Opinions on Maxview Roam 5G 4x4 for Motorhomes?

[Big cliff]

Thinking of buying a Maxview Roam 5G 4x4
For the van
Question 1 are they any good
2 anyone on here got one fitted to there van
Any help would be appreciated from a new member

 

[f6c]

Got a 4g Maxview it works well in Uk

 

[VXman]

Personally I just hotspot my phone for wifi. Never found it a problem in UK and across Europe. Sometimes I use an old cheap android phone that I turn on the hotspot and call it a router! If the signal is poor I open the skylight and put it on the roof.

 

[MattWithMoho]

A fellow Moho friend has this and it works well, although he has said that 5G signal and speed is typically worse than 4G, therefore he just runs 4G. Therefore if you're looking at models, maybe save money and go for the 4G model (if available).
There would be a question over future proofing, but that said, when 5G is fully deployed in the UK, you'll have bought a new van haha
I went for the Oyster Connect, you pay a premium (£1,100), and I have yet to see any real advantage over the Maxview, so swerve that device if I was you.

 

[FrankNicklin]

Before spending big money also consider that if your phone won't connect to 4G/5G then neither will these devices. You might get a better chance of connecting with an external aerial, but if the coverage is poor, you cannot connect to something that doesn't exist in the first place.

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[Big cliff]

A fellow Moho friend has this and it works well, although he has said that 5G signal and speed is typically worse than 4G, therefore he just runs 4G. Therefore if you're looking at models, maybe save money and go for the 4G model (if available).
There would be a question over future proofing, but that said, when 5G is fully deployed in the UK, you'll have bought a new van haha
I went for the Oyster Connect, you pay a premium (£1,100), and I have yet to see any real advantage over the Maxview, so swerve that device if I was you.

Thank you

 

[GMLS]

Worth having a look at this and his other vlogs

 

[frwjd]

Got a 4g system with aerial on roof.
Perfect service for over 3 years including a trip to/from Turkey.
It's always provided a signal and you can even put it in your pocket when you go walkabout. Excellent kit

 

[rob1234]

Before spending big money also consider that if your phone won't connect to 4G/5G then neither will these devices. You might get a better chance of connecting with an external aerial, but if the coverage is poor, you cannot connect to something that doesn't exist in the first place.

this is true but when out and about in the lakes every year i regularly get 2,,3,,meg, on the phone only ,when through netgear night hawk and poytyn antenna i can boost it to useable 9,,10,,13,,meg so i would say its worth getting

 

[Two Owl Ones]

Thinking of buying a Maxview Roam 5G 4x4
For the van
Question 1 are they any good
2 anyone on here got one fitted to there van
Any help would be appreciated from a new member

i have no knowledge of the maxview , but we use a Zyxel 5G router with a Voxi sim (Vodafone) £20 pm for 300gig, Netflix amazon prime you could watch 5 films a day for a month and not use the amount of data you get, and any amount of uninterrupted internet use. i personally would recommend Zyxel

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[MichaelT]

Before spending big money also consider that if your phone won't connect to 4G/5G then neither will these devices. You might get a better chance of connecting with an external aerial, but if the coverage is poor, you cannot connect to something that doesn't exist in the first place.

I thought the maxview was an external aerial?

Roam WiFi System | 5G Ready Antenna

Caravan Wifi, Motorhome Wifi | 4G Router WiFi Booster | 5G Ready | Maxview Roam - Internet in Your Caravan, Internet in Your Motorhome.

maxview.co.uk

We ordered a falcon 5g one at nec for new van (special deal), went for this as its a 5g router whereas the maxview and others are not so no use if you have to pay for 5g router later. We got 5g all 9ver Europe last year even up in alps though sometimes if just on edge of signal it was better to just use 4g.

https://falcontechnology.co.uk/product/falcon-evo-5g-5g-ready-mobile-internet-solution-for-motorhomes-and-caravans-fitted/

 

[Lee Rasberry]

Hi Everyone. Just to clarify a few things on the Maxview systems:

We have 3 router models available, the Roam (CAT4 4G), Roam X (CAT6 4G) and Roam 5G (Full 5G and CAT20 4G).

