Please Recommend a Wifi Booster

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by Byron Kinnaman

A WiFi booster allows a person to connect to a WiFi router that's owned by somebody else. Which means that you're stealing bandwidth without paying for it or without permission to use it. If you happen to be in a campground with WiFi it might improve connection, but that's doubtful. Most problems in campground are because of too many users at once.

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Most people I know who use a WIFI booster in their trailers are doing so to connect to a poor WIFI signal as they are located a long ways from the router. If they are at a campground in many/most cases they are paying for the internet and not stealing from anyone Or they may use it while sitting outside a public library or a Starbucks that does offer free wifi - so no one is stealing anything! LOL

If a place is allowing their router to publicly broadcast itself to the world and does not have a password on it the owner of it is 99.90% of the time these days is expecting it to be freely used by the public.

I actually use a WiFi booster in my home to increase the signal to the upstairs of my home from the wireless router located downstairs. Again not stealing the internet service, trust me I pay dearly for it each month. ;-)

So YES a WiFI signal booster will in fact help get you on a campground wifi system if the issue is related to a poor signal due to where they are parked in the campground and in that case it will indeed increase the speed of the connection. But it will do nothing for you if the issue is an overloaded campground wi-fi system.

[Jon Vermilye]

I have to agree with Carol. While there are probably some that look for & feel free to use any open system they can find, most of those using a WiFi booster are trying to make up for a campground's poor distribution. More than one only has the WiFi signal available at the office without a booster, but with one, it is often possible to connect from your site.

Another place they are useful is at businesses that provide free WiFi (McDonalds, Lowes, etc.) A booster let you park your trailer in the double spaces that are often only available further from the store.

Again, a WiFi booster is just a tool that can be used well or poorly...

[Roger H]

Originally Posted by WendyW

i wasn't very clear, thanks to my not knowing how stuff works. Sorry! I have only two communication devices -- an iPhone 6 and an iPad Mini. My network is AT&T. The iPad hotspots with the iPhone. I want to communicate while traveling, since I'm solo and have no other home. If an RV park advertises free wifi but it is too weak to use, I don't think I'm stealing anything if I strengthen the signal, if that's what I would be doing. Most of the time I'm using up data since there IS no wifi. In that case I need what? An antenna? Which one? I did look at rvsue's setup, but it seemed pretty complicated. Sigh. Is it too much to ask for something that's under $100, easy to install, and works?

Wendy, I'm amazed at how off-topic most of the replies are here. Geez...

With the combo you have, the iPhone 6 and an iPad, my suggestion would be to get a wireless plan for your iPhone that has 15gb of data... and just use the wireless hotspot when your wifi signal isn't sufficient. I use an iPhone 6 and iPad 3 much of the time I'm out, but I also got frustrated with being just out of reach of campground wifi while still in the campground. Wifi and showers are the two main reasons I go to campgrounds, actually, so I wanted to improve my wifi signal while I was parked if I could.

This summer I put together a repeater... a $23 access point box from Amazon, a $35 C.Crane antenna and appropriate cable, (and N to SMA adapter) but you need a PC that can access the box software, and you need to be able to configure the IP of your computer, and then search for the router you want to repeat. it's not complex but does require some basic network admin knowledge. No repeaters that I'm aware of are plug-n-play boxes that don't require at least some configuration.

I'd really suggest a bigger data plan and using your secure hotspot. BTW, connecting your ipad to your iphone by bluetooth works really well.

ON EDIT:

If anyone else is contemplating building an inexpensive repeater, here are the components I used for mine:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...rch_detailpage

High-Gain 8dBi 2.4GHz Outdoor WiFi Antenna > Antennas > WiFi Antennas | C. Crane

you need a cable with "n" connectors on both ends, and an "n" to SMA adapter to attach the cable to your repeater

Amazon.com: C2G / Cables To Go 42219 RP-SMA Male to N-Female Wi-Fi Adapter: Electronics

The repeater is configurable by connecting your laptop using a cat-5 cable to the RJ45 port, setting your laptop's IP address to 192.168.0.100, and then accessing the repeater at 192.168.0.1. That will get you the configuration software, set the box up as a repeater rather than a bridge or access point, and will then allow you to search for access points "out there." Once you find the access point you want to use, enter it's encryption key, unplug your laptop and you have full signal in your trailer. The configuration process has to be done each time you switch access points.

I specifically wrote this in "tech" as if you don't readily understand what I wrote, you'll likely need to do some studying before you'll be able to do this. If you understand the paragraph above, you should have no issues at all.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by Roger H

I'd really suggest a bigger data plan and using your secure hotspot. BTW, connecting your ipad to your iphone by bluetooth works really well.

