Highly Recommend Pepwave Router for Internet in your coach

[NealC]

I bought my 2017 Newmar Ventana in mid 2017 realizing as a software business owner I could still work and travel at the same time. I've been through so many iterations of Internet from Weboost, WiFi Ranger, cellular hotspot use, etc. etc. I am very glad I jumped on the Mobley plan which I still maintain and even got the Verizon Prepaid unlimited when it was offered the end of last year although it's so heavily throttled it's a terrible option. I recently added the Sprint 120 GB hotspot plan and somehow that now shows as a 200 GB plan so that's cool. 

What I'm using these days is a Pepwave BR1 MK2 that I got from https://5gstore.com and I also added another one the Pepwave BR1 MINI so that I could have two active carriers in use at the same time. While both units have two sim slots there is a period of time it takes to switch which is fine for both but having two active carriers at the same time allows some neat options such as the Pepwave can figure out which one is best to use. There are a lot of great options in the Pepwave units and the user interface is outstanding.

The pepwave unit is an enterprise router that is used in delivery vehicles etc but it's also ideal for RV use. It has wifi for picking up campground wifi and also cellular and you can use the rabbit ear antennas included or wire up a roof antenna. I added panorama 5-in-1 to my roof and later a 2-in-1 for the BR1 MINI. The best installation location I've found is actually just mounting it to the top of your air conditioner shroud. Shorter cable length is typically best but I think antenna position is more important in the end and that's the highest point for me and I've seen no issues with a running AC unit interfering. 

I've been using this setup for a year now and in my travels all around the country I have not needed Weboost once. I have both the 4G-X and RV 65 units. It's that good! I'm happy to no longer use the extremely buggy WiFi ranger setup. Invest in the Pepwave or Cradlepoint units and  you will be super pleased. If needed just call 5GStore.com and ask them for advice. I am NOT affiliated with 5Gstore.com but that's where I've spent far too much money and it's been well spent

I'm a software business owner and techy (aka geek) and I even removed my jack knife sofa in my Ventana and installed an UpDesk so I have a full up office setup in my coach as I'm a developer. This is the way to go for internet in 2019 and beyond. I personally chose Pepwave but my fellow RVer geeks have also chosen Cradlepoint with the 4x4 MIMO antenna option. I've had no issues with any SIM working in these units. There is a bit of a process to get the Mobley sim transferred, if that hasn't been outlined here I'd be happy to help.

Hope this helps. 

[jbh]

  If you're in a low-signal area, use your phones for VoIP (Viber etc) and use the Pepwave's wifi. It can mean the difference between whether you get to talk or not.

  I've spent years in places where the phone signal was unusable but VoIP worked fine.

[NealC]

Using WiFi calling on your phone can be a life saver. Solid internet is not only for business but also for safety. Something like a Pepwave or Cradlepoint unit may be expensive but it's your safety to maintain communications as well.  Good point @jbh

 

[Zulu]

1 hour ago, NealC said:

Solid internet is not only for business but also for safety.

What about when you don't have a solid (or any) Internet connection?

[Technomadia]

Great setup, and Pepwave remains a top pick option in our extensive testing. The MAX-BR1 has been a long time favorite of ours, and we keep hoping they come up with a refreshed model with a higher end modem soon.

We just got in the MAX Transit Duo with dual Cat 12 modems that is now quite reasonably priced at $999 - and we put in a 7-in-1 antenna to go along with it. In active testing now, including load balancing and bonding. 

 - Cherie

 

 

 

[NealC]

I particularly don't care what CAT modem the unit has, these days the antenna is the most important. I'll probably upgrade the hardware every other year, my next buy will be something with 4x4 MIMO or better. The problem right now is the only products with 4x4 MIMO are CAT 18 or better which do not support Sprint. Sprint (and soon joined with T-Mobile) is a viable option due to their lower subscriber base so I've had good success with my Sprint hotspot plan as a backup. AT&T is the dominant carrier (for me), Verizon is horrendous on prepaid, Sprint is hit or miss but when hit it's very good.

Spend your money on Pepwave or Cradlepoint and bypass the other products as they are inferior in my opinion. The enterprise products designed for fleets are an ideal match for RVers IMHO.

[Carlos]

I've never once been in a place where data works and voice does not.  Where was this??  I get all my business calls via VoIP and just last night I had to hang up two calls and return them as a regular cellular voice call (far NW Phoenix area, sketchy coverage).

