Winegard Gateway - Worth it?
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- Опубліковано 23 сер 2024
- At the end of this video you'll get my opinion on whether it's an investment we recommend. You'll see the challenges faced in the installation and you may learn of a few new tools/tips/tricks. Thanks for watching.
Tools and parts
Wire cutter/striper/crimper - amzn.to/3JNkesy
Spade connectors - amzn.to/3TQhAXW
Swiss army knife (mini) - amzn.to/3TIfSaQ
Wago Blocks (lever nuts) - amzn.to/3lIqslI
Craftsman SpeedDrive Ratcheting Screwdriver - amzn.to/3LQTnhX
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DISCLAIMER - The information in this video is intended to be entertaining and you should note that if you elect to make use of the same concepts, ideas, changes, modifications, alterations, processes you are doing so at your own risk. Further, changes could negatively impact your warranty. You are encouraged to contact the manufacturer of your RV, vehicle, bicycle, and/or the component manufacturers for the best, most accurate, up-to-date information. There is NO guarantee that the information presented in the video is 100% accurate.
Modifications you may elect to make based in any way on this video you are doing so at your own risk.
All products and tools presented in, and used for, this video were purchased by me.
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Appreciate an honest review that still includes an enormous amount of helpful detail on the install.
Thank you, I'm glad you got something out of the time you spent watching!
THANKS FOR THE VIDEO. IVE NOTICE A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE UNHAPPY WITH THE GATEWAY ROUTER AND WINGAURD
Appreciate you watching and 'weighing in'!
Thank you very much for saving me the headache. Much appreciated!
You're quite welcome. Sharing information with others, and having some fun along the way is what it's all about.
Agreed the gateway has marginal performance. It's limited to the 2.4 platform only and also throttles your bandwidth down.
Thanks for your insight and thank you for watching.
Thanks for your review! Always like your honest opinion.
My pleasure.
Thank you for your comment and for watching.
The round hole on the mounting bracket is to run your cables through and mount it away from the light, you didn't have to remove the light. The unit paired with the 360+ unit on the roof is meant to pick up cell signal from much further when camping away in the woods, compared to your cell phone. It is not about speed it's about having a signal. When used as wi-fi repeater mode, it will always have slower speed simply because it a "repeater", you are not talking directly to the network you are repeating.
Thanks for your insights. In my case, the cables connecting the Gateway to the 360+ antenna were too short to install the router ‘away from the light’.
The location of the 360+ antenna, on the roof top, away from interference from the RV walls should produce a better signal speed and strength than the same set-up inside the RV. That’s not what our testing revealed. We compared the Gateway to a traditional hotspot (AT&T Unite 797s). Measuring upload & download speeds as well as RSRP, RSRQ of our old, traditional ATT hotspot as well as the Gateway. I didn’t get into that level of detail in the video (sorry) but those results led us to decide to stick to “our original" platform. Again, thanks for your comments and thanks for watching.
I actually really like mine but don't use it as a wifi booster...there are too many moving pieces for it to work well as a booster including overloaded wifi that is being boosted. On the other hand, the 4G cellular wifi works better than expected and allows me to work from the road easily.
Glad it's working for you Kevin and thanks for sharing!
@@RV2Cyclewhat is the option if not winegard router I just went camping and signal was really bad 1 bar my wife does school work gets no break and we need Internet just wondering what is your option. Thank you
One option is to get a router that accepts more than one SIM card, like the Pepwave Max Transit Duo. This router, and others like it, can be set up to automatically switch between the different carriers (different SIM cards) based on signal strength. This is still a cell based internet connection. Another option is Starlink - this requires a clear view of the sky. If you're in an area heavy with trees, this can be a problem. We opted for the Max Transit Duo before I retired. The attraction, at that time was the fact that I could stay connected consistently and work as my wife drove our Travato. I used the system for internet, TEAMS meetings, and cell phone connectivity. We also used it for stationary connectivity, in areas where trees would have prevented Starlink from being the better option. Although I purchased my Peplink system from MobileMustHave (MMH), I wouldn't go back to them today. I found their service/help desk to be unsatisfactory. Instead, I would go to Frontier (frontiercomputercorp.com). I had an issue which was preventing me from using my system and was inadvertantly connected to Frontier's help desk by Peplink's customer support desk. Frontier recognized I was not one of their customers but provided me help anyway. They also informed MMH of their need to help me but MMH was days delayed in contacting me and even then offered solutions which made NO sense. That said, if I had to be connected 24/7, I would seriously consider both Starlink and some router like the Pepwave Max Transit Duo
after watching multiple installs im wondering if your dis-satisfaction with the product is due to not setting up the router to run on 4 g LTE..and just letting it run on default WI FI....