That btw is probable the safer way to do your banking & email if you are not using a PVN. Particularly if you USB tether it.

Personally not big on doing my banking over the internet & would never consider it on a shared public network.

[shrekkd]

Originally Posted by Raz

Last week I went to the local library. I wanted to update the operating system on my android tablet and the state has wired libraries with fiber for folks who live in the rural areas where high speed internet has yet to arrive. When I got home I had a security email from google. Someone had gotten my pass word over the library wifi and logged into my account. There was about $5 there and since they were using a Mac, which was the trigger for the security alert, nothing of interest for them. I was lucky, other than feeling violated, no real harm was done. I changed my password and moved on. Lesson learned.

Obviously you feel comfortable viewing your bank accounts at McDonalds? Why? Raz

A VPN is necessary man. I never go online on a public wifi without a VPN. Hackers can sniff your data because these public wifi hotspots are not secure. I would suggest everyone to get a good VPN because is a necessity in these times.

[AamiBrown]

Originally Posted by shrekkd

A VPN is necessary man. I never go online on a public wifi without a VPN. Hackers can sniff your data because these public wifi hotspots are not secure. I would suggest everyone to get a good VPN because is a necessity in these times.

Agreed! I always take care of using VPN specially on pubic Wifi. Massive element of security breach is present while using public Wifi. I have to use public wifi many times in a month therefore i am using Surfshark VPN instead of any free vpn as they are also not secure and can break your privacy.

[AamiBrown]

Originally Posted by AamiBrown

Agreed! I always take care of using VPN specially on pubic Wifi. Massive element of security breach is present while using public Wifi. I have to use public wifi many times in a month therefore i am using Surfshark VPN instead of any free vpn as they are also not secure and can break your privacy.

Moreover, Surfshark does an excellent job of masking the identity and P2P activities from your ISP. For the best torrenting speeds, highly recommend to use servers from the UK, the US, or the Netherlands

[gordon2]

Many routers have VPN server capabilities.. if you have one with good internet service at home then you can be your own VPN. You would also want a (free) Dynamic DNS address. Once set up you connect to your home router via VPN and then your internet traffic is just as secure on the road as it is at home with no subscription fee.

[k corbin]

I plan on getting a VPN plan soon but my research is indicating that NordVPN is likely the better service for my needs as they have quite a lot of servers in Western USA which means faster speeds for me ersus using Surfshark. But I am not done with all the research. I know Surfshark is good for gaming but I am not doing any online gaming so that is irrelevant to my needs from a VPN service.

[Raspy]

Originally Posted by WendyW

i wasn't very clear, thanks to my not knowing how stuff works. Sorry! I have only two communication devices -- an iPhone 6 and an iPad Mini. My network is AT&T. The iPad hotspots with the iPhone. I want to communicate while traveling, since I'm solo and have no other home. If an RV park advertises free wifi but it is too weak to use, I don't think I'm stealing anything if I strengthen the signal, if that's what I would be doing. Most of the time I'm using up data since there IS no wifi. In that case I need what? An antenna? Which one? I did look at rvsue's setup, but it seemed pretty complicated. Sigh. Is it too much to ask for something that's under $100, easy to install, and works?

It seems you might be better off with a cell booster. Then you can hotspot yourself, as you like to do. You just have to be aware of how much data you are using, and what your provider plan is.

I use a WeBoost RV directional antenna system and it is remarkably affective. The directional ones are harder to set up each time, because there is an antenna to put outside. But they are more affective than the built in omnidirectional style.

Cell service is much more widely available than Wifi, and I use mine to hotspot myself on every trip. I'll go from one bar and no LTE, to three bars and strong LTE.

[k corbin]

I purchased both a directional antenna and a magnetic antenna. I use the magnetic one on the car exterior when driving. When parked at a campsite I take my 12v booster power supply and interior antenna inside the trailer where I have a cable fitting through the wall that reaches to the power supply. On the outside of the trailer wall I just screw onto that antenna line that runs inside the trailer with the cable that runs up my removable, adjustable painters pole to which my directional Yagi antenna is secured.



I like to do longer stay camping and I need cellular internet connections so I can keep my Etsy store orders processed in a timely manner. Not all camping areas have a strong enough signal for that even with a good signal booster antenna system. It helps if you can do some advance background research about signal strength and tower locations before you decide where to set up for a long stay camp. But local terrain such as a hill between you and the tower can defeat your best efforts.

[AamiBrown]

Originally Posted by AamiBrown

Moreover, Cyberghost vpn does an excellent job of masking the identity and P2P activities from your ISP. For the best torrenting speeds, highly recommend to use servers from the UK, the US, or the Netherlands

I feel the privacy factor is missing while using Free vpn service and therefore i always avoid such free options