Boosting Your Internet In the Boonies
Tis a happy man who doth have internet access in the boonies
(Nina Fussing, 2010)
It was the perfect site. Gorgeous woods, the scent of nature in the air, leaves drifting like rays of sunshine in colorful fall. Oh yes, all was right with the world. Except…..there was no internet access. Nothing, nada, zip, ziltch. Not a bar in sight, not a byte of data on the horizon. It’s enough to make a grown geek cry, and since we make our living by investing it’s not good for the pocketbook either.
We’ve been there quite a few times on our trip across the US. As you may remember we chose Verizon wireless data service and overall it’s been pretty good, but there’s been spots where we’re too far from the cell tower, or there’s been too many trees, hills, and other features in the way and the ‘ol cell signal just wasn’t usable….and those spots are exactly the type of places we like to go. Of course there’s satellite and that may still be something we look at down the road (technomadia did a good review of various options in a recent post here), but the other, and significantly cheaper option, is to boost what you got.
As far as boosting a cell phone signal the most common methods are to use an antenna and amplifier. Now, there’s got to be “something” there to start with, even if it’s only a teeny, tiny signal, but with this set-up you can electronically make a mountain out of a mole-hill, so to speak. Here’s the details:
1/ External Antenna – a high-gain external antenna can help suck-up a weak cell signal and feed it either into a cellphone, your datacard or into an amplifier. You want an antenna with the biggest gain you can get (for about every 3 db, sensitivity more or less doubles). Than, take that baby and place it as high up in the air as you’re physically able to do. “Directional” antennas usually give a higher gain, but need to be pointed/positioned to get the best signal. “Omni-directional” antennas are usually somewhat lower gain, but have the advantage that they don’t need to be pointed. We chose the Wilson Omni RV Antenna that’s 21.5″ long and claims 10-15dB of gain. We usually place it either in the front window of the RV (if signal is workable), or strap it to the top of our ladder in the back (for a better boost). Some RVers will connect it permanently to the outside, but we like the option of moving it around. There’s also people who build masts like these folks, and that’s probably something we’ll be adding to our set-up too.
2/ Internal Amplifier – An amplifier basically takes whatever signal its given and boosts it. It’s a bit like taking an egg-white and whipping it up to get a large and fluffy mass….you get more out of less. But, just like eggs you can overdo it. You want an amplifier that boosts the signal but still gives a clean, usable output so it’s worth buying a decent one. We chose the Wilson dual-band (800 MHz and 1900MHz) direct-connect amplifier and it’s got one of the better reputations on the market.
That’s basically it. We run the signal from the amplifier directly into our Verizon modem (the modem we have, Pantech UMW190 has a jack for direct connection). The modem then sits in our Cradlepoint MBR1000 router that broadcasts the signal around the RV so we can connect our laptops to it. Our simple antenna/amp solution cost ~$330, was a cinch to set-up and we bought it online at 3GStore.com, a very good outfit which I’m happy to recommend.
There’s other sellers (e.g. Maximum Signal) and other solutions including wireless amps that allow multiple devices (e.g. both cellphone and aircards) to use the same amplifier wirelessly, but these require multiple antennas and a more complicated set-up. Also, there will probably be new equipment coming for 4G (ours is 3G only) as well as new, stronger and more versatile amps, . This page gives an excellent overview of all the currently available antenna/amp technology.
So, is it worth it? Since we’ve bought the set-up just pver a month ago we’ve managed to turn several sites with no visible bars into completely usable locations (including the gorgeous, fall location in the Smokies where we’re at right now). In fact, so far the gadgets have kept us on-line from “out there” locations in Kentucky to North Carolina. So, yes the solution doth the happy geeks become.
Wonderful tips thanks for sharing.
I have been looking at several different mobile providers but seems those who use the Sprint network have the most options and least limits. Verizon has the 5gb cap, but for example Virgin has a $40 month to month plan that claims to be unlimited and have no caps. I was wondering what your experience / research has shown as far as best carriers go.
How well has it worked for you? You said you had no bars, so using this setup how many bars did you end up with?