All kits come with an external roof mount antenna. There are several different types available, our standard 'puck style (2x2 and 4x4 MIMO models available), the slim Campervan and the new Combo (TV and Internet). All of our antennas are 5G ready and have been since early 2020.

In the interests of trying to be fair and helpful, the other main providers in the space worth looking at are Motorhome Wifi, AVTEX, Oyster and Falcon. There are obviously others out there, but those 4 are most common.

Lee

 

[Whitebirdyman]

i have no knowledge of the maxview , but we use a Zyxel 5G router with a Voxi sim (Vodafone) £20 pm for 300gig, Netflix amazon prime you could watch 5 films a day for a month and not use the amount of data you get, and any amount of uninterrupted internet use. i personally would recommend Zyxel

I use the same Zytel router for my home, much better speeds than I could get through Open Reach FTTC. It has been very stable so far.

 

[David BW]

We invested in a Maxview last year, using it on 4g. Way better reception than just using the phone as a hotspot, especially when the blinds are closed. Very happy with it.

 

[Gareth_Kelly]

We use a completely different method which may be of interest.

Rather than having a fixed router in the van, we have an unlocked Netgear dongle (mifi) which is portable.
When we're out and about it comes with us, and provides WiFi for both of us. It's about the size of a cigarette packet so easy enough to carry around.

We tend to buy a local data-only SIM in whatever country we're visiting. If that's been problematic to get, then we have the old-faithful 4g SIM from Tiekom as a reserve.

We travelled through 20 countries last year (not all in the van) and used it in all of them so it works for us.

It's an alternative worth considering.

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[Paul Wilkins]

Looked at installing this, but it's way way too expensive for a full 5G set up. I use a Huwaweee (or whatever it's called) 5G router with my unlimited EE sim, which generates a WiFi signal or ethernet connection inside the MH. Got 529mb/s download when in Paris last year Price.. about 300 quid.

 

[wfdTamar]

I've just done all this at home and on two motorhomes (or soon will have). On my UK Hymer I have a pretty good and cheap 4G system that's a used Huawei B535 run by simple 12 volt cable adaptor (£50 all up). Poynting 2x2 antenna on the roof (can't remember but maybe £100-120). That works much better than the phone alone except it's not 5G. This really is no great loss as a 5G signal doesn't travel far. You have to be fairly close to it to get a decent speed from it (like a few km). 4G travels much further.

At home I've given up on our broadband as a year long contract doesn't work for me, so I've got a dual sim 5G MIMO 4x4 modem (Cudy P5) A$550 and a Poynting XPOL-25 4x4 MIMO antenna A$780. I can have two companies sims in the modem for better chance of getting a signal. (pretty much half those A$ figures to get the UK£ cost)

I can use that modem also in my Tasmanian Hymer with the existing Poynting 2x2 antenna and another directional 2x2 I have coming. Also I'll bring the modem to the UK to use in my UK Hymer with another Poynting on that too - to make a dual 2x2 antenna setup.

For most people the Huawei and Poynting (or even a cheaper brand) will be fine and good enough. Maybe £200 all up. It's a lot more money to go for one of the pretty prepackaged kits and I'd want to know the gain their antenna has on the frequencies then check that against the frequencies used by the network I prefer. Not all antennas are the same (of course). I'd be wanting maybe 6dBi gain on my preferred frequency.

 

[wfdTamar]

Or as Paul says get a 5G Huawei. There are loads of used Huawei's on ebay as they must have been used as home internet modems by broadband companies (just make sure it's not network locked - same as if you buy a mobile phone).

Or a MiFi as Gareth has, but make sure it's one that has 2 little TS9 antenna ports on it, then you can plug a roof mounted 2x2 antenna into it when in the van for much better reception than you'll get with it inside the van with no antenna.

 

[Jimbob45]

We bought the Maxview 5g for our Burstner.
expensive, but simple single hole through the roof for the antenna and put the router in a cupboard. Can’t fault it, used a Hawaii mifi previously this is way better, had over 300mbs download speeds so can stream HD content to 2 tv’s with ease
Also future proofed for wider 5g roll out. Has 2 sim slots so you can swap between 2 networks, or it will do it automatically to get the best reception.

