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scotjimland

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Bought one over a year ago and had very little use..

Couldn't connect to BT Fon in France.. just wouldn't have it.. and yes, I have read the instructions provided by Addie

Tried on one campsite wifi in France.. was too far away or signal was blocked by trees .. not sure.

Tried on a UK site.. I could see the wifi antenna, only 100 yards away.. ... got connected then found that the laptop was getting as good as signal without the iBoost.. The iBoost was also disconnecting for some reason I couldn't figure out..

Most, if not all wifi sites require a password, .. so very few free available.. either here or abroad..

So.. limited success ..I am not blaming the kit.. but find that a Mifi with a 3 data card is far more useful..

this is the model I have from Motorhome Wifi

iBoost Pro D8 Directional System
http://www.motorhomewifi.com/product/iboost-d8-directional-system/


anyone have better success than me ?


for sale.. see advert ..
 
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Hey we have had real good results with ours, especially with Fon and Orange in France and Fon in England. Also found it useful on campsites where normally you would have to sit outside the reception or bar.
 
I have had a lot of success with it.

The main benefit for me is only having to buy one wifi access on a site and then have sometimes 6 of us on line.
 
As I have said on here many times, I have never had any luck with fon I have done everything that can be done, iv opted in and out till I'm blue in the face , changed passwords and emails, and not a peep, found plenty free wifi in France but , fon, just doesn't like me.
Now the huwii e5330 mifi thingy with a three data sim in is a different kettle of fish all together, never fails to find a signal even when the three sim in my phone can't , it's all a total mystery to me, but as I say there's nearly always a wifi in towns , bars and tourist information places best.
But fon:doh:

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By the way, I am talking bt fon here, iv no doubt the proper fon works fine.
 
laneside said:
Also found it useful on campsites where normally you would have to sit outside the reception or bar
Click to expand...
One in particular comes to mind was Nantes Camping where were pitched at far end of site and it worked well.
I also use it regularly on a cl in Kent where I can pick up wifi from a factory which is otherwise too far away.
It is a pain to set up so I don't use it very often unless we are on site for upwards of a couple of nights but would not want to be without.
 
I pick up lots of BT wifi if we are staying near a built up area, but I have never had any success with Fon.
 
icantremember said:
One in particular comes to mind was Nantes Camping where were pitched at far end of site and it worked well.
I also use it regularly on a cl in Kent where I can pick up wifi from a factory which is otherwise too far away.
It is a pain to set up so I don't use it very often unless we are on site for upwards of a couple of nights but would not want to be without.
Click to expand...

I used to have problems setting it up, but then I delegated it to my wife who has us up and running in about 2 minutes.(y)

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Chris said:
I pick up lots of BT wifi if we are staying near a built up area, but I have never had any success with Fon.
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Don't want to keep on about this as I have been through it all loads of times, but I can get bt fon to work in the uk , no problem, so I must have something right, but France where it is supposed to be for , just nothing, I can sometimes find one on the list of wifis but it just won't connect, comes up with all sorts of excuses but no it won't work and I have give up trying now and forget about it till its appears on here again:(
 
I've just made my own and will take it to France next week. But I'm not expecting much use of it as we will be using aires a lot and this means there probably won't be a Fon connection locally. However, this is new ground for me so it will be a bit of an experiment.

I've not bothered with a wifi booster before and just relied on the MiFi but we came across quite a few sites on our trip to Italy this year which had good free Wi-Fi at the reception which I could have (hopefully) used with a booster.

I can login to BT WiFi hotshots into the UK but of course I haven't tried it on Fon yet. I'll let you know. :)
 
It is a directional antenna, I use an omni directional 8db antenna on a ubiquiti bullet AP which has worked well over many years. In theory a directional antenna will give you a stronger connection but it does have to be pointing at the source. How do you identify the source?
 
The one thing I can't stress enough is Contact Us if you're having an issue even if it's just with a specific network!

If you're on a site and can't get connected and it's a weekend or an evening, submit a support request (if you can get connected directly or via another means) and you'll likely get a response from me or Sophie unless we're otherwise engaged. You can do this via the website here: http://www.motorhomewifi.com/support/

You can see from our Testimonials mostly lifted from forums and Facebook that it MUST work. Certainly, I'd expect to be lynched at every show or campsite I visit if that wasn't the case! http://www.motorhomewifi.com/testimonials/

But what I would say - every customers experience does vary. Everyone's camping style / preference differs and some people find that it's not suitable for them, but that's the same for every product I would expect.

A lot of customers buy based on personal recommendation also - which also presents another problem. "I met a guy on a campsite in Spain, he said his iBoost worked over 10 miles". Errrm, likely not true.

scotjimland said:
Tried on a UK site.. I could see the wifi antenna, only 100 yards away.. ... got connected then found that the laptop was getting as good as signal without the iBoost..
Click to expand...

A support request would have been really handy here as if you can get a connection via a laptop, you should get one via the iBoost. Technically you shouldn't NEED an iBoost at 100 yards (if you do, there's a problem with the transmitter).

This is where the biggest issue with the iBoost is - customer expectation.

If you phone to place an order, or see us at a show Sophie or I will tell you as it is. We don't try and SELL the iBoost, we explain the benefits and the shortfalls so the product should perform in line with or in excess of a customers expectations.

