Forum Discussion
rwbradley
Jan 11, 2016Explorer
No based in the antenna you have and based on the info you provided in the original post, the antenna covers all the major cell bands, so you should have no issue using it for Cell. It also covers the main WIFI 2.4ghz band so it can also be used for WIFI. I think where people may be confused is what you are going to connect it to, that is another conversation. But the most important thing is you cannot use the antenna for WIFI and Cell at the same time but you can use it for both depending on your need at a particular location.
The key is how you set it up. The antenna will be outside and will have the 30ft LMR200 cable you got with it going into the RV. From there the question is what you plug it into. For Cell you could plug it into the hotspot if it has antenna plugs (if it has two just use the left one it will work with one). For WIFI you will likely need a pig tail to convert it to another antenna connector so it will fit the WIFI router or an external USB WIFI card for your Laptop like an Alfa card.
Another point of confusion may be what you currently have for hotspot, do you have an amp, do you have a WIFI router etc or did you just buy the antenna?
Having one antenna to do it all will be simple especially if you are just using a portable mast to put it on and setup when you stop but you will still require something to plug it into inside if you do not already have it.
There are so many other factors to this conversation but if you want a permanent solution consider two different antenna setups and make them permanent, one for WIFI and one for Cell. Also consider a Cell Amp like the Wilson/WeBoost products, they will give you huge gain with a simple no need to aim Omni directional antenna. I would consider the same for WIFI and go Omni directional as well. In both cases an Omni is likely all you will need unless you are in really extreme fringe areas or like you mentioned you want to pick a specific tower. I just find for where I camp, directional antennas are a lot of work and I rarely ever need the extra boost they give and if I do not have coverage, I can live without it.
Even if you go with different hardware, take a look at my post "Adding a WIFI and Cellular amp to my RV" a 4 part post from my previously mentioned blog, it will cover all the basics of what you will need for this kind of setup. It is not the only way to do it but it is my preferred way and I have had a lot of success.
The key is how you set it up. The antenna will be outside and will have the 30ft LMR200 cable you got with it going into the RV. From there the question is what you plug it into. For Cell you could plug it into the hotspot if it has antenna plugs (if it has two just use the left one it will work with one). For WIFI you will likely need a pig tail to convert it to another antenna connector so it will fit the WIFI router or an external USB WIFI card for your Laptop like an Alfa card.
Another point of confusion may be what you currently have for hotspot, do you have an amp, do you have a WIFI router etc or did you just buy the antenna?
Having one antenna to do it all will be simple especially if you are just using a portable mast to put it on and setup when you stop but you will still require something to plug it into inside if you do not already have it.
There are so many other factors to this conversation but if you want a permanent solution consider two different antenna setups and make them permanent, one for WIFI and one for Cell. Also consider a Cell Amp like the Wilson/WeBoost products, they will give you huge gain with a simple no need to aim Omni directional antenna. I would consider the same for WIFI and go Omni directional as well. In both cases an Omni is likely all you will need unless you are in really extreme fringe areas or like you mentioned you want to pick a specific tower. I just find for where I camp, directional antennas are a lot of work and I rarely ever need the extra boost they give and if I do not have coverage, I can live without it.
Even if you go with different hardware, take a look at my post "Adding a WIFI and Cellular amp to my RV" a 4 part post from my previously mentioned blog, it will cover all the basics of what you will need for this kind of setup. It is not the only way to do it but it is my preferred way and I have had a lot of success.
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