weBoost Drive mounting in our Fleet

[Rebele93]

[SIZE=11pt]I thought I’d share how I mounted our weBoost. It really helps to have this turned on when we are in low coverage areas. We did also add on the Wilson long-range antenna for better coverage than the one that ships with the unit. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]I initially had trouble coming up with a good place or way to mount this. There were 3 problems I was trying to solve. [/SIZE]

1. 
   [SIZE=11pt]Where to mount things both inside and outside of the camper. The internal antenna needs to be a good distance away from wherever you mounted the external antenna or you get interference and the light flashes red and won’t work at all. I’m guessing the tent walls of the 4WCs might not be helping in the situation. [/SIZE]
   
2. 
   [SIZE=11pt]Wires and where to run them to keep them from getting tangled or being overly unsightly. So many wires… I also didn’t want to drill any holes through my camper. [/SIZE]
   
3. 
   [SIZE=11pt]Strange shape and weight of the weBoost makes mounting it or securing it to the wall a real head-scratcher. The most expensive heavy duty velcro didn’t work AT ALL to secure it to the wall. Plus I felt like the weight was maybe not good for the wall surface. (felt like it was pulling the surface off of the wall)[/SIZE]
   

[SIZE=11pt]I ended up making my own basic antenna mount for the rear left jack bracket. I ran the antenna cable from the rear jack-bracket into the camper at the bottom corner of the door. Most of the antenna wires then get run between the exterior liner and the inside fabric liner, over to between the sink and stove where I used a bicycle wall mount bracket(bent slightly) to secure the weBoost to the countertop with 2 small screws. In this location, the weBoost Drive does not touch either the glass top of the stove, or sing when they are open. There might be a small risk of water splashes in this location. I then ran the internal antenna wire and the power wire under the bed rail and added some stick-on clips to secure the wire in place so it would stay mostly out of sight, but more importantly, a semi-permanent installation that doesn’t interfere with the bed sliding in and out. I velcroed the power brick to the countertop in the back corner and also Vercrod the internal antenna down to the shelf where it sets to keep it in place during transit. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Our phones just sit on the little shelf next to the inside antenna. This shelf gets the inside antenna far enough away from the external antenna to not cause the interference that gave us trouble initially. Our phones can still be plugged into the camper to charge overnight with only slightly longer charging cables. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]Don’t forget that the weBoost is a power hog, so we unplug it completely when we have even a slight signal and then just turn it on if we need to make a call or if the connection is too weak. [/SIZE]

 

[ntsqd]

Thanks for this! I've been contemplating adding such a system to our camper.

Did the external antenna mounting instructions mention anything about being away from other antennas?

 

[Wallowa]

Ok....can you define "power hog" and when does this allow connections?....how weak of a signal will it bring in? I know most of my questions are subjective and conditions are highly variable, but trying to figure out the value of the set-up....like when and how often would it be used...

Excellent set of photos...

https://www.wilsonsignalbooster.com/weboost-drive-reach-rv-signal-booster-kit-470354.html

 

[Rebele93]

It can't do magic, but it will take a half bar signal and boost it up to 2 bars. It also depends on the network you use. I'm on Goofle FI which piggy-backs on other networks. The weBoost works WAY better for my wife's phone on AT&T. Often times I can't connect at all but my wife's phone goes from 1/2-1 bar up to 2 or three. So I guess it depends on your particular service provider.

I don't remember any instructions about interference from other antennas and I didn't have any others in that spot. We had to experiment with lots of locations before we settled in on the locations to mount things that worked best for us.

 

[Rebele93]

The official power consumption of the booster is 5 volts 4.5 amps. We have enough solar to offset it, but the device does get warm when in use. I figure if we can run a heating blanket off the camper battery, we can run this! Power might be a major issue for some people so I thought I'd mention it.

We really only turn it on when we notice coverage dropping out and when there is a need for it. It allows us to work in even more remote locations using 5g on our phones to our tethered laptops.

 

[Vic Harder]

I had one of these, and sold it to another WtW camper. It is ideal when you are a long ways away from a cell tower. Best I ever saw mine do was on the Hole in the Rock road, at the Willow Gulch Trailhead. The closest tower is in Escalante, 42 miles away. Went from 1 bar to 3.

I found the system a little confining. What I mean is, by design, it picks up cell signals, and rebroadcasts cell signals. The booster is smart enough to detect feedback, and it is quite sensitive. So the internal signal that is rebroadcast comes out of a small candy bar sized antenna. I found I had to literally velcro my phone to the internal antenna to get the best signal. 2' away and almost all the "boost" disappeared.

Apparently the best way to mount the antennas is to have them vertically on top of each other. There is a "null" underneath the booster antenna (I used the optional RV/Trucker antenna, and raised my 2' above the roof of the camper when in use).

My new system is much more sophisticated, and rebroadcasts wifi instead of cell, so there is no way to get feedback. Looking forward to testing it out this camping season!

 

[Jack]

My new system is much more sophisticated, and rebroadcasts wifi instead of cell, so there is no way to get feedback. Looking forward to testing it out this camping season!

