Installing the Avtex AMR985 Mobile internet kit for Caravans and Motorhomes
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- Опубліковано 8 лип 2024
- In this video, I share the recent installation of the Avtex AMR985 Wi-Fi Mobile internet kit for Caravans and Motorhomes. The kit comes with an external 5G antenna, a mobile dual Sim router and all the kit to get you up and running.
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Buy the Avtex AMR985 Mobile internet kit here : amzn.to/3s9nq9E
The router has a few features that made me choose it over and above the current Netgear M1.
A huge thank you to Swindon Caravans Group for allowing me to film this installation.
I installed mine about a year ago. It’s great.
Great vlog Dan
Hi Dan 😅
Got one of these back in April as I have 3 kids which needed WIFI.
Works very well, the possibility’s are endless, like you said technology moves fast.
Don’t use the TV antenna at all.this device will run 100 devices at once. During our holidays it would download Ultra HD and run 4 tablets with no glitches. Great at home to for boosting your home WIFI too. Easy DIY install. 👍
Dan, The master at work again.
Comments on here have many opinions 😂 good & bad.
I watch for entertainment and tips, that's what I like. Thanks again.
Great video as always Dan. There is not a lot available on this bit of kit so will be happy to see more once you get some questions in. We have one on our van, dealer fitted. Best think we have done. Prior to it being fitted, everyone, including my wife who never seems to have a signal, used my hotspot, so my phone had to stay with the van and stay on charge, as hotspot seemed to eat into my battery life. But we had lots of buffering when using my phone, but since the Avtex we have never had buffering 👍🏻 been to 6 different locations this year, brilliant every time, Netflix, Amazon, iplayer, UA-cam all perfect, best thing we’ve bought in ages.
I would like to hear more on the VPN stuff please, so I can get USA programs on Netflix? Or anything else useful you can think of for someone who is a bit of a technological slow coach…..👍🏻 thanks Dan
Nice one Dan, very interesting, might look into getting one of those 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
good video thanks just bought one!
Many thanks for explaining how to install wifi
Great video
Great video, enjoy your stuff
Thanks 👍
It’s great bit of kit. I have the Avtex fitted in my caravan and it’s good to be able to lock to the band frequency to get the best data speeds. However don’t use the GoVivo sim provided as it’s pants. Good for a EE sim and a Smarty sim as I’ve found these to be excellent
Thanks Dan very good vlog away at moment have a 3 mifi and reception is poor. So watching your vlog on the a text system gave us pause for thought. Thanks
Just installed a Teltonika RUT950 plus configured Nord open vpn to the RUT950 all works well.
Very interesting, might give that a go.
Yeah, really happy so far, I’ll do a comparison vid soon against the Netgear. 👍
very good video thank you
I’ve had one in my Pegasus Verona since early 2022 and about to fit another in our new van we pick up this weekend. It has performed faultlessly, signal can be an issue at times as with mobile phones but the dual sim slots overcomes that. I keep the costs down by using PAYG sims instead of a contract. Usage wise, we stream TV, use mobiles and tablets and my wife has worked from the caravan on occasions which teams/zoom calls have worked well. Not been into Europe yet so can’t comment on foreign use. Great video
Looks a good bit of kit Dan, nice install. We are still using the Netgear with a external antenna and it works great, internet speeds seem to be good but would be easy to upgrade to the Avtex system. One for the future. Cheers
Cheers buddy, I’ll do a follow up comparing speeds etc and swap stuff over. Hope you’re well. Speak soon. D
Thank you again Dan for your review on a item I had an interest in, but I’ve settled for the Maxview Roam X as I find this to be a lot more powerful, I’ll let you know my download speeds once I’ve had it installed.
Me too, it's CAT6 instead of CAT4 and in my experience works a lot better than the Avtex and Avtex have their own firmware on the router rather than Teltonika's latest one. Not sure why they did that
fantastic. useful video 👍
I was all ready to do a DIY install on one of these until I saw the hole saw into the roof! Will get it installed, someone else can make the hole!
Hi Dan, a cracking video. I have been researching a wifi router for my Motorhome and had originally decided on a Netgear Nighthawk. Over the past couple of days I have leant towards installing the Avtex AMR985 kit and your video has convinced me this is the way to go.
A point of interest is that the Avtex router is in fact a branded Teltonika RUT950, which when bought with a Poynting Mimo 3 antenna can save about £40. My wife who is risk adverse would prefer me to buy the boxed Avtex product which would appear to have a more user friendly app and technical support. I am hoping that there might be some special offers at the Caravan and Motorhome show at the NEC and my mind will be made up instantly.
