Motorhome WiFi, iBoost

[WelshGas]

The furthest I've connected is 1.3 km to a Fon signal. The house was on the other side of the valley and the only one around. The aerial is directional and true it does depend on other factors but it can work over those distances and abroad it can be very useful.
p.s. I'm not on any commission, I just say it as it is.

 

[Larkrise]

This has got me thinking; we are really pleased with the router & 3/4g but we do increasingly seem to need a connection when we are travelling.... will check out the iBoost system...I think we get fon with our BT Openzone home broadband.

 

[WelshGas]

I think you do.

 

[ianevans]

Right now we are travelling in the south of France. Internet is usually available, but often not all of the campsite. We run windows laptops, have a Samsung tablet and my wife has an iPod Touch. Will the iBoost work with Windows laptops and the Samsung tablet as well as the iPod you mention? This would be an excellent solution for most campsites.
Where can you buy the iBoost in the UK? Thanks, Ian

 

[WelshGas]

The iBoost is just a WiFi router with a powered aerial.Anything that can connect to a WiFi signal can connect to the iBoost. It basically acts like a relay.
http://www.motorhomewifi.com/product/iboost-d8-directional-system/

Read the FAQ's and make up your own mind. I'm sold on it personally as it does what I want it to do.

 

[ianevans]

Thanks for the prompt reply! This looks like the product we want as campsite internet feeds are rarely strong enough for the whole campsite. Cheers.

 

[WelshGas]

That's one of the reasons I got mine and it has worked faultlessly on my current trip to Nordkapp. Also if you are a BT broadband customer you have free access to the Fon system which is very common in France & Spain.

 

[motacyclist]

The furthest I've connected is 1.3 km

I got 1.1 miles to a BT Openzone (distance according to the web interface). I think it was probably correct, we were camped about a mile outside Coniston and the only BT Openzone I could find near the town was near the Gondola pier so it checks out. I don't know how the router works out the distance to the AP.

The connection was good enough to stream live TV. I was very pleased with this as I couldn't get a 3g or 4g connection on either O2 or EE in this location.

The next campsite we stopped at I couldn't find anything in any direction . However, we did get 3g.

I think it's a worthwhile investment, but there again Internet is important to me for business reasons. It means I can get more use out of the Cali as I won't be worrying about receiving email attachments etc out in the wilds. Whether others will think it is worthwhile depends how much they like to increase their chances of a workable connection.

BTW I have one issue with the iBoost, it takes about 5 minutes before it will let me connect to the web interface. I've been through everything with the support people (they are very helpful and quick to reply) but they seem to be stumped on this one. Hopefully a future update will sort it.

Thanks to WelshGas for the tip off about this little gadget

 

[briwy]

We have a similar system which works well when there is a signal to be had.
I'm currently going mad trying to get the internet here in France. Currently I have a 3Mobile data card which won't pick up a signal In Le mans last week or here In Pau. Both reasonably large cities so I don't know what is going on. It worked a dream until earlier this year. I also have an French data card which is excellent but Orange France won't accept any of my cards (even my French bank cards) to top up so I'm stuck with finding a McDonalds or similar.
Incidentally, we are on BT in the UK and have yet to find a hotspot in France. Very good in the UK but hopeless here.

 

[WelshGas]

Look for the Fon signal, not BT at all.
See here http://fonera.fon.com/

 

[rookeryview]

Might be useful, but I use this setup
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00OVBY13G/?tag=vwcalifornia-21
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00A9VJ65A/?tag=vwcalifornia-21
The yagi is directional, stronger than technically allowed, and will plug into a laptop directly. Or plug into the router which can run on 12v, and you have your own local Wi-Fi.
Also cheaper overall. Great with BT fon or in car parks near McD or Waitrose , or near any other free services. So many people have BT broadband that you can find a signal near any houses normally, if you have BT yourself or Fon connection.

 

[WelshGas]

Useful, but no good for iPads or iPhones as they don't have USB , at least not without a lot of messing about.

 

[rookeryview]

You may have misunderstood me - the aerial is USB but the router it connects to is wireless so any number of wireless devices can connect to it.

 

[WelshGas]

Ah, I see .

 

[briwy]

Look for the Fon signal, not BT at all.
See here http://fonera.fon.com/[/QUOTE

Hi Welsh Gas. Got three FON points within 50m on the map here in Pau at present. Can't pick any of them up on either of two phones, laptop or tablet. Currently in a hotel in town as I've been watching the historic racing here over the weekend. I suppose I could go out to the van and set up the booster but that's rather defeating the object. Seems to me that you have to be virtually sat on top of the hotspot for it to work OK. I'll keep trying on the way back to the UK sometime later this week when I'll be on campsites or Aires.