 

[jbh]

  Waverly, FL

  Floral City, FL

  A few miles outside Mayo, FL

 A few miles south of Grenada, MS

  A few miles outside Demopolis, AL

  Several COE parks along Thurmond Lake, GA/SC

  Washington, TX

  To name a few. Note that data is derived from a BR-1 and two BoatANTs up on the roof rail, while voice is via the dinky little antenna and low-power transmitter in the phones. VoIP via wifi essentially connects the BR-1 and antennae to the phone allowing voice calls that don't otherwise work.

 

[Carlos]

Ah, ok, so you're comparing enhanced data with unenhanced voice, got it.  We have a cellular amp/repeater so everything is enhanced.

[jbh]

  We considered a cell amp/repeater but since we hardly ever talk on the phones and this was before Wifi Ranger etc, we put the bucks into data service knowing we could do VoIP if we wanted to.

[Carlos]

The repeater does data also, and so far it's doing the job we need.  We haven't spent enough time in places with bad coverage to see if we need something like the Pepwave.  Funny...we own a VoIP company.  That's why we need cell service mostly, to still run the company.

 

[Zulu]

On 11/14/2019 at 7:25 AM, NealC said:

Spend your money on Pepwave or Cradlepoint and bypass the other products as they are inferior in my opinion. The enterprise products designed for fleets are an ideal match for RVers IMHO.

This sounds like the "get the best or don't bother" premise of this IRV2 Thread, arguably one of the most arrogant threads I've ever read:

"This entire discussion starts with a premise that you are not satisfied with your current ability to use internet based voice and data services in your coach. If you are happy with whatever you have now, stop reading this thread and please don’t clutter the dialog in this thread with posts that you are happy with what you have. I accept that reality even if you have a lousy internet connection it works for you.

Lastly, if you really value being connected to the internet and your RV regularly visits places like Capital Reef National Park in Utah. This thread is for you. You will need all the help modern technology can offer to get acceptable internet in remote areas."

In this thread "acceptable Internet" is defined as 5 Mbps down and 0.5 Mbps up. Finally, in order to get these speeds, this IRV2 thread recommends buying with a router/antenna combo that costs between $900 - $1200. 

I've been able to get very acceptable Internet using "inferior" technology and have the data to prove it (43 campgrounds in 9 states over 5 months).

So if you're searching for an RV Internet equipment, there are other less expensive enterprise solutions. Love to hear about some of these.

How about a Good, Better, Best (oops, we already have that), Technomadia?

Edited November 16, 2019 by Zulu

[Carlos]

Well, as I said above, we've been happy with using a repeater/booster, for around $500 with antennas.  It works with any device inside the RV and any carrier it's on.  So you could stick a phone near it, or a data device.  The downside is that the "boosted" range is rather small, maybe 5'.  But if we're doing calls we use wireless headphones.  For data, if we're using the devices themselves, it's usually right by where the inside antenna is (which is movable).  If we're using the laptops via the phone's data connection, the range is great and then we just set the phones by the inside antenna.

[frankgibbons]

Recently started doing marine installations and I used the Pepwave HD4 LTE W-T,

This is a great instructive video 

 

 

It put a bright smile in my face  because it's  inspired me build network installations of the Pepwave.

[chiefneon]

Howdy!

 I recently ordered a Pepwave MaxBR1 Mini Cat 6 and MobileMark LTM 4-1 antenna for 3G/4G/LTE, GPS, WiFi. I’ve read and researched along with other post there and on other forums regarding this subject and decided to make the investment. We fulltime in a 5er so I ordered the antenna with 16’ length cables instead of the short 3’ do to installation in our 5er. I completed the installation antenna mounted on top of the AC unit as others recommended. I have two cellular connection. One is AT&T homebase WiFi unit and the other is Verizon Prepaid unlimited. We are at this time located at our homebase at the Escapees in Livingston, Texas so AT&T has a weak 4G to LTE signal and at times nothing here. Verizon has a very good signal. I installed the Verizon sims card into the main slims card slot and the AT&T into the secondary. I had no connection with AT&T and very slow speeds with the Verizon. I’ve contacted 5G support and have gone through several steps with them attempting to solve the problems by locking out the AT&T sims and only using Verizon and only using band 4 and 13 with Verizon. At this time I get better speeds by using my Verizon in my WiFi 7730L than I do in the Pepwave. To say the least I’m a little more than disappointed with the system at this time. No planning on moving anything soon to test it in other locations. I really want this to work but 5G support advised that the problem is more than likely do to the tower being congested. If that’s the case why do I not have the same problems when I install the sims back into my WiFi 7730L?

” Happy Trails”

 Chiefneon 

Edited November 22, 2019 by chiefneon