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Omni-Direction RV
WiFi Antenna to Computer USB port
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Weatherproofing a
USB Antenna |
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Each year thousands of Americans trek around the
country in their RVs and Motor homes in search of
new adventure. What better way to spend a vacation with all
the accommodations of home and without the worries of hotels?
RV Parks are the landing place for most, providing water,
sewage, electrical connections, and sometimes WiFi internet.
Most WiFi internet is broadcast from the park office
and has a limited range. For those who are within range
of the WiFi access point life is good, but for those who
are stuck out in the "Back 40", life
is not "peas and carrots". To check your email
or browse the internet for directions you must pack up your
laptop and head down to the lobby in the main office. Of
course your privacy is gone and it seems that people
are always interrupting your internet secession. It's
about time you figure out how to
get better WiFi from the comfort of your
RV.
Choose your Campsite Wisely
Some locations only have a few RV parks available, but
if there are several parks available then try searching
online for web sites that list free WiFi parks in your
area. Once you find one that you like, call in and
reserve a site that is closest to their WiFi access point.
Some RV parks will not let you reserve sites ahead of time and
in this case you will have to figure
out which campsite has the strongest WiFi
signal.
When you arrive at the RV park ask that
attendant were the WiFi access point is located. After
receiving your answer, take out your WiFi enabled laptop and
walk around from site to site in search of the strongest WiFi
signal. Start at the sites that are closest to the WiFi access
point. Usually the signal strength is represented by a number
of bars next to the WiFI network name when
scanning with your laptop. Be sure to press the refresh
icon at each site for an updated signal strength readout.
When looking for a good site, keep in mind that even
one tree can block your WiFi signal. Try to achieve
perfect line of sight to the outdoor WiFi antenna or RV park
office from your campsite. If the RV park is crowded then it
is ok to choose a campsite further back as long as its
has good line of sight to the access point and good
signal strength. These two should relate directly to each
other. Once you find a site that has good WiFI signal
strength, write down the campsite number and request it for
your stay.
How to Get Connected
So, you've finished setting up camp and now your ready to
get connected the WiFI Internet. At first, try connecting
using just the WiFi capabilities that are built into your
laptop. If you are unable to get a good connection from inside
the RV or motor home then try positioning the laptop in a
window that faces the RV Parks WiFi Access Point.
The walls of an RV can block your WiFi signal completely,
this is why we recommend using the window as a portal for
WiFi.
...Using a USB WiFi Antenna
Unfortunately holding your laptop up in the window is not a
greatly comfortable position. This can wear on your arms after
only a few minutes. If you
are experiencing this then
your solution is a USB WiFi Antenna (like this one). A USB WiFI
Antenna should be more powerful then your average laptops
built-in WiFi abilities but in some cases newer laptops do
have very powerful antennas. Place the USB antenna
in the window with suction cups or double sided sticky
tape and run the USB cable to your computer. If your
USB antenna does not come with a USB cable then
you can pick one up at your local electronics store
or order one from C. Crane . The cable is
called a "USB 2.0 Extension Cable" with standard type "A"
connectors.
Avoid
Harmful Radiation
USB WiFi
antennas are also a great way to avoid harmful radiation. You
will notice that almost every WiFi device has an FCC RF
exposure warning that tells you to keep it at least
8-inches away from your body. Some people worry about the
radiation that is output from their laptop could cause them
health problems because of their close proximity when using
it. Using a USB Antenna with a USB extension cable will
lessen the possibility of exposure to harmful RF because you
can place it further away. Remember to turn
off the built-in WiFi on your laptop when using a
USB antenna or you will remain subject to the
harmful radiation. Turn of the built-in WiFi using
a switch or button on your
laptop.
Weatherproof your USB Antenna
If you are still unable to pickup the
WiFi signal then you may need to place your
USB WiFi antenna outside. It will need to be located
above the roof of your RV or motor home for best reception.
