Just found your channel, really clear and very informative. Attracted by this external antenna/ router combo, but how good is the WiFi inside given that the WiFi is originating outside from the router? TBH I'm in a steel narrowboat not a motorhome, so I think this might be a problem. Thanks
Hi thanks, glad its useful. The WiFi signal is pretty strong but you are right the thick plate on a narrow boat would have more of impact on it. You could connect a second router to the ethernet connection to broadcast the WiFi inside the boat, however the easier option would be to go with a mifi / router inside the boat with external antennas for the cellular connection. There are few options for these at various price levels on the channel so take a look.
Thanks for the very swift reply and your time. I understand your suggestions and I guess that's the way to go, but is there any mileage in extending the WiFi antenna, which comes with the kit, down inside and radiating WiFi from that?
@@PeterBrisley Yes, That would also be an option, the antenna connections are SMA so you would just have to get a suitable wireless antenna or an SMA extension to reuse the provided one. Personally rather than running the power cable out to the unit and then WiFi antenna back in, I'd go with the simplicity of having the router inside and just having the cellular Antenna outside.
Hi glad it was helpful. Yes they are unlocked so any sim will work. You may have to set the APN provided by the SIM provider but we found that most were already preset.
I'd pick the ZTE and the Bingfu as they have greater flexibility and performance - you can pop it in your pocket to use anywhere, plus you get the benefit of Cat6. The CPE is great if you just want to pop it outside when you are parked up and not messaround with running antenna cables, but I think the flexibility of the ZTE would be the winner for me.
@@ExploreVanUK Thank you for your reply, I have to admit I'm very tempted to check out how cat 6 ZTE will perform. I really like the idea that there is no antenna cable in CPE and that it gets good performance when mounted at height. But to be honest, I don't think it's very convenient to set it up every time I need to work (and I teach online so I work from the van quite a lot).
Thanks. Personally I wouldn’t be confident it would be waterproof or robust enough to deal with 70 mph in wind and rain. I guess if it was mounted on the back doors / in some way protected it might be ok but I see it more as something you would pop out when you get to a static location.
Yep exactly. I think it would be fine in all weathers when static. But knowing the impact of spray / wind at speed when driving I wouldn’t be confident it would be up to dealing with that.
I've just discovered your channel and I like you're WiFi and internet solution videos. You mention battery bank use with the CPE. What is the current consumption? I know it depends on the size of the bank but I'm asking so that I can find out if a moderate size bank would last a few weeks without recharging. I'm off to watch some more of your videos now.😀
Hey, thanks for the feedback, glad you're finding the videos useful. That's a really great question, I'll do some tests on it over the next day or two and come back to you!
Ok ran a quick test using a 10000 mAh / 37 Wh power bank. Power bank starting at 61% I had the WiFi set to “never sleep” and it was connected by 4G at 3 out of 5 bars. Obviously a few factors could impact this, signal strength, amount of devices connected / power bank power meter accuracy etc. But it should give a rough idea. 26 hours later it had used 29% So approx 1.1% of the 10000 mAh pack an hour. So approx 110 mA per hour And this particular pack would run it for approx 90 hours.
Hi I’m new to having a van so please excuse my ignorance I’m going to have tv with fire stick but think I may not have enough WiFi or 4g service I’m assuming this will boost this to increase service also does it do tv Ariel as well or just WiFi ? Thanks 😁
Hi Lizzie, thanks for watching! This device would make you more likely to get a better 4G signal than say a MiFi unit or hotspot off your phone in your van. But, it is still reliant on there being a mobile signal of some sort available. There will be areas where there is no signal at all on whatever network your SIM card is for. It won't boost a WiFi signal (for example from a public hot spot) or a TV signal for a normal TV. You may find my videos here useful. Online TV (eg from a FireStick) - ua-cam.com/video/Qyd7EeGHEB8/v-deo.html All the ways to get TV - ua-cam.com/video/ruG-olQvtos/v-deo.html Feel free to ask any other questions! :-`D
Hi, We have used three solutions that have this functionality. A dedicated WiFi booster here - ua-cam.com/video/gsMhwMLwOZM/v-deo.html The RUT955 4G router which includes the ability to connect WiFi hotspots using external antenna and rebroadcast - ua-cam.com/video/nF9ZZPHWdpU/v-deo.html The RUTX12 another 4G router which can also do this - ua-cam.com/video/t655M9CcYfU/v-deo.html However the biggest limitation with onsite WiFi is usually the campsites overall bandwidth, which is often not very good or suitable for the number of users. With more and more people streaming and using high data rates, if the campsite doesn't have the internet bandwidth for the amount of users no WiFi booster can improve that. WiFi Boosters are only useful when you are too far away from the WiFi hotspot to connect which isn't usually the case on a campsite. We now use 3G/4G far more than we do site WiFi as it is usually a much higher speed and as were already paying for it cheaper - unless the site is in the middle of no where with no 3G/4G but it happens to have WiFi, which is pretty rare in our experience.