Well, verizon still seems to get the best coverage overall (and that seems to be the general consensus amongst people I’ve talked to), but I agree that the 5GB limit is sometimes a hassle. I recently learnt about a new, no-contract deal w/ Millenicom that has a larger cap (10GB/month) and uses the Verizon network. We’re “locked in” to the Verizon contract now, but if we weren’t we would try Millenicom. Check out technomadia’s post on them HERE
As for bars, with this set-up we typically go from no bars to at least 2 usable bars, sometimes 3. I’ve been quite amazed at the difference.
Hi guys,
I also have Verizon and I have had no problems throughout the entire Midwest this past year. Headed South and West for winter and was starting to look for an antenna…somehow I knew someone out there would solve my problem! Thanks!!
Has anyone
P.S. I am one lucky lady. I got in on Verizon’s internet when it first came out. Oh yes, I had one of the original PC cards which have all now evolved to different choices such as USB, mifi, netbooks…but I have unlimited for life. I have to remember to never cancel this plan.
Oooooo…what an awesome plan!! Definitely keep that one for life!
Glad to help on the antenna’s. We’re very happy w/ the Wilson and will be adding a “mast” to give us more range. So far, so good.
By the way you may have to check around a bit on connections w/ your card. You may not be able to connect anything “directly” to the older card (not sure what it looks like).The 3G store are very helpful, so if you call them and tell them your set-up they can help figure out the right components.
Hi Paul,
I was intrigued by your internet set-up and what you do to boost the signal. We are possibly on the verge of purchasing our first RV to hit the road full time. I am an insurance agent, and my office will double as the master bedroom in the rig. Since I am on the internet and phone all day and need the fastest connection possible at all times, what set-up and wireless provider would you recommend if we are intending on traveling throughout this entire great nation? It would be nice to not have a limit on the internet usage if at all possible. I’m not very tech savvy, so any advice you could offer would be greatly appreciated.
Todd
Hi Todd
Nice to “meet” you here! Internet is always a bit of a compromise. If you’re travelling around the US and you *need* to have access then there’s only a few options and you may be limited on either speed or amount of data you can access.
As far as a cellphone datacard Verizon has (by far) the best coverage, but there may still be spots you don’t have access and most of the datacards have limited data use (either 5G or 10G of data). There are cellphone data cards that offer “unlimited” plans (e.g. Virgin), but you’ll be using another provider (e.g. Virgin uses Sprint towers), which means lots of potential spots with no coverage, depending on where you travel.
Outside of cellphone datacards, Satellite is the only sure-fire deal. You do have latency issues here plus you need line-of-sight to the satellite so if you go this route you should seriously think about getting a movable satellite dish (as opposed to the type that’s permanently mounted to your roof). That way you always have some kind of chance of aiming it correctly even if you’re in a forested site.
I think those 2 options…satellite or cellphone datacard are your best bets. For cellphone datacard Verizon really has the best coverage (Millenicom offers a 10G/mo no-contract plan that uses the Verizon towers and would be our choice if we weren’t already locked into a Verizon plan). For satellite it’s a more cumbersome set-up and more expensive data contract, but you will likely have coverage everywhere (as long as you are able to “aim” the dish properly).
Hope that helps!
Nina
Hey, heard about you from Bayfield Bunch’s Al. Thanks for the info. We appreciate learning new stuff, so maybe we’ll follow along for a while and see what we can larn. Have you ever been to Devils Den State Park in western Arkansas? I’ll bet you’d have to put youir antenna on top of a nearby mountain to get any connection! There was no cell phone service, no TV, no radio — just total peace and quiet! Also, no investiong, so that might be a challenge for you.
Lovely to meet you on here! Bayfield Bunch has a cool site & we’re rather honored to be metioned. Haven’t been to Devil’s Den yet, but that sounds like JUST our kind of place. Will have to put it on the list for next year and test out the antenna 🙂
Hi! Looks like this is an older post and wondering about updates? We have a small Wilson antenna/amplifier that gives us a bit more reception but nothing really fantastic. We have a Millenicom 20G no contract Verizon aircard & a Millenicom unlimited no contract Sprint Mifi (just got both of these in the past year) and wondering how best to get an antenna/booster system to work with both without going the router bit. Any ideas??
And I agree, the 3G Store is awesome, almost as awesome as the folks at Millenicom!