Zip ties work well to secure it to a plastic or PVC pole. We
don't recommend mounting it to a metal pole or object as it
could block or lessen your WiFi reception. If you plan on
mounting it permanently outdoors then you will need to
weatherproof it. The easiest way is to use a plastic bag
with some tape around the bottom to keep water out. While
effective, this amature job may become an eyesore on your
rig. For a more professional weatherproofing setup,
try enclosing your USB WiFi Antenna in a PVC
pipe with end caps. You can also use vinyl gutter pipe for
better results as it has a little less resistance to WiFi
signals. Here is one example of a PVC pipe enclosure.
...Using a Large Outdoor
WiFi Antenna
For the best possible WiFi RV park antenna, use a large
outdoor WiFi antenna connected to a powerful WiFi adapter.
This will be your solution for receiving WiFi way out
back where others cannot. If this doesn't work then
there's not much else you can do. how to hook up an
outdoor wifi antenna
Point-To-Point WiFi
Antenna
For the best WiFi antenna setup, hook
up an outdoor Point-to-Point WiFi antenna on your RV
or motor home's roof. This is a directional type antenna and
can really bring in hard to get WiFi. It is not really a
"discrete" antenna but it will get the job done. You will need
to reposition it to face toward the WiFi hotspot at each
campground. The trick is trying to figure out how the WiFi
antenna will mount to the RV. Usually these antennas will come
with mounting hardware that includes a "U-bolt" for
attaching it to a pole.
Once
the antenna is mounted and aligned, run a low-loss
LMR-400 or 9913 coax cable inside the RV or motor home to
where you will be using your computer. Unfortunitly the cable
will not plug directly into your computer as your computer
does not allow for this type of connection. The best solution
is to use a powerful USB WiFi Adapter with the approiate
connector to adapt to the heavy cable. Since this cable is so
heavy we recommend using a USB extension cable (15 foot max) to lessen
the load on your computers usb port and provide extra length
at the same time. You may actually have enough length using
the USB cable to downgrade to smaller coax cable
pigtail for short runs of about 8 feet. This pigtail
cable will be specific to the connectors on the USB WiFi
Adapter and the Point-to-Point antenna. Most USB WiFi adapters
have a RP-SMA female type connector whereas most
Point-to-Point antennas have a "N" female type
connector.
Omni-direction WiFi
Antenna
A more discrete WiFi antenna is an
8dbi omni directional antenna. You will want to use one that
is rated for outdoor use and is easy to mount (like this one ). The setup will be much like
the Point-to-Point antenna because both antennas typically use
the same connector types. Omni-direction WiFi antennas are a
little easier because you do not need to aim them at the parks
WiFi hotspot. They can receive a WiFi signal from any
direction.
Share your WiFI
Reception with Others
Often at an RV park you will meet people that are not able
to catch the WiFi signal because they are out of range for
their WiFi antenna. It is possible to share your
WiFi reception with them by using a WiFi range extender
to repeat your signal to others. Equipment required
includes a 8dbi outdoor omni-directional WiFi antenna,
low-loss coax cable, and a WiFi range extender with a
removable antenna.
First mount the antenna above the roof of your RV in a spot
that it is not blocked in any direction by your RV. Next run
the coax cable from the antenna to the WiFi Range extender
that is located inside. You will need to remove the antenna
that comes on the range extender so that you can hook on the
coax cable. Once everything is connected up properly, plug in
the power to the range extender. It will take a minute to
start up. Some range extenders have a button that can be
pressed to repeat the strongest non-password protected WiFi
site in range (like this one ). In this case, just press
the button and the range extender will do the rest.
In some case where there are a lot of WiFi site the range
extender will not repeat the desired site because another is
stronger. In this case you will need to connect your computer
to it and run the setup so that you can pick your
desired WiFi site.
Ideally you do not want to be too close to the main WiFi
site as you may cause too much interference for it to work
properly. You want to be at least 150 feet away from it but
not out of range of the WiFi signal. If the parks WiFi signal
is weak then you will want to be at a closer site.
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