Thanks once again.
Hi Dave, Avtex will be at the Feb show with a dedicated stand, i'm sure they will be really happy to discuss any points with you.
Hi Dan, great video! We installed the Avtex AMR985 router in April using the supplied Govivo O2 SIM card. It has been excellent - I have been amazed at the signal strength when we were at Godrevy CAMC site and when touring in Spain. I asked my dealer to install the kit in order to maintain the warranty on our Coachman Laser 575. The Govivo SIM includes a 'holding' tariff which is currently £3.49 per month and the UK roaming tariff of £25 per month provides unlimited UK data and includes 25 GB data in Europe. Just need to find French pay as you go data SIM with unlimited data for our trip to south of France in June next year.
Hi Roger, I have just ordered al Laser 575 at the show yesterday, can I ask where you fitted it ? Thanks. Steve
@@britsd6397 Hi Steve we fitted the WiFi router in the wardrobe next to the ALDE heating tank. Antenna is directly above on the left hand side of the caravan, which was necessary to avoid possible interference from the TV antenna and the roof mounted air conditioning unit. Power comes from the wardrobe interior light switch (12v). We love our Laser 575!
@@rogermcnair4234 hi Roger. Many thanks. Hope you like your van.
Hi
Do you get any condensation under antenna ? Regards Mark
@@markmark8490 No we haven't. I assume you are referring to condensation in the cupboard underneath the antenna.
These are great, but when you software update to the new teletonika 950 firmware, they are on another level. No drop outs on signal, fast response times and a new designed interface
That is identical to the Teltonika RUT-950 I had one which whilst was only 4G worked very well with a Poynting antenna. I now have a ZTE MU5001 portable 5G router and a WiFi Onboard Magnetic mount antenna.
You sort of summed up my thoughts on the antenna. I can update the router when a viable 5G version is available. But I doubt where we go there will be 5G 😂😂
Hi Peter, I have just bought the ZTE MU5001, can you advise which antenna solution you have used please?
How strange, been pricing up this exact system only today, then your video popped up on my feed … it’s meant to be
Thanks for this but for me having tried Maxview roam which was not very good in the New forest . I optes for the Star link RV with speeds up to 150 mgb
Great video as usual. Would you share who fitted it for you as I too live in Wiltshire and always prefer to use a recommended installer. Thanks
Hi Dan. Great video once again. In depth information which isnt a common theme now days. Off topic, are you able to produce a video on the lead times for new caravans compare to how it was just after covid hit. Pricing etc etc
I’ll see what I can do.
We had on our s4 then moved it to the S5. Excellent with the sky mobile piggy bank. Have you tried the WiFi yet ? I’m wondering if it will connect to caravan club WiFi or not so you can share to devices within the caravan. Great work as ever Dan.
Not needed Vodaphone small mobile router, in my seasonal up in the hills in Scotland perfect for all the family part of a home package including my mobile phone, home router, caravan router unlimited internet only £58 nil aerials or expensive kits required it great, runs two smart TV's in caravan, phones tablets ext just like your home router or use EE also has good internet reception for all the caravan on our site, never let us down. lol
Great video Dan as always… my question is about power to this device 1 -run off 12 vault only 2 - how much power does this item use 3-- you say your at storage yard so when you leave do you turn router off or does it detect no activity and power down I’m curious because I caravan off grid so as you know Dan it’s all about battery 🔋 power and consumption!! Dumb questions but to me would be very interesting and useful Joe 🇬🇧
Hi, you can run this from a 230v adaptor if needed, when the van is off, the Wi-Fi is also off. In terms of power consumption - I can’t tell you. Only that it’s very low. If required, you can pull the power lead from the router. 👍
Thanks for this Dan, I have been looking at it myself so your review was very timely, the installation is indeed very tidy may I ask what the charge was for that?. As I would want it installed myself.
Would be interesting to know how this system effects the speed? What speed for example do you get when the sim is inserted in your phone?
Great vid as always Dan. What happens if you decide to sell the van? Will you have to leave it and buy a another kit for the new one? Could get expensive
Might be interested but would need the antenna mounted on a pole as have a folding camper. Will have a look to see if that sort of mount is available.
Hey Mike, you could certainly get a 90degree plate that would work with the hardware, the only issue would be length of coax.
