I spent the weekend testing and configuring a nice simple connectivity solution I think most Redwood owners would appreciate. It’s not the only solution, and it won’t be the only solution I use but its simple, very effective, and easily done by most people. The idea is to provide a secure inside network, that all my devices can connect to without having to reconfigure as we travel from location to location. We use laptops, cell phones, streaming devices, Netflix, IPTV and of course Alexa daily at home and in the RV so its needs to be seamless, simple and secure. It must run off the batteries so I don’t have to start the generator or use the inverter.

I was somewhat reluctant to document this because technology is like religion and politics. People have strong opinions on what is best, what they like best, and what works best. There are many ways to accomplish what I want to do, and I have an arsenal of different tools, but in this example I am focusing on a clean and simple solution for anyone who is from novice to intermediately technical. Translated that means I still have and love my WiFiRanger Elite AC but isn’t going to be part of this solution….yet.

I will start with the major components, and I will include links to where I purchased them. I am not affiliated with any supplier. I don’t get a kickback. I just love specs and technology so I spend way too much time researching.

The first component is the actual router and WiFi hotspot to use. I am in Canada so I had to use eBay to source the Netgear Nighthawk M1 MR1100 mobile hotspot and router. Most are branded AT&T but can be unlocked to work on any carrier you choose other than Sprint. I purchased an unlocked refurbished unit for 139.99 at https://ebay.us/ayiR08. I use a Rogers sim card in Canada and an AT&T card in the US.

The second major component was a cell booster. I knew the popular choice was Wilson Electronics weBoost products. The weBoost Drive 4G-X RV is without a doubt the most popular choice and can be found at http://a.co/d/a9XW3mA While weBoost led the market for the couple of years, competitors did finally catch up. I chose to use SureCall because I was ultimately more impressed with the warranty, customer service, and over value of the product. Installed it earlier in the summer and have been happy to have it when I needed it. I purchased mine from here http://a.co/d/ax1BW3u at $399a noteable $100 cheaper than the weBoost

The last thing I needed was a 12 volt powered USB plug. You may not need this depending on what year your rig is. But here is the one I chose. http://a.co/d/0cHs20j

The cell booster was already installed but I it plugged into an outlet and wanted it to run off 12 volt. The SureCall Fusion3.0RV is comprised of 2 parts, the indoor unit with a short range antenna and the outdoor long range antenna. My outdoor antenna is attached to the ladder at the top on the roof. The antenna cable follows with some other cables (WiFiRanger and Solar) along the edge of the roof being secured every 2 feet or so with a dollop of Dicor. You could also use a small piece of eternabond or VHB tape. All the cables enter the RV over the cabinet to the left of the TV where the factory antenna booster is located. I used this gland to make sure everything was water tight and I use it for all the cables coming in. http://a.co/d/c4aDRnI Its important, very important, to remember the outdoor antenna for the cell booster must be at least 20 feet away from the indoor unit. Otherwise it will not work at all because of a condition known as harmonics.

I chose this cabinet on purpose. The top shelf is small and already holds the satellite tv controller and Amazon Fire TV. It also has direct access to the cables coming in from the roof. The biggest reason this cabinet is awesome is that it has a clean 12 volt line coming to the back of the factory installed antenna booster. Depending on what year or model you have there may also be a 12v accessory plug in your antenna booster.

First step was to use the battery disconnect switch and make sure there was no 12 volt power in the rig. I unscrewed the plate for the factory installed antenna booster and found the positive and negative 12 volt line connected to it. I spliced into that line with the 12 volt plug that came with the SureCall booster and I also spliced in the 12volt fused line for the USB adapter. Next to the antenna plate I drilled 1” hole to flush mount the usb adapter in the ceiling of the cabinet. I taped all my connections and turned the power back on.

Now I had a constant on usb adapter and I could plug in my sure call booster when I needed it. First thing I plugged into the USB adapter was the Netgear Nighthawk hotspot. Even if it is an AT&T locked version, Netgear has an app on the iPhone that will alow you to configure the wifi hot spot. Its really easy to use, set up your network name, your own wpa password, and even set up a guest network.

In that same app you will see an option for data offloading. This is what makes this hotspot really great for people without unlimited plans. If you go into that option you will see a list of wireless networks that you can connect to. I my case that was a local wifi provided by the campground, Starbucks, Walmart etc. What this does is use the data connection to that offloading source instead of my mobile data. Its actually a bridge to a public wifi but keeps you secure behind your own router.

So what makes this a perfect solution for me? My Netgear routers is always on, plugged into the USB port in my cabinet. My signal in the cabinet is 4 or 5 bars where outside the cabinet it was only 1 or 2. My speeds go from 5-8 MBps outside the cabinet to 25MBps when I place it in the cabinet near the booster. That’s the real reason you need a cell booster, increase in strength means increase in speed. Keep in mind if there is no signal where you are, the booster will not be able to do anything. It’s a multiplier of signal strength.

During the day, I use the campground wifi for simple things like email, facebook and submitting this post. Most campground wifi sucks. But in the evening when I want to stream a movie, or watch IPTV, make Alexa video calls, I use the app on my phone and shut of data offloading and just use my cell connection.

If you made it this far, I hope it helps you design whatever works for you. I just thought this might be a starting point for some and maybe even a start and end for some. For less than $600 this should give you a safe, easy, reliable internet service when combined with your data plans. I will also add that since its on the battery side, it even works in the tow vehicle. Often times my wife will be using the internet for navigation on the laptop and watching streamed TV while we are on the go.

One last thing, because I leave it on all the time, and I have solar, I am able to check in on the rig with my Blink cameras when its in storage and check on the dog if we are out for few hours.

John, you're amazing. Thanks for the comprehensive and very informative post. I think most on here know these are only your choices and they may not be for everybody, but these's quite a few on here (myself included) who don't have much of the specific knowledge you write about. Thank you for sharing, I will endeavor to do this or something similar when we get to our winter home in AZ.