Easiest way of boosting mobile phone signal?
I am on Vodafone and need to boost my signal in order to be able to work from the van in the summer holidays.
Specifically this is around the Clarach Bay area, I get 4g currently but it is in/out of signal.
I've seen suggestions on something like this Avtex AMR104X WIFI for Motorhomes and Caravans
But ideally I don't want to be drilling into the roof of my tourer!
Any guidance/advice would be appreciated. Cheers!
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Not as neat as the Avtex solution - but I use a TP Link router and a Poynting aerial attached to a 10' aluminium mast which is secured to the jockey wheel post with the usual aerial bracket. The lead comes in through one of the front windows set to 'fresh air'. However - it does avoid having to drill any holes in the van and only takes about 5 minutes to set up once on site and it is, of course, quite a bit cheaper.
It gives far better reception than a mobile phone and I typically get 35-55 Mbps download in most areas - sometimes up to 85 Megs. I use an EE sim, but the router is unlocked and will accept any sim card.
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Getting the antenna as high as possible is the key to a signal. A caravan is in effect a Faraday Cage and even puting one's mobile on top of the roof outside a rooflight can make a huge difference. Where signal is a real problem I use a router in a watertight box at the top of my longest mast - about 20' up. No leads needed as downlink to devices is wifi, and a small solar panel shares the box with the router.
Coverage maps should suggest the best SIM to be using, but always worth trying others. Beware local blind spots, also try moving mast about a bit.
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I found this the other day from the Trudgians , it's a portable external wifi router for caravans/MH that requires no drilling for an external antenna which can be as high as you can get it.
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RichardandRos, thanks for the photograph, I will find something similar. I very much liked your post regarding the E&P hydraulics unit. The Alko wheel locks are a nightmare on my TA van because the storage yard is uneven and twin motor movers mean that I have to crawl on the floor to locate the trolley jack. It slipped and skewed the caravan around recently and I am now committed to getting this fitted. I doubt that I have the same payload allowance as you (mine is 232Kg), but I will look for weight savings elsewhere so that I remain within the MTPLM. My Touareg is still going strong and I am not sure I would want to replace it with anything else. Best regards Dave.
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Hi
I got a mobile phone booster with a outdoor antenna and one for indoors guaranteed to up your signal from one bar to five bar the best thing which works the best and no.sim card in the booster at all just the SIM card in your phone and no running costs just the electric to run it.
I had my for years and works really well.
Stephen
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I know this post is a few weeks old but I thought I would add this. We are currently on the North York Moors CAMC site - which for those that don't know it, is about 5 miles outside Whitby on the top of the moors. About as remote as you can get - although, clearly, there must be a mast somewhere near. Was amazed to be getting almost 90 Mbps download and it's been there or thereabouts, all week.
I have also modified my set-up. Instead of routing the aerial cable through a window set to 'fresh air' and having the router balanced on the back of one of the settees, I've bought an extension cable and the router now sits on a table in the awning and is plugged into the external 240v socket on the side of the van. Given that our van is aluminium clad, I wasn't sure the wifi signal would get through - but it's fine, as you can see.
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From some previous research the WeBoost product kept coming up, but isn't the cheapest and not really a UK product. The UK one which came up was HiBoost which is very similar.
The most commonly recommended solution I found was to invest in a mobile router like the Netgear Nighthawk M1/M2 etc with the external antenna connection. As previously commented the Poynting antennas came with lots of good recommendations.
As I needed high speed for working away (which fell through at last minute) I purchased the Starlink which is super fast, but expensive monthly fee. That being said it can be paused when not being used like I have now.
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