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Old 07-29-2018, 01:06 PM   #1
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WiFi install

Hi! I’m new to this forum, in fact to any forum. I am interested in installing a WiFi extender to the roof of my 2018 Winnebago View 24V. I am curious how others have penetrated the roof for cable installation. Has anyone utilized existing penetrations and resealed or is it more advisable to drill new hole? Hoping someone has experience and advise! Thank you!
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Old 07-29-2018, 02:00 PM   #2
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It's common to use the refrigerator vent as a convenient route for solar cables and the like so that would be my vote if you don't want another penetration. There's a screen inside that you'll need to deal with.

With respect to a separate penetration, if you Google "rv roof wire penetration" you'll see a variety of fittings made for this purpose.

It's not a big deal one way or the other. Your goal should be to choose a penetration location that will simplify the inside routing of the cable. The nice thing about the refrigerator vent option is that you won't be drilling into an existing cable or wire. Again, Winnebago has drawings for this. If they're not online, you can call Winnebago for them.

Whatever you do, make sure you use Winnebago's recommended sealant for both the penetration and mounting:

https://www.winnebagoind.com/diagram.../000210918.pdf

https://winnebagoind.com/resources/s...t%20Sheets.pdf

Let us know what extender you install and how it works.
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Old 07-29-2018, 02:26 PM   #3
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I haven’t settled on an extender yet however I’m leaning toward the allPro. The fact it has Ethernet ports for hard cabling my Roku as well as decent range specs on reception amplification and WiFi distribution. I’ll be returning home in a week or so. I’ll let you know. Thank you!!
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Old 07-29-2018, 02:40 PM   #4
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I simply drilled into the roof over a cabinet that I used to mount the Wifi Ranger GoAC router. I used a simple inexpensive cable plate and a lot of dicor under the plate and on top of the screws and sides of the plate to insure it was water tight.

If you're new to RVing it can be super scary cutting a hole in your roof. But after you've owned a couple RVs and done this a couple of times it's easy.

I have in the past used other exiting "holes" in my roof. On my previous RV the Black Jack TV antenna was mounted right near the cabinet for the Wifi Ranger router and I reused that location. However, it was actually more work to remove the antenna and reseal it than to create a new hole.

I've seen others use vents and fridge vents too.

I highly recommend the Wifi Ranger GOAC router and the Elite AC roof mounted Antenna.
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Old 07-29-2018, 03:47 PM   #5
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I will look into the Wifi Ranger GOAC tonight. I appriceate any and all suggestions. Thanks guys!
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Old 07-29-2018, 04:36 PM   #6
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It seems like Dicor is everyone's go-to sealant but everything I see about it says it's not what you should be using on a Winnebago roof. Dicor is made for rubber roofs, which you don't have. Especially with a new coach, if you ever have a warranty issue, it's best that you've used what Winnebago says to use. Watch this video:



I'm sure many have used Dicor on Winnebagos without a problem but why not stick with Winnebago's specs? And, I'm sure we'll hear from them.

Another thing, whatever you use, it's the thin layer of sealant that's between the roof and what's being mounted that does the work. There's no point in glopping it on all over the place like most (even manufacturers) seem to do. Besides it looks like seagull s*&% when it's glopped on.
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Old 08-05-2018, 09:56 AM   #7
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Since WiFi in campgrounds is so poor, why bother with it or installing a range extender. Use your cell phone hotspot feature and forget about dealing with wifi. If you think you are going to do much more than sending/receiving emails on a campground system, think again.
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Old 08-05-2018, 10:14 AM   #8
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Maybe we've been fortunate but we've camped in many campgrounds that do have decent wifi, have been able to watch Netflix, etc. A lot depends on your proximity to the campground's antenna, hence the advisability of an extender.
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Old 08-05-2018, 03:23 PM   #9
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One more opinion about wifi. I have used external antennas mounted on a telescopic pole temporarily clamped to the ladder. This put the antenna high above the RV. SOLID SIGNAL from the RV campgrounds. The problem usually isn't signal strength!! I found it to be that the campground routers (most of them) do Not allow 'STREAMING'. Amazon Prime, Netflix and YouTube won't work very well, if at all.

