Winegard plans vs T-mobile; can I take a tmobile 5G sim card place in a Winegard 2.0

[2021ThorDelano]

Winegard tech support on saturday is open till 2PM central time.
The will need the full model number, not just Winegard 2.0 but rather Winegard 2.0 W2-36XX (whatever your complete model is)
Network name: Winegard2???

Network password will have to acquire from under the sim cover on the roof, from owners manual, from an inside sticker.
If you have to call Winegard the number is 800-288-8094.
To call T-Mobile tech support is 611 from any T-Mobile phone.
You have to know you IMEI number (usually 15 digit) for your Winegard equipment.
To access this number IMEI, use a tablet, computer, or phone and point your internet connection to the winegard network name.
Open a web browser and visit 10.11.12.1 on the address line.
User name is: admin
password is: admin
If this does not work, you will have to try the password you found on under the cover of on some sticker.
For me, neither of these passwords worked so I called Winegard tech support and they provided me with the original password to access the router in the Winegard.
Mine was a 12 digit letter number combination.
Once you are in the Winegard admin router screen click on the bottom down arrow and select: About.
Inside this screen has your IMEI number that will have to be provided to T-Mobile customer service.
This is International Mobile Equipment Identity that basically is like a serial number for that device.
Can I just but a cell phone sim card in a winegard and it will work. A little bit..
Let me explain. #1 the sim card from an Apple phone is way too small I purchased some sim card adapters on Amazon X000PD2H0T.
The sim card had to be placed in an adapter and than that adapter was placed in a 2nd adapter.
Since the sim chip has to be downward with you flip over this new stacked sim card it will all fall apart so I used some transparency tape all the way around the sim chip and cut away the access.
My RV was on the driveway and 50 feet away, in my home is my Apple desktop computer. This computer could see the internet, log on to it and use it just fine.
Speeds were between 75 - 100 Mbps. I could even log into Netflix and watch a movie on my desktop computer.
Now for some reason, my Apple table and my Samsung TV inside the RV could see the network, log into the network but not use the network.
I found this quite odd to log in with the correct username and network password and not be able to navigate anywhere..
My TV would pop up and state you are hook to the network but contact your internet service provider for support.
I spent over 4 hour total time with T-Mobile tech support to try to get this Wingard to support this sim card for the TV and Apple tablet.
Turns out I finally had to visit the T-Mobile local store with my IMEI in had and purchase a new plan with a new larger full size sim card to work.
For $50 a month they added the T-Mobile internet to my account, loaded the sim card with the IMEI number and this finally allowed all devices to see and use the internet.
T-Mobile and Winegard tech support both stated to use a standard voice sim card would only provide spotty service to the internet.
To have a dedicated full time internet connection, you have to purchase the full time T-Mobile home internet or Internet for business and use on of these sim cards instead.
So the purchase of the sim card adaptors was a waste...
These 5G sim card max out on speed at 75-100 Mbps once placed in a 4G device like a Winegard 2.0
Winegard 50 Mpbs plan cost $139 per month! (Price checked 2024-07-28 on Winegard website) Ouch!
In other words for $50 a month (auto pay account) you can get a T-Mobile for the similar speed for over 60% less.
So after a full day on the phone for both tech supports and up and down the RV ladder about 6 times and a trip to the T-Mobile phone store I have internet in my RV full time.
PS. The Winegard 2.0 is a 12 volt DC system and does not require the inverter to be turned on or to have the RV plugged in to operate.

 

[Scubawise]

Winegard tech support on saturday is open till 2PM central time.
The will need the full model number, not just Winegard 2.0 but rather Winegard 2.0 W2-36XX (whatever your complete model is)
Network name: Winegard2???

