Back2PA
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2015
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Planning on installing a directional external wifi antenna and looking for input on repeaters. Would like to install the highest power unit avail to make the most of the install.
docj said:I'm going to suggest that you take a look at the Technomadia website. This is not a case in which the cheapest is necessarily the best; sometimes you do get what you pay for.
Gary RV Roamer said:Do you need a repeater, or just an improved wifi antenna & receiver?
Gary RV Roamer said:I personally don't think a directional antenna (vs omni) helps wifi all that much and has the drawback that antenna aiming is always required. Wifi is a local broadcast that is intended to flood the immediate area, so it's not a very directional signal in the usual park wifi set-up. The primary problem in park wifi is most often the inability of the devices in the coach to reliably send their replies back to the park antenna, i.e. they lack sufficient broadcast power. Their radios simply are very weak. If a more powerful radio and antenna is attached (wired or broadcast repeater), they should work fine in most places.
Gary RV Roamer said:Also, if you are mounting a cell antenna plus a wifi antenna to the directionalTv antenna, which direction do you pick when they all demand directional tuning?
Larry N. said:There's also antenna polarity. Most WiFi stuff is vertically polarized (that is, the antenna is vertical, so the signal is too). When you raise or lower the Winegard, if the Wifi Antenna is mounted to the mast, you'll be changing polarity from vertical to horizontal, or vice versa depending on how you have it mounted. That cross polarity will give you several dB of loss, probably negating any directional advantage, or even exacerbating the problem.
Larry N. said:Note, too, that often the problems in a campground WiFi are caused by too many users trying to do too much on limited bandwidth, and your directional antenna wouldn't help that at all.
Larry N. said:you also have a potential problem with the batwing not being strong enough to take the stress, over time.
Not sure I understand the polarity issue.
Sun2Retire said:Any issue with roof mount being fully shadowed by AC unit with some combinations of coach orientation and wifi source azimuth?
Sun2Retire said:Planning on installing a directional external wifi antenna and looking for input on repeaters. Would like to install the highest power unit avail to make the most of the install.
legrandnormand said:Why waste all that money when you can get a "pay as you go" DATA package from any cellular provider !
When you do get free WI-FI, just use it then, if not get on your DATA package !
rbertalotto said:But in many cases you have no idea where the WiFi host is located and then an Omni antenna is the way to go.