Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 

Go Back   Thor Forums > Thor Tech Forums > Modifications and Updates
Click Here to Login
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 04-09-2018, 01:52 PM   #1
Junior Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: ACE 29.2
State: Virginia
Posts: 25
THOR #9819
weBoost Wilson 4G-X RV Cell Phone Booster

We have an older model weBoost, 4G cradle cellphone signal booster. It is powered by the 12v cigarette lighter outlet and the antenna cable runs to the car rooftop where the antenna stays put thanks to a very strong magnetic base. The antenna is about 4" tall. We got our current one a couple of years ago as an upgrade to the 3G version, which they (weBoost / Wilson) still sell. We used it with our travel trailer, but since we bought a Thor ACE 29.2 last fall, we've decided the cradle model just wasn't powerful enough, so we recently purchased a 4G-X RV booster and installed it today. We still have the cradle version and will install it in our "toad" so we get some benefit while roaming away from our RV going to town center, shopping, etc. And it's still good at home for around town since our Verizon signal can be spotty depending on where we are.

The 4G-X RV installation was not entirely "stock" since we wanted to run the wire from the outside antenna at the rear of the MH, forward to the compartment just behind the passenger's seat, but not too close since weBoost is quite clear that you shouldn't install an antenna nearer than 18" to someone's head. The outside antenna wire which comes with the kit is only 20 ft. long and was going to be about 5 ft. short, so we bought the 30 ft. Wilson ultra-low loss coax cable, and that worked with about 2 ft. to spare. They told us we needed a couple of adapters for both ends of the cable because both the low-loss cable and the connectors on it are much larger than the connectors on the amplifier or the outside antenna.

Before permanent installation, we took their advice and temporarily installed the system by bolting the outside antenna to the top of the rear ladder so it sticks up about as high as the air conditioner and has good, 360 degree coverage. We then ran the cable through the open door and attached it to the amplifier. Using 110v AC power supply and plugging in the amp allowed us to run a "before" and "after" comparison. At $650, if it didn't work, it was going back. Here are the results.

Instead of relying on "bars", we wanted to get the actual reading in decibels. Our Android phone (Samsung, Note 8) was used in the tests, so we went to Settings, Connections, Mobile Networks. I turned off wi-fi so the house router wasn't picked up and we rarely pickup up our neighbors WiFi because we live in the rural part of town, which for this test, was useful.

The readings are given in negative numbers, with the higher the number, the worse the signal.

Inside the house without any amplifiers turned on, the phone read -108db, which means essentially no signal at all. Outside the house, the signal jumped to -102db, a small improvement. Next I pulled the car with the cradle amplifier alongside the MH so that their antennas were more or less "parallel", though a good 20 ft. apart. Since I know where the Verizon cell tower is, this meant that both antennas had "equal access" though the MH is a good 6-7 ft. higher off the ground than the car.

Inside the car, without the amplifier on, the reading was the same as outside, i.e. about -102db. The new 4G-X RV signal booster was off at this point. Turning on the cradle amplifier, the cell signal jumped to -93db, a measurable gain. Not great, but most likely usable. The phone showed the 4G symbol as active, though I didn't try it. Turning the cradle amp back off, caused the signal to revert to -102db.

Next I went inside the MH without the new amplifier turned on and got a reading of -101db.

Then I turned on the new 4G-X RV amplifier, and the cell signal immediately went to -73db! That's a huge gain, and we know from experience that if we have anything in that range, we almost always have a good, fast internet connection, which is what we need since our use of the MH is for business. We travel to trade shows all over the country, buying for our small health food grocery stores, and we do a lot of work in RV parks while we're at the shows. Now, with the new MH, my wife can do the work while I'm driving (or vice versa) and when we get home, it's all done. Formerly, with the travel trailer, she had to sit still for 12-16 hours and that drove her crazy. Sure, she could have pulled out a laptop and worked, but it's nothing like the pleasure we have now belted into the kitchen table with two monitors and 4 browser windows running simultaneously.

Not too surprisingly, I went ahead and installed the new amplifier permanently, which was easy to do since weBoost includes all the parts, even the key hole drill bit with the right size bit for the outside cable connectors. I was very impressed. Of course, they forgot to include the larger plastic waterproof housing for going through the side wall of the MH. The included one is for the 20 ft. (smaller diameter) cable which comes with the kit. Fortunately, I have air tools and a slim grinder so I was able to enlarge the opening for the larger cable diameter and it works OK. They also suggest that the cable can come in through a previous opening, or through the rubber flaps on the side. I chose the "hole in the wall" option because I wanted to have the amplifier on the side away from the slide.

