WIFI for Motorhomes and Campervans – Buying Guide

Introduction to Campervan and Motorhome WIFI

You have probably arrived at our site looking for a way to receive a good quality internet connection for your camper or motorhome whilst on your travels or pitched up on site with no phone line and no or poor onsite WiFi.

The world has moved on so fast over the last decade, It’s become increasingly important to have a reliable internet connection and WiFi in order to stay in touch with friends and family, work from home, answer emails, bank online, gaming, stream TV and much more. even whilst in your campervan or motorhome.

The good news is technology has moved forward at the same pace as the requirement to have internet everywhere.

We are now able to utilize mobile phone technology to receive reliable and fast internet in over 90% of the UK. We do this with what is known as 4G connectivity. Just like your mobile phone we can use a wireless device known as a 4G router to receive an internet connection. the speeds are broadband level, meaning you can stream TV, Play online gaming, Work from home with webcam chats and browse the internet in your campervan with no problems at all.

As we utilize mobile phone technology, we can also take advantage of the great prices available for data packages. This means we will also get great value for money, which in many cases is cheaper than traditional phone line broadband internet.

There are a few things we do need to overcome to ensure a strong internet connection in your motorhome or Campervan. We will go into more detail regarding these later however the basics are as follows.

Campervans and Motorhomes are made up of materials and contain a number of devices which can really effect the signal quality and strength you will receive in your motorhome or campervan. However we can overcome this with what is known as an external antenna kit. The external antenna kit will also boost your signal strength in your Motorhome way beyond that of what a normal mobile phone is capable of, Meaning faster and more reliable WiFi. We will get into this in more detail later.

What you need for Motorhome and Campervan WiFi

Campervan and Motorhome WIFI is now very affordable. There are two main outlays to allow for a strong and reliable internet connection.

1: Hardware

There are two major hardware components you will need for a good quality internet connection in your campervan or Motorhome. Before we start, If this becomes a little over complicated or seems a little bit like to much hard work. Caravan-Things.com offers Campervan and Motorhome WiFi kits that are ready to go and extremely easy to setup. Click here for more details.

4G router

Firstly you will need a 4G router. there are many models available. However the basics you are looking for are a router with at least 150 mb/s rating and mimo external antenna ports. You also want a router that is open to all networks and preferably able to run on its own power source for when pitch up isn’t available.

4G Antenna

The second major hardware component required for internet in your campervan is an Antenna.

Antennas are required to ensure the router receives a strong and reliable signal from the service provider of your choice. If the router does not have an external antenna there can be high levels of interference from internal electrical devices, this coupled with the difficulty the signal will have bypassing the materials your campervan or motorhome is made up of can lead to a really poor signal which will not be adequate for internet or Wifi in your Motorhome

Antenna come in many forms. The one you require is reliant upon the router you purchase, whether you would like to permanently fix the antenna to your campervan or motorhome or erect when pitching up and if you would like a directional or omni directional antenna. One other major consideration is the frequency band the antenna operates in. although 4G, there’s are many frequencies that 4G operates within. The best way to ensure the Antenna will work is to purchase an antenna with the full frequency range. this is between 800Mhz and 2.5Ghz.

Caravan-Things.com has a range of Campervan WIFI kits and Motorhome WIFI kits ready to go out of the box. We can also setup on the GiffGaff network to remove even more hassle.

Roof mounted antennas are permanently fixed antennas that usually come in the form of a puck or dome shaped item. They require 2 small holes to be drilled in the roof of your campervan or motorhome. This allows the antenna to be fixed and the antenna cables to pass through. These are quite easy to install with even the most basic of DIY skills.

Please be aware that not all Antennas are created equal. Although some Antennas will state they have incredibly high Decibel gains (DB Gain) what is just as important is the radiation pattern, quality of materials and the cables used. Caravan-Things.com always uses the highest quality antennas with a proven track record. If purchasing for yourself avoid the cheapest items as these usually consist of very little when opened up and inspected and therefore add very little value.

2: A Service Provider

Pay as you Go Sim

Like your mobile phone, to receive an internet connection your 4G router will require a Sim Card. The sim card is supplied by 1 of many service providers. Also like your phone, the sim card slots into the 4G router.

As standard Caravan-things.com provides our kits with GiffGaff sim packages. We do this as we know that a lot of our Customers do not use their Campervans and Motorhomes all year round. GiffGaff offers what we believe to be a great Data only deal with no contract. GiffGaff runs on the o2 network which has great coverage across the UK and also offers good speeds. If you choose to use the GiffGaff network, we strongly recommend purchasing one of the Goody bag deals as these offer the best value for money. The goody bags last 1 month before expiring but you will have more than got your moneys worth at this point . For a free GiffGaff sim with £5 free credit please click here

Sim only Contract

For those of us who use our campervans and motorhomes all year round, we would strongly recommend the EE network. EE offers great value for money on its SIM only Contracts.

Deals are available such as £20 for £160GB of Data. in comparison to a Pay As You Go deal this is around double the data for the same price.

In addition to EE’s great value we have found them to provide the best 4G coverage across the UK. During our many hundreds of signal checks for our customers this has proven to be their best option. For more information on EE Data only contracts please click here

WIFI For Motorhomes & Campervans kit

Overview

We provide internet for RV and campers. Our camper internet solutions are made up of a Mobile hot spot with external antenna compatibility, an external antenna kit suitable for campers, RV’s and motorhomes and all the ancillaries and bracketry needed to ensure a professional level of fitting.

The best internet for campers is a 4G setup. this utilizes the same mobile internet technology your mobile phones uses. As with your mobile phone you can sometimes lose signal. Losing signal or weak signal is usually the result of two things.

1. you’re too far away from the providers mast
2. interference from surrounding building and devices

Our external antenna kits will increase you likely hood of receiving a strong signal in your campervan significantly.

Included in the Motorhome WIFI kit

Included in the kit is high gain MiMO roof mounted puck antenna kit or external erection kit for none permanent fix. Mounting the puck antenna on the roof of your camper benefits signal strength as it both reduces interference caused by other electronic devices inside the camper and increases the height at which the antenna picks up signal meaning it has a clearer line of sight to the providers mast.

We only use high quality antenna’s with a proven track record. (not cheap Chinese imitations)

Our solution offers the best flexibility on the market as the router will run off grid via its own battery for 12hrs +.

The router will charge via a standard mobile phone charging cable. this means it is compatible with both 12v, 110v and 240v chargers. Once plugged in you can utilize the WiFi indefinitely.

Service provider setup

Caravan Things Motorhome WiFi solution comes setup on the GiffGaff network but is open to all service providers. The package includes £20 credit and the router is setup via its firmware to best operate across the UK and Europe.

Everything is ready to go and pre-setup with the GiffGaff service provider. the GiffGaff network offers contract level deals without a contract. We believe this is ideal for our customers as the majority do not utilize their campers over the entire year. This means whilst the campervan or motorhome is not in use you do not have to pay anything. (the router is open to all networks, meaning the sim can be changed for a different provider if required)

If you would prefer a monthly contract supplier then we would suggest EE as They offer the greatest 4G coverage across the UK and offer some great data only deals. We recommend the 160GB Sim only deal as this offers a huge amount of data at only £20 a month. Click link for more details EE link

The router will work across the majority of the UK and Europe. Utilization of the router in Europe can be achieved via data roaming or by changing to a service provider based in the country you are currently based.

We have developed a custom mounting solution for our camper internet solutions. The mounting solution ensures a impressive professional appearance whilst ensuring ease of install and longevity of the kit.