Wi-Fi for grand california

[BMWBagger2600]

Has anyone fitted 5g ready flex wifi motorhome on a grand california where is the best place to install

 

[Mr T]

Has anyone fitted 5g ready flex wifi motorhome on a grand california where is the best place to install

If you spec WiFi from factory it is located under the drivers seat and then the antennas are in the panel above the sliding door. Route up from drivers seat via b pillar.

 

[BMWBagger2600]

It a after market WiFi system 5g ready flex motorhome but cheers for response

 

[Mr T]

It a after market WiFi system 5g ready flex motorhome but cheers for response

I understood what you have is aftermarket, as you were asking where to put it I thought it helpful to share where the factory fitted one goes. There is power under the driver seats for this purpose.

 

[BMWBagger2600]

Sorry I miss understood thanks that is helpful thanks

 

[Kayleigh]

Is factory WiFi 5G?

To be perfectly honest I would go for a Huawei 5G CPE 5 or CPE Pro 2 router with an unlimited 5G data SIM card. You are then not restricted to just using it in the van. I have the CPE 5 model that cost £230 on Amazon (but currently out of stock). It regularly pulls in a 5G signal when my iPhone 15 cannot. It’s also worked in areas where 5G should not be available. Even on 4G I’ve had upload speeds in excess of 100mbps with downloads well over 200mbps.
You can run it via a 12v adapter as well, which is perfect for the van.

I looked into a lot of dedicated 5G solutions, but this is by far the simplest and is very effective.

 

[Jester]

As Mr T says the power cable and connections to the control unit are all in the same place ie under the drivers seat, thus on off via the main control unit, then a suitable antenna fitted either above the sliding door panel internally or one fitted on the grp roof

 

[Eber123]

Hello,

I got the following items:

• Teltonika RUTX12 Dual modem 4G LTE CAT 6 Camper router 2 x 300 MBps
• Poynting MiMo-3-V2-17 Vehicle antenna 7 in 1

I had a wee bit of problems to find somebody who will install the items. But now it is done. The router is on the left side behind the wet room, the aerial just above it. 12V power comes from the electric from the cupboard below.

I tried several other solutions (incl. a Netgear router), but they didn't work as well as I expected or wanted.

As long as we are in Ireland I use a Pay as you Go SIM Card and when we are on the continent I ad a second Pay as you Go SIM Card from Vodafone. This gives us (in 2023) 43 GB per month download.

So far it worked well. Would I do it again? Yes, but not with the Teltonika router. There is a different system (approx the same price) put it seems also powerful, but so much easier to look after.

Regards,
Eberhard

 

[Wannabecamperman]

I take our Three 5g router from home with us, with a Scancom prepaid 5G 350Gb per month sim, now that it's out of contract (cost £105 not to have to return the router to Three).

It's an amazing router which we just place near the windscreen and it gets super-fast Three 5G in places that our I-phones only get 4G.

The only downside is that it's quite bulky and runs off 3 pin AC only, so fine for when on EHU, less so on batteries / AC Max solar generator.

 

[Wannabecamperman]

...the other benefit is that you can move it outside when sitting under the awning - just use the Three 5G app to see where best coverage is. It's dual-band so you get 4G if no 5G available.

 

[Kayleigh]

I take our Three 5g router from home with us, with a Scancom prepaid 5G 350Gb per month sim, now that it's out of contract (cost £105 not to have to return the router to Three).

I use a Scancom prepaid unlimited data card. Works very well

 

[mintyman]

I use a Scancom prepaid unlimited data card. Works very well

I also got a scancom SIM. Didn't feel we needed unlimited data, and paid £60 for 80gb monthly, lasting until Aug 2025 (20 months). I thought £3 per month was great price.

 

[Myplacecalifornia]

I use in my cali BlackVue lte.

It is WiFi 5G and video recorder. I also have mounted a Hub and some additional gadgets. Like temperature monitoring and inside cam. The temperature monitoring is very useful in winter time.

 

[Kayleigh]

I also got a scancom SIM. Didn't feel we needed unlimited data, and paid £60 for 80gb monthly, lasting until Aug 2025 (20 months). I thought £3 per month was great price.

£3 per month is great value. I think mine works out at about £10 per month!

 

[Wannabecamperman]

£3 per month is great value. I think mine works out at about £10 per month!

I only paid around £140 for mine - 350BG of Three 5G & 4G per month until Jan 2025.

Highly recommend Scancom when your contracts expire. Great CS too. Based in the Midlands.

 

[Kayleigh]

I only paid around £140 for mine - 350BG of Three 5G & 4G per month until Jan 2025.

I’m curious, why did you go for a Three SIM when EE is likely to give you the best overall coverage while in the Cali?

 

[Wannabecamperman]

I’m curious, why did you go for a Three SIM when EE is likely to give you the best overall coverage while in the Cali?

Because we had a contract Three router. This was a) because where I am in the Midlands, Three 5G coverage is as good or better than EE, and b) because they gave away a 40'' 4k Tv with a two year contract when I took out the Three 5G contract.

It's only after the contract expired that I looked at a prepaid 18 month Three 5G SIM from the Amazon store of Scancom and saved a fortune versus what I was paying Three directly.

 

[derek_j_buchanan]

Why? I don’t understand why you have Wi-Fi in a van versus just using your phone? Boats have had for a while but I have just switched it off on ours as it drains the battery and adds nothing to the experience of using my phone either direct or as personal hotspot. Is it worth the hassle?

 

[Jester]

Why? I don’t understand why you have Wi-Fi in a van versus just using your phone? Boats have had for a while but I have just switched it off on ours as it drains the battery and adds nothing to the experience of using my phone either direct or as personal hotspot. Is it worth the hassle?

For those of us that have them know the difference.

 

[Paddy GC680]

I just use my phone and hotspot etc. It has 2 SIM cards. Been all over UK and Ireland and download lots of data for work. Use vodaphone monthly contract and EE pay as you go. So I wouldn't bother with a router. Just switch to SIM card that's best in the area you are visiting.