Best WiFi AP / Roaming Setup for BR1 Pro + AP One in Airstream (Aluminum) RV

General
1

Looking for some guidance on optimizing WiFi coverage in my Airstream travel trailer / tow vehicle setup.

Current hardware:

  • Peplink MAX BR1 Pro 5G router
  • Parsec Husky Pro 7-in-1 roof antenna connected to the BR1 Pro (4x cellular, 2x WiFi, GPS). This is mounted elevated above my air conditioners on the roof, 2/3 to the back of the trailer roof.
  • Peplink AP One AX mounted inside the trailer (mid way on an interior wall)
  • Airstream travel trailer (aluminum shell)

Current SSID / VLAN setup:

SSID1 (IoT VLAN)

  • Dedicated IoT VLAN
  • 2.4 GHz only
  • WPA2
  • Bandwidth restricted
  • Currently broadcasting on:
    • Channel 1 / 20 MHz
    • Channel 6 / 20 MHz

SSID2 (Primary client network)

  • Main VLAN for all phones, laptops, Apple TV, gaming devices, etc.
  • WPA2/WPA3
  • Broadcast on both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz for client roaming/range
  • Currently broadcasting on:
    • 5 GHz Channel 36 / 40 MHz
    • 5 GHz Channel 161 / 20 MHz

WAN:

  1. Cellular RoamLink
  2. Starlink (when parked)
  3. Sometimes we use the Campgrounds Wifi for wifi over Wan.

Signal observations from inside trailer:

  • Sitting approximately one interior wall away from the AP One AX:
    • SSID2 5 GHz radios show roughly 60–67% signal
    • SSID1 2.4 GHz radios show roughly 69–82% signal

Current issue:
WiFi performance inside the trailer is acceptable but not great, and coverage into the tow vehicle (20ft truck) while towing is poor to non-existent. Even sitting inside the trailer only one interior wall away from the AP One AX, signal strength seems weaker than expected. Once in the truck cab, signal falls off significantly.

I understand the Airstream aluminum shell creates a difficult RF environment, but I am trying to determine the best way to optimize with my existing Peplink gear before adding any additional external AP hardware.

Questions I am hoping to get some help with:

  1. Best practice for using the Husky Pro roof WiFi antenna leads together with an internal AP One AX — should the BR1 Pro WiFi radios remain active, or should WiFi broadcasting be handled only by the AP One? Am I experiencing overlap?

  2. Recommended AP Controller / roaming / band steering settings for a dual-band primary SSID where I want clients to prefer 5 GHz indoors but reliably fall back to 2.4 GHz outdoors and in the tow vehicle.

  3. Whether broadcasting duplicate 2.4/5 GHz radios from both the BR1 Pro and AP One is likely hurting more than helping in this small aluminum RF environment.

  4. Any recommended AP One mounting locations inside an aluminum Airstream for best interior coverage plus forward/outdoor propagation.

  5. Has anyone successfully extended usable WiFi from trailer to tow vehicle cab while in motion without adding an exterior AP?

My goals:

  • Strong/fast WiFi inside trailer
  • Reliable WiFi around campsite
  • Usable WiFi signal in truck cab while towing
  • Maintain separate VLAN/SSID for IoT traffic
3

I have the husky 7 with a Pepwave Max transit Duo, 43ft 5th wheel (37FLL) Husky 7 mounted center/center of 5th wheel and see same “poor” performance.

I connected one WIFi connection to the Husky 7 and the other to the default antenna that shipps with the Pepwave and get better trailer internal WIFI now. Husky 7 is ok for cellular but not impressed with WIFI abilities. I don’t think the aluminum body is hurting you as much as you may think.

As a test, you might want to hook up your default antennas and see if you could put a aluminum cook pot covering the antennas and see if aluminum is stopping any signal.