@@TheTrudgians - cheers, still early days but find my TP-Link M3750 although ok most places does fail at times due to no external aerial support. 👍
Well after having the Avtex for quite some time now I have to say my opinion has changed. I find it woefully slow with either a EE or Smarty sim. That’s despite me locking bands etc. I find my Netgear Nighthawk M2 can be over 10x quicker. To the point I’m now thinking of binning it
Thats interesting, 10x quicker would suggest somthing isnt quite right there. Maybe a factory reset? i found locking the bands proved nothing, i did try it, i made subtle corrections - but in the end, auto just worked fine for us.
Might be worth a chat with Avtex themselves, see what they say.
Take care
Dan
Hi Dan, great video and looks like a good piece of kit. Just wondered if you could or did a speed comparison between the Netgear unit. Cheers
Yep, will be doing a follow up 👍
I seem to be the only subscriber with no reply!
Great video👍 ...wondering how much installation cost ..my Swift Motorhome is a 2019 reg so I guess out of warranty for water ingress .just don't feel comfortable DIY thanks for any more info
Looking at a router for our forthcoming m/h.Do you know if this uses data from both sims to get better signal? Might be called aggregating?
Thanks for sharing that Dan, nice piece of fit, very neat install too. I have, what I think is a stupid question. But their website says "simplified customer on screen display to easily toggle between LTE and Wi-Fi when available" So it can do mobile as well as, say, site wifi as well?
Hi Graham, indeed it does act as an AP too. When i was playing with it, i attached it to my home network, and it worked brilliantly. You can set up rules too, so if one system is slower than the other it will "fall over" to the other connection.
This is another thing i should cover off in a future vid. Or perhaps you should, when you get it installed without Mandys' knowledge....
@@TheTrudgians It's quite spooky how you read my mind - getting it fitted without permission I mean :-) Easier to get forgiveness than permission....
hi dan have you checked for damp in the floor at the font corners a few baileys have blocked water vents causing damp in the floor
No issues here.
Hi,
It is not very good set, but it is not horrible too.
Antenna has two lte connections - not good. If I’m right it has no wifi antennas too, I’m not sure about GPS.
Modem is old and slow too.
If you installing any roof antenna it should be ready for 5G (4 outputs) and it is good to have 2 WiFi outputs too and GPS.
7in1 antenna is way better than the one from set.
Router from Teltonika (if you have budget Teltonika RUTX50) or Peplink, Cradlepoint with 300Mbit LTE minimum support.
This set is not expensive but it is slow and antenna it is not future proof.
When signal is strong your phone shared wifi ap will be 10/20x faster.
Hi Dan,
always find you reviews interesting. I used a Nighthawke for some time but when I set up a site-to-site VPN back to my home network I found that it is not possible to set static routes on it so that traffic for the home nework can be routed properly. My solution was the TP-Link Archer MR600, which works well but is not as neat to mount! Question, can you set static routes on the Avtex or does it have a similarly dummed down interface as the Nighthawk does?
Hey Stephen, Greta question - the VPN static routes are available on the Avtex, and the wide range of configurations available are excellent. It reminds me of the good old days of Draytek routers, where you could do anything. I will create a video on VPNs, (Just writing the script now) and show easy it is to add an OpenVPN connection from any of the big providers. Yours might be a bit technical, but hopefully from the screen shots, you will see the options available.
Hi great Video Dan thankyou ... Getting the Avtex Kit fitted at local dealers soon , could you tell me if in France for a month is it easy to get PAYG sim ? very new to this , would love to use the open VPN system if I can follow you helpful video ..😅
Hi Dan just watched this vid and in really interested in the Avtex mobile internet . Don’t feel confident to fit
Myself though🙈 I may have to work from the caravan as we’re relocating and our house isn’t ready. Do you think this system is robust enough to maintain good speeds and us reliable to browse, hold team’s meetings etc .?
Hi Dan
As always brilliant
Now I’ve just fitted mine in the caravan
Used loads of sealant but looks like we are getting condensation on the antennae mount / nut underneath
Fitted in same area as yours
Do you get any condensation?
Was ok at storage yard but now on site and heating on a different story
Thank you
Mark
Hi Mark,
Good question and to be honest i did not notice. Admittedly, we have only been away a couple of nights since we had this installed, but I did not notice any condensation. Bear in mind, the 1st night away in a caravan at this time of year may produce more than usual condensation as everything warms up. I would keep an eye on it though.
Sorry I cannot be more help
Dan
Hi Dan
Appreciate your honesty
Will keep you and others updated
Great system and really pleased
I managed to wire it into overhead lamp so easy professional install
Thanks again
Best
Mark
Is there a monthly charge once installed thanks?