I know i commenting on an old video but are you still using this device? I want to ise this for my allotment so my Arduino has internet for automation and monitoring so the connection doesn't have to be mega fast. It will be powered from a 12v battery and solar. I know this is a 12v device but i can't see how many amps/watts it draws. Do you know what the power draw is on this and are the led's on the side always on? Thanks
Hi! No worries, we do still have the unit (we use it as a back up) I don’t know the power consumption off hand but I’ll try to remember to plug it in over the weekend and check it out. If I’ve not got back to you by Monday, give me a nudge! I’ll also check if the LEDs can be turned off in the settings. 😉
So, can this be used as a Wi-Fi to (say site) Wi-Fi and also as a phone based internet solution? Our metal van limits the site wifi inside as well as mobile internet, it would be nice to boost both due to external close repeating antennas....
Hi Rob, no I’m afraid that this can’t be used as a “WiFi booster” The ZTE MiFi I talk about in this video does have the ability to piggy back a WiFi signal however as it only has WiFi antennas in the unit it’s not a great amount of help. ua-cam.com/video/4_d8vtGMB7g/v-deo.html The Teltonika RUT955 and RUTX12 in these videos have external WiFi antennas and allow you to do this. ua-cam.com/video/nF9ZZPHWdpU/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/t655M9CcYfU/v-deo.html
Hi! 👋 The norm would be to have them at least a wavelength away from each other if possible. Given the lowest frequency (ie longest wave length) you’re likely to use them on is around 900 MHz which would be 33cm wave length. Anything more than that should be fine.
Looks like a good piece of kit Thanks for making this video 👍
Just found your channel, really clear and very informative. Attracted by this external antenna/ router combo, but how good is the WiFi inside given that the WiFi is originating outside from the router? TBH I'm in a steel narrowboat not a motorhome, so I think this might be a problem. Thanks
Hi thanks, glad its useful. The WiFi signal is pretty strong but you are right the thick plate on a narrow boat would have more of impact on it. You could connect a second router to the ethernet connection to broadcast the WiFi inside the boat, however the easier option would be to go with a mifi / router inside the boat with external antennas for the cellular connection.
There are few options for these at various price levels on the channel so take a look.
Thanks for the very swift reply and your time. I understand your suggestions and I guess that's the way to go, but is there any mileage in extending the WiFi antenna, which comes with the kit, down inside and radiating WiFi from that?
@@PeterBrisley Yes, That would also be an option, the antenna connections are SMA so you would just have to get a suitable wireless antenna or an SMA extension to reuse the provided one.
Personally rather than running the power cable out to the unit and then WiFi antenna back in, I'd go with the simplicity of having the router inside and just having the cellular Antenna outside.
Thank you
Thank you for tou vid!As its a minefield on wanting movile wifi! Going to give this a try. And you can use any data sim? Loving all the other videos
Hi glad it was helpful. Yes they are unlocked so any sim will work. You may have to set the APN provided by the SIM provider but we found that most were already preset.
Thank you for this video, it's brilliant. Just one question - were you using ZTE cat 4 or 6 in this test?
Hi, it was the ZTE cat4 it was compared to as we didn’t have the Cat 6 at the time.
@@ExploreVanUK thank you 😊
I just can't decide between ZTE cat 6 + bingfu and CPE, what would your professional opinion be? 😊
I'd pick the ZTE and the Bingfu as they have greater flexibility and performance - you can pop it in your pocket to use anywhere, plus you get the benefit of Cat6.
The CPE is great if you just want to pop it outside when you are parked up and not messaround with running antenna cables, but I think the flexibility of the ZTE would be the winner for me.
@@ExploreVanUK Thank you for your reply, I have to admit I'm very tempted to check out how cat 6 ZTE will perform. I really like the idea that there is no antenna cable in CPE and that it gets good performance when mounted at height. But to be honest, I don't think it's very convenient to set it up every time I need to work (and I teach online so I work from the van quite a lot).
Clear, concise and informative (as always), but why do you say it's not ideal to use on the move or for permanent mounting?
Thanks. Personally I wouldn’t be confident it would be waterproof or robust enough to deal with 70 mph in wind and rain. I guess if it was mounted on the back doors / in some way protected it might be ok but I see it more as something you would pop out when you get to a static location.
@@ExploreVanUK effectively even if they sell it as "design for harsh outdoor environment" it seems more suited to stationary applications.
Yep exactly. I think it would be fine in all weathers when static. But knowing the impact of spray / wind at speed when driving I wouldn’t be confident it would be up to dealing with that.
