4g WiFi hub

hobit517

hobit517

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Hi , what’s the best 4g WiFi hub for a MotorhomeFun please
 
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What Lenny said.

We have one of these with a Vodafone pay monthly data sim.

www.motorhomewifi.com

4G Smart Compact - Motorhome WiFi

4G Smart Antenna & 4G Compact Router Vehicle or Portable Use Quick Mount Docking Station 150 Mbps CAT 4 10 Wireless Devices 25-50m WiFi Range On-Screen Display WiFi Repeater Mode Easy to use smart phone app Ideal for: 1-2 concurrent users, web browsing & leisure
www.motorhomewifi.com www.motorhomewifi.com
 
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Depends how much you intent to use it, I’ve changed to a Huawei B353 route because I have it on all the time.
 
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For a panel van, all the metal means an external aerial makes quite a bit of difference. We had a Poynting 4G antenna on my previous campervan that gave us great signal, even in Scotland and all across Europe.

Not sure with coachbuilt motorhomes though. I assume the plastic/foam/wood/fibreglass skin doesn't block much??? Don't know yet, I'm waiting for mine to arrive...

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MiFis are good, but increasinly hard to find with external antenna ports, which are important if you have a metal skin (i.e. aluminium body panels or Panel Van Conversion). They are also hard to hide away, because of manual power buttons that need to be pressed.

I recently got a standard home broadband router, which ran off a 12V power brick anyway. TP-Link Archer MR600. A lot bulkier than a MiFi, but will turn on when power is applied, so can be hidden in a cupboard with a remote switch with access only required to change SIM card. Has decently sized attached dual antennae which can be replaced with externally mounted ones if required. I've not actually done this, as my PVC has a plastic high roof and I can mount above the metal level, so can live with the attached ones.
 
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My solution is to "hotspot" from my phone using my generous 4g allowance from EE, even in the remote parts of Scotland I get excellent 4g signal. If by any chance the signal is poor I just do without.
 
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cmcardle75 said:
MiFis are good, but increasinly hard to find with external antenna ports, which are important if you have a metal skin (i.e. aluminium body panels or Panel Van Conversion). They are also hard to hide away, because of manual power buttons that need to be pressed.

I recently got a standard home broadband router, which ran off a 12V power brick anyway. TP-Link Archer MR600. A lot bulkier than a MiFi, but will turn on when power is applied, so can be hidden in a cupboard with a remote switch with access only required to change SIM card. Has decently sized attached dual antennae which can be replaced with externally mounted ones if required. I've not actually done this, as my PVC has a plastic high roof and I can mount above the metal level, so can live with the attached ones.
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Most of what the dealers & motorhome wifi.com install are fitted into cupboards fed to a roof mounted antenna and attached to a magnetic transformer wired into the van to keep them charged. They all come with the two antenna ports but as you say, trying to find one these MiFi routers singularly say from the likes of Amazon is becoming more difficult. We've kept our original white one as a spare for this reason.
 
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Geistguy said:
My solution is to "hotspot" from my phone using my generous 4g allowance from EE, even in the remote parts of Scotland I get excellent 4g signal. If by any chance the signal is poor I just do without.
Click to expand...
I'm hoping to do the same in the new motorhome. But in the panel van, with the blinds down and the covers on, the signal was terrible. A MiFi with an external aerial made a massive difference to where we could connect.
 
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Jonno1103 said:
Most of what the dealers & motorhome wifi.com install are fitted into cupboards fed to a roof mounted antenna and attached to a magnetic transformer wired into the van to keep them charged. They all come with the two antenna ports but as you say, trying to find one these MiFi routers singularly say from the likes of Amazon is becoming more difficult. We've kept our original white one as a spare for this reason.
Click to expand...
Yeah. I just sold ours with the old van. I might regret it.

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I got a Huawei E5577, which works OK but keeps going into sleep mode, and I can't get it out of that without powering off and powering on again. So I think the desktop type will be better for me. Some routers don't work with all the Channels used by the various providers. I understand 3 Mobile and Vodafone use Channel 32 (1400MHz ish) for some more remote areas - it would appear very few routers work on this channel.
 
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Aireworth said:
I got a Huawei E5577, which works OK but keeps going into sleep mode, and I can't get it out of that without powering off and powering on again. So I think the desktop type will be better for me. Some routers don't work with all the Channels used by the various providers. I understand 3 Mobile and Vodafone use Channel 32 (1400MHz ish) for some more remote areas - it would appear very few routers work on this channel.
Click to expand...

Band 32 is still relatively poorly supported, which is why it would be great to have a compatible device. Fewer people are using it! My Archer MR600 specs makes no mention of it. Whether they'll do a firmware upgrade at some point, or it is a physical problem, I have no idea...
 
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We too started out with a Huawei E5577C and then added a roof mounted antenna to it to improve signal reception.
It was a good and usable bit of kit, but a couple of years ago I swapped it out for a Netgear Aircard 810S which is a much better all rounder with faster download and upload speeds and pulls in a much stronger 4G signal.
 