What's your new system? With the weBoost, there''s only one inside antenna - but we have 2 phones and 2 PCs. T-Mobile hotspot works - but only up to 5 Gb. After 5 Gb we have used PdaNet, but its WiFi mode is not working with Android 12 and Pixel 6 pro

People are right about proximity. I taped a piece of shelf no-skid rubber to the indoor antenna and sit my phone on top of it. I've also got both an omnidirectional high-gain multi-band antenna and a yagi, if necessary,.

There are a bunch of apps that make finding a signal with the omnidirectional and then pointing the yagi - LTE Discovery is one of the better ones. On a trip right now using and LTE Discovey shows -98 dB (4 bars) on a tower 49 km (35 mi) away to the NE with the weBoost omnidirectional antenna,

 

[Vic Harder]

Jack, I bought this system: Speed Demon VR2 Mobile Internet Bundle – MobileMustHave.com
with the Parsec Husky Pro 7 antenna.

Nice that you have that Yagi and a way to point it. I've thought of having both antenna types available, but will try this new system first. Nice thing is I can have it running while driving, and the phone/tablet in the truck is using wifi off the new system.

 

[Gottago4it]

Jack, I bought this system: Speed Demon VR2 Mobile Internet Bundle – MobileMustHave.com
with the Parsec Husky Pro 7 antenna.

Nice that you have that Yagi and a way to point it. I've thought of having both antenna types available, but will try this new system first. Nice thing is I can have it running while driving, and the phone/tablet in the truck is using wifi off the new system.

Vic, did you have to drill through your roof to mount the Parsec antenna?

 

[Vic Harder]

No, because i already had tracks on the roof. I mounted the parsec to an 18” square plate of 1/4” thick aluminum for the ground plane. Works great!

 

[Gottago4it]

I may be a little dense on this option, but let me know if I understand this correctly. The parsec gets mounted to the 18" ground plate, then the ground plate is mounted to the tracks. Then how do you run the wires from the parsec to the location of the modem/router?

 

[Vic Harder]

Thanks for the question, I really should post some pics and more details. Another project for when it warms up outside.

The wires for the Parsec (and there are a bundle of them) run along the roof rack rails to the far rear passenger corner. I made a hole there similar to one I made for my Solar Panel. The wires run inside the camper behind the lift panel, and then in a split wire loom from the bottom of the soft top to the top of the side bench. The router is mounted with my other electrical gear.

I can't say it enough: The new system is way better than the Weboost!

Edited to add picture of camper roof. The parsec is the white round thing next to the maxtrax

 

[Lighthawk]

Thanks for the question, I really should post some pics and more details. Another project for when it warms up outside.

This looks great, Vic. I'm taking notes for our next camper build when we plan to add a booster.
I also like the low profile Parsec, compared to the WeBoost antennae I see on rigs. It seems like they would be vulnerable to tree damage on narrow roads.

 

[Vic Harder]

This looks great, Vic. I'm taking notes for our next camper build when we plan to add a booster.
I also like the low profile Parsec, compared to the WeBoost antennae I see on rigs. It seems like they would be vulnerable to tree damage on narrow roads.

The weboost antenna can and does flex. The Parsec is a much bigger commitment in terms of cost and real estate on the roof. To be clear, the weboost and the PepWave setup I have now function very differently. The weboost amplifies whatever signal it gets and resends the same signal out. The Pepwave has a much much better antenna, and rebroadcasts WIFI not cell signal.

 

[Durango1]

The weboost antenna can and does flex. The Parsec is a much bigger commitment in terms of cost and real estate on the roof. To be clear, the weboost and the PepWave setup I have now function very differently. The weboost amplifies whatever signal it gets and resends the same signal out. The Pepwave has a much much better antenna, and rebroadcasts WIFI not cell signal.

I'm no Elon Musk fan, Vic. But I gotta ask, given the recent developments with Starlink RV (more availability, the 599.00 portable panel cost and the ability to switch on the 135.00 @ month fee only when needed) would you still go with your system? (The mercurial nature of Elon does concern me re: making a commitment to Starlink.)

NOTE: I'm a non-technical person, Vic, and really want to know your thoughts. I appreciate your posts a LOT!

 

[Vic Harder]

Thanks for the kind words. Post has been edited!

OK, thanks for the poke ot look at Starlink again - STARLINK FOR RVs
The price has come down a LOT. Used to be more like $2000 vs $800 (canadian dollars).
Lots of variables!

1) The setup I have now (PepWave Router) works really well while in motion and at camp. I don’t have 5g, but given where I want to be camped, that’s not a problem at all. I can switch out SIM cards manually if the place I am in has no coverage for the one I'm currently using. Higher end routers than mine can have two SIMs (plans) in them at the same time, and get even higher bandwidth and redundancy.

2) Starlink needs a clear view of the sky, so no hiding from the sun under trees or behind big rocks.

3) Starlink uses a LOT more power than my setup... think two DC fridges worth.

4) Starlink is now less expensive up front than my setup was a year ago. Definitely a disruptor!

Keep the questions coming!