Hmmm….not sure exactly how to boost BOTH MiFi and Verizon aircard. From what I’ve read it’s possible to “boost” the MiFi using an external antenna and with inductive antenna adaptor . Likely you’d be able to use the same antenna with another adaptor for your aircard (just speculating here). Jack Mayer talks about it on his website here: http://www.jackdanmayer.com/communication.htm#MiFi_Wireless_Router/Modem
Again, 3G store would probably be the best people to take to. They do offer the inductive adaptors. Hope that helps!
Nina
Hello! My wife and I have been following your blog for a few months now and I (Chris) am on it all the time. We just hit the road and I am setting up our mobile-com right now.
I have the Millenicom 4G MiFi Jetpack thus far. I am going to purchase a signal booster and antenna but had a few questions I hoped you could help with based on your experience.
It seems the 4G LTE cradles by Wilson are some of the only 4G signal boosters on the market at the moment. I was planning on connecting that to the Wilson 21.5 Omni antenna. However, I just realized the 3G networks are probably much more common in the more rural areas we will be camping and it might make sense to put a 3G signal booster setup on the rig as well.
Any thoughts on a good setup for day to day use? We will be travelling through the Southwest, South through Texas to Florida over the coming months.
Thanks again,
Chris
Hi Chris,
Lovely to “meet” you on the blog! You’re actually writing about a topic I’m just thinking of updating right now! We just (ourselves) switched to the Millenicom 4G MiFi and went through the very same question on boosting (and pretty much came to the same conclusions!). Since there are very few 4G amps out there (and they are currently 4G only), plus we still travel in mostly 3G areas we decided to stick with our 3G Amp and use our Wilson antenna (which can do both 4G & 3G). We will probably upgrade to a 4G amp at some point, but I’m waiting until they develop more (and am hoping there will be a 4G/3G option too). So far this set-up is working for us. In our 3G zones, which is where we are most of the time, our old 3G amp & antenna work great. In 4G zones (we’ve only been in one so far) the antenna alone has been fine.
Hope that helps! Enjoy your new set-up!
Nina
Thanks Nina, I wanted to give you and the other readers an update on what I have decided to run with. Sorry, I put links to the products, not sure if you guys want to remove those or not.
I called and spoke to a pre-sales rep at Wilson and left more confused than before I called. Then I decided to call the 3G Store and I asked them to give me the best setup he could think up for the max amount of boost with an Omni antenna.
He basically suggested grabbing a 3G booster and a 4G booster and switching back and forth depending on the signal available.
This is what he suggested:
1 – #3047 – Full Band Omni 9.5″ 3G/4G Antenna
http://3gstore.com/product/3047_3g4g-full-band-outdoor-omni-antenna.html
1 – #3683 – MiFi Adapter
http://3gstore.com/product/3683_wilson_electronics_cb-4620l.html
1 – #3580 – 4G Verizon LTE Amplifier (Cellphone-Mate)
http://3gstore.com/product/3580_cellphone-mate-direct_connect_4g_lte_amplifier.html
1 – #2871 – 3G/2G Amplifier (Cellphone-Mate)
http://3gstore.com/product/2871_cellphone-mate_cm-m2m-19-2g-3g-direct-connect-amplifier-with-antenna.html
I know you guys use the Wilson products, any ideas or feedback on the product suggested by 3G Store?
Well you certainly need the adapter (it’s a must) and the Omni antenna is probably fine, but I’m not sure I would chose those 2 particular amps. If you’re going to get a wired (direct-connect) 3G amp I would recommend the Cyfre 819 based on Jack Mayer’s write-up HERE. As far as 4G amps go, like I said that whole area of amplification is new. Personally I’m waiting until I see what other amps come out on the market before I buy anything there. So far we’ve not seen the need for a 4G amp while we’ve had the MiFi. Most of the time we’re in 3G areas (where we use our antenna & 3G amp), and in the rare cases we’re in a 4G area I haven’t found the need to amplify (yet).
Definitely have a good read thro’ Jack Mayer’s page…it’ll give you much more overview.
Nina
Nina,
I don’t like contracts either, but my wife and I have been with Verizon long enough so we have unlimited data for 30 bucks each per month. We just turn one of the smart phones into a wifi hot spot to use wifi. I assume you did not get Verizon long enough ago to get unlimited? We also have a satellite internet. That costs 80 per month and is usually slower than Verizon 3G. Not always, but usually. The difference is that you always get sat internet and do not always get Verizon. The sat internet we have lets you turn it off for up to six months.
