Wi-fi on the Road

[aussy]

We are new to RV'ing and as such like to have certain things while we travel like internet. Yes, I know, whats the point in camping than but the fact remains we are RV'ing, NOT camping. Camping you don't take a house with you.....

Anyhow, one thing I have noticed while rv'ing is that most places offer wireless internet but it may not be strong enough to work well in your part of the campground.

Alas! I have a solution. It requires a little techie work but seems to work great. Bear in mind, I DO NOT like to drill holes in my $20k RV. As such, I do stuff that does not require any holes to be drilled.

Here's what you need(this has worked for me):
1. Ubiquiti Nanostation Loco M2 Qty:1

2. Ubiquiti Pico2HP 802.11b/g Qty:1

3. Powerline Ethernet Adapter qty:2

4. Linksys(Cisco) 5 port network switch qty:1

5. Fiberglass mast sections. How many you needs depends on high high you have to go.

6. Misc lengths of ethernet cables

7. Tie wraps.

Here's the theory:

1. Setup a directional wi-fi bridge(Nanostation Loco) pointed at the campground wi-fi access point on a couple of the fiberglass mast sections. This lets you get some height if necessary to "see" the campground access point.
2. Run the bridge into a device that uses the RV A/C power system(Powerline ethernet)to transmit ethernet
3. Setup a smaller wi-fi hotspot on your own private SSID inside the RV - Share with other campers if desired

Why? This will allow you to capture weak wi-fi signals and relay them to your local devices.

I have used this to attach to free wi-fi hotspots quite a distance away. It works because wi-fi is basically line of site(if you can see if you can talk to it if your signal is strong enough and your receiving antenna is sensitive enough - The Nanostation is a great directional radio) The nice thing is that because of using the powerline ethernet adapters to get the ethernet from the outside bridge to the inside access point(via the switch) you do not have to drill holes for the ethernet cable.

Here is what you do:

1. The Nanostation Loco is a vectorized wireless radio meaning it is directional and has a lot of gain in the direction it is pointed. Setup the Nanostation in station/soho-router mode giving it the appropriate campground ssid and password.
a. Attach the Nanostation to the fiberglass pole
b. Connect the appropriate length ethernet cable(This will depend on how high you need to go - Don't worry about how long the ethernet cable is - Ethernet is good for 300ft)
c. Using the mast sections, put the Nanostation as high up as necessary to find/acquire a good signal from the campground wi-fi
2. Plug one of the powerline ethernet adapters into an outside RV AC outlet
3. Connect the Nanostation Loco to the powerline ethernet adapter
4. On the inside of the RV, select a spot where you want to hide the inside components and have access to AC. (I use the cubby behind where my TV is).
5. Plug in the network switch.
6. Plug in the second powerline ethernet adapter.
7. Connect the Pico2 to the network switch
8. Configure the Pico as follows:
a. Select your own SSID
b. Configure a password to access your hotspot
c. Setup in access point/bridge mode
d. Select a freq at one end of the choices or the other(so you don't interfere with the freq the Nanostation is using to capture the wi-fi)
e. Turn output power down depending on the hotspot coverage you want.
f. Select a network address that is on the same inside network as the nanostation loco
9. Complete

This works like a charm. The nice thing is that if you have devices inside your RV that do not have wireless and you want them to connect to the internet, you just need to buy additional powerline ethernet devices and plug into any of the RV's AC plugs. Voila! Instant ethernet.

The other thing is that if you want enhanced wi-fi coverage outside(because your RV is aluminum/metal instead of fiberglass) you can either:
a. Get a second Pico2 and setup outside with a powerline ethernet adapter(using a different network address - same SSID)

OR

b. Move the inside Pico2 to the outside using another powerline ethernet adapter(you want to keep the inside powerline ethernet adapter plugged in and connected to the switch since this connects the nanostation to the network)

Heres some other quick notes:
1. Once you have everything setup the only thing you will need to change is the wireless side of the nanostation to accommodate the different campground SSID's and passwords.
2. All configuration of the Ubiquiti stuff is done using a web browser
3. The switch will also help you with initial configuration.
4. Do initial configuration on a table before hooking everything up on the RV - This will make life much easier while you learn how everything works
5. The Ubiquiti stuff if REALLY good technology.
6. The Ubiquiti stuff is outdoor rated so don't worry about rain, snow etc as long as you have the network cover on.
7. In a recent place we stayed, wi-fi was only available at the "lodge" across the lake from out campsite. I used this exact setup to get wi-fi from across the lake(3/4 mile away). Even shared it with the people who were in a pop-up next to us. No one could figure out how we were getting internet. 🙂
8. Only use the power setting on the nanostation necessary to make the connection. The radio power on these devices is adjustable.
9. Grand total for the basic solution is less than $400. Less if you have something to mount the nanostation on, you have the network switch or your rv is wired for network.


Moderator's Note: Converted URLs to clickable links.

[LittleBill]

if your going the ubiquity route, at least use the m2 series stuff, the old stuff is not updated anymore and is considered obsolete

morgandc, ubiquity uses all standard security types

[morgandc]

I like your solution. I have a generic DRT solution, but have found that there are time that I can't get the security setup properly if a campground isn't "open".

Have you used the ubiquiti enough to comment on setting up different security types?

[aussy]

Havasu...I must just be unlucky picking campgrounds than because the couple we have been to have had cr@p for cell service and marginal wi-fi if away from the main building.

[havasu]

Yep, I have some really bad new for you...

Having traveled as a fulltimer around the US, the majority of campgrounds now offer fairly strong wifi signals - most accessible from the built in WiFi antennas on laptops - occasionally needing a small booster antenna.

