In the process of equipping an RV for digital nomad life and future-proofing it for 5G, I have ordered a 9-in-1 antenna system that includes LTE: 4x4MiMo: 617-960/1710-6000MHz, WiFi:4x4MiMo: 2.4/5.0GHz and GPS/GNSS: 1 x1562-1612MHz 26dB LNA.
At this stage, the router of choice will be MAX Transit CAT-18.
This leaves 2 WiFi Antenna unused and terminated.
I was wondering if it would make any sense to split the 2 wifi connections of the transit towards 4 antennas using products like these:
I was considering this also after reading the settings “Wi-Fi Operating Mode” Found under AP Profile->AP settings.
The help states:
“The device with integrated AP can operate under two modes: WAN / AP, AP / AP.
When the device operates under WAN / AP mode, Wi-Fi 1 becomes the Wi-Fi WAN and Wi-Fi 2 functions as Wi-Fi AP.
When the device operates under AP / AP mode, both Wi-Fi 1 and Wi-Fi 2 function as dual band dual radio Wi-Fi AP. Wi-Fi 1 no longer functions as Wi-Fi WAN but 2.4GHz Wi-Fi AP; Wi-Fi 2 becomes 5GHz Wi-Fi AP.
Default: WAN / AP”
Would the split make any sense o bring any benefit?
@chunching, I don’t see how this provides any benefit and I recommend to just leave those 2 cables unused. The reason why is because going through the splitter/combiner you will actually cut the signal down by 3.5dB.
Thanks for the heads up @AskTim ! I thought somehow these or other splitters could be boosted. But I can see they are making things worse
I will let the 2 antennas terminated or go with @mystery suggestion and use those with a separate AP
Getting ready for the nomad life but not at it yet. Need to upgrade the electric equipement and solar system our our campervan as well
Thanks @mystery. This sound like a good idea.
Any suggestions for a wireless AP would you pair nicely to the Transit over the ethernet port? Thinking of;
12V
small size
low consumption
small form factor
industrial rugged
powerfull signal and sma connections for 2 external antennas
I don’t see peplink having small wifi AP only products
Chunching,
Me again… We’ve discussed the Cat 18 previously.
Not sure how large your camper van is, but, I have my CAT 18, with only the included paddle antennas installed, is located in the left most rearward corner of my RV.
I have decent cellular & WiFi signals at my location, but, I have experienced some buffering when streaming media to the TV’s. Not sure if it’s interference in the RV, device(s) configuration, or, some combination of both. I’ve been playing around with accessing the various APs within the RV park as well as passing the WiFi signals through the Peplink device with varying configuration settings to see if there is improvement or degradation in performance at the media device(s) (amount of/or lack thereof of buffering). With the CAT 18, there are a multitude of combinations to distribute cellular & WiFi signals .
While performance perception is not very scientific, the configuration changes made seem to be noticeable. You may find you may not need additional APs for your ‘nomad life’. Of course, each time you move, the quality of the cellular & WiFi signals will vary. Such is life in an RV.
I have a Poynting 7-1 Antenna, I have yet to install. The intent is to install it & the CAT 18 in a more central location in the RV. Hopefully this will improve signal distribution within the RV.
I realize there are areas within my RV which could possibly impede signal transmission, so your post regarding APs will be informative when suggestions are provided.
Hello @lemondrop9344, thanks for your detail comments.
Your real-life experience with the CAT-18 makes me very confident it will be the perfect solutions.
I have ordered it together with a 9-in-1 roof-mounted dome antenna (here I have extra antennas for the future-proofing or extra WiFi AP).
I will share my experience when all is mounted and up and running