Hi Dan, great video! Do you carry multiple SIM cards with different network operators to cater for lack of signal in some areas? I'm wondering what's best for a data hungry family holidaying in the UK, as I don't really want to buy multiple Sim packages that expire monthly if I can avoid it. Cheers
Hi Ian, we use primarily a Sky Mobile Sim. if we are in an area where the signal is poor, I swap over my phone Sim which is an EE. That usually gets us out of issues, and if we are on an extended break, i pop out and pick up a PAYG EE data sim for the duration of the holiday. I have done this once so far, as to date the Sky Mobile has been pretty good.
@@TheTrudgians Thanks Dan, I'll check out sky mobile. Do you pay monthly or pay as you go? Is it a data only SIM package? Cheers
Hi Dan, great video as always. I’ve had the avtex system fitted and it continuously loses the internet connection despite showing full signal strength. Any ideas how to sort this. Also, can I fit a switch so that the unit unit is not on during the night so I’m not using the data on my PAYG SIM?
Am looking to get this or similar fitted to our van. Did you consider any other similar kit such as MaxView etc?
Hey Rob (nice ‘van btw) I did look at the MaxView and a couple of others, the dual sim and OpenVPN specs sold this one. I’ll be following up with comparison on other routers using this antenna, so watch this space. 👍
Great video did you say you can connect to site WiFi also?
Hi Scott, yes you can. Its very easy.
Hi Dan, hope your having a great weekend. Was wondering how your getting on with the Avtex? We are thinking of getting one or a Maxview, just worried about the Warranty aspect and driving a hole in our brand new 2023 Swift Caravan 😱 Will it void our 10 year warranty, or if I go through a Swift dealer it won’t void anything?
same as the teltonika rut 955
Hi there have got this on my Motorhome. Can I shop around for a new SIM card so hopefully I can get to by about £10 per month. If so what do I ask for regarding a SIM card & what I will be using it for. ie so I can watch catch up on the auteur tv & use our iPads & that’s all really. Hope you can understand my woffling 🙃
Once again a good video can I take the SIM card out of my phone and plug it into the system as I have unlimited internet on my phone
How do you get onto advanced menu to change SSID
Just out of interest sir, how much was installation of the router and antennae? I am getting a new caravan and wondering how much I can expect to pay.
Hi Dan,
I have just had this fitted to my new van also…I can’t for the life of me figure out how to change the ssid nor the password. Can you remember if the top of your head? Many thanks.
looks nice, what was the cost of the install? Kind Regards Brian
I had the install bundled in with my service fee - so probably won’t be indicative. So, £100. However it took about an hour, used some sealant and about 5m of cable. Would certainly be cheaper from an AWS engineer 👍
Can you tell me if this avtex system is still as good as it was when you first fitted it, and do you still think it is worth it?
I have one, they are brilliant after you update the firmware. Very simple to use
if i only want to use a smarty sim in this avtex amr985, where do initially set it up, in my phone or another way
Pretty sure you would activate it by installing it into any device. Nowadays they register by switching on. But - I might be wrong, I’ve never used a Smarty sim.
What did dealer charge to fit it please Dan ?
Put an ee sim and a vodaphone sim 2 biggest networks 99% uk coverage with both make sure 5g sim with unlimited internet (is the antenna 5g enabled?)
Yes, antenna is 5G ready. We use Sky Mobile, it works well - only 2 areas it hasn’t worked, Longleat (nothing works there) and a CL in Wales, where EE was ok
@@TheTrudgians sky piggy backs off 02 and they are not given full access to 02 network when in busy data areas and are relegated to the back area of the network which is slower and less stable same as with any sub carrier that piggy backs off of the 3 main providers ee or vodaphone & 3 together or 02 my device would be to use two of these three providers to get the fastest and most reliable coverage, especially Vodafone going international as their coverage in Europe is far superior. Whereas all other uk mobile network providers will piggyback off the cheapest international provider. Being an international truck driver and requiring Internet data all over the UK and Europe. I have learnt along the way this experience when it comes to internet plus have family that work for these companies 💁💁
would have liked to have known what kind of speeds in each area in comparison to speeds on your mobile device and your netgear
This is an install video. As mentioned, I’ll follow up with more content relating to this install / comparing etc.
@@TheTrudgians Ah ok thanks, my bad, I must have missed that
Hey, no worries - it’s a valid point, in fact just ordered some adaptor cables so I can plug the Netgear into the external antenna for a real comparison. 👍
@@TheTrudgians Great! I look forward to it as im in the market for one and this will really help!
