Connectivity when on the road

[Thom]

Thank you both for your service, even if you are zeros. 😀


ATC(AW/NAC) retired (24 years and still working for USN as contractor).

[donzinger]

Originally Posted by calewjohnson

PNGento: sorry for the late response...between my finals in school, the son playing baseball, me coaching girls softball, and us rolling out for spring break Sunday, I fell asleep on the couch with my dinner... I am in the Navy, fly P-3C (maybe P-8 this summer). Since we are land based, I carry my stuff to ensure I (and the crew for that matter) has some cheap connectivity to stay in contact with home.

Rokland was correct, I was auto-corrected when it was typed in.

Don: beginning of May I should have a better idea of where we are heading next. Our hopes, back to FL (Jacksonville). If you are in Memphis, we should be rolling through there after a stop in Wichita Falls, TX....on our way to Bristol, TN (where I am from). While admittedly we have no route, we can deviate as necessary as long as I make it before my checkin date.

Here are some screen shots of the GUI that the Alfa system has.

This one shows the main page. When setting up, you will go through the easy setup tab, set up as USB (IIRC), do the site scan, etc... However, after you are complete, this is what you will see. This is the page where you can see the health of the network or change profiles...to note, the signal strength should be a negative number trending towards zero, while the signal strength should be as close to 100 as possible. Sometimes you have to shoot a happy medium to capitalize on a few networks so you can change if there is heavy traffic. Where we are now, the 60ish% and -60ish dBm works for us. I can get the numbers better, but I lose out on other signals.


After pressing the "Change Profile" button on the last page, you are brought here...I keep a few profiles setup for my frequently visited places. I delete the profile of any campground we won't be back to...building a profile is done by filling in the white spaces as required and saving them.


This next page is the Site Survey page. You can see, I have a lot, it still scrolls down to a bunch more. You can sort through them, I tend to sort by Authentication, since those will be the ones you will be able to use.



There is supposedly a way to set this up to boost 3G signals. Where we are going this week has absolutely NO wifi and a barely useable cell signal (mountain canyon north of Santa Barbara, CA). We are OK with though, as we are trying to make this a non electronic vacation (except we have to get DirecTV setup for our weekly recordings).

Let me know if this helps.

Cale

Wow - lots of info there. Not the Memphis you are thinking of. Little bitty town in Michigan.

[donzinger]

Originally Posted by PNGento

Don...did your Voltage also come with the WFR installed? I have looked at the Voltage site and don't see the WFR offered as an option. Where do you (or Cale) have yours set up? When I get my equipment, not sure where I'll set it up. That is one of my biggest complaints with my Voltage...lack of wired outlets (especially in the garage).

There is a facebook group/page that is a good source of information for RV interneting...do a search on Facebook for "Internet for RVers". The admins for the site have produced a great book on issues we might encounter...you can get an electronic copy (.pdf file or ereader version) for around $10. It has a lot of good info.

EDIT: Cale...was working on this while you were posting your last...good stuff, but need to digest it. I am a fellow squid...retired end of 2002.

Mine did come with the WFR installed on the roof. I think it was one of those things that was probably thought of as a good idea at the time it was on the drawing board but by the time it went to production, people already had a handle on wifi in other ways... Thanks for the info. I will look into this as I'd like to get it figured out since it is there and works well using the wife's unlimited data package on her phone.

[donzinger]

Originally Posted by calewjohnson

Been thinking of a collapsible ladder, pulling this one off to store is cumbersome at best.

Cale

I have a collapsible ladder. Pricey but I love it. Go big or go home though. I got a 12 footer and sadly not enough sometimes.

[PNGento]

Originally Posted by Thom

Thank you both for your service, even if you are zeros. 😀


ATC(AW/NAC) retired (24 years and still working for USN as contractor).

And you as well, Chief...and yeah, I know, you "worked for a living" LOL. What/where are you working as a contractor?

[PNGento]

Originally Posted by donzinger

I have a collapsible ladder. Pricey but I love it. Go big or go home though. I got a 12 footer and sadly not enough sometimes.

That is where the ramp comes in handy...great level platform for planting that ladder...and getting an extra couple of feet.

This is the one I got...I paid $83 at the time, but looks like they are a bit cheaper now...$74 (incl. shipping). http://www.ebay.com/itm/EN131-Multi-...3D360698978757

[Pirate]

Hmmm....had to ask my wife, er BOSS, but...

Most of the campgrounds we stay in don't have much of a WIFI signal, so we set up our Verizon hotspot an use the WIFI Ranger as a booster and as LAN so that we can connect to the wireless Brother all in one printer we take along.

For movies an such, the cost of streaming is just too much. So we have a DirecTV HD antenna that is self "finding" and watch recorded programs or "on demand" movies. If you contact DirecTV with your location they can get your receiver set up so that we can watch our local news from home.

Just thoughts.

Pirate

[PNGento]

Originally Posted by Pirate

Hmmm....had to ask my wife, er BOSS, but...

Most of the campgrounds we stay in don't have much of a WIFI signal, so we set up our Verizon hotspot an use the WIFI Ranger as a booster and as LAN so that we can connect to the wireless Brother all in one printer we take along.

For movies an such, the cost of streaming is just too much. So we have a DirecTV HD antenna that is self "finding" and watch recorded programs or "on demand" movies. If you contact DirecTV with your location they can get your receiver set up so that we can watch our local news from home.

Just thoughts.

