only have 10Mb service, then you divide that up between 20 users and the results are bad. What I noticed also (working with a CG owner) is that all the smart phones are linked into the Wi-Fi and have apps that are poling the router constantly, add tablets to that. When I looked at a live picture of the connections, it was amazing at how many connections were active, over 2x the number of camping sites being used, and you could see a lot of streaming going on. The CG we stay at in the GA mountains has 7 AP's and 25MB service at each one. So I usually check the 4 in our area to see which one has the best connection/data. On holiday weekends the service is really slow, other than that no complaints.

Don

[Flapper]

Ummm - even with a great signal, you may continue to see "bad" WiFi. Most campgrounds STRONGLY tell you to not watch movies, etc. Some even are fancy, and will detect that you are watching movies, and deliberately slow down (or cut off) your reception.
Why? - they only have so much bandwidth, that has to be shared between all campers. And videos take up a lot. So the more you use, the less available for everyone else - making it slower and slower for everyone. Think of it as one water line for the whole campground, and if everyone took a shower at the same time, there would be very low water pressure for everyone!

The only real way around it is to have your own "water line" - separate service via your cell phone carrier. But, you have to pay.

WiFi boosters might help a little bit where the signal itself is low, but they will be of no help if the problem is really that everyone is trying to use Netflix at the same time!

[Mustang65]

A couple other tools that some of the CG's are using is when you check in, you get (1) sign in. It is up to you to decide which of your devices will get it. And they limit your access to 3Mb, which you can still get decent streaming (not HD), if it is not blocked.

The future of the Internet access at CG's I believe will be undergoing some change in the future as more and more devices are using the IoT (internet of Things). I see RV's mfr's using the IoT technology in their future models. Monitoring the RV, issuing updates to electrical equipment (fridge, AC, thermostats, uploading/downloading warnings of possible CO sensor issue or past replacement date, too much amperage on the LED lights circuit, possible LED light going bad.

Someone will have to pay for it in higher rate? Internet as an option?
Don

[oldmanAZ]

Originally Posted by Mustang65

What is the unit you use?

Some CG's offer "FREE" Wi-Fi" and only have 10Mb service, then you divide that up between 20 users and the results are bad. ...snip

I have the EnGenius ENH202 and have no complaints. It did its job, but it couldn't overcome a CG's poor internet capacity. In the 1 or 2 situations where the signal was poor and the WiFi was free, I setup and used the ENH202.

Using PassPort America, it seemed most of the sites we were given were at the 'fringes' of the CG; further away from restrooms, laundry, pool, etc. We didn't stay in 'destination' or top tier CGs and we didn't pay $5/day for internet access. When boondocking, we stayed at Harvest Host sites; wineries and breweries. At those locations (usually rural farms and near the grape vines), any available WiFi was inside the tasting rooms etc., but not accessible outside.

BTW, I have a slick, cheap (dare I say, "ingenious" ) way of installing and raising the antenna using my TT ladder, a hose clamp, 2 boat cleats, PVC pipe, and paracord. My TT is at the dealer waiting for a warranty part or I'd include photos.

[Mustang65]

Just for the heck of it.. I just logged into my ENS202EXT and had 47 Wi-Fi routers from all my neighbors on the scan list.. amazingly there are 4 with no security..

Don

[Dagwood]

Originally Posted by oldmanAZ

I have the EnGenius ENH202 and have no complaints. It did its job, but it couldn't overcome a CG's poor internet capacity. In the 1 or 2 situations where the signal was poor and the WiFi was free, I setup and used the ENH202.

Same here. Worked great for me, At least on the CG's that had WIFI. I don't use it for gaming or TV, just reading news and catching up on Facebook, posting pics of my travels for family to see back home.

I mount my ENH202 to a Tree Pruning Pole, and extend it upwards of 15 - 20 feet high, tie it off to a tree and voila.

[Mustang65]

Originally Posted by Dagwood

I mount my ENH202 to a Tree Pruning Pole, and extend it upwards of 15 - 20 feet high, tie it off to a tree and voila.

Quick question.. do you aim your ENH202 toward the AP or just put it up?

Don

[oldmanAZ]

Originally Posted by Mustang65

Just for the heck of it.. I just logged into my ENS202EXT and had 47 Wi-Fi routers from all my neighbors on the scan list.. amazingly there are 4 with no security..

Don

Both at home and in CGs, I saw many, too. But all of the ones I saw were secured.... except for one I saw briefly that might have been a wireless printer.

Re Antenna Direction:
I asked CG management with free WiFi where the WiFi antennas were located. In those cases, it was one of the buildings where laundry or showers were located and I aimed the antenna accordingly. I've also been known to turn the antenna in various directions to search in CGs to see if one of my neighbors was willing to 'share' their connection.

[Mustang65]

An interesting note:
I have the ENS202EXT that has the (2) 5dB external antennas mounted to it. My old systems (2) EnGenius EOC5611P, had a single external 8dB antenna. So, just for the heck of it I connected the 2 8dB antennas to the 202EXT and actually lowered my power. I assume that the 25' of antenna cable was the cause of it. The opposite of what I was expecting. Still have one of the 5611P extenders working in the house to get the wifi from my office to the other side of the house.

Don

[Bassdogs]

HOw about recommendations for an inexpensive booster for those of us who just want connect and check emails. personally don't need wifi bad enough to pay big $$'s for the systems that many are using.

[Mustang65]

Originally Posted by Bassdogs

HOw about recommendations for an inexpensive booster for those of us who just want connect and check emails. personally don't need wifi bad enough to pay big $$'s for the systems that many are using.

If that is all you want to do is connect and check email, and if you have a smart phone, you would probably be better off setting the smart phone up as an Access Point and link your laptop to it... but if you get a lot of pictures or surf the web a lot then it could get expensive. That is providing you are getting cell service. Verizon has a MIFI unit (I have one also, just in case) but you buy a batch of data and it is only good for x amount of time, like 30 days or so. It operates on the same frequency as cell phones.

Most of inexpensive ones that I saw are indoor use only, and probably would not work well in the TT without an outdoor antenna. Some of the units only trans/rec on 802.11n, but most CG's are still on 802.11g. The inexpensive outdoor ones that I looked at have reduced signal strength (12dB) which will probably give you a little better signal depending on how far you are from the CG's Access Point. The ENH202 (29dB) is about $76 + shipping, you would also need a WiFi router to link your laptop and smart phones to ($10 - $15 at a second hand shop) and a length of Cat5 cable between the ENH202 and your WiFi router. It is a commercial quality unit, usually used between 2 buildings.

You may want to search the forum to see if you can locate any other models. Before you purchase any of them, check the customer reviews.

Don

[ninjahbob]

Sawdust&woodchip
The link below should depict the WIFI assist that we have had good luck with. Easy plug and play with laptop. I am not familiar with anything for cellphone or ipad.


Alfa 1000mW USB Wireless G Adapter AWUS036H Long Range | eBay