Unfortunately most of them just allow 'free for all' access resulting in almost zero bandwidth when everycomes gets back from the beach, shopping, sightseeing etc.

Having the strongest WiFi signal in the world won't help you then.

Occasionally I have come across a campground that has woken up to the problem and implemented bandwidth shaping, banning peer to peer etc to make it accessible to everyone.

As I need WiFi for work, I have an AT&T hotspot and Millenicom (Sprint) unlimited hotspot as well as the CG WiFi.

[RLS7201]

Aussy,

I do the same as you, with a Ubiquity Nano Station 2. The NS2 is mounted outside on a Winegard antenna lift. The NS2 feeds a Linksys WRT54GS wireless router. Both devices work on the 12 volts provided by my MH. No inverters required. I use this system to provide WiFi to my FMCA chapter when we are parked far away from the club house.



Richard

[pianotuna]

Hi aussy,

Thanks for sharing your solution to wobbly wide web access.

Deployment is the issue. If I were going to add a booster I'd want one that could be on the batwing antenna.

I did invest in a high gain omnidirectional antenna which was about four feet long. I used it with a 3 watt external wifi unit called Alpha. I found it useful for extending signals from free sources such as McDonalds. It would give me a useable signal for about 700 meters (765 yards).

Eventually the high gain antenna failed, and by then I had a phone and two cellular dongles to use with a wifi router, so I did not replace the antenna.

I found as time went on that far fewer folks were leaving their connections "open". While it is possible to "crack" the low level codes being used, it is not ethical to do so.

[SolidAxleDurang]

sch911 wrote:
Or, just get your own Verizon MiFi device and skip the CG's poor signal altogether. .

Exactly what I do.

Have Verizon service and at home, use their "Home Fusion" 4GLTE thingamajig.... And also share the same data plan with a 4GLTE MiFi we take with us.

[aussy]

sch911 wrote:

aussy wrote:
The issue with(and why I Like this solution) is that a lot of campgrounds have******for a cell signal therefore making solutions like MiFi devices worthless.

There may be a few out there but none that I have found. And adding a Wilson Sleek cradle antenna to the MiFi brings in an even better signal...

My point about your post is clear. Even with perfect signal strength a CG WiFi AP can be intolerably slow due to overuse of just a few of your fellow campers. I like being on my own, I don't have to worry about what your watching on your iPad.

One thing I should have added is that we are not full timers. As such, the only cellular data we have is on our phones. It is not worth it to have tethering plans.

The idea for this came on because there was wi-fi in one part of the campground but not the part we were staying in. We were trying to use our iPads(which have wi-fi but not cellular). The solution may not apply(or be worth it) for full timers.

[Old-Biscuit]

sch911 wrote:

aussy wrote:
The issue with(and why I Like this solution) is that a lot of campgrounds have******for a cell signal therefore making solutions like MiFi devices worthless.

There may be a few out there but none that I have found. And adding a Wilson Sleek cradle antenna to the MiFi brings in an even better signal...

My point about your post is clear. Even with perfect signal strength a CG WiFi AP can be intolerably slow due to overuse of just a few of your fellow campers. I like being on my own, I don't have to worry about what your watching on your iPad.

Ding, ding, ding.....right on point.
CG WiFi is limited at best.

[Dutch_12078]

docj wrote:
My suggestion is to use BOTH the campground wifi and something like a MiFi hotspot. That way you can flip back and forth between the CG's wifi and your cellular source without having to manually connect all the devices in your RV.

The network in my RV consists of 2 laptops, an iPad, a tablet, a printer, a Roku and a DirecTV DVR. I would hate to have to change all of those back and forth, yet more and more I find CG wifi that is worth using, so why use my own cellular data if I don't have to?

That's pretty much the same setup we use with our Pepwave "On-The-Go" combination WiFi as WAN/cell repeater/router connected to roof mounted WiFi and cell antennas. With automatic failover and fallback, poor/no signal conditions from one or the other are almost transparent as it switches back and forth.

[sch911]

aussy wrote:
The issue with(and why I Like this solution) is that a lot of campgrounds have******for a cell signal therefore making solutions like MiFi devices worthless.

There may be a few out there but none that I have found. And adding a Wilson Sleek cradle antenna to the MiFi brings in an even better signal...

My point about your post is clear. Even with perfect signal strength a CG WiFi AP can be intolerably slow due to overuse of just a few of your fellow campers. I like being on my own, I don't have to worry about what your watching on your iPad.

[docj]

My suggestion is to use BOTH the campground wifi and something like a MiFi hotspot. That way you can flip back and forth between the CG's wifi and your cellular source without having to manually connect all the devices in your RV.

The network in my RV consists of 2 laptops, an iPad, a tablet, a printer, a Roku and a DirecTV DVR. I would hate to have to change all of those back and forth, yet more and more I find CG wifi that is worth using, so why use my own cellular data if I don't have to?

[aussy]

Sch911 is exactly correct. States and countries have some goofy laws regarding use of FREE wi-fi. Check local laws. People have been arrested in both MI and FL for unauthorized piggybacking wi-fi.

This post refers specifically to hooking into a campground where you are staying wi-fi.

The issue with(and why I Like this solution) is that a lot of campgrounds have******for a cell signal therefore making solutions like MiFi devices worthless.

[sch911]

Or, just get your own Verizon MiFi device and skip the CG's poor signal altogether.

A few points to keep in mind with the OP's solution:
- CG WiFi's quickly become saturated with a few people when they decide to fire up their streaming video services.
- Some CG WiFi systems are just not setup to handle the throughput that they are intended to handle. A DIY mentality is commonly used where a professional $$ solution is needed.
- Connecting to other AP's outside the CG may work but in some area's could be illegal. In MI you cannot use a WiFi AP without being a customer for example.