wifi extender info please

[RRTom]

After doing some research, here is my understanding of how wifi extenders work.
1) They receive a wifi signal from the campground access point. If the signal is weak, the extender will increase the signal.
2) If the campground internet access is slow, the extender will not help with that problem.
3) Some extenders ( including Winegard) can receive 4G LTE signals (cell phone) and increase the strength of the signal if it is weak.
4) To receive cell phone signal, the extender has to have a sim card and be signed up with Winegard's service, or your cell phone plan.

Here is my question: Do you have to pay additional fees to your cell phone provider to connect the extender?

Our situation: My wife works and home, and if we could receive a dependable, reasonably fast internet connection, we could slip away on long weekends and she could work from the motor home on Thursday/Friday

Please feel free to educate me if my understanding of the way extenders work is incorrect.

EDIT: A satellite internet dish is not a viable option for us.

[RSD559]

Relying on campground WIFI is asking for a bucket full of frustrations. Weak or intermittent signals are the norm, if there is any at all. 90% of campgrounds will not support streaming. I work from home and when we travel, I have to have dependable WIFI to access my work files. So I just added a bunch of data to my phone plan and use it's WIFI hotspot. I tried a mobile hotspot, but it used data even when it was turned off. It used up 5gb of data on travel days when it wasn't even turned on. Good luck arguing about it with the provider. When I finally hung up on the guy he was wanting me to buy another 5gb of data for $50 so they could diagnose the problem. Actually I hung up on him about 3 times. He kept calling back. I think he liked it.
Another thing to consider is security. If she has any sensitive data, stay away from any public WIFI! Unless she uses a VPN or something similar.

[FF286]

X2. For we boost. I put one on the roof of the house. I now get 3-4 bars of LTE, before I would often have no service.

[MrWizard]

In many cases a Wi-Fi extender/repeater is only good for basic email
Etc..
Wi-Fi at Many campgrounds are congested over load, and have speed problems

The Winegard system means a new cell service contract
It is a 'Hot spot' on your roof
I would invest my money in a Wilson weBoost cellular amplifier
And use my existing Hotspot device or cell phone
Or add a new plan like fmc, Att, VZW , if I don't have one

[Bill_Satellite]

RRTom wrote:
After doing some research, here is my understanding of how wifi extenders work.
1) They receive a wifi signal from the campground access point. If the signal is weak, the extender will increase the signal.
2) If the campground internet access is slow, the extender will not help with that problem.
3) Some extenders ( including Winegard) can receive 4G LTE signals (cell phone) and increase the strength of the signal if it is weak.
4) To receive cell phone signal, the extender has to have a sim card and be signed up with Winegard's service, or your cell phone plan.

Here is my question: Do you have to pay additional fees to your cell phone provider to connect the extender?

Our situation: My wife works and home, and if we could receive a dependable, reasonably fast internet connection, we could slip away on long weekends and she could work from the motor home on Thursday/Friday

Please feel free to educate me if my understanding of the way extenders work is incorrect.

EDIT: A satellite internet dish is not a viable option for us.

Personally, I would use to separate devices to control each option. You can buy and setup an excellent WiFi Booster for about $100 and point the directional antenna for maximum reception ability.
I would then buy on of the cellular boosters that will boost both your mobile Hotspot as well as your cell phones to provide the best working conditions available. This will still NOT allow you to travel to places where no cell signal exists or is so weak as to be unusable but it should cover the majority of locations unless you are in a valley!

[Bill_Satellite]

The Winegard WiFi/Cellular booster he is referring to DOES need a SIM card placed in the device. I have not seen any reviews of how it works and Winegard's promise to send me one to test never came to fruition. I believe it's on the market, however.

[jplante4]

Moved from General RVing

[Lwiddis]

Gee, unless your DW is required to work at home or no more than a certain distance from somewhere, you are not “slipping away.”

[Dutch_12078]

As said, 1 & 2 are correct. 3 & 4 are a bit off the mark. There are cell service amplifier/repeaters that receive a weak cell signal and amplify it to a more usable level before re-transmitting it to your cell phone or data only cell hotspot. They also boost the return signal from your cell device to the tower. No SIM is needed in the amplifier/repeater and they typically work with multiple carriers and devices. There does have to be at least a minimal signal available. There is an FCC requirement to register the unit with your cell carrier, but that's a simple online process and there are no charges involved with using one.

[GordonThree]

1 and 2 are correct. Can't speak to 3 and 4 directly, I don't own one.

Just to hazard a guess, if it involves a SIM card, there's a service attached to that card.

If you're able to pull the card out of a jetpack or hotspot you are already paying for then there wouldn't be any extra charge.