I have a quick question regarding wifi connectivity in the road. We're going to be travelling the UK for the next 5 months and might be heading into France or Spain for a month or so thereafter.
We met someone who used to use a wifi booster so he could receive and use free wifi hotspots as he travelled. However, I am don't know what device he used (omni-directional?). Does anyone have advice on what to buy for the best coverage receptivity?
Alternatively, we could buy a wifi deal for motorhomers. Doesn't anyone know of/ use a decent and affordable provider in the road?
Thank you in advance for any advice you can offer. :)))
sorry don't have definitive answer for you, but I am currently looking for either a mobile update with mega data allowance or MIFI device pay as you go or contract for the very same reason. What I have gathered is that MIFI can be used up to its allocated data allowance in 42 Euro countries however phone data is limited for tethering additional devices, Hope this snippet of information helps, I dare say some tecky will have deeper understanding of what's available.
The most popular - and probably the cheapest - way to do this for a relatively short time seems to be a mifi and Three data sim. You can usually pick a 12 go sim up on Amazon or eBay for about £25 which lasts for 12 months. You can use it abroad the same as at home. I used mine in France, Spain and Portugal and it was excellent. Have a look at the Three website.
If you want to hook up to nearby wifi signal then as woodman says that is the sort of thing you need as it directional and you direct it at the source with good results.
I have pretty much the same as that system, but i built it myself for less than half of what motorhomewifi charge for the package. I guess that the package they sell has a ready made api to help you setup.
My set up is a Ubiquiti nano station, which is hooked up to a cheap router in the van that then allows us to connect as many devices as we like. thus using the site wifi.
I have picked up wifi from a mile away using this, but it does of course rely on the quality of the wifi signal that they are transmitting, and of course you are reliant on the broadband speed that they have it hooked up to.
I have never bothered with a mifi device as this is reliant on getting a decent mobile signal, which we never seem to have!
Been looking up your Ubiquiti nano station website, but which model did you go for as this seems a very simple on-site idea and I would like to copy it.
Thanks in advance.
Steve
------------- Why me, its not my turn this time......
Steve,
I have a Nanostation loco M2 whcih suits my needs. its not worth getting anything mega fast as you are limited by site wifi signal anyway. If you get the sucker mount too it is easy to fix on the outside of the van.
Are you aware that they are powered over PoE (power over internet). this means that the power to the nano runs via the Ethernet lead. I use it only when we are on hookup so the PoE is plugged in to the mains. But if you are off grid the you can get a PoE adapter that runs on 12v instead, so factor in this.
I just plug this in to a mini router that we use to have our own wifi ssid thus allowing us to connect any number of devices.