Need outside WiFi repeater/single extender

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wmtired

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 27, 2018
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73
Hi,
  I'm towards the end of the campground where I am full timing it till my wife moves out next summer.  Budget is tight since we are occupying two separate households which means getting cable internet is not an option for me.  I would like to continue using the campgrounds WiFi which worked great when my RV spot was closer to the main office.

I need a recommendation for a good outdoor Wifi Extender that will receive the signal and amplify it so I can use the free internet to stream movies, etc..

Right now, my laptp has enough antenna to pickup the weak signal but my tablet PC or phone do not. 

What are you all using?

Thanks,
Drew
 
The question here is what can you afford?  It is simple to say, go buy a Wifi-Ranger, it is a good solution, but their base model costs $450.  If you are on a tight budget there are some sub $100 roll your own solutions that may work.  Some may be sub $50, but you really need at least some basic computer skills to make these work.

If I were doing it on a budget, I would look at something like a $20 GL iNet travel router inside the RV, https://smile.amazon.com/GL-iNet-GL-MT300N-V2-Repeater-Performance-Compatible/dp/B073TSK26W/
linked to a $39 TP Link outdoor directional wifi repeater operating in client mode https://smile.amazon.com/TP-Link-CPE210-300Mbps-dual-polarized-directional/dp/B00P4JKQGK/  add in 25 ft or so of network cable for another $7 https://smile.amazon.com/Mediabridge-Ethernet-Cable-Feet-31-399-25B/dp/B001W28L2Y and find a way to get the cable from the indoor GL-iNet router to the outdoor TP-Link and you should be down to a few clicks of configuration.

This is all making the assumption that you are getting marginal, but functional signal on your laptop if sitting outside your RV.
 
In cases where I had a marginal signal I've had pretty good luck with the Netgear N300. Very simple unit, you just plug it in and follow the directions. No outside antenna or cables to fuss with. And you can't beat the $24 price.
 
IF you want an all in one package  WI-FI Ranger

IF you want to home brew.. I use a Umbquiti Nano Station Loco M2 (Suggest the M not the M2. More range and ability) NOTE that the M2 will NOT work with the older Wi-Fi ENcryption only the newer ones

THen I use a common home router insde the RV.

HEight being might the Nano is atop a flag pole.

But you can get much the same package a the Wi-Fi Ranger.
 
Any why not?  The campground manager and hosts all do? 
 
So, will something like this work?
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=0ED-0061-00022

I know I will need a wireless access point but that is not a biggie.

Let me know your thoughts.  Wifiranger is ridiculously overpriced as are most RV specific items.
 
wmtired said:
Let me know your thoughts.  Wifiranger is ridiculously overpriced as are most RV specific items.
Click to expand...

You are entitled to your own opinion, but we at WiFiRanger think that we've done a pretty good job at creating powerful WiFi as WAN routers for RVers that are totally "plug and play" and don't require that the customer know anything about how WiFi actually operates.  All the software in WiFiRanger devices is our own that we've developed over 8+ years.  Currently, WiFiRanger products are available as OEM on RVs produced by the majority of US RV manufacturers.  No, we aren't the least expensive solution, but neither do we attempt to compete in that segment of the market.
 
Docj, I'm sure the forum rules do not allow unpaid advertising and your comments sure sound like a commercial.

Sorry, but I won't pay that kind of money for something that cost less then $40 to make in China.  I'm pretty sure that I could buy all of the components for the rangefinder directly from China if I cared to look hard enough.


 
wmtired said:
So, will something like this work?
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=0ED-0061-00022

I know I will need a wireless access point but that is not a biggie.

Let me know your thoughts.  Wifiranger is ridiculously overpriced as are most RV specific items.
Click to expand...

The short answer is yes, but if you used it stand alone you would have to set it up as a repeater which would help the signal in your entire part of the RV park, though at the cost of lower overall bandwidth on the wifi network, so is something you should not do without permission of the RV park, as too many people running repeaters in a limited area can hurt overall network performance.  This is why I suggested the unit mentioned above in client mode, with a small GL iNet travel router inside the RV running all your stuff on your own private NATed network.  Note also that this unit has omni-directional antennas vs the directional antennas on the TP-Link unit I mentioned above.  A directional in client mode would probably work better for this application, though would require initial pointing on setup
 
wmtired said:
Docj, I'm sure the forum rules do not allow unpaid advertising and your comments sure sound like a commercial.
Click to expand...

With all due respect you made a derogatory comment that I responded to; it wasn't advertising.

You can believe anything you wish about the availability of WiFiRanger boards on the Chinese market.  But please don't confuse the "replication cost" of a board with the amortized cost of development.
 
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