Network password will have to acquire from under the sim cover on the roof, from owners manual, from an inside sticker.
If you have to call Winegard the number is 800-288-8094.
To call T-Mobile tech support is 611 from any T-Mobile phone.
You have to know you IMEI number (usually 15 digit) for your Winegard equipment.
To access this number IMEI, use a tablet, computer, or phone and point your internet connection to the winegard network name.
Open a web browser and visit 10.11.12.1 on the address line.
User name is: admin
password is: admin
If this does not work, you will have to try the password you found on under the cover of on some sticker.
For me, neither of these passwords worked so I called Winegard tech support and they provided me with the original password to access the router in the Winegard.
Mine was a 12 digit letter number combination.
Once you are in the Winegard admin router screen click on the bottom down arrow and select: About.
Inside this screen has your IMEI number that will have to be provided to T-Mobile customer service.
This is International Mobile Equipment Identity that basically is like a serial number for that device.
Can I just but a cell phone sim card in a winegard and it will work. A little bit..
Let me explain. #1 the sim card from an Apple phone is way too small I purchased some sim card adapters on Amazon X000PD2H0T.
The sim card had to be placed in an adapter and than that adapter was placed in a 2nd adapter.
Since the sim chip has to be downward with you flip over this new stacked sim card it will all fall apart so I used some transparency tape all the way around the sim chip and cut away the access.
My RV was on the driveway and 50 feet away, in my home is my Apple desktop computer. This computer could see the internet, log on to it and use it just fine.
Speeds were between 75 - 100 Mbps. I could even log into Netflix and watch a movie on my desktop computer.
Now for some reason, my Apple table and my Samsung TV inside the RV could see the network, log into the network but not use the network.
I found this quite odd to log in with the correct username and network password and not be able to navigate anywhere..
My TV would pop up and state you are hook to the network but contact your internet service provider for support.
I spent over 4 hour total time with T-Mobile tech support to try to get this Wingard to support this sim card for the TV and Apple tablet.
Turns out I finally had to visit the T-Mobile local store with my IMEI in had and purchase a new plan with a new larger full size sim card to work.
For $50 a month they added the T-Mobile internet to my account, loaded the sim card with the IMEI number and this finally allowed all devices to see and use the internet.
T-Mobile and Winegard tech support both stated to use a standard voice sim card would only provide spotty service to the internet.
To have a dedicated full time internet connection, you have to purchase the full time T-Mobile home internet or Internet for business and use on of these sim cards instead.
So the purchase of the sim card adaptors was a waste...
These 5G sim card max out on speed at 75-100 Mbps once placed in a 4G device like a Winegard 2.0
Winegard 50 Mpbs plan cost $139 per month! (Price checked 2024-07-28 on Winegard website) Ouch!
In other words for $50 a month (auto pay account) you can get a T-Mobile for the similar speed for over 60% less.
So after a full day on the phone for both tech supports and up and down the RV ladder about 6 times and a trip to the T-Mobile phone store I have internet in my RV full time.
PS. The Winegard 2.0 is a 12 volt DC system and does not require the inverter to be turned on or to have the RV plugged in to operate.

Exactly we did t mobile home, no slow winegard $50 month.
Then got Verizon home $25 month unlimited FAST & a free computer deal..

 

[BBrand]

Why go to all that trouble. TMoble home internet is $35 per month and works great for me everwhere

 

[Scubawise]

Why go to all that trouble. TMoble home internet is $35 per month and works great for me everwhere

Tested t mobile in many NM state parks, etc with family. Many times no or reduced signal & family had signal. As a matter of fact we had to use their Verizon as a hotspot !

 

[GrandRover]

Wingard are thieves when it comes to their data plans. I went through the process of getting a plan with Verizon and installed the Verizon sim into my Winegard but never could get it to work. Winegard claimed it would but it turned out that the only Verizon sim that works in the Winegard is the one that Winegard sells you at an outrageous monthly cost. I ended up going with a Verizon separate Hotspot box. It is cheaper but it still relies on the 4G / 5G signal strength wherever you are camping. I am lucky to get 10mbps in most locations. It is enough to stream movies but not good for much else.

A friend of mine uses a T-Mobile home internet hotspot at $50 per month. There are lots of possibilities. Verizon just offered me a much cheaper plan, $39 per month with unlimited data, that uses a larger router. The caveat is that it goes up by $15 per month after one year and you have to agree to a three year term.

I also though about Starlink but I hear it is slow.

