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Wi-Fi/signal booster?

Sig220_Ruger77Sig220_Ruger77 Member Posts: 12,748 ✭✭✭
edited July 2019 in General Discussion
I have a question for you tech savvy fellas.

Our camper has a smart TV in it. Our last camping destination was at a KOA, which had free wifi. We could get the TV to connect to the internet, but it couldn't open any apps. It just kept saying or connection signal was too weak. What is our best option to help with this in the future?

Jon

Comments

  • GilWilson1GilWilson1 Member Posts: 182
    edited November -1
    Park closer to the Wi-Fi :)
  • WearyTravelerWearyTraveler Member Posts: 2,006 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    That?s a problem with camping... Campsites are often too big for signal to reach all sites. Nothing you can do, other than buy and carry a repeater / booster. But they can?t always connect to a net that you don?t admin.

    I have a buddy that has an rv and has an AT&T hotspot for it. When they?re in a situation like you describe, they fire it up and ride their own network. Costs a few dollars a month and you?re limited to areas with cell coverage, but it worked for their purposes.

    You may possibly also be able to use your cell phone as a hot spot. I do this so that my tablet has Wi-Fi. Same limits as the hot spot, but it?s an option.
    ”People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."
    - GEORGE ORWELL -
  • He DogHe Dog Member Posts: 50,947 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    We used a mobile hotspot in Costa Rica that plugged into the USB port We were able to get coverage everywhere we were (which was not the entire country, but most of the West Coast) to run the mapping. If you have Verizon or a carrier with extensive coverage, you should do pretty well.
  • Sam06Sam06 Member Posts: 21,254 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I have used Hotspots in Africa and they worked fairly well and that was a few years ago I am sure they work better now.
    RLTW

  • babunbabun Member Posts: 11,054 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I used a Verzion jetpak hot spot in my Rv for 5 years. Worked great. Then all of a sudden, it started to drop the signal and had to reboot it self many times. Bought 2 more off Ebaayyy and installed my sim cards as per Verzion. No joy , same thing.

    Called verzion many times finally they recommended I buy the newer router instead of the hotspots.
    MORE money and another BS 2 year contract!!

    Canceled all my over priced {But up to then good service} plans.

    Now the campground's wifi is weak by my RV, so I got an external booster/antenna off of EBBByyy . plugs into the usb port. Can't get it to work, the cd included and the instruction sheet is really bad Chinese to English translation. And so crazy....."step 5= plug cable into usb port.

    "step 8 {next page} load cd BEFORE plugging in cable.

    WTF?????
  • yoshmysteryoshmyster Member Posts: 20,985 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    One would think the RV being aluminum it would get all kinds a reception. Rub a shiny spot and stick the cable to it. It'll be like the whole family putting on a foil hat to get reception using "rabbit ears".
  • babunbabun Member Posts: 11,054 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    yoshmyster wrote:
    One would think the RV being aluminum it would get all kinds a reception. Rub a shiny spot and stick the cable to it. It'll be like the whole family putting on a foil hat to get reception using "rabbit ears".

    Fiberglass RV and I'm at the far end of the campground from the WIFI system. :(
  • bambihunterbambihunter Member Posts: 10,675 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    All ideas given were good ones from a tech stand point. That said, turn off the TV and go enjoy nature. :D

    I get it though, before we sold our camper, my wife and I would spend all day and evening outside, but probably due to our patterns at home, we were never ready to come in from outdoors and go straight to bed. So, we found a $5 DVD player and I'd either bring a DVD from home or use one from Netflix and watch it while laying in bed. We never had much of any reception at the camp grounds we went to, but they are all CoE lakes / nature reserves with not much amenities and generally hardly, if any cell service. We live out in the country, so for us to feel like we are camping, we go remote. Sometimes even dry camping. I used to love backpacking and bivy camps but my back has long told me that isn't a good idea if I want to be able to move the next day.
    Fanatic collector of the 10mm auto.
  • mag00mag00 Member Posts: 4,719 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Seriously? I thought camping was to get away from the electronic gadgets that pervade daily life.

    OK-fine-Ill-go-camping-RVT-888.jpg
  • serfserf Member Posts: 9,217 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Try getting a removable antenna receiver to add to the signal strength.I know it will work on an usb link on a laptop computer but don't know about Smart HDTV usb port however.

    serf

    https://expertvagabond.com/wifi-antenna-booster/
  • Sig220_Ruger77Sig220_Ruger77 Member Posts: 12,748 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    All ideas given were good ones from a tech stand point. That said, turn off the TV and go enjoy nature. :D

    I get it though, before we sold our camper, my wife and I would spend all day and evening outside, but probably due to our patterns at home, we were never ready to come in from outdoors and go straight to bed. So, we found a $5 DVD player and I'd either bring a DVD from home or use one from Netflix and watch it while laying in bed. We never had much of any reception at the camp grounds we went to, but they are all CoE lakes / nature reserves with not much amenities and generally hardly, if any cell service. We live out in the country, so for us to feel like we are camping, we go remote. Sometimes even dry camping. I used to love backpacking and bivy camps but my back has long told me that isn't a good idea if I want to be able to move the next day.

    That and rainy days are really the only time we will use the TV. Other than setting the TV up and testing the signal, we haven't had it on yet. I think we are just going to throw our small standard LCD TV in the camper and put that smart TV in our house. I can do like you mentioned and just add a dvd/blueray player and we can at least watch movies if the weather is bad.

    On a side note, we have gotten a ton of use out of the camper radio already. With speakers both inside and outside the camper(2 separate control zones) we have really enjoyed that. I just plugged my little micro usb stick in it and play away.

    Jon
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