How to Boost Your Cell Signal For Wi-Fi in Remote Areas

In a recent article, we discussed digital nomading (remote working or freelancing) while on the road, and the challenges of getting internet access while camping. Even parks that offer Wi-Fi have limited bandwidth and sporadic connections—not ideal for all our tech addictions, much less accomplishing digital work in the great outdoors.

We confess to giggling at RVs with big outdoor TVs—but can’t seem to get by without our internet! We all have our “needs,” right?

We’ve tried campground-provided Wi-Fi, but it’s just not sufficient for our needs. Even booking a spot close to a bathhouse router is spotty at best. Campground Wi-Fi isn’t meant for anything more than moderate use. Obviously, it’s not provided to stream movies and music for all the campers. They probably figured we were in a campground to … hmm … camp?

With our modern sensibilities, we want to have it all. Can we immerse ourselves in natural beauty and pursue an income and career at the same time? Can we enjoy remote locations and still expect to have a great internet connection?

SHOPPING DATA PLANS

Patrick researched our options. Our best solution appeared to be using our own connection through our cell phone provider. If you’re on a limited data plan, that can get expensive quick. Initially, Patrick wasn’t sure this was our best option until he discovered that going from Verizon (which has great coverage) to Spectrum mobile (which uses the Verizon network) was actually less expensive than the plan we had at the time. (You do need to be a Spectrum internet customer to get this plan.) Now we have a cell phone plan where we can switch to “unlimited” anytime (although it’s not truly unlimited) and use Patrick’s cell phone as a Wi-Fi hotspot.

USING YOUR CELL PHONE AS A WI-FI HOTSPOT

Internet tethering allows you to use your cell phone as a Wi-Fi hotspot. Your phone will act as a router, connecting to the internet through its 3G/4G connection, then broadcasting to your device (or wired to your computer’s USB port.) When using your phone’s internet connection pay attention to how much data you are using — or better yet, get an unlimited plan. (We currently use Spectrum Mobile.)

• On an Android phone: Open the settings menu and select “More” under Wireless Networks. Choose “Tethering and portable hotspot,” then “Wi-Fi hotspot.” Set up the Wi-Fi hotspot, then connect to it as you would on any wireless network. Set the Wi-Fi hotspot to turn off when idle to conserve your phone battery.

• On an iPhone: Open the Settings app, then select “Mobile Data.” Choose “Personal Hotspot” and set to “On” (tap to turn slider green). Make sure Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are on (unless you’re using a USB connection). Create a “Wi-Fi Password.” Click the Wi-Fi icon on your menu bar, or open the Settings app, and select the Wi-Fi hotspot. Once you enter the password you just made, you should be connected.

Protecting Personal Information
We use ExpressVPN, a virtual private network that routes internet activity through a secure private network. Anytime you access public Wi-Fi, you’re vulnerable to cybercrime. When you connect to any ExpressVPN server, your IP address and location are hidden. No third parties can see your internet traffic.

For additional security:

• Turn off sharing
• Turn on firewall (Windows – Control Panel > System and Security > Windows Firewall OR Mac – System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Firewall)
• Turn of Wi-Fi When not in use (on the task or menu bar at the top of the desktop)

BOOSTING CELL SIGNALS

There is still the issue of poor cell coverage at many campsites. To make things worse, our travel trailer is basically an aluminum can — which is not the greatest place for getting ready signals out into the world. Our next solution was a cell signal booster. We had previously tried a booster on our rural house and knew they worked. We found one on Amazon that works really well in our RV: the SureCall Fusion2Go 3.0 RV Cell Phone Signal Booster Kit. This system consists of an indoor antenna, an amplifier, and an all-important outdoor antenna. It works by collecting cell tower signals and bringing them inside to transmit in your camper. It also collects your inside signal to transmit back to the tower on the outside antenna. The advantage is you have an antenna outside your camper that is much better than the one on your phone. The exterior antenna is high enough to get a better connection to the cell tower.

Internet involves two-way communication and usually at low power. Patrick had some ideas to solve the problem, but implementation required some experimentation.

Patrick’s First Experiment:
I was all set to install the outdoor antenna on the roof and run the cable inside the trailer to the amplifier, expecting it to be fairly quick and easy. I even had the antenna attached to a box I was going to attach to my roof ready to go. TEST THE SYSTEM FIRST! I am glad I did not start drilling and running the cable before I tested the system. As described, the system collects and transmits cellular frequencies. Can you see the potential problem? If the antennas are too close, your system is basically talking to itself.

As is evident in the photo above, my plan changed. The antenna was no longer going on the roof. It was simply too close to the amplifier antenna inside. I ended up mounting the outdoor antenna on a telescoping mast on the trailer tongue, and the amplifier with an indoor antenna under the seat in the very back of my trailer. The distance between the front of the roof on my trailer to the tongue of the trailer where I mounted the mast is only a few feet. That alone is pretty good, but still not quite enough. Antennas are normally pretty blind underneath. So going up would both attenuate the signal the amplifier antenna inside would see and give a better line of sight to a cell tower.

As you can see in the photos I have a rather nice aluminum telescoping mast. Being a photographer I have some cool stuff like that hanging around. But you don’t need to go spend a bunch of money for this. You can simply use a piece of PVC pipe and a telescoping painters pole. Now my antenna is up nice and high and functions well.

I ended up running my antenna cable under the trailer. A few notes on this. Be careful where you drill. I ran my cable between the benches of my dinette because the amplifier and antenna were under the back bench and I drilled through the floor under the other bench. This gave me a better place to start securing the cable under the trailer. I secured it about every foot so it was not flapping around.

In the photo above, you can see the transformer for the amplifier plugged into a switch. No need to have the system on when not in use. The amplifier is mounted at an angle because it would not fit vertically under the bench seat. If the body of the amplifier was turned more clockwise it might interfere with the antenna a bit. Being at an angle will also allow heat to dissipate off the heatsink better. It could also be mounted to the floor.

One more word of caution: the base of the antenna on my system had weep holes that should line up with holes in the mount. Be sure not to seal off the weep holes.

Every RV is different, so I wasn’t able to offer a step-by-step guide that would apply to all. Be sure to test before deciding on installation. The system will work if the antennas see each other but the automatic gain reduction kicks in so you lose efficiency. If you ask your RV dealer to install this system, make sure they understand the need for spacing, so the antennas are not interfering with each other. (The amp flashes light for the different cellular bands if automatic gain kicks in because the antennas are too close.)

If you have any questions, reply in the comments section below
and Patrick will respond with his input. 

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