I chose to run the exterior cable on the rooftop all the way forward from the rear antenna to a point just forward of the front edge of the awning fabric, then down between the fabric and the awning arm, in a "loop" so water drips off the bottom, and back up through the hole I drilled in the side wall and into the cabinet. It's a good thing I didn't drill too high on the wall as there is an aluminum support running the length of the coach. If you install using this method, be sure to figure out where the upper supports are before you drill any holes and drill below them.

weBoost provided small, plastic squares with very strong adhesive and cable ties to keep the cable in place. I was able to place the ties about every 3 ft. on the roof and then, just for more security and so the cable didn't whip in the wind and make noise, I seated the entire length in Dicor lap sealant. That's the stickiest darn stuff and I'm glad I wore disposable gloves to do it.

Inside the MH, I installed the amplifier on the rear wall in the cabinet and found 12v, constant power from the light fixture over the couch, which is directly attached to the bottom of the cabinet. I had to drill a hole to find the wires, and here, the key hole saw weBoost sent provide useful again. I took the light fixture off to find the wire position, then drilled a pilot hole up through the opening into the cabinet. This allowed me to drill down inside the cabinet with the keyhole saw in the correct place. The light fixture gets power from two wires with wire nuts, so I attached the 12v to 5v power supply which weBoost included. There are 2 black wires, but one has a red band on it. That's negative and should be attached to the "black" power wire. The other wire on the power supply, which is also black, attaches to the MH positive white wire. I guessed that's what they wanted me to do as there were no instructions and it seems to have worked without blowing anything up. As a bonus, the light still works as well. The amplifier power input is on the bottom edge of the unit, and the amp fits snugly into a plastic housing which is screwed to the rear wall of the cabinet (note, no screws provided, so I used two #6, 3/8" SS, pan heads which worked fine). Since the amp is firmly attached, it is easy to feed the power plug into the unit one handed. This means the unit can easily be turned off for extended periods of non-use and just as easily turned back on by simply plugging it in, no switch required. Also, the 12v power supply is "fused", with a replaceable fuse.

The 4G-X RV model uses an internal antenna. It attaches to the top of the amplifier by an 11 ft., thin coax cable. I coiled the cable up and let it live inside the cabinet, but it can easily be brought out through the crack between the cabinet door and the frame so it can be positioned just about anywhere in the forward half of the MH. This is important for us as weBoost says that when the cell signal declines because we're in a really remote area and there simply isn't a very good signal to amplify, we may have to move our phone closer to the inside antenna. However, since the antenna is on a long wire, we can easily move it to wherever we need it, and here I should note that we use our phone as a "hot spot" rather than using the less secure WiFi in RV parks, Wal-Mart parking lots, etc. Inside the MH we use Bluetooth to attach computers and tablets to the phone as needed. My wife wondered if we could just leave the inside antenna in the cabinet with the doors closed, but a test quickly showed that we dropped from -74db to -82db so I think it's going to live outside while in use.

I've attached some photos showing the exterior antenna on the ladder, the layout and run of the cable which I sent up the middle of the MH to try to take up some of the slack since the 30 ft. cable was a few feet too long, the entrance into the MH under the awning, and the interior mounting inside the cabinet. Someday, when I have an open can of foam insulation, I'll squirt a little into the hole in the wall to stop any air leaks, but I hate to open and waste an entire can for one little squirt.

Overall the installation was easy and well thought out by weBoost. The unit certainly seems to work better than the cradle unit we had, but we won't know for sure just how well, till we're rolling down the road or at a RV park somewhere.
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	wilson cell 1.jpg
Views:	233
Size:	274.8 KB
ID:	9634   Click image for larger version

Name:	wilson cell 2.jpg
Views:	231
Size:	229.7 KB
ID:	9635  

Click image for larger version

Name:	wilson cell 3.jpg
Views:	225
Size:	192.4 KB
ID:	9636  

__________________
Jim Jacobs is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-09-2018, 02:33 PM   #2
Senior Member
 
Tearstone's Avatar
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: 2017 Miramar 34.4
State: Florida
Posts: 307
THOR #9721
Very nice write up! I have literally been debating on buying one this week but wasn't sure if it worked and how to install it on our Miramar.