If the campground has a 'high speed' wifi AND there is NOT a lot of RVs in the campground, then maybe your Netflix, etc would work.
I use a 'Hot Spot' from my Cellphone provider to create my wifi. 90% of the time it fast enough for 720-1080 streaming and even higher streaming IF you can buffer the signal. Most cellphone carriers have Unlimited data now days.
The Campgrounds Will have to upgrade their wifi networks if they want to provide Real Wifi. EVERYTHING IS STREAMING now days. Smart TVs in the RV, Watching your home cameras live from remote sites, etc etc.
One more thing about wifi signals. If you use a 'true' router in your RV to connect to the RV campgrounds? Your signal strength, your throughput to the internet will be slower using a router vs using a Repeater/Router. A repeater/router will maintain your ultimate speed, at least it is supposed to. Some good routers will act as repeaters and can handle multiple speeds and multitask.
Another good thing about cellphone hot spots or Jetpacks (Verizon), is you can be connected most ALL the time. Great for Updating GPS traffic, weather, travel conditions! Streaming Video for the Kids and wife.
Only one more opinion.
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Old 08-05-2018, 04:25 PM   #10
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If I may add or clarify some of this info:

1"Most cellphone carriers have Unlimited data now days." Well, all "unlimited data plans" are capped between 10, 15 or 22 gigs of data. There are slight exceptions, i.e. 25 gigs for the FMCA unlimited plan. Some are unlimited on your cellphone, but not when used as a hotspot. We're a long way from truly unlimited in CURRENT cellular data plans. There are older, no longer available unlimited data plans. But you would have to have already have one of these before they were replaced. Companies get around the legality of "unlimited" by offering a set amount of data at full-speed and once used up default to slow speeds unusable to stream video.

2. It's true that many campgrounds have horrible WiFi. Mostly, it's that they don't have enough bandwidth to service multiple people at the same time using the service. It's also true that many install streaming blocks to keep campers from streaming video. This goes back to the limited bandwidth issue. Which is why they put the blocks in place.

3. Effective WiFi routers in RVs are not really "repeaters" they provide a thing called "WiFi As WAN". What this means is they are able to accept WiFi internet connections as a WAN connection. This WiFi internet connection can be from the campground WiFi or from a Mofi/Jetpack/datacard or even from a cell phone hotspot. WAN is short for Wide Area Network. When you plug an ethernet cable into a computer you are connecting the computer to the WAN. A router with "WiFi As WAN" does away with the cable and uses the WiFi signal in place of a ethernet cable. In this manner internet is available to all users on the WAN that the router creates inside the RV.

3. A WiFi booster/ubiquity device on the roof of your RV or on a pole can only do a better job of presenting whatever WiFi is available to your router. A strong signal of bad or over burdened WiFI won't help you at all. I have one and find it's a help in very limited circumstances. But, when it helps... it's great. It's just rare that it helps.

Having a router in your RV that has Wifi as WAN and one or two MiFi/Jetpack/Datacards with "unlimited" data on multiple carriers is your best bet in this day and age. As I said, we have the WiFi Ranger Elite antenna/booster on our roof but would recommend against it for most people. The WiFi Ranger GoAC router on the other hand is fantastic and is used constantly. It's really all you need (plus the Mifi devices to supplant the generally poor campground wifi).

Streaming TV shows on your RVs TVs will require 5+ gigs PER DAY. So, getting to the place where you can stream non-stop for weeks on end can be difficult to arrange. I'm not saying it can't be done. But it's difficult to find and expensive. Lots of internet savvy folks download videos from streaming services to a computer or hard disk in advance of an RV trip and then use a "Plex Server" (look it up) to watch pre-recorded content. Netflix and Amazon Prime allow some, but not all, content to be downloaded.

Some phone companies allow unlimited streaming - on a phone only - of certain things. AT&T allows DirecTV Now unlimited streaming on their phones. Sprint allows Netflix or Hulu phone streaming. I forget which. But they don't work on anything but a phone. You can get around that sometimes by using a phone to HDMI adapter to play the image on your phone on your TV. And Google Chromecast will allow you to "cast" video from your phone to your TV But it doesn't always work.

I recommend everyone purchase a membership at www.rvmobileinternet.com. They will provide all the help and guidance you need.
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Old 08-05-2018, 05:28 PM   #11
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Thank you to all! Your suggestions got me to thinking that I will try the hot spot route our next trip out at the end of month. That brings this question to mind. Does our phone or tablet which both are subscribed with unlimited data stream as well as an external cellular subscribed antenna?
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Old 08-05-2018, 06:23 PM   #12
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Chucky, I don't understand the question? We use a Jetpack (Verizon) for our 'Hot spot'. That provides me with 15 gig. For monitoring my RVs camera for our pet, also I have alerts and monitors for our Refer/Freezer and the RVs air conditioners/heat. Keeps the pets safe and we can get help if we are away. If that is ALL we do, 15 gig is fine. If we reach the 15 gig, then it idles down to lower speeds. I then have a choice, I can buffer my home tv programs using a System called Sling Box and adjust My Download Speed to buffer a WHOLE FOOTBALL GAME using only 1.5 gig for a 3 1-2 hour game.


