Convert Batwing antenna to hold a wifi/ cellular antenna.

[Jeff H]

Hello All

I thought it was here I saw someone post that they had removed the batwing antenna and adapted a cell/WiFi antenna to it so the y could raise and lower it.

I have searched but I must not be using the right words

[Dr4Film]

I did that many years ago with the Rogue Wi-Fi antenna I installed to the bat-wing.

I am away from my laptop but when I return I will post a few photos for you.

[Jeff H]

Perfect

Thanks Richard.  I found the post finally on IRV2.  Bob Jones had posted about attaching a dish to one of the arms on the antenna.  I have a Ponyting https://poynting.tech/antennas/mimo-3-15/.  Weight wise it is ounces different. To be honest I'm not sure which is heavier, the old bat wing assembly odr the new antenna.  I'm thinking to get a bracket made from aluminium made to match the the batwing attachment then add a flat aluminum plate to fasten the antenna to.  Then I just need to get the wires through the roof.

[Rick A]

I did this but I can’t remember exactly how. I removed the blades, leaving the arm mechanism intact. I then made a bracket from HomeDepot stuff and bolted it to the antenna arm into which I drilled a hole so I could secure the internet antenna. 
I used an Alpha Network receiver which I put inside the rig. I think the hardest part was feeding the new coax cable into the overhead TV cabinet. 
I’m away from my rig right now but I remember this was a relatively easy job. 

[Tom Wallis]

I have both a cell booster antenna and a WIFI booster antenna on my TV antenna mast. When the mast is down the longer WIFI antenna goes horizontal but the shorter cell booster stays vertical in all positions. I took the bat wing TV antenna off an I have no TV. Both antennas work with the mast down but I do see an improvement when I put it up.

[weighman695]

4 hours ago, Jeff H said:

Perfect

Thanks Richard.  I found the post finally on IRV2.  Bob Jones had posted about attaching a dish to one of the arms on the antenna.  I have a Ponyting https://poynting.tech/antennas/mimo-3-15/.  Weight wise it is ounces different. To be honest I'm not sure which is heavier, the old bat wing assembly odr the new antenna.  I'm thinking to get a bracket made from aluminium made to match the the batwing attachment then add a flat aluminum plate to fasten the antenna to.  Then I just need to get the wires through the roof.

Jeff,

 

Please post the link from IRV2.  I am also interested in doing the same as I have a Mofi4500.  I would like to install two Yagi anntena.

 

Thanks..

[Jeff H]

This is the link to the IRV2 post:

https://www.irv2.com/forums/f115/my-30km-wifi-solution-19-miles-515316.html

[Dr4Film]

Jeff,

The antenna project that you intend to use is a lot different than just the Omni Wi-Fi antenna that I have so not sure if my application will help you at all but here are a few photos anyway.

If I am parked for a long length of time I remove the Omni antenna and attach a Yagi Directional antenna to the Rogue base then aim it towards the best signal.

[Jeff H]

The cable supplied was not long enough and the individual coax cables are in a mesh housing.  So I just mounted it to the roof for now.  I will see how that works and if necessary  I can get an extension  and some heat shrink for the exposed cables.

[vanwill52]

On 7/29/2021 at 6:09 AM, Jeff H said:

The cable supplied was not long enough and the individual coax cables are in a mesh housing.  So I just mounted it to the roof for now.  I will see how that works and if necessary  I can get an extension  and some heat shrink for the exposed cables.

Jeff, I'll be very interested in your results.  I installed a Poynting MIMO coupled to a Cradlepoint router.  I mounted the Poynting on an 18" aluminum square plate on stilts to raise it slightly and not have the signal reduced due to proximity of the AC unit.  I expected a large improvement over my MiFi mounted in a Wilson cradle attached to an external antenna.  I was very disappointed.  The new combo gave almost identical performance to the existing setup.  I hope yours performs better, and perhaps I see some mistake I made.

[Jeff H]

Our first trip with the new set up starts tomorrow.   I had nothing before this, just relied on the phone or laptop antenna so I hope there is some improvement.  I will let you know.

[Rick A]

What make brand antenna did you use? 

[vanwill52]

4 hours ago, Rick A said:

What make brand antenna did you use? 

Poynting.  Google it.

[Jeff H]

7 hours ago, vanwill52 said:

Poynting.  Google it.

x 2 with a Pepwave Max Transit Cat 18 LTE Advanced Pro Router from Techno RV

[woodylmiller]

Vanwill52, I have a Cradlepoint 600 cell router, AT&T data sim in it.  So I'm wondering, how does adding this antenna help?  When we have cell service the Cradlepoint alone works well with streaming movies and such.  I get very confused with all the gear involved with trying to get good internet connections.  Judging by Poynting, I need the MIMO-3-15 antenna.  Is this a cell booster?  We currently have a cell booster multidirectional antenna that is not worth more than a cow patty, if you know what I mean.  So, should I go with a Poynting MIMO antenna, would it be able to take a weak cell signal and increase it to a useable level?  Sorry, I just don't know much about this tech stuff.  Thanks,

Woody Miller

[vanwill52]

On 8/3/2021 at 9:44 PM, woodylmiller said:

Vanwill52, I have a Cradlepoint 600 cell router, AT&T data sim in it.  So I'm wondering, how does adding this antenna help?  When we have cell service the Cradlepoint alone works well with streaming movies and such.  I get very confused with all the gear involved with trying to get good internet connections.  Judging by Poynting, I need the MIMO-3-15 antenna.  Is this a cell booster?  We currently have a cell booster multidirectional antenna that is not worth more than a cow patty, if you know what I mean.  So, should I go with a Poynting MIMO antenna, would it be able to take a weak cell signal and increase it to a useable level?  Sorry, I just don't know much about this tech stuff.  Thanks,

Woody Miller

Woody, my results with adding a WeBoost external antenna (only about 9" tall with protruding "spikes") and the WeBoost amplifier cradle in which to rest my existing Verizon MiFi:

Performance was noticeably improved over simply placing the MiFi in one of the coach's windows.  But the Poynting MIMO antenna feeding an expensive Cradlepoint (BR9000?) router showed no improvement over the MiFi setup.  I even connected the Cradlepoint to my laptop with an Ethernet cable, eliminating any WiFi losses--still no improvement.

I am baffled by this disappointing result, since someone who appeared very knowledgeable on iRV2 showcased this type installation and got impressive results.  Sorry, but I'm not a cell-phone nor WiFi guru, and I cannot give you an explanation for why this setup could not outperform a much less expensive setup.  If you are happy with your setup, don't change it.  I was trying simply to get a better Internet connection, allowing me to work remotely.  I was unsuccessful.

[woodylmiller]

Thanks.  It would sure help if the all the internet/tech stuff was written in English.  No complaints on the Cradlepoint IBR600, when there is a cell signal.  We have an AT%T sim in it now, might add a T-Mobile in the second slot since they seem to be really gaining ground on the coverage and data plans.  We also have a Verizon unlimited but that gets throttled down at some point.  The AT&T Spark would be great if there were a work around the auto shut after 20 to 30 minutes without moving.  Adding to all the confusion now is the IoT, internet of things???, who came up with that?  I'm too old to keep up with all the new lingo. 

Woody Miller

[Bob Jones]

That was my post. I left that site for this one 🙂 The Ubiquiti dish works like a top. This is my first post here 🙂 

[woodylmiller]

Bob, which dish did you install?  More tech lingo has left me confused.  So how do you put all this together?  What did you mount the dish to?  And then a co-ax cable to a router?  Does this dish pick up cell signals?  My Cradlepoint has a LAN and WAN Ethernet ports and a USB port.  Would this dish plug into one of those? or would I need a hub of sorts first?  Excuse the questions, but this tech stuff is hard to get a handle on.  We've dropped quite a bit of money chasing a cell/internet system to stream with.  I don't mind spending the money, but I'd like to do it right the first time.  The Spark did work fairly well except for the thing timing out and shutting off every 20 or 30 minutes.  Cradlepoint cell/router works great with a cell signal.  I'm guessing maybe that dish would amplify a cell signal?  Thanks,

Woody Miller

09 Dynasty Regal IV

[Bob Jones]

The Ubiquiti M5 is the dish I used. It mounted to the batwing, which I removed. I used to have them both on there but then you had to physically remove the dish before you went down the road. Now that I got rid of the batwing you can raise, lower and aim it from inside just as with the batwing. The dish only does WiFi in the 5Ghz range. It reaches out very far, miles and miles and miles if you need it to. Ethernet cable to the dish, down through a sealed hole in the roof into the area behind the speaker and then over to what I call the media bay, the three compartments above the windshield. From there it goes to the WAN port on a router and there is also an access point in the unit above the driver's head. 

It works very well, given the range. It's also very cheap and extremely durable. Fully water and wind proof, it's really carrier grade equipment put into use for the motorhome. So, it's not cellular, it's Wifi and only on the 5Ghz band which today is pretty much standard. On the other site, everyone that bought one loved it - and lots of people bought them. Up here (Canada) we have a cable company that provides WiFi access pretty much across the country from the left of Ontario to Vancouver Island. It's included in your cable package so it's very easy to get access as long as you can reach their access point. Given the dish's very high gain, it will likely do 30 KM's or so if you have a matching dish on the other end. But that's not the point, the point is it can easily go a mile or two which is probably all most people need. 

[woodylmiller]

Thanks Bob, I'll check it out.  

Woody Miller

[Pduggs]

I can attest to Bob’s comments on the Ubiquity dish. He helped me get mine set up earlier this year. It is a fantastic little piece of technology, but does require some tech savvy to get set up right. We’ve used it to great success. We can stream video on the TV, while using a iPad, laptop, and cell phone. I set up a wireless router to the dish and can wirelessly access WiFi throughout the coach and just outside the coach. 
 

I’ve found that if a park offers WiFi, it often is not strong enough to stream video just using the tv to access the signal. Or in the evenings it drops out as too many are trying to use it. With the dish, it boosts the park WiFi signal allowing us to be able to stream video 24/7. 

[Bob Jones]

I've been using mine for years now, it brought the entire WiFi issue down to, if it's out there, you can get it, and that's about all that a person can do. It's much easier with the configuration file. Just load and go, so to speak. As far as I'm concerned, it cased the WiFi issue once and for all. 🙂

[BigNick]

Hi Bob, I don't have the directional tv antenna, there's a stationary omni directional up there and way to rig this to work with that?

[Ivan K]

Just for chuckle,  I carry a portable setup that got me wifi signal from distant ranger stations in complicated terrain with dead spots, it works.