That's hard of course, as since since 2012 we now have competitors who have 'claims' of 5km+ mile ranges which just isn't in any way realistic. Perhaps one in 500 connections - all dependent on the source and not the product.

scotjimland said:
The iBoost was also disconnecting for some reason I couldn't figure out..
Click to expand...

If you ever see the signal strength flashing on and off, this is an authentication issue. The iBoost is being kicked off the network because the credentials are incorrect - most often the password.

This again is where a support request is handy because we can usually spot something. Most commonly this is a captive portal (login page) where the network is not secured (encrypted) but a password has been entered into the iBoost.

If I thought that I was selling White Elephant, I'd pack up shop immediately, I want a quiet life and to use my motorhome for many years to come :)

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Thanks @Addie I did stress I was not blaming the kit.

clearly others have more success..
 
Not had the iBoost for long but I got it logged in to the NRA WIFI at Bisley and got a very good signal compared to last year when we were closer to the distribution point and it was very flaky.

Now invested in the MIFI system with roof aerial which I hope will be delivered today to be fitted before we set off abroad again on 14th September.

Hoping the two will give us the best of both worlds depending if we're on a site or off the grid.

I don't really understand BT Fon as we are Virgin cable customers for phone, TV and Broadband at home and yet, when out and about, I can often see that my iPhone has hooked into some BT Fon WIFI ???????
 
Abacist said:
Not had the iBoost for long but I got it logged in to the NRA WIFI at Bisley and got a very good signal compared to last year when we were closer to the distribution point and it was very flaky.

Now invested in the MIFI system with roof aerial which I hope will be delivered today to be fitted before we set off abroad again on 14th September.

Hoping the two will give us the best of both worlds depending if we're on a site or off the grid.

I don't really understand BT Fon as we are Virgin cable customers for phone, TV and Broadband at home and yet, when out and about, I can often see that my iPhone has hooked into some BT Fon WIFI ???????
Click to expand...
Yes I'm on Virgin too. If you want to use FON you must buy a Fonera Simpl and plug it into your home router. This will make you a FON sharer.
 
image.jpeg
 
BT Broadband customers automatically get the same access to the same Fon network by just using a log in instead of having to buy the Fon plug in. We have used Fon many times via our phones when out & about :)

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Wombles said:
BT Broadband customers automatically get the same access to the same Fon network by just using a log in instead of having to buy the Fon plug in. We have used Fon many times via our phones when out & about :)
Click to expand...

We are also BT Broadband customers and have no problems with connection in the UK..

but like @chaser .. couldn't connect in France..

Have you had success in France ?
 

I managed to secure a load of stock, but it sold within a week and I hadn't even advertised it.

It is possible to get a Fonera working though, so if anyone is able to acquire one I have some additional information you'll need. Drop me a PM/e-mail and I can send you a copy.

scotjimland said:
We are also BT Broadband customers and have no problems with connection in the UK..

but like @chaser .. couldn't connect in France..
Click to expand...

Fonera Support are usually pretty good, you can submit a ticket here:


I've heard all sorts of things recently. BT users need to input /BT before their addresses.

You need to use or to assign a primary e-mail address to BT.

You need to log in via SFR and not via FON.

If someone with a BT account wants to interrogate FON a bit, that might (or might not) produce some answers with regards to that.

Again, I've got some customers who swear by FON and others who swear about FON.

If someone invented a box for £50 which gave superfast connections and unlimited data anywhere in Europe, I'd happily pack up shop :) I think we're probably at least 10 if not 20 years off that yet.
 
We've been using mobile phone connections (phone, dongle and MiFi) since we bought our first van over 10 years ago. We did look at WiFi boosters some 4 and a half years ago and even thought about joining Fon (we're not BT customers). The convincing factor was at Gargrave in May 2012 when we easily connected using MiFi but somebody with a state of the art (for the time) WiFi aerial couldn't find a signal at all.
 
I have been through all these things on both threads, many ,many times and I am not knocking fon or anything else, certainly not @Addie but just saying what I get.
 
I also have to repeat..

I did NOT blame the kit or the support from Adam..

I had a problem last year in France at Mimizan and called Adam on my mobile who sorted it .. it was 'user error' ..

I have no complaints about either the kit or the support..

I was questioning the usefulness ..and my experiences..

To be fair to Adam.. I have edited to thread title

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Unfortunately no stock and no longer available I think!

Perhaps buy one abroad or secondhand.
 
If I bought a Fonera Fon router from the USA would it be compatible?
 
I have used the iBoost for I think 4 years now? Never let me down. The only place I had difficulty was where there was a massive hedge. It worked fine for the first few days, we then had a torrential downpour and it stopped working. Worked out that the water in the hedge was blocking the signal. The site owner moved me 15 meters closer and the iBoost punched through then.

I also use a MiFi device for when I am on CL's that don't offer Wifi.

I love the iBoost. Internet access is critical for me as it is how I earn my living. Even on holiday I am still on call for emergencies...
 
We have used the Iboost for 3 years now, pretty amazing piece of kit and @addy is only too pleased to help if necessary. We have ours fixed on a hand revolving mast sticking out the wardrobe, my wife then tells me the strongest signal from her ipad using the details on the iboost interface.

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