 

[DPM111R]

We had a MaxviewRoam 5G installed last year and used it through England then down to Venice and back through France - it worked without issue although you are dependent on the phone signal of course. We did / do need to restart the system at each new location but that takes less time than boiling a kettle. It's almost invisible from the outside and adds almost nothing to the height of the vehicle which is probably positive versus any satellite dish system?

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[Big cliff]

We had a MaxviewRoam 5G installed last year and used it through England then down to Venice and back through France - it worked without issue although you are dependent on the phone signal of course. We did / do need to restart the system at each new location but that takes less time than boiling a kettle. It's almost invisible from the outside and adds almost nothing to the height of the vehicle which is probably positive versus any satellite dish system?

Thank you

 

[dnhunter]

In Spain again now using Huawei 4G route with roof mounted aerial as have done for past 3 years. Problem is that as 5G is so prevalent on the continent now the 4G is SLOOOW now so whereas in previous years the 4G with roof aerial was fast - 5G on my iPhone now is, in most places, 60-100 times faster. Just try using 3G in the UK now - it's slower than it used to be before we had 4 and 5G. I am going to invest in 5G roof aerial and router system when I get home as was thinking about it last year, but this year's experience in the same places as last year in Spain has left me decided - and using iPhone 5G hotspot with wasted EE 4G subscription!

 

[Big cliff]

In Spain again now using Huawei 4G route with roof mounted aerial as have done for past 3 years. Problem is that as 5G is so prevalent on the continent now the 4G is SLOOOW now so whereas in previous years the 4G with roof aerial was fast - 5G on my iPhone now is, in most places, 60-100 times faster. Just try using 3G in the UK now - it's slower than it used to be before we had 4 and 5G. I am going to invest in 5G roof aerial and router system when I get home as was thinking about it last year, but this year's experience in the same places as last year in Spain has left me decided - and using iPhone 5G hotspot with wasted EE 4G subscription!

I’m running the same as you Huaw

In Spain again now using Huawei 4G route with roof mounted aerial as have done for past 3 years. Problem is that as 5G is so prevalent on the continent now the 4G is SLOOOW now so whereas in previous years the 4G with roof aerial was fast - 5G on my iPhone now is, in most places, 60-100 times faster. Just try using 3G in the UK now - it's slower than it used to be before we had 4 and 5G. I am going to invest in 5G roof aerial and router system when I get home as was thinking about it last year, but this year's experience in the same places as last year in Spain has left me decided - and using iPhone 5G hotspot with wasted EE 4G subscription!

 

[Big cliff]

I’m running the same as you Huawei atm just wanted to up grade to something decent

 

[matbic]

I recommend choosing a solution that allows you to install eSIMs these arrive quickly by email and can be purchased for a single country or a whole region (Europe, USA etc). If you are traveling abroad they are a real time saver as you dont need to keep stoping to get SIM cards in each country you visit. They also get around all the limitations and/or cost of using a UK SIM card when traveling.

Even in the UK some UK only eSIMs are better than a SIM from a single network because they give you access to two or three networks and so you can find a good signal almost everywhere because the modem will chose the strongest signal available from multiple networks.

I have found bnesim.com is a good supplier of eSIMs some of the other suppliers I tried took my money but did not work so be careful and try with a small purchase first.

bnesim.com has a great feature you can top up your eSIM from the app, so if you are running low on data or changing countries you can just do all these changes instantly on your phone app - it’s all so convenient.

Here is a code that get you 10% off you first purchase BM4731UP from bnesim.com (I get some goodies too! So please don’t use the code if this offends you!)

My van has a pepwave unit this now works brilliantly with eSIMs (you have to update to the latest firmware). After the first year the pepwave charge for the remote administration feature of the pepwave (in control 2), you must have this to use eSIMs. This is around £30 per year but it is a really great service with lots of features for remote access, vehicle tracking and eSIMs.

I did not find 5G much use it is only available in urban environments so not much use too me in my van. But I have found 4G/LTE very useful so I decided to get a pepwave with two 4G modems in it and bond them together - again another feature of Pepwave which is just great. With two SIM/eSIMs loaded it combines the bandwidth together this gives better speeds but more importantly means I am simply never off line!