The Wilson amp and antenna really works for you? I tired it on my phone about two years ago and the signal did not go up on my phone with the Sleek or the setup like you have.
Thanks for the good blog.
We didn’t manage to get in early enough for an unlimited MiFi plan w/ Verizon. We DO have unlimited on our 3G phone, but we’re not able to boost the phone with our current system (no antenna port) and the Verizon HotSpot feature only allows a limited amount of Gb (you pay $20 for the service and only get $2Gb)….not enough for our needs. We have used FoxFi and other “free” tethering devices on occasion, but they’re a breach of contract so it’s not something we do often. Also we’ve started to see throttling on the 3G signal. So, relying on the phone as our “main” internet device simply doesn’t work out.
And yes, we’ve seen ALOT of improvement w/ the antenna/amp. Over the past 3 years it has saved us in a ton of spots where we would otherwise have had very little or unusable signal. The set-up is not magic..it needs “some” kind of signal to boost, so if you’re in an area with truely no coverage, you won’t see any improvement. But anywhere we’ve had a weak signal, the antenna/amp have helped.
Nina
I’ve been using the Millenicom 3G/4G MiFi 20Gb HotSpot plan for a few months and really like it. We went with this plan/device to get access to the Verizon data network.
I went to http://www.millenicom.com/page/accessories and bought the “3G/4G Hotspot Signal Booster with Antenna – $129.99”. Works really well for us. We went from 3g to 3 bars of 4g in the same spot.
I like not having a contract. My phone is with Virgin Mobile (Sprint network) and my wife’s phone is Straighttalk (Verizon network) so we are covered for most places now.
When we were at the Grand Canyon our Sprint based phones were “no service” and other people were talking so when a new phone was needed we went to Straighttalk for that one. Now we need to go back to the Grand Canyon and see if Verizon works up there .
Glad you’re liking the service as much as we are! Yeah, the accessory you listed is the Wilson Sleek. It’s one of the boosting options for the MiFi and does get decent reviews. So far our current boosting is working OK, but we will eventually upgrade -> just waiting to see what technology comes out these next few months.
Nina
Regarding phone calls, have any of you checked out Google Voice
and Talkatone?
Both seem very interesting. I used Talkatone while in Europe
(works anywhere you have a wifi signal) to make long calls
back to the US.
Both Talkatone and Google Voice are free.
I worked part time while in Europe and spoke on the phone
2/3 hours per day. No cost for the app or the minutes.
I haven’t looked at them mostly because I’m already set-up w/ my entire family on Skype (we all have it, so we talk free over the PC), but I’ve heard good things about Google Voice. Haven’t seen Talkatone before so I’ll check it out. Always interested in what’s out there.
Nina
Great information! I will need it. I am a widow as of Jan 25, 2013, and my coping will be to take my vintage Argosy Minuet, my two Min Pins and hit the road, but I am also a techie, I need my electronics. Thank you so much.
Glad it’s helpful! So sorry for your loss. Here’s hoping your travels take you to a place of healing!
Nina
While we’re waiting for 4G amplifications to grow in volume, we picked up the Wilson Sleek, feeding it with the Maximum Signal 30″ Magnet Antenna. In the future, we’ll pick up another ‘cradle’ type (Millenicom 20G Hotspot too, our new toy) amp, and then move the Sleek to our CRV.
We will do a ‘master roof’ layout of Solar Panels, Satellite, OTA Antenna, OnStar/Sirus, WifiRanger Boost, and cell antenna late this year. Currently thinking well add secondary pole mounts for cell and WiFi that are directional for times the Omni is too weak.
I’ve appreciated this write up. I also like that you link to other good reference source, such as ‘The Jack!’…
Your recent Monument Valley 1 bar was impressive…
May the signal be with you,
Smitty
If I were buying today I’d go for the WIlson Sleek too. Definitely the easiest (and most versatile) solution on the market at the moment.
Nina
Just so I’m clear (Ahahahaha! I’M NOT CLEAR AT ALL), this does not work through your phone, but rather through a modem that is connected to your computer?
The amplifier/antenna connects to either a MiFi or a USB stick so yes…it is separate from your phone. But there are other ways you can amplify including some that will work with your phone too e.g. Wilson Sleek. I’ll e-mail ya some details.
Nina