rv LTE setup
Posted: Sat Aug 14, 2021 3:46 pm
I'm trying to pick out equipment for my RV, and I am just totally confused as to what to get. There are signal boosters, antennas, LTE routers to pick from. Right now I'm leaning toward a signal booster AND an LTE router.
I need to have enough bandwidth for video calls. So if I am staying in an area and I have a signal, but even with a booster I can't do video calls, then I'm moving. From my few days of googling, I think this means I have to prioritize Downlink and uplink power over signal strength. Not all devices have this information in their marketing, especially for LTE routers which I guess assume you have a good signal. I've been looking at Mofi routers, which have a lot of features that I like, but even though they highlight that it's a good choice for RVs and there are 2 antenna inputs, their marketing says little about its performance in areas with marginal service. Am I better off getting 2 antennas recommended by Mofi (they have directional, omnidirectional, and panel)and mounting them to my roof, or no antenna, but pair with a dedicated signal booster(that might use the same type of antenna)?
The other big question is what plan to use. It looks like a lot of plans throttle you which is a dealbreaker for me. I'm willing to have multiple plans or pay more monthly to have truly unlimited data with no throttling. This is further complicated by the fact that each carrier also uses only certain frequency bands or technology and it's hard to tell if a certain carrier/subset of bands will give me the best flexibility.
This is the most important aspect of enabling travel for me so, I'm looking for the best possible experience.
Any advice is appreciated!
I need to have enough bandwidth for video calls. So if I am staying in an area and I have a signal, but even with a booster I can't do video calls, then I'm moving. From my few days of googling, I think this means I have to prioritize Downlink and uplink power over signal strength. Not all devices have this information in their marketing, especially for LTE routers which I guess assume you have a good signal. I've been looking at Mofi routers, which have a lot of features that I like, but even though they highlight that it's a good choice for RVs and there are 2 antenna inputs, their marketing says little about its performance in areas with marginal service. Am I better off getting 2 antennas recommended by Mofi (they have directional, omnidirectional, and panel)and mounting them to my roof, or no antenna, but pair with a dedicated signal booster(that might use the same type of antenna)?
The other big question is what plan to use. It looks like a lot of plans throttle you which is a dealbreaker for me. I'm willing to have multiple plans or pay more monthly to have truly unlimited data with no throttling. This is further complicated by the fact that each carrier also uses only certain frequency bands or technology and it's hard to tell if a certain carrier/subset of bands will give me the best flexibility.
This is the most important aspect of enabling travel for me so, I'm looking for the best possible experience.
Any advice is appreciated!