I've just discovered your channel and I like you're WiFi and internet solution videos. You mention battery bank use with the CPE. What is the current consumption? I know it depends on the size of the bank but I'm asking so that I can find out if a moderate size bank would last a few weeks without recharging. I'm off to watch some more of your videos now.😀
Hey, thanks for the feedback, glad you're finding the videos useful. That's a really great question, I'll do some tests on it over the next day or two and come back to you!
Ok ran a quick test using a 10000 mAh / 37 Wh power bank.
Power bank starting at 61%
I had the WiFi set to “never sleep” and it was connected by 4G at 3 out of 5 bars. Obviously a few factors could impact this, signal strength, amount of devices connected / power bank power meter accuracy etc. But it should give a rough idea.
26 hours later it had used 29%
So approx 1.1% of the 10000 mAh pack an hour.
So approx 110 mA per hour
And this particular pack would run it for approx 90 hours.
Hi I’m new to having a van so please excuse my ignorance I’m going to have tv with fire stick but think I may not have enough WiFi or 4g service I’m assuming this will boost this to increase service also does it do tv Ariel as well or just WiFi ? Thanks 😁
Hi Lizzie, thanks for watching!
This device would make you more likely to get a better 4G signal than say a MiFi unit or hotspot off your phone in your van.
But, it is still reliant on there being a mobile signal of some sort available. There will be areas where there is no signal at all on whatever network your SIM card is for.
It won't boost a WiFi signal (for example from a public hot spot) or a TV signal for a normal TV.
You may find my videos here useful.
Online TV (eg from a FireStick) - ua-cam.com/video/Qyd7EeGHEB8/v-deo.html
All the ways to get TV - ua-cam.com/video/ruG-olQvtos/v-deo.html
Feel free to ask any other questions! :-`D
Could you possibly do an updated video on boosting an onsite wifi signal . I've searched for hours but almost everything has terrible reviews
Hi,
We have used three solutions that have this functionality.
A dedicated WiFi booster here - ua-cam.com/video/gsMhwMLwOZM/v-deo.html
The RUT955 4G router which includes the ability to connect WiFi hotspots using external antenna and rebroadcast - ua-cam.com/video/nF9ZZPHWdpU/v-deo.html
The RUTX12 another 4G router which can also do this - ua-cam.com/video/t655M9CcYfU/v-deo.html
However the biggest limitation with onsite WiFi is usually the campsites overall bandwidth, which is often not very good or suitable for the number of users.
With more and more people streaming and using high data rates, if the campsite doesn't have the internet bandwidth for the amount of users no WiFi booster can improve that.
WiFi Boosters are only useful when you are too far away from the WiFi hotspot to connect which isn't usually the case on a campsite.
We now use 3G/4G far more than we do site WiFi as it is usually a much higher speed and as were already paying for it cheaper - unless the site is in the middle of no where with no 3G/4G but it happens to have WiFi, which is pretty rare in our experience.
I know i commenting on an old video but are you still using this device? I want to ise this for my allotment so my Arduino has internet for automation and monitoring so the connection doesn't have to be mega fast. It will be powered from a 12v battery and solar. I know this is a 12v device but i can't see how many amps/watts it draws. Do you know what the power draw is on this and are the led's on the side always on? Thanks
Hi! No worries, we do still have the unit (we use it as a back up) I don’t know the power consumption off hand but I’ll try to remember to plug it in over the weekend and check it out. If I’ve not got back to you by Monday, give me a nudge! I’ll also check if the LEDs can be turned off in the settings. 😉
@@ExploreVanUK thanks mate. Would you still recommend this unit? I guess it's more than enough for my use?
Yeah, for what you plan to use it for it’s probably ideal. Very simple and self contained, pretty sure it will be low power consumption too.
@@ExploreVanUK Nice one, just one more question. Can you use a SIM only card with this or does it have to be a data only SIM?
Either a Data only or normal phone sim (as long as it includes a data plan) are fine.
So, can this be used as a Wi-Fi to (say site) Wi-Fi and also as a phone based internet solution? Our metal van limits the site wifi inside as well as mobile internet, it would be nice to boost both due to external close repeating antennas....
Hi Rob, no I’m afraid that this can’t be used as a “WiFi booster”
The ZTE MiFi I talk about in this video does have the ability to piggy back a WiFi signal however as it only has WiFi antennas in the unit it’s not a great amount of help.
ua-cam.com/video/4_d8vtGMB7g/v-deo.html
The Teltonika RUT955 and RUTX12 in these videos have external WiFi antennas and allow you to do this.
ua-cam.com/video/nF9ZZPHWdpU/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/t655M9CcYfU/v-deo.html
Is this unit unlocked so you can use any card , thanks
Hi, yes it is.
Good idea 👍
Nice video. What is the best mutual distance of the antennas, greetings from the Netherlands.
Hi! 👋
The norm would be to have them at least a wavelength away from each other if possible.
Given the lowest frequency (ie longest wave length) you’re likely to use them on is around 900 MHz which would be 33cm wave length. Anything more than that should be fine.