WiFi & Internet while touring

Yep..... summer again and I'm finding more "must haves" for #Cyd.

Latest one is decent internet access while I'm out and about.

Using the smartphone was the initial solution, by having it create a hotspot. Simple and inexpensive, existing data plan permitting. However even at locations with a good cellular signal, the connection was weak and slow.

Reason for the above is that the phone is also doing other things, constantly, and the space available for the components required for an improvement is limited.

So, sold on the idea of a MiFi which basically handles all the above, grabbing the cellular signal out of the air and then using this to create a local WiFi network within the van. Bypassing your smartphone. These can be picked up from anything between £30 and £800 and when paired up with a sim card and data plan of your choice, provide a huge improvement (even at the low budget end) in the internet access and speeds that will be available within the van.

Next step up is an external aerial. Some of the available MiFis offer connections for this. Again this will offer additional improvements, as it cuts out the shielding created by the body of the van. That will be my next step.

Now the alternative is to try and get the best possible signal from any available site WiFi. Which, by it's very nature, can be very poor and unpredictable. There are many wifi extenders making particularly extravagant claims about their abilities, but in general, the opinion of them in general is very positive.

As with MiFis there are 2 approaches. One which is internal, and the other which involves an external aerial with and internal router to distribute the signal in the van on you own personal wifi network which it creates.

Looking for ways to employ both methods simultaneously and seamlessly. For situations where the site wifi is inadequate or the cellular signal is not present.

However, while there are aerials which can grab both cellular and external wifi signals, I am unable to find a solution that doesn't require 2 routers. One for the cellular aerial and the second for the external wifi. Wouldn't switching between the van two wifi networks created in the van (from the cellular and the site wifi) prove to be a nuisance, or can it actually be seamless within the correct setup ?

I am also sold on the idea of the portability aspect of the MiFi. It's ability to find a useful cellular signal while out and about is not limited to the van and has proven useful when out walking, particularly in the lakes and you phones signal is bobbins.

Has anybody else on these forums done additional research and experimentation into this and perhaps found a way or product that enables what my ultimate aim is. That being to combine both site wifi improvements and cellular improvements, while maintaining the portability of a MiFi ?

I'd be very interested in comments and advice. Also I have not included the finer detail of much of my current research to date, so if anybody has any questions than feel free to ask. Whteher this be regarding equipment or costs (I am UK based).

I'm expecting comments suggesting that "we go camping to disconnect and avoid the internet"... That's fine and if the ability to NOT connect is the ultimate appeal of time away in your van, then great. However, many of us need this ability, whether it be to maintain a contact with family and work, or like my self to research the area I happen to to stop in for interesting visits or simply online maps.

Looking forward to any responses, answers or questions.

I am in the military. We are in austere environments all the time.

We use MiFi’s for our mobile connections and they include the router in one tiny package. Battery too. And as you said you can pick the service of your choice. No installation either. Just leave it in your backpack.  

Wouldn’t be worried about an aerial/antenna. Ours work inside concrete buildings. Just place it outside and beam the Wi-Fi inside if the signal is too weak. I do that all the time too.

I’ve looked into cellular/Wi-Fi repeater antennnas for my parents lake house. They are expensive and of limited capability. And most Wi-Fi repeaters are fed by an Ethernet connection which is hard to come by at a campsite.

Long story I would consider just a little mifi puck. One with a screen so you can set the password from the default word salad to something easier without connecting it to a computer. We assign them in teams of 3-6 people with laptops, tablets and phones and never have a problem.

Hello both.

I also think MiFi is the way to go. I’ve worked in plenty of places where it’s been necessary to provide our own wifi signal for teams and it’s either impossible to piggy-back on existing infrastructure, or it’s not deemed usable or there wasn’t anything. The main advantages is that it just can be put where it’ll get a decent 3/4/5G signal and it’ll broadcast a wifi signal to your specifications 2.4/5GHz and with whatever encryption you want. I’ve mostly used these from EE. They would have been set up by a central team but they just handed them out and the necessary details were usually label printed to the thing. Simples.

I have also used USB dongles with a SIM card inside. These were fine but the downside was the physical connection. If used with a laptop inside a vehicle the dongle would be inside, too. With MiFi you can put it where it’ll get a good phone signal and it can serve more devices.

I’ve also had good experience with a phone hotspot and had no problem in recent years using a phone’s 3/4/5G hotspot to run a Teams video on same phone or to then wifi to a laptop. I’ve done this with both personal and work phones and never had a problem. The worst has been to put the phone on a window sill to ensure it’s got the best signal. Bars mean nothing!

With whatever arrangement you choose it’s generally a good idea to run a speedtest first. Plus, test and adjust as necessary. Plenty (steel, brick etc) will attenuate both phone and wifi.

Finally, there are a lot of developments in this area. There are boosters that’ll improve the tiniest whisper of a mobile signal and plenty of YT vids showing these fitted to vehicles in the Oz Outback and the like. Then there’s a huge range of systems fitted in all sorts of boats and yachts with many reaching to satellites. And Starlink is shaking up that sector.

Cheers

Just a quick update..... made my choices as follows and I'll report back once I've field tested it over the next couple of weeks as I'm I'll be in some much more rural locations.

Huawei E5785LH-22C 300MBPS 4G LTE MIFI - £80 from eBay
Poynting PUCK 7 WIFI & Cellular roof mounted aerial. - £90 from Solwise
EE 30GB Data SIM card - £20 valid for 2 months.