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cmcardle75 said:
Band 32 is still relatively poorly supported, which is why it would be great to have a compatible device. Fewer people are using it! My Archer MR600 specs makes no mention of it. Whether they'll do a firmware upgrade at some point, or it is a physical problem, I have no idea...
Click to expand...

Actually, reading about Band 32, it is download only and requires carrier aggregation. Only some routers/phones can do carrier aggregation (sometimes called 4G+). However, I would guess that, in reality, this means this band is more about improving download speeds in densely populated areas, rather than spreading signal further in remote areas, which they'd choose a more established duplex channel for.
 
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I recently upgraded my Three contract to unlimited and it came with a Huawei B535 that has external ports to fit my puck MiMo aerials. Seems to grab a more stable signal than the Mifi it is replacing and runs at 12v. I am playing with the 12v input to provide a stabilised 12v using a buck/boost, as they like a very stable 12v. Otherwise the 12v system does vary up to 14 volts on charging

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Two on Tour said:
We too started out with a Huawei E5577C and then added a roof mounted antenna to it to improve signal reception.
It was a good and usable bit of kit, but a couple of years ago I swapped it out for a Netgear Aircard 810S which is a much better all rounder with faster download and upload speeds and pulls in a much stronger 4G signal.
Click to expand...
Can it be fitted to the antenna the Huawei is attached to?
 
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This D link router has been working well in our van, and Amazon have it on offer right now.
CE4A8DFF-DED0-445E-95A9-F700D2CDD32D.png
 
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How are you connecting it up for power? Straight to 12v leisure battery, via a buck convertor, or via an invertor?
 
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Two on Tour said:
Yes, the Netgear Aircard 810S and the Huawei E5577C have the same antenna ports as is the usb charging port.
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Thanks ToT, I was about to put jump in until I mooched on their site. Now I've been distracted by the Netgear Nighthawk MR1100, dunno if it's the name but I'd probably have bought one by now if I wasn't sitting on a site in Devon.

I'll get one on Sunday... and speaking to the missus I've blamed you for leading me astray!:winky:

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Geistguy said:
My solution is to "hotspot" from my phone using my generous 4g allowance from EE, even in the remote parts of Scotland I get excellent 4g signal. If by any chance the signal is poor I just do without.
Click to expand...
Must be unlucky as I’m on EE and 2 sites I have been on Poole and Longleat had no signal🤬🤬
 
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Lenny HB said:
Have you tried disabling WLAN auto off?
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No but I find the whole thing small and fiddly. Not easy to see the settings on the phone, impossible (for my eyes anyway) on the actual unit. I've given up on it - I have Huawei B535 in the post...
 
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Aireworth said:
No but I find the whole thing small and fiddly. Not easy to see the settings on the phone, impossible (for my eyes anyway) on the actual unit. I've given up on it - I have Huawei E535 in the post...
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You can only get at a few settings on the unit & the app for full settings you need to access it via a web browser.

1620671430871.png
 
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I had found the web interface. I hadn't found WLAN auto off. But as I said I gave up. A cheap E5577 may be on the classifieds soon.
I think I realised these small battery/USB powered Mifis are designed to be put in a briefcase and used on the hoof. As such there default is always going to be a in built tendency towards power saving. I think the MH situation, with hookups and big batteries is more suited to a desk based product where maybe the balance is more towards performance.

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TheBig1 said:
I recently upgraded my Three contract to unlimited and it came with a Huawei B535 that has external ports to fit my puck MiMo aerials. Seems to grab a more stable signal than the Mifi it is replacing and runs at 12v. I am playing with the 12v input to provide a stabilised 12v using a buck/boost, as they like a very stable 12v. Otherwise the 12v system does vary up to 14 volts on charging
Click to expand...
I’m running my B535 from a dc-dc buck.
 
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I use a GlocalMe mifi portable device. Never let me down and I can use it on and off the van.
Vodafone SIM on 100Gb
I tried tethering with iPhone 11 but ‘hit and miss’
No external aerial but never been an issue and I have traveled extensively in UK and Europe.
 
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Aireworth said:
I had found the web interface. I hadn't found WLAN auto off. But as I said I gave up. A cheap E5577 may be on the classifieds soon.
I think I realised these small battery/USB powered Mifis are designed to be put in a briefcase and used on the hoof. As such there default is always going to be a in built tendency towards power saving. I think the MH situation, with hookups and big batteries is more suited to a desk based product where maybe the balance is more towards performance.
Click to expand...

Lenny HB said:
Been using a 5577 for about 3 years not had any problems with it.
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I've too have been using (either of two) Hauwei 4G MiFis for years now, powered from a 12v USB supply, and have had no problems with them. I did try using a smart phone as a WiFi hotspot, but have returned to using a MiFi.

I also experimented with a mains powered Hauwei hub in the MH, but that went back as it kept reverting back to default settings, and became more bother than it was worth. :(

Cheers,

Jock. :)
 
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