Pirate

I have DirecTV also, the genie system, but I don't have the ability to do "on demand"...I think because we don't have a wi-fi setup yet. However, I think I will get that portion solved soon (ie. getting the wi-fi "system" in place). Once that is there (so similar to what I had at home), do you know if it will simply then be a matter of setting up the network on the DirecTV main receiver to connect it to the network...or might there also be another hardware component needed for the DirecTV system? Other than the dish, the only other item I have besides the main receiver and the mini-genies on each TV, is a SWM box that is in line between the dish and the connection on the trailer.

[PNGento]

Cale,

Thank you so much for pointing me to the Alfa system and Rokland (especially Rokland). Since I bought from Rokland, I got the Alfa AWUS036NHR, rather than the NH model. Couldn't tell you what the difference is, but it was what Rokland said to get...and of course, got the R36 router to match to the USB adapter (Alfa AWUS036NHR) and a Yagi antenna and cable (haven't needed the Yagi yet, so it is not yet installed. I had/have a good signal in this RV park, but what I really needed, was a personal wireless network so I could connect things like my Apple TV, etc.. There were no drivers for my Mac, and I was at first bummed about that as I figured the system wouldn't work with my Mac, but apparently none were needed (one of the reasons I LOVE my Mac...it just works!). I was able to go through the easysetup but did run into a problem...quick call to Rokland and problem solved. I would EASILY recommend that company...they still remember what customer service means. At this RV site, you have to do a log in using a browser...the site itself is open...so I simply selected the "disabled" option and then once connected, opened a browser page to the site and logged in...easy peasy. And voila...my own LAN. Woo Hoo!

So, for just a couple of dollars north of a hundred, I have exactly what I needed to be able to use my Apple TV and Chromecast...and my wife has a great signal and blazing speed compared to what she had before. Happy wife....happy life!

Oh yeah...even got my DirecTV connected to the wi-fi network, so On Demand is functional. So, again, thanks for the help...much appreciated.

[PNGento]

Originally Posted by Pirate

.......
For movies an such, the cost of streaming is just too much. So we have a DirecTV HD antenna that is self "finding" and watch recorded programs or "on demand" movies. If you contact DirecTV with your location they can get your receiver set up so that we can watch our local news from home.

Just thoughts.

Pirate

Can you explain what you meant about contacting DTV with your location...I don't have a self-finding antenna dish, so I have to enter my zip code and get the pointing information...and then manually make the adjustments. Do you still have to manually enter the zip code, or does DirecTV make those adjustments for you and then your self-finding antenna will adjust on its own?

[donzinger]

Originally Posted by PNGento

Can you explain what you meant about contacting DTV with your location...I don't have a self-finding antenna dish, so I have to enter my zip code and get the pointing information...and then manually make the adjustments. Do you still have to manually enter the zip code, or does DirecTV make those adjustments for you and then your self-finding antenna will adjust on its own?

With my "self-finding" unit, I just set it outside with a clear view of the southern sky and hit scan - it does the work for me.

[calewjohnson]

Originally Posted by PNGento

Cale,

Thank you so much for pointing me to the Alfa system and Rokland (especially Rokland). Since I bought from Rokland, I got the Alfa AWUS036NHR, rather than the NH model. Couldn't tell you what the difference is, but it was what Rokland said to get...and of course, got the R36 router to match to the USB adapter (Alfa AWUS036NHR) and a Yagi antenna and cable (haven't needed the Yagi yet, so it is not yet installed. I had/have a good signal in this RV park, but what I really needed, was a personal wireless network so I could connect things like my Apple TV, etc.. There were no drivers for my Mac, and I was at first bummed about that as I figured the system wouldn't work with my Mac, but apparently none were needed (one of the reasons I LOVE my Mac...it just works!). I was able to go through the easysetup but did run into a problem...quick call to Rokland and problem solved. I would EASILY recommend that company...they still remember what customer service means. At this RV site, you have to do a log in using a browser...the site itself is open...so I simply selected the "disabled" option and then once connected, opened a browser page to the site and logged in...easy peasy. And voila...my own LAN. Woo Hoo!

So, for just a couple of dollars north of a hundred, I have exactly what I needed to be able to use my Apple TV and Chromecast...and my wife has a great signal and blazing speed compared to what she had before. Happy wife....happy life!

Oh yeah...even got my DirecTV connected to the wi-fi network, so On Demand is functional. So, again, thanks for the help...much appreciated.

Sorry it's been a while, we have been without cell and Internet for a week, pretty AWESOME. The kids hated it at first, but they came around.

Great to hear. I may need to upgrade to the NHR like you have, yours seems to be a newer model. These things don't nreak, they just keep ticking on. On my Apple devices, I book mark the 192.xxx website and adjust as necessary. There is some software for Windows computers, but have found it quite useless, I like to go to the site survey and adjust straight from there...



Cale

[calewjohnson]

Originally Posted by Thom

Thank you both for your service, even if you are zeros. 😀


ATC(AW/NAC) retired (24 years and still working for USN as contractor).

Ha! I enlisted in 1995 and commissioned in 2003. One thing I have learned as a JO, can't survive without a good Chief.

Cale

[calewjohnson]

Originally Posted by PNGento

Can you explain what you meant about contacting DTV with your location...I don't have a self-finding antenna dish, so I have to enter my zip code and get the pointing information...and then manually make the adjustments. Do you still have to manually enter the zip code, or does DirecTV make those adjustments for you and then your self-finding antenna will adjust on its own?

With DirecTV, if you travel more than 250 miles from your local area, you loose the spot beam for your local channels. It is give or take, this weekend, we were 240 miles (bird route) and was good. Last summer, we were 220 miles (bird route) and had none. We just call DirecTV and give them the campground address, they refresh the signal and we have locals. The pain though, the Genie isn't smart enough to adjust recording channels for the new area, a minor nuisance.

Cale