We have an AT&T leased line hot spot and have had great service up until we've gotten to San Diego. We have had to rely more on the campground WiFi and well you know that is not the greatest.
__________________
Russ Sanderlin
USMC Veteran
2017 Miramar 34.4
RV Travel Bug
Tearstone is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-09-2018, 03:24 PM   #3
Junior Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: ACE 29.2
State: Virginia
Posts: 25
THOR #9819
Glad you found the information useful. I should probably also have mentioned that our Thor ACE 29.2 is a 2012 model, not actually "new", just "new" to us.

We've been in most states now, and have found cell signals can be very "spotty" even when traveling in areas that the carrier's maps say have good coverage. I suppose there could be multiple reasons for this. Once, while driving through Montana (unless it was S. Dakota), we were driving through "mountains" which had been reduced to the level of tall, rolling hills. Atop the hills for miles in all directions were huge wind generators, all spinning in the breeze. In that part of the country, where you can go for miles, if not hours, and see no people or houses, only cows and deer, cell coverage is poor at best, but on that occasion, we could see the signal strength go up and down on our phone, seemingly in sync with the spinning blades on the wind generators. Fortunately, we didn't need to make any calls, as I doubt it would have worked.
__________________
Jim Jacobs is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-05-2019, 12:02 AM   #4
Senior Member
 
JJMON's Avatar
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Chateau 31W
State: Minnesota
Posts: 209
THOR #14057
Jim, This is a great write up. Very informative. As a first time RV owner (haven’t taken possession yet) I’m looking at solutions for cell and WiFi boosting. The weboost model is on my radar. We will be going on a road trip in our SUV in February to Florida and will monitor cell signal/coverage during that time.
__________________
Jay ‘JJ’ and Patti ‘PJ’
Both Retired
Chloe - fur baby
FMCA F496287
JJMON is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-08-2019, 10:26 PM   #5
Senior Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: 2016 Thor Outlaw 29H
State: Tennessee
Posts: 668
THOR #13869
Nice report.
Where we live, the Cherokee Natl Forest in SE TN, there is zilch coverage and need a network extender in the house relying on the internet.
But this weBoost is interesting, thanks.
__________________
10scDust is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-08-2019, 11:18 PM   #6
I Think We're Lost!
 
Bob Denman's Avatar
 
Brand: Still Looking
Model: Tiffin Wayfarer 24 BW
State: New York
Posts: 22,195
THOR #8860
Where did you buy this setup?

http://www.thorforums.com/forums/att...1&d=1546989469
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	Gunny 02.jpg
Views:	150
Size:	38.2 KB
ID:	14996  
__________________
"What: me worry?"
Good Sam Member 843599689
Current coach: Tiffin Wayfarer 24 BW
Bob Denman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-07-2020, 08:34 AM   #7
Junior Member
 
Brand: Still Looking
State: Illinois
Posts: 1
THOR #18765
Hi, I bought mine at https://www.signalbooster.com/produc...al-booster-usa which is a custom kitted kit for RVs.
__________________
Emmitt Horner is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-07-2020, 02:19 PM   #8
Senior Member
 
ducksface's Avatar
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: 2018 24.1 AXISSIXxSIX
State: Arizona
Posts: 6,759
THOR #13932
The unit in the write up is my least favorite of the three types I have.
(the we boost was pre-installed in my rv, another is a unit we use when far out in the desert and the third is our home unit)

Adequate, barely, the weboost boost is minimal and while you don't have to set your phone right on top of it, you get very very little boost compared to my other two. Perhaps it's that I have better antenna on the other two. If someone has swapped to different antennas on their we boost, maybe that's what's needed.


Buy a whole house cell booster designed for residential use. It will work end to end in the rv and a bit of circle outside of the rv.

It's an excellent excellent write up on a comparatively mediocre product.

I sway easily.
If anyone else has real life side by side comparison with a different idea of where this lands in the comparison, tell us and I'll reconfigure mine to try to get your results.
__________________
Below is a link to most of my modifications either accomplished or pending.
https://www.thorforums.com/forums/f2...n-18996-3.html

Click on my pictures then click the pop-up for a full screen zoomable picture.
ducksface is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
4g-x, cellphone signal booster, weboost, wilson

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Thor Industries or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.




All times are GMT. The time now is 11:41 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Content Relevant URLs by vBSEO 3.6.0 PL2