 

[WelshGas]

That is the one weakness of the system. If a spot is shown on their map then that is where the Fon signal is registered, BUT is the router switched on. People often only switch their routers on when they want the Internet, especially older people whereas the younger want instant access so never switch their routers off. I know plenty of people who switch on the router and the PC for an hour in the evening. My system at home hasn't been switched off for 7 years, except for updates and power cuts.

 

[Jody Taylor]

Must bought this system for my hubby for his birthday. First set up and test was yesterday. It picked up the house wifi easily. So far so good. I think I need to look into this Fon thingy though, as we are about to leave for France.

 

[Dottie]

I'm not a techi so a bit confused...
1 use iboost to boost wifi supplied from campsite?
2 Use fon to 'find' other wifi signals? Presuming the others are bt or other people who have fon?
Fon: plug in to campervan?
Where is the tie up with fon and iboost ie how do the two work together?

(I currently use mifi with 3G)

 

[WelshGas]

I use the iBoost to use the campsite WiFi.
If you are a BT broadband customer you already have free access to the Fon system.
If you are not a BT customer then you can buy the Fon router and become a lifetime member. See here http://fonera.fon.com/
The Fon system is a free system, for members, of WiFI hotspots tied into various Broadband suppliers in Europe.BT is in the UK various others covering Europe, especially France,Spain and other countries. See the above link for more info.

 

[Dottie]

Thank you for info....a bit clearer now.
Went into pc world tonight but they've never heard of iboost...will buy off Internet.

Just to see if I'm understanding...if I have a fon gizmo and sign up, I can then use iboost to
1 boost a signal from a fon router which may be a t hotspot or indeed a hotspot provided by another fon subscriber (or bt broadband user); or
2 boost a signal from the campsite wifi which I may have had to pay for?

What controls the iboost? Do I have to 'plug in a pc to provide monitor and keyboard?

As I say, I'm not a techi......!

 

[motacyclist]

Hi Dottie

Briefly this is the procedure.

1. The unit comprises an aerial and a box containing the router, these are connected with an ethernet cable.
2. You stick the aerial on the window (or wherever) with a sucker and plug the power cable in to a 12v socket.
3. Leave to settle down for a minute or two
4. On your device, go to settings > wifi and select the iBoost. Type in the password written on the side of the router.
5. On your browser type in http://10.20.30.40
6. A window should open up with user/password, type mhw in both places
7. An interface window opens
8. Click on the wireless tab
9. You click one of the options (can't remember which) and a window will open showing all the wifi access points detected
10. Look for one with no encryption ("open"), or the one you have a password for
11. If you find no suitable point, rotate the aerial 90 degrees and click the "Scan" button
12. Repeat the rotation 90 degrees each time until you find a suitable access point
13. When you find one, click "select", then "change", then "apply" and wait for the router to reboot
14. Hopefully then you will be connected to your access point
15. You can optimise the signal using LED's on the aerial, or using the web interface

Hope that is clear, it's not as complicated as it sounds and the instructions that come with it are good. Their support is also quick and helpful and you can practice at home on your own wifi.

 

[rich-s]

I have ordered one of these Nanostation . I think this must be what iboost rebrand (and tweak the firmware). I'm going to order one of these micro router to pair it with, as I have yet to find the particular one they use. I reckon that I can achieve the same setup as iboost for £80 inc, albeit not completely 12v yet. However I also think it will come in well under the limit of the Cali's inverter socket.
Caveat is that I already have quite a bit of experience with Ubiquiti kit, as I built the wifi network on our park. We were fed up with failing 3rd party solutions, and minimal backup.
Will report back in a week or 2 if it works.

 

[motacyclist]

I have ordered one of these Nanostation . I think this must be what iboost rebrand (and tweak the firmware). I'm going to order one of these micro router to pair it with,

The hardware and web interface look very similar, but not quite the same. The iBoost router has a coaxial 12v power socket, and the power for the active antenna comes via the ethernet cable. The TP micro router appears to power via USB.

I think you should be able to get it all working, we can always copy down the settings on the iBoost if you get stuck

 

[rich-s]

The hardware and web interface look very similar, but not quite the same. The iBoost router has a coaxial 12v power socket, and the power for the active antenna comes via the ethernet cable. The TP micro router appears to power via USB.

I think you should be able to get it all working, we can always copy down the settings on the iBoost if you get stuck

Thanks. I have also found the following links for others interested in having a go at this.

http://www.roadworkplay.com/2013/10/our-camper-internet-configuration/#jp-carousel-354

http://dl.ubnt.com/docs/M_Series_Beginner_Guide.pdf

 

[rich-s]

Although I do think that before long 4G and whatever supersedes it (5g??) will do away with the need for wifi on campsites in its current format.