@@TheTrudgians this will be really helpful, I have the M1 and am thinking of getting an external antenna over getting the AMR kit, however I doubt you will have that video up before Sunday, as am at caravan show then and was hoping to get the amr kit at a discount!
Seems a lot of money for something that is not used for most of the year, smart phone used as a hotspot for me.
pointless if have a caravan on one site with n😅 signal ?
What sim do you use ?
As mentioned in the vid, I use Sky mobile, on a 30gb contract.
@@TheTrudgians i recently fitted one of these to a customers horse box fantastic kit along with the avtex tele, same cannot be said for the company avtex recommend for sim , Govivo , moved to tesco sim ,quality 60gb for £12.50 with clubcard,
That’s a great deal. I like our Sky mobile sim, because we can roll data, which works really well. 👍
Am I missing something? I just switch on my phone hotspot and connect the TV and a couple of tablets and can stream Netflix etc and surf away. I have a 200gb per month plan with Vodafone so plenty to play with so can't see the advantage of the expense and faff of installing all that kit. We've done 8 different sites this year and have been able to stream at every location so I'm at a loss as to why this would be needed. I am happy to be corrected if there is something I am not understanding.
Yeah, I compared a phone hot spot to a dedicated router some time ago, and showed what differences I experienced. Also, difficult for streaming to happen via phone if I walk off, take a call or run out of power. 😂
@@TheTrudgians Hi, yes I must admit I have been in trouble with the wife on a couple of occasions when I have walked off with the hotspot in my pocket 😄
@@alberon111 me too, I went to walk the dog and take some photos, I got back to a very pissed off wife who wanted to see eastenders. Oops. Lol.
Most adults and teenagers have their own smart phones now, don’t they? With oodles of available data.
@@TheTrudgians Eastenders?! I think you did her a favour by walking off with the phone..! 😂
Hi Dan, just got one installed and can’t get it to read the SIM. How do I get it to read the SIM and also how do I change the password. I can’t find any instructions how to do this?
Morning. Ok SIM first, make sure it’s in SIM slot 1. To log in use admin and 987654321 - you will need to change password at first login. From there you should see the SIM status. Also, try rebooting with the SIM installed. 👍
For me the few advantages of fitting a kit like this are far outweighed by the convenience of a portable hotspot. you can get them with dual SIM and can install a VPN if you wish. Plus you can take it out of the caravan and use it in the car in long journeys.
signal is shit in rural places .hence the need for this kind of kit
How do I change the password please Dan, I can't find anything in the web interface. TIA
Login using admin and 987654321 not 123456789 - you’ll be prompted to change it at login. 👍
When away our caravan NOT having internet would be our pleasure.
Yup, did say it’s not for everyone - but for many it is. 👍
Are you interested in selling your old internet router
I might be in a couple of months, but quite now.
Why not just buy a mifi
I did. This replaces the mifi for better signal.& features.
@@TheTrudgians Agree with you Dan, my 3 Mifi is great until you put the blinds down and as they are foil backed blinds, they do tend to block the mobile signal. If you put the mifi the other side of the blinds it tends to block the wifi signal, so this is definitely a good option. Just interested if it can switch to site WIFI or pick up the home wifi when van is at home as the Maview Roam X does... Im torn between the two right now
If you get the right mifi you can use a external ariel or you could use a house router with multi ariel's and a 4 or 5g dongle would be much cheaper if you want ethernet connection it would all run off your 12v leisure battery idea when your away on the french Aires in your motorhome
Please… it’s a ROUT er not a ROOT er.
I worked in IT for 24 years, not a single person called it a ROUTer, its a ROOTer ergo it Routes traffic. A ROUTer is for routing wood trimmings right?
Now, dont me started the on the scone vs scone debate lol.
Rubbish
what is? and why?
Do you have one? How can you say it is rubbish.
what wifi in a caravan......next thing you will tell me is you dont have gas lamps in your van or dont have to use a foot pump for water. shame on you :(
I do actually remember my parents had a van with them.....bugger me im old
I still have the dent in my foot from that ruddy foot pump. I remember when Dad fitted a 12v pump, my goodness, it was like a new day!
Would have been nice to see a comparison of speeds in the caravan:
1. Speedtest on phone (not connected to router).
2. Speedtest when connected to router
£350 is a good price, however you never mentioned fitting costs. How much was fitting?
As mentioned, I’m completing follow up videos - comparison will be included.
Cost of fitting was bundled in with my service, and came out at an extra £100, but that’s not likely to be indicative cost.