Good thought. I think my disappointment was the fact that it is really only a router - lacks signal boosting.
How did you end up finding those 3 cables? After removing the ceiling cap I cannot find them anywhere it’s driving me nuts
They were all zip-tied to the ceiling cap in my case.
What did you go with? I need away to connect to WiFi in the RV. It has the winegard gateway sticker on the cover like yours. I have been having to drive to a business an sit in the parking lot after I park the RV to use the free WiFi. Which sucks for me.
We already had pepwave's max Transit duo in our van from two COVID years and found it successful for our online while moving needs. So, we still use that plus hotspots on our phones which gives us AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. We use weBoost in the fifth wheel to ensure a strong connection. My neighbor just transitioned to Starlink and claims he's not going back to cellular.
PS : RV park wifi is pretty much known to be one of the worst options, so you really do need a solution which is better than RV Park Wifi
Where did you end up placing the switch?
Great question , thanks for asking. I elected to hold off on the switch until I decided if the product was something I would keep. Since I decided to return the product, I never installed the switch.
It seems like you misunderstood what it's for. The Gateway is a Cellular hotspot. The antenna boosts the cellular signal and provide you with a wifi hotspot to use the cellular data plan. It really has nothing to do with boosting a wifi signal. The wifi antenna is so you can connect to the hotspot when you're near or in the trailer. If no wifi is available in the area you cannot connect the router to a wifi and must use 4G. If you see wifi on your computer and not on the gateway you have a problem with the antenna.
Once it connects to another gateway the signal you get to the Winegard should be maxed out if you are in or near the RV. It cannot make the parks wifi signal stronger.
Actually, I do understand the function and appreciate your explanation. The antenna on the fifth wheel is a higher location and has no encumbrances from the RV walls, as compared to using a hotspot (either my phone as a hotspot or our att or Verizon hotspot) inside the RV. Without yielding a better, consistent, stronger signal than my other options - it's not a justified 500 dollar expense for us.
Sincerely appreciate your comment.
Understood.... well when i saw the cost .. on amazon ... i thought ..they are out of their mind ..lol
It is pricey for JUST a router
Grand design ,! Buy an rv from heartland they can’t put in a screw without breaking it among everything else !
Appreciate your insight. We've owned several RVs ov the years - haven't found one yet that was flawless :)
SO WHATS ON THE MARKET IS WORTH BUYING. IF YOU KNOW
It's really a different product for different desires; it depends on what you're trying to accomplish. For example, are you after boosted signal, intransit internet, etc. Whether or not you're rolling down the road at the time also makes a difference.
Your basically installing a Wifi Hot spot that access the internet over the 4G cellphone network. I'm not sure what you wanted to boost
The incoming 4G cellphone signal is, was after, and since have boosted using WeBoost - comparable cost to Winegard Gateway and does what we wanted.
Where is the switch
Thanks for the question, I failed to make clear on the video that I elected to hold off on the switch until I decided if the product was something I would keep. Since I decided to return the product, I never installed the switch.
IF (caps intentional) I had installed the switch, I planned to install it on the router, itself by cutting a hole in the router cover.
The title of this video should be How to install it. Not "Worth it?"
Thanks for your comment
Save your money, dont get this. Hate mine went with Starlink instead
No question that Starlink is faster and stronger.
That is a Cat 4 router. It is so outdated and seriously old technology. Not worth the investment
Thanks for your input! For those unfamiliar with router Cat terminology - the higher the number the "better" the router's performance/speed. A quick internet search will show, to Roger's point, that Cat 4 is disappearing as technology continues to progress.
@@RV2Cycle Thank you for expanding on that as I should have done. I've been seeing CAT 16 and 17 routers lately.
@@roger80465 It's always a challenge determining how much info is too much, so don't feel bad. Thanks for adding the 16/17 info - it helps demonstrate how far behind is a Cat 4!