 

[Chateau_Nomad]

Wingard are thieves when it comes to their data plans. I went through the process of getting a plan with Verizon and installed the Verizon sim into my Winegard but never could get it to work. Winegard claimed it would but it turned out that the only Verizon sim that works in the Winegard is the one that Winegard sells you at an outrageous monthly cost. I ended up going with a Verizon separate Hotspot box. It is cheaper but it still relies on the 4G / 5G signal strength wherever you are camping. I am lucky to get 10mbps in most locations. It is enough to stream movies but not good for much else.

A friend of mine uses a T-Mobile home internet hotspot at $50 per month. There are lots of possibilities. Verizon just offered me a much cheaper plan, $39 per month with unlimited data, that uses a larger router. The caveat is that it goes up by $15 per month after one year and you have to agree to a three year term.

I also though about Starlink but I hear it is slow.

Nothing fancy for us... Visible (Verizon) 2 phones $50/month no contract... unlimited data with free hotspot.

Problem is a cell signal is rare where we "glamp". Hello expensive Starlink!

 

[Scubawise]

Wingard are thieves when it comes to their data plans. I went through the process of getting a plan with Verizon and installed the Verizon sim into my Winegard but never could get it to work. Winegard claimed it would but it turned out that the only Verizon sim that works in the Winegard is the one that Winegard sells you at an outrageous monthly cost. I ended up going with a Verizon separate Hotspot box. It is cheaper but it still relies on the 4G / 5G signal strength wherever you are camping. I am lucky to get 10mbps in most locations. It is enough to stream movies but not good for much else.

A friend of mine uses a T-Mobile home internet hotspot at $50 per month. There are lots of possibilities. Verizon just offered me a much cheaper plan, $39 per month with unlimited data, that uses a larger router. The caveat is that it goes up by $15 per month after one year and you have to agree to a three year term.

I also though about Starlink but I hear it is slow.

We use Verizon home internet on the road.
Has tested better than the mobile.
If you call Verizon you may get for $25 month. I switched phones etc to Verizon and saved.
Verizon sim does work in Winegard but forget 5g..

 

[The Gritz Carlton]

Agree that Winegard is a joke!! We added the T-Mobile JeXtream to our account and carried it out west last year. Worked perfectly with 2 exceptions...those two areas with zero signal on anything else. I carry it everywhere now. I even use my own internet when visiting family and friends and for TV on the boat at anchor in our bays. It's cheaper monthly than activating Winegard...which is nothing more than a security shield when using public wifi. Winegard did a great job oh selling the RV industry a pink pig. The only benefit is the OTA antenna is built in...that's all I use it for. I have the separate T-Mobile "white box" at home. If I didn't need internet for our cameras and alarm, I would use the JeXtream for home internet also. Two phones, mobile internet and home internet (4 devices) with unlimited 5G on all is $225 per month. T-Mobile is now experimenting with satellite service. I think they're kicking everyone's butt right now.

 

[Chateau_Nomad]

We're heading out west again this year. Our plan for full coverage everywhere is Starlink. A little pricey, but for now it seems to be the best alternative. We'll be hiking in Utah, so I'm thinking about toting the Mini in a backpack with small emergency DC battery pack.

 

[Scubawise]

Yes. Verizon home used home & road.
Xfinity cable

Agree that Winegard is a joke!! We added the T-Mobile JeXtream to our account and carried it out west last year. Worked perfectly with 2 exceptions...those two areas with zero signal on anything else. I carry it everywhere now. I even use my own internet when visiting family and friends and for TV on the boat at anchor in our bays. It's cheaper monthly than activating Winegard...which is nothing more than a security shield when using public wifi. Winegard did a great job oh selling the RV industry a pink pig. The only benefit is the OTA antenna is built in...that's all I use it for. I have the separate T-Mobile "white box" at home. If I didn't need internet for our cameras and alarm, I would use the JeXtream for home internet also. Two phones, mobile internet and home internet (4 devices) with unlimited 5G on all is $225 per month. T-Mobile is now experimenting with satellite service. I think they're kicking everyone's butt right now.

