WIFI

Ingwe said:
We have a terrestrial tv aerial that is obsolete. It has pole that you push up to raise and rotate the aerial. I'd like to keep the pole/elevate/rotate functionality but substitute a 4g aerial for the tv aerial. That way, I wouldn't have to make a new hole in the roof for the cable. The cable could come down the pole like the tv aerial lead does now.
Does this sound feasible?
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Take the pole out and fit an omni-directional antenna like the Poynting MIMO 1 in the hole. A directional antenna only works properly if you have line of sight to the mast and often you won't. A MIMO antenna and appropriate Mifi will make use of signals bouncing of buildings etc.

Directional antenna are generally recommended for certain static installations only. With a low profile omnidirectional antenna you can use the system on the move as I do.
 
DBK-thanks for this. Any idea of how difficult it would be to remove the pole? I'll check out the Poynting Mimo 1. I need to get on the roof of the van and see how the land lies.
Edit: I'd happily pay the £212 odd for Poynting (checked on Amazon). It's ready for 5G too apparently. May see if I can get it fitted.
 
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Ingwe said:
DBK-thanks for this. Any idea of how difficult it would be to remove the pole? I'll check out the Poynting Mimo 1. I need to get on the roof of the van and see how the land lies.
Edit: I'd happily pay the £212 odd for Poynting (checked on Amazon). It's ready for 5G too apparently. May see if I can get it fitted.
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That sounds over the top price wise, the one I fitted and a few others on here have also fitted is this one. Scroll down the page to find it. I wouldn't worry about 5G at the moment, it will be years before it reaches rural areas I suspect. I'm still waiting for a good 4G signal where I live.

Solwise -Poynting MiMO LTE vehicle antenna - A-MIMO-1-1 | Solwise Ltd

www.solwise.co.uk www.solwise.co.uk

Twinned with say a Huawei 5577 mifi you should get a good signal virtually anywhere. You will need a power supply for the MiFi but installation for everything shouldn't be too expensive. Whoever installs it will have no problem removing the pole - it may have to be lifted out from the top. :)

Whether you have the pole reinstalled elsewhere in the MH for dancing I leave to you. :)
 
Thanks again, DBK. I was thinking about future proofing for 5g.
As to retaining the pole elsewhere for lap dancing, think I'll pass. Don't think the van springs will take it! :LOL:
 
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I copied DBK , got the Poynting MIMO 1 from Solwise. I pulled out my old TV antenna and put the 4G antenna over the hole. I'm also using the Huawei e5577. There are slightly newer models that have theoretically higher speeds, but it won't make any difference most of the time. Whatever model you get, make sure it's got antenna inputs.

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Guigsy, thanks for this. Did the Poynting cover the hole left by the aerial? Did you need to drill any more holes in the roof? We've got a Huawei wifi that has two antenna inputs.
 
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If you are unsure then go to these folk who are very helpful and not that expensive

www.motorhomewifi.com

Motorhome WiFi | 4G/5G Built in WiFi for Motorhomes and Caravans

Since 2012 we have provided fast, secure and reliable solutions for motorhomes and caravans for use in remote and rural locations. We have a range of 4G and 5G products with installation available form over 150 dealers across the UK.
www.motorhomewifi.com www.motorhomewifi.com
 
Ingwe said:
Guigsy, thanks for this. Did the Poynting cover the hole left by the aerial? Did you need to drill any more holes in the roof? We've got a Huawei wifi that has two antenna inputs.
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I had fixed unidirectional 'flying saucer' type TV antenna on my PVC roof before. It used a small central hole for the cable and a few screw holes through the roof around the base to hold it in place.

The Poynting just attaches with a large'ish hollow bolt with the cables going through the centre of the bolt. I used a step-drill to enlarge the hole in the roof. The new antenna's footprint was a little smaller than the old TV aerial, but close enough. My van's roof is ridged, so I needed to fill the gulleys, so I scraped off the sticky foam pad on the bottom of the antenna and used the dreaded Sikaflex instead. By putting bit of a fillet around the edge, I also covered all the old screw holes.

