Cradlepoint Wireless WAN (wide area network)

[Coach and JoJo]

If anyone got the Cradlepoint wireless option, I would like to hear your feedback.... $1950. for this option is expensive if it is not going to give me decent Wi-Fi service. Comments and experiences appreciated!

[John E Davies]

Maybe you should post a link? This is the very first I have heard of this, it isn’t even shown in the website Options page. It isn’t WIFI but rather cellular based. Is it 5G and does it include a proper roof antenna (the Weeboost stubby antenna is junk).

For nearly $2000 I would just wait and get a Starlink system…. Or use a portable hotspot and a good  external antenna on a TALL pole.

Thanks.

John Davies

Spokane WA

[Mattnan]

From our some what limited experience internet service at campgrounds is spotty.  Sometimes it is distance but often it is the number of users trying to access the internet at the same time.  Slow, poor access, and constantly crashing.  We finally gave up and used 1 phone a a hot spot and then migrated to a hot spot device that will support a handful of devices.  Just my 2 cents.  We have the Oliver Wi-Fi booster on our 2019 Ollie.  Knowing what I know now I am not sure that was $600 well spent.  We have the cell booster too.   

[Coach and JoJo]

The cradlepoint system was developed for companies that had a need for wide area communications. Police, Ambulance, etc.  It is now developed for Boating and RV purposes. This is NOT a cell booster. It is a combination Router and WiFi with a super ability to locate signals. Like a cell phone but with much more powerful antenna that are external. It is not dependent on a park or campground antenna, but uses cell towers with the ability to pull signal at 4k and HD from great distances.   Still doing my research...A lot of recent You Tube video on this technology new to RV and Boating............If anyone get this prior to August let me know how it works......THANKS OLIVER FAMILY!

[Overland]

I heard a rumor that Oliver was thinking about offering it.

I have one - we had an owner on the forum four or so years ago who could get them for owners at wholesale. So relative to what we paid, that’s a remarkably expensive price. Plus cradlepoint now requires a subscription service plan for support. It’s a great little device - really love ours - but it would be difficult to recommend at that price.

And I’d never recommend it for anyone who’s not comfortable with complex tech. It’s a professional router that’s designed for corporate clients whom they assume have dedicated and trained staff to maintain it.  User friendly it is not.

I’d say that nice though it is, even if Oliver is offering to pay the subscription support costs, give it a hard pass and don’t look back.  Satellite internet is way too close to spend a chunk of money on an expensive cell router. 

[Overland]

3 hours ago, Coach and JoJo said:

This is NOT a cell booster. It is a combination Router and WiFi with a super ability to locate signals.

This is true, but you can enable WiFi calling on iPhones (and I assume others?) and then it’s essentially the same thing. 

[Coach and JoJo]

Thanks for your info Overland....I will take your advice and pass on it....Starlink here I come!

 

[SeaDawg]

Starlink is $500 for fixed equipment.  $99 a month.  Today, anyway. 

Not sure of the rate when it becomes mobile . Nor what rooftop equipment will cost. 

Worth its weight (and gold), if you really need signal in Timbuktu. 

Otherwise,  Verizon does us pretty well, usa, and tmobile in most pf Canada,  Europe,  and Australia. 

 

[John E Davies]

Even if Starlink gets it’s act together quickly to get the RV program operational, it will still be crippled by interference from trees and buildings, and it is extremely power hungry (100 watts) so it isn’t suitable for a whole lot of places I would normally choose. My wife needs to be able to do teleconferences, so minutes-long blackouts are unacceptable. If you just want to download Netflix videos to watch later, it would be fine. 

As much as I love the concept, I still hate seeing many thousands of satellites in low orbit. That is going to come back and bite them one day when there is a collision with a manned spacecraft. We have too much space junk and we should not be putting up more. First we should create an efficient way to dispose of what is already there.

John Davies

Space Nut, WA

[Coach and JoJo]

I saw a couple of you tube videos about Nighthawk M-1 mobile router....looks interesting!  Anybody using a Nighthawk?

[rideadeuce]

We have a Cradlepoint and their omnidirectional roof top antenna that was installed by the service department since 2018. Love the wifi and reception in and out of the Ollie but have to agree with Snowball not sure I would recommend at this point. It has been a pain at times not having the subscription nor computer savvy to fix simple issues easily.  One good thing, there are finally some decently