Yes Verizon home used home & road.
Xfinity cable $14 month used home for backup & security

 

[dkoldman]

Agree that Winegard is a joke!!

Winegard did a great job on selling the RV industry a pink pig.

Just reading those instructions for Winegard gave me a headache. It is NOT just a pink pig Winegard is selling, they have put Lipstick on the Pink Pig and some RV owners are going for it like a crappie biting my bass minnows.

Speeds of Tmobile, Verizon & AT&T are irrelevant these days. Spectrum just gave me 1gb service at home for free because they wanted to prove how great they were over T Mobile's 200mps. The problem that most folks don't understand that you literally can get by with 50mps and never miss a show.

Now if you are on a public park wifi trying to boost their services with wifi camp pro devices and range extenders, more power to you because speed ( actually bandwidth) is everything in those situations. I just plug and play. I don't even want T mobile's newest box because my status quo works excellent. Upgrading technology with no real need is bad these days, it is like upgrading the firmware on an Epson printer, the new software will actually shut your printer down and disable it these days.

 

[Chateau_Nomad]

Just reading those instructions for Winegard gave me a headache. It is NOT just a pink pig Winegard is selling, they have put Lipstick on the Pink Pig and some RV are going for like a crappie biting my bass minnows.

Speeds of Tmobile, Verizon & AT&T are irrelevant these days. Spectrum just gave me 1gb service at home for free because they wanted to prove how great they were over T Mobile's 200mps. The problem that most folks don't understand that you literally get by with 50mps and never miss a show,

Now if you are on a public park wifi trying to boost their service with wifi camp pro devices ad range extenders, more power to you. I just plug and play. I don't even want T mobile's newest box because my status quo works excellent. Upgrading technology with no real need is bad these days, it is like upgrading the firmware on an Epson printer, the new software will actually shut your printer down and disable it these days.

As for firmware/software upgrades, I always try to stay one version behind. I let those who like "cutting edge" guinea pig all the bugs out and do all the testing.

 

[dkoldman]

As for firmware/software upgrades, I always try to stay one version behind. I let those who like "cutting edge" guinea pig all the bugs out and do all the testing.

My view or point is the newer T Mobile Home Internet boxes may be programmed where they can automatically shut you down based on GPS location and a algorithm. I have no proof, but who needs proof of anything these days. It is akin to those 360° cameras WBGO stuck in all 3 of my vent fans embedded with the knobs

But seriously, I was trying to figure out why the Jeep's Auto Start / Stop would not enable, not that I like Stop / Start but I wanted to get rid of the message of the dashboard. So I pull out my Innova ODB2 and sure enough it had a upgrade of software. So I loaded hoping to make it more current with the newer Jeep and sure enough it no longer worked as it had before. My older manual was borderline obsolete. They even took away my WiFi access because the unit now ONLY works with 2.4G. Both of my networks at home are 5G. I am pretty sure the new software that required access to mic, cameras, contacts and more sends whoever own Innova all of the info about me and all of my vehicle to Allstate who publicly admits they buy such information and adjust insurance accordingly.

 

[PS89]

If I didn't need internet for our cameras and alarm, I would use the JeXtream for home internet also

T-Mo now offers a $20/mo, 130 GB/mo "Home Internet Backup" plan. Might be a price-worthy option.

 

[The Gritz Carlton]

My view or point is the newer T Mobile Home Internet boxes may be programmed where they can automatically shut you down based on GPS location and a algorithm. I have no proof, but who needs proof of anything these days. It is akin to those 360° cameras WBGO stuck in all 3 of my vent fans embedded with the knobs

But seriously, I was trying to figure out why the Jeep's Auto Start / Stop would not enable, not that I like Stop / Start but I wanted to get rid of the message of the dashboard. So I pull out my Innova ODB2 and sure enough it had a upgrade of software. So I loaded hoping to make it more current with the newer Jeep and sure enough it no longer worked as it had before. My older manual was borderline obsolete. They even took away my WiFi access because the unit now ONLY works with 2.4G. Both of my networks at home are 5G. I am pretty sure the new software that required access to mic, cameras, contacts and more sends whoever own Innova all of the info about me and all of my vehicle to Allstate who publicly admits they buy such information and adjust insurance accordingly.