The fun was all on the inside of the van. The aerial was fitted before the interior was panelled out, so to remove the roof panel I would have had to strip out pretty much all the interior. Instead I drilled a hole in the top of a cupboard that was large enough to get access to attach the nut to the antenna's bolt and guide the antenna cables down. The hole was filled with mastic, not pretty, but it's in a cupboard. I put the MiFi in the cupboard a short distance away, so I didn't need any additional wire extensions. It's a good idea to keep the MiFi as close to the antenna as possible as long wires degrade the signal very quickly.
 
I'm mightily impressed with those of you who undertake tasks like this yourselves. I'm sure they're not that difficult when you know what you're doing. I'm no Barry Bucknall (remember him) and fear having a leaky roof or worse!

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Ingwe said:
I'm mightily impressed with those of you who undertake tasks like this yourselves. I'm sure they're not that difficult when you know what you're doing. I'm no Barry Bucknall (remember him) and fear having a leaky roof or worse!
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If there's already a hole there... ?‍♂️
 
dochiley said:
If you are unsure then go to these folk who are very helpful and not that expensive

www.motorhomewifi.com

Motorhome WiFi | 4G/5G Built in WiFi for Motorhomes and Caravans

Since 2012 we have provided fast, secure and reliable solutions for motorhomes and caravans for use in remote and rural locations. We have a range of 4G and 5G products with installation available form over 150 dealers across the UK.
www.motorhomewifi.com www.motorhomewifi.com
Click to expand...
I've used them before and they're very helpful. I bought a 4g aerial that sticks on the window etc and their wifi boost.
 
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I've still got two Yankee screw drivers and very good they are too. When screwing down the tread on a flight of steps, it cut the screwing time (now, now boys) enormously. Lined up all the no 8 wood screws in the countersunk holes then just drove them home with the Yankee. A great tool.
IMG_0638.JPG

IMG_0639.JPG
 
I've had a look at the van today and I'm tempted to have a go at fitting the Poynting MIMO 1 aerial myself.
When I was looking at the pole for the redundant tv aerial, I noticed in the cupboard that the aerial lead is connected to a Maxview signal amplifier which I can also remove. However, I noted that the Maxview has a plug in 12v power supply. It plugs into the Maxview with a little hollow pin. I lose track of where the transformer is sited but I am wondering whether I can keep this source for powering the HUAWEI E3752 mifi. I need to get my head around how I can connect this power source to the USB lead that is used to power the mifi. This is the maxview
Amazon product ASIN B00DFXT6NQ
 
Ingwe said:
I've had a look at the van today and I'm tempted to have a go at fitting the Poynting MIMO 1 aerial myself.
When I was looking at the pole for the redundant tv aerial, I noticed in the cupboard that the aerial lead is connected to a Maxview signal amplifier which I can also remove. However, I noted that the Maxview has a plug in 12v power supply. It plugs into the Maxview with a little hollow pin. I lose track of where the transformer is sited but I am wondering whether I can keep this source for powering the HUAWEI E3752 mifi. I need to get my head around how I can connect this power source to the USB lead that is used to power the mifi. This is the maxview
Amazon product ASIN B00DFXT6NQ
Click to expand...
You can get usb sockets to power the MiFi. There are probably surface mounted ones you can get but USB sockets running off 12v are plentiful. This is probably over the top but will give you an idea what to look for. A 3A fuse in the supply will be about right.

Amazon product ASIN B07C96SP75
www.amazon.co.uk/CHGeek-Socket-Charger-Waterproof-motorcycle/dp/B07C96SP75/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_263_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=4F6V1S073XQERPNHKAVY

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This site contains affiliate links for which MHF may be compensated.
DBK said:
No, they were a step up from them. :) They worked with a pump action. Very covetable in those days. But he was ahead of IKEA in his own way. :)
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Silver-Fox said:
As DBK said Yankee or pump screwdriver.

A bugger to use on slotted screws and nearly a pleasure to use on cross heads.

Did have a habit of jumping out of the heads of the screws though ?
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Yes, but as in my link, clearly with a ratchet.

I've never heard of a "yankee" screwdriver, but I've definitely heard of a Stanley pump action ratchet screwdriver, however, I now appreciate the more popular or known term is "yankee".

