Ferry on Monday, Campirama Tuesday for damp check & a few minor warranty bits. Then having a troll round France only got 4 weeks on this trip. Enjoyed following the Muse to its source, thats when we met you last year. So thinking of following the Mosel through France to its source.
Having a coachbuilt I didn't think the sticky pad a very good option as I couldn't use the fixing nut.Your figures are similar to what I've found. Where I think the aerial really comes into its own is when you are are in a remote spot and it can get a signal which the MiFi couldn't on its own.
For most users any signal over a few megabits per second is probably useable but if your MiFi can't pick up any signal at all this aerial seems to do the job.
I like your idea of removing the self-adhesive from the the bottom of the unit and using Sikaflex. I didn't but it was a nervous moment before I fitted it as I knew if I got it wrong it would be a major pain. The adhesive is very sticky.
Fitted a MiFi Huawei E5577 and an external MIMO aerial went for the Poynting MIMO 1-01 the same as John @DBK fitted, on the pricey side but as John says it the only one that gives you full info on it and it's used a lot on buses, coaches & trains. Also the company are very helpful.
MIMO on the roof, I took off the self adhesive foam pad then fitted it direct to the roof with Sika.
View attachment 245408
Fitted the MiFi in the cupboard with my Sat controller, had to move the Sat controller down as I wanted to keep the aerial cables as short as possible on the MiFi as the small cables & high frequencies you get losses of 0.8 db per metre. One annoying thing about the aerial is the cables on it are only 300mm which come out of the centre of the unit and terminate in SMA connectors, the MiFi uses TS9 connectors. Longest leads I could find with in TS9 to SMA was 300mm, so I ended up using a 200mm SMA to TS9 and a 300mm SMA to SMA not ideal as more connectors = more signal loss.
View attachment 245409
And before anyone comments on the white power cable, I didn't have a 2m one that I needed to run down to one of my USB power outlets and Poundland only had 2m ones in white.
Ran a few tests before installing, my house gets a very good 4G signal so had a play by a window did a few speed tests and the average was:
Without Aerial Download 50Mb/s, Upload 11Mb/s
With Aerial Download 50Mb/s, Upload 29Mb/s
Then went down to my daughters a few 100 yds down the road where it is a signal black spot.
Without Aerial Download 8Mb/s, Upload 2Mb/s
With Aerial (outside on window sill) Download 15Mb/s, Upload 7Mb/s
Now with it fitted on the van tested with door closed.
Without Aerial Download 24Mb/s, Upload 13Mb/s
With Aerial Download 40Mb/s, Upload 37Mb/s
Those figures were yesterday, today it was a bit slower but I suppose it depends on how busy the network is. What was noticeable when I compared it to my phone, phone speeds (phone inside the van) were about half of the MiFi with aerial and they are both on the same network.
The actual speeds are a bit arbitrary as the speed can vary anything from 8 Mb/s to 50Mb/s throughout the day, the with and without aerial results were taken within a few minutes of each other and it's the difference between those that count.
Not just any thingy a big black expensive thingy.Lenny, you're a very clever chappy but the only thing I managed to understand from your tech-jargon is that you've successfully stuck a 'thingy' on the roof
Not just any thingy a big black expensive thingy.
Nope only black if there had been a choice I would have had black, most stuff in white always goes yellow as proper UV resistant plastics are expensive.My only question is, errrrrrrrrrrrrr, do they come in white.
How much for a thingy, Lenny
Yep that was the sat dish cables.
They both manage to present their data in different terminology to make it difficult to compare but they look similar in performance although the Poynting has a bit more gain. The drawings on both data sheets show aerials with all options the 4G versions only have 2 cables.
We find we get best results by having it extracting then the windows & rooflight on the area we want to cool on vent setting, sometimes I fully open the roof vent. We find this way we get a nice cool breeze flowing across the beds. I set the temerature a couple of marks up from where the fan cuts out.
Fitted a MiFi Huawei E5577 and an external MIMO aerial went for the Poynting MIMO 1-01 the same as John @DBK fitted, on the pricey side but as John says it the only one that gives you full info on it and it's used a lot on buses, coaches & trains. Also the company are very helpful.
MIMO on the roof, I took off the self adhesive foam pad then fitted it direct to the roof with Sika.
View attachment 245408
Fitted the MiFi in the cupboard with my Sat controller, had to move the Sat controller down as I wanted to keep the aerial cables as short as possible on the MiFi as the small cables & high frequencies you get losses of 0.8 db per metre. One annoying thing about the aerial is the cables on it are only 300mm which come out of the centre of the unit and terminate in SMA connectors, the MiFi uses TS9 connectors. Longest leads I could find with in TS9 to SMA was 300mm, so I ended up using a 200mm SMA to TS9 and a 300mm SMA to SMA not ideal as more connectors = more signal loss.
View attachment 245409
And before anyone comments on the white power cable, I didn't have a 2m one that I needed to run down to one of my USB power outlets and Poundland only had 2m ones in white.
Ran a few tests before installing, my house gets a very good 4G signal so had a play by a window did a few speed tests and the average was:
Without Aerial Download 50Mb/s, Upload 11Mb/s
With Aerial Download 50Mb/s, Upload 29Mb/s
Then went down to my daughters a few 100 yds down the road where it is a signal black spot.
Without Aerial Download 8Mb/s, Upload 2Mb/s
With Aerial (outside on window sill) Download 15Mb/s, Upload 7Mb/s
Now with it fitted on the van tested with door closed.
Without Aerial Download 24Mb/s, Upload 13Mb/s
With Aerial Download 40Mb/s, Upload 37Mb/s
Those figures were yesterday, today it was a bit slower but I suppose it depends on how busy the network is. What was noticeable when I compared it to my phone, phone speeds (phone inside the van) were about half of the MiFi with aerial and they are both on the same network.
The actual speeds are a bit arbitrary as the speed can vary anything from 8 Mb/s to 50Mb/s throughout the day, the with and without aerial results were taken within a few minutes of each other and it's the difference between those that count.
Hi, @Lenny HB I've decided to go with the M/home Wifi aerial (now I have permission to drill the roof!!). Which type of Sikflex do you use - as you know the m/home Wifi one has an adhesive pad, but it was recommended to seal the outside edge with Sikaflex.
I used the Poynting aerial I removed the sticky pad and zig zaged Sika across the base and around the edge. I used i291 which I had left over from fitting a solar panel 6 months previous. Any decent PU adhesive should be ok
Thanks @Two on Tour I've read that, but when I spoke to @Addie at Lincoln when I bought it he said that I had the option of running a bead of sikaflex round the perimeter to ensure it seals. As Mrs Sportsnapper is a bit paranoid about putting a hole in the roof, a belt and braces solution that is relatively simple to achieve seems to be the way to go.
I didn't fit a Motorhome WiFi one and with a 20mm hole through the roof not taking any chances.
Today, in a Thai restaurant in York at moment should be ready Saturday.
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