It was a hassle fitting the correct antenna for the pepwave but so worth while.

None of this was available on my (expensive) oyster connect, which required me to go on to the roof, open the unit up to change SIM cards each time I changed country!

Hope this helps, let me know if you want more details of my discoveries, it would be great to hear from others trying the same things!

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[Anthony OysterTech]

A fellow Moho friend has this and it works well, although he has said that 5G signal and speed is typically worse than 4G, therefore he just runs 4G. Therefore if you're looking at models, maybe save money and go for the 4G model (if available).
There would be a question over future proofing, but that said, when 5G is fully deployed in the UK, you'll have bought a new van haha
I went for the Oyster Connect, you pay a premium (£1,100), and I have yet to see any real advantage over the Maxview, so swerve that device if I was you.

Good afternoon MattWithMoho

The Oyster connect retails at £875 and is a 4g LTE/WIFI system which offers an unrivalled range compared to any other system currently available on the market. Unlike any other WiFi system on the market the Connect has the LTE module in the roof unit using a data cable that runs to the indoor control unit eliminating any loss that passive antenna systems can suffer from through the coaxial cables they use.
The connect currently is not available as a 5g unit. This is primarily due to the fact that pure 5g is unavailable in any rural areas and it is very unlikely to be for many years. There are versions of 5g that are transmitted using lower frequencies to allow the signal to travel further from the mast however these signals are very often no faster than 4g LTE. The connect also offers the user the option of connecting to local WiFi signals with this and LTE receivable up to 30km (depending on line of site) from the source.

If you or anyone reading this thread would like further information or advice regarding this system then please feel free to contact our office on 01858575928, pm me on here or email direct at anthony@oystersat-tech.co.uk

We appreciate any and all feedback on our products and are happy to discuss whether or not our systems will meet the needs of the customer. We pride ourselves on being an honest and reliable company and reviews with negative feedback from members that have not actually used our products or posted the correct information regarding them can be very detrimental to our business. We would therefore appreciate it if any future posts can be checked that they are factually correct before posting.

Kind regards,
Anthony Read

 

[wfdTamar]

Unfortunately for manufacturers this technology develops quickly and what may have been 'unrivalled' a few years ago is now bested by something new. I think a 4x4 MIMO antenna would be better than the 2x2 in the Oyster Connect, however not having the loss of the cable down to the modem is a good feature. As matbic says though, if you're wanting to change sims it'd be a right PITA having to get on the roof to do it, so it's only suited to someone that uses the same sim all the time. If you're happy with a 2x2 antenna (and most would be) and only want the same sim all the time the Oyster Connect would be a good option.

Although E-sims are convenient, for some reason it's an expensive form of data. Hopefully that tech will take over from physical sims (which are an incredible waste of plastic) and become cheaper.

The Peplink modems look a good alternative to Teltonika, but the Cudy P5 is far cheaper than both. All 5G dual sim, 4x4 MIMO.

https://www.peplink.com/products/max-br1-mini-5g/ A$850
https://teltonika-networks.com/products/routers/rutx50 A$1000
https://www.cudy.com/productinfo/1247700.html A$550

Combine one of them with a good 4x4 MIMO antenna and that currently is unrivalled (though in some cases Starlink can suit).

Then in decreasing price:
Single sim 5G 4x4 MIMO
Single sim 5G 2x2 MIMO
Then the same combinations, but 4G (This is probably the best bang for buck currently as there is a lot of used or superseded equipment going cheap that still gives a great setup for most people).

 

[matbic]

Yes I looked at the cost of eSIM data- if you are staying in one country for most of the year you can get lots of unlimited data SIM packages and these are the best value for sure, especially if you sign up for a year or two and pay monthly.