Cheers,

Jock. :)
 
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DBK-thanks for the link to the USB socket. Is it possible do you think just to cut off the hollow pin on the Maxview and connect the two wires to the USB socket? Would you then have the 3A fuse on a holder on the live? Many thanks and forgive my ignorance.
 
Ingwe said:
DBK-thanks for the link to the USB socket. Is it possible do you think just to cut off the hollow pin on the Maxview and connect the two wires to the USB socket? Would you then have the 3A fuse on a holder on the live? Many thanks and forgive my ignorance.
Click to expand...
Ideally you want a 12v supply you can turn off so if the supply to the maxview has a switch somewhere that should be fine. I would still add an in-line fuse as the fuse in the maxview supply might be larger if it also feeds other devices. If the supply only goes to the maxview then you should be able to change the fuse in the fuse box to something smaller if necessary. The reason for a small fuse is these USB sockets have been known to fail. I've got three and have had no problems but folk on here have reported incidents. It isn't often so I don't think it's common but a small fuse is a sensible precaution.
 
DBK said:
Ideally you want a 12v supply you can turn off so if the supply to the maxview has a switch somewhere that should be fine. I would still add an in-line fuse as the fuse in the maxview supply might be larger if it also feeds other devices. If the supply only goes to the maxview then you should be able to change the fuse in the fuse box to something smaller if necessary. The reason for a small fuse is these USB sockets have been known to fail. I've got three and have had no problems but folk on here have reported incidents. It isn't often so I don't think it's common but a small fuse is a sensible precaution.
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I see. The on/off switch to the Maxview is on the amplifier itself. So I'll need to establish whether the supply to the Maxview powers anything else. The wiring disappears under trunking etc. So I suppose I could see what fuse controls the Maxview by turning it on and then removing fuses until it turns off. Trouble doing it that way is it might not be immediately apparent what else is supplied. Ideally, I should see where the wiring enters the distribution block but I suspect it's a spur off of something else.
Anyway, thanks for walking me through all this. I'll post any progress. Am off to Bristol for a few days to a wedding so it'll have to wait. Makes a change; at my age it's been mostly funerals! :)
 
Ingwe said:
I see. The on/off switch to the Maxview is on the amplifier itself. So I'll need to establish whether the supply to the Maxview powers anything else. The wiring disappears under trunking etc. So I suppose I could see what fuse controls the Maxview by turning it on and then removing fuses until it turns off. Trouble doing it that way is it might not be immediately apparent what else is supplied. Ideally, I should see where the wiring enters the distribution block but I suspect it's a spur off of something else.
Anyway, thanks for walking me through all this. I'll post any progress. Am off to Bristol for a few days to a wedding so it'll have to wait. Makes a change; at my age it's been mostly funerals! :)
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I wouldn't worry too much about checking if the supply does anything else, probably best to assume it does and add a fuse. The main issue if you connect the USB socket to this supply can you turn it off? If you can't then when the MH isn't being used it will be permanently live. It won't use much current but would be a fire risk.

Have a good wedding! If its this weekend take waterproofs for the bride!

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Our dealer priced a MH fixed device, antenna and Vodafone package at £1000+ !!
We have opted for a Huawei E5787 and a Vodafone unlimited data sim (inc smart app package and unlimited up/down load speed) for £23/month from mobiles.co.uk The Mifi unit has an external antenna port if we wish to get a better signal. We plan to use ours for two smart TVs, phones, tablets etc
 
Surfstar said:
Our dealer priced a MH fixed device, antenna and Vodafone package at £1000+ !!
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A silly question I know, but did you get the feeling you were being ripped off? :rofl:

What planet are some of these dealers on? :mad:

A good decision re the MiFi and Vodafone sim card. (y)

Cheers,

Jock. :)
 
JockandRita said:
A silly question I know, but did you get the feeling you were being ripped off? :rofl:

What planet are some of these dealers on? :mad:

A good decision re the MiFi and Vodafone sim card. (y)

Cheers,

Jock. :)
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I could feel my pants being pulled down as he said the price! Plus it wasnt for unlimited data and was only for a year.
 
Have 3 home WiFi can take it with us unlimited in U.K. but 19g a month in Europe

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