The T-Mobile "home" internet "white box" will shut you down if not far from home. It's regionally programmed. That's why I have the JeXtream for the road. I would just use the mobile device for both but I need internet at home when we're away.

 

[dkoldman]

The T-Mobile "home" internet "white box" will shut you down if not far from home. It's regionally programmed. That's why I have the JeXtream for the road. I would just use the mobile device for both but I need internet at home when we're away.

I have Spectrum at home.

I don't doubt T Mobile will shut you down based on where and how used. I just know In about 3 1/2 years of hearing it is not suppose to work, I have never had an issue. Now I have the Black box. But as I said earlier, I will never willingly upgrade my Black box. My Mother has the white box but she use it only at home for real.

For me it is simple, I pay $360 / year for mine. If they ever shut me down, I will simply return it, I don't need it otherwise. I carry every where I go even in the Navigator. Works great.

My uneducated guess is what happens, the shutdowns may occur for those that are in areas where not allowed for long duration meaning they are trying to use at a permanent location not allowed, they eventually catch up with them and shut it down. IDK, I do know that I do not have any issues, despite being told they will shut you down for years

 

[ducksface]

I don't have T-Mobile; I didn't trust them about the future. Four people here have them. They are registered in:

Lake Havasu, 180 miles away
Fountain Hills, 150 miles away
Las Vegas, 220 miles away

They aren't mobile, but they are outside their registered address areas.

T-Mobile said they wouldn't work outside the area.
They do work.

 

[dkoldman]

I don't have T-Mobile; I didn't trust them about the future. Four people here have them. They are registered in:

Lake Havasu, 180 miles away
Fountain Hills, 150 miles away
Las Vegas, 220 miles away

They aren't mobile, but they are outside their registered address areas.

T-Mobile said they wouldn't work outside the area.
They do work.

I have seen many people say they will not work or will drop you, but not sure if I have seen one that said it happened to them?

I do know that almost 4 years ago I called T Mobile tech support and they said they don't check, but if you were at a location long enough he suggested a few months you ight get flagged. But all of that was a long time ago. I am not about to call T mobile and ask because I have what I want. If I want my box to be white, I cam go to wal mart and get a 99cent can of spray paint.

With that said and after about 17 years I expect to get screwed by T Mobile soon, they have been perfect, but this whole Satellite Space X stuff has been worried. I think T mobile is going #1 raise all the rates on all my services and make me pay for that damn satellite crap. I know it is not crap for those that need it. I don't need it, might as well make me pay for leather that goes in a Rolls Royce, I don't need it either. I am sure someone does and I ain't mad at them.

 

[GrandRover]

I don't have T-Mobile; I didn't trust them about the future. Four people here have them. They are registered in:

Lake Havasu, 180 miles away
Fountain Hills, 150 miles away
Las Vegas, 220 miles away

They aren't mobile, but they are outside their registered address areas.

T-Mobile said they wouldn't work outside the area.
They do work.

Interesting, I tried T-Mobile for home internet in 2022 after hurricane Ian hit my area. It was very slow and I returned it (which was a hassle). In hindsight maybe it was slow because most of the towers were down in the area. How well does it work speedwise when RV traveling?

 

[dkoldman]

I just opened my T Mobile bill. No change yet. The last two years pricing has been increasing as reported in media. They even said all those that had not had increases before were getting them now, ( starting last month). But my bill is still the same at least for one more month. The anxiety on possible increase is starting to take it's toll. My rate / plan has been the same since Day 1 with T Mobile so as long as it is not outrageous, I don't mine paying more. Especially given I take my black box with me everywhere I go. I am hoping that maybe because I have 5 voice lines and one home internet line, they may be leaving my account alone?

FWIW, 3 times in last 6 weeks we had Spectrum power outage and I was able to use Home Internet and my RV generator to supply power to the house while I worked from home. That is just a side bonus.