But when you take those SIMs aboard they become limited by what they call “fair use” policies so you can only use them for a limited time and only a limited amount of data even if you plan is unlimited in the UK it is not when abroad. Then they start charging you for excess data at high rates (Smarty was the lowest I found at £1 per gigabyte but they had very strict rules about how long you could be abroad). The most data I could find when roaming was 100G (popit) which is a lot but then they make you stick with them until you have used enough data in the UK at a higher than normal rate - so it’s probably going to be expensive)

I spent a lot of time reading the fine print on lots of SIM contracts! It was not fun!

From this I chose a selection that had the most reasonable “fair use” policy when roaming. As we spend our full 90 day allowance roaming in Europe we still run out of data due to all these “fair use” policies so need to sign up for several packages and then keep very careful notes of which SIM we have used and when they restart each month. It’s difficult and boring! Also they all have to be paid for when not using the van.

An alternative is to get a local SIM when arriving in a country - this is lots of hassle especially if I don’t speak the language! In some countries they need ID others you have to commit to a long contract. This is only viable if you plan to stay for a long time in a country.

Another alternative is to use a Starlink - but it consumes huge amounts of power and does not work well when moving or in the shade under trees (which is somewhere we like to be!) The RV service gets lowest priority on the satellites and can get very slow.

Then I descovered eSIMs. My current eSIM costs 88p per gigabyte which I only pay when I need it, so nothing to pay when not using the van. You just purchase data when you need it. It works in 30 European countries. As a nice bonus when I am in the UK it will pick from whichever is stronger out of the EE, O2 or Three networks. In France it will pick from 2 networks and so on. This is far better than a traditional dingle network SIM.

If I want to splurge on data (watching Wimbledon for example) I can just purchase a top up and it’s instantly available! All done on my phone with an app in English. There is no data cap or limit to the time I can be abroad.

It works out at about 50p per hour of watching streaming TV - I did have to spend some time learning how to limit the quality of the stream I get - we don’t need 4k with surround sound on our little screen in the van, 2k HD and stereo is just fine! If you just fire up an AppleTV or smart TV it will go for the best quality available so it is necessary to take control and set the default to a lower resolution or it will cost you!

I rely do see the cost versus convenience equation is heavily in favour of eSIMs when roaming around. With a traditional plastic SIM only when in “home” country being better value (although the ability to roam across networks when at home in the UK is really nice so I might use my eSIM for that as well!)

I hope this helps. Any suggestions or tips most welcome!

 

[wfdTamar]

Why can't you use Popit all the time? Then your UK use would counter the EU roaming (assuming you're in the UK when not doing your EU 90 days). Or RWG?

I got stung by their ridiculous conditions (which aren't stated anywhere on their site). I activated in the UK, then a week later did my 90 days EU, another week in the UK. Then they wouldn't let me cancel until I'd paid for another 2 months, despite having come back to Australia. There's a vague mention in their T&C's, but not exactly how you have to meet the requirements. Ended up having to cancel my credit card twice to escape their clutches. Rude support too.

 

[starquake]

Why can't you use Popit all the time? Then your UK use would counter the EU roaming (assuming you're in the UK when not doing your EU 90 days). Or RWG?

I got stung by their ridiculous conditions (which aren't stated anywhere on their site). I activated in the UK, then a week later did my 90 days EU, another week in the UK. Then they wouldn't let me cancel until I'd paid for another 2 months, despite having come back to Australia. There's a vague mention in their T&C's, but not exactly how you have to meet the requirements. Ended up having to cancel my credit card twice to escape their clutches. Rude support too.

Personally I'm of opinion just get a (ideally prepay) sim for the country you are in, given the pricing is so low these days, and you tend to get better performance. Also avoids all the cancellation problems.

Unlimited for a year on three business I've been paying £5/mo or £60/yr for last 3 years for a pure data sim. We will just swap it for a local one when we leave UK as the roaming isn't good. That way we can buy what we need where we need it. Roaming providers never get the priority a local native to network sim will get, so that way you maximise it. In 2018 we were in spain (Villa holiday) with a mifi device (as internet was bad on the DSL line), and our UK sims from EE and Three got a 4g speed of 2-4Mbit. When using a local spanish sim on the same actual network, ie not roaming, it was nearer 50Mbit. Same has happened in most countries we visited, even going to US these days we tend to buy a local (e)sim if we there for any significant duration of over a week or so.