Or I can turn my phone or wifes phone into a hot spot for 22gig plus 22gig for streaming? Before it idles down to a slower speed. Using the phone as a HotSpot does not allow me to make or receive phone call WHILE IT'S A HOTSPOT. Thats the down side of that.
Look into Sling Box, you may like it. It allows you to connect YOUR tv at home or DVR at home to the internet, assuming that you have a high speed internet at home. You can control your tv or dvr remotely and choose the quality of picture depending on you internet speed on both ends. I use automatic setting and Most of the time, even AFTER I reach my data cap, it is acceptable to watch TV, etc. Not always perfect, but works.


Now for your question? I think you are asking about an external cellphone antenna and amplifier? Remember, that can really help the signal, makes a real difference if you are at the edges of coverage without one. YOU HAVE TO HAVE A SIGNAL for it to work. It can make a big difference at Higher Data speeds.
It ALL depends on 'what' you are looking to do. Like I mentioned before, Updated information like GPS traffic, weather reports, RV temperature alerts and monitoring, Camera alerts, checking camera feed DOES NOT USE THAT MUCH DATA. Streaming movies takes a lot of data, so if you are into lots of streaming. Check into that Sling Box mechanism. FYI Dish Hopper uses built in Sling and DISH ANYWHERE to access it remotely. Sling Box comes as a Stand Alone device that connects to most any AV equipment, Even Home camera systems....
I hope that helps. Best to research as much as possible, like you are doing. Read and then trial and error. Hopefully not too many errors.
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Old 09-15-2018, 06:03 PM   #13
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Originally Posted by GBFANKEN View Post
One more opinion about wifi. I have used external antennas mounted on a telescopic pole temporarily clamped to the ladder. This put the antenna high above the RV. SOLID SIGNAL from the RV campgrounds. The problem usually isn't signal strength!! I found it to be that the campground routers (most of them) do Not allow 'STREAMING'. Amazon Prime, Netflix and YouTube won't work very well, if at all.

If the campground has a 'high speed' wifi AND there is NOT a lot of RVs in the campground, then maybe your Netflix, etc would work.
I use a 'Hot Spot' from my Cellphone provider to create my wifi. 90% of the time it fast enough for 720-1080 streaming and even higher streaming IF you can buffer the signal. Most cellphone carriers have Unlimited data now days.
The Campgrounds Will have to upgrade their wifi networks if they want to provide Real Wifi. EVERYTHING IS STREAMING now days. Smart TVs in the RV, Watching your home cameras live from remote sites, etc etc.
One more thing about wifi signals. If you use a 'true' router in your RV to connect to the RV campgrounds? Your signal strength, your throughput to the internet will be slower using a router vs using a Repeater/Router. A repeater/router will maintain your ultimate speed, at least it is supposed to. Some good routers will act as repeaters and can handle multiple speeds and multitask.
Another good thing about cellphone hot spots or Jetpacks (Verizon), is you can be connected most ALL the time. Great for Updating GPS traffic, weather, travel conditions! Streaming Video for the Kids and wife.
Only one more opinion.
I appreciate your service. If not for college deferments I would have been beside you.
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Old 09-25-2018, 01:08 AM   #14
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I run a real WiFi repeater in the coach. Its fed from a 2.4GHz gain antenna set on top of the Batwing mast. When at the beach I can connect to CG WiFi POPs over a mile away and it doesnt take long before the local campers all find it and are logged on for days at a time. Yes the BW is cut in half, but who cares when the alternative is zero
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Old 09-25-2018, 09:34 AM   #15
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I run a real WiFi repeater in the coach. Its fed from a 2.4GHz gain antenna set on top of the Batwing mast. When at the beach I can connect to CG WiFi POPs over a mile away....
Jeff, connecting to lots of WIFI POPs, CG or otherwise, doesn’t help if you don’t know the WPA passwords.

On my WiFi Ranger Elite rooftop booster right now I can see over 30 access points out there broadcasting their SSIDs, but 100% of them are password protected. They are of zero help to me.

Are you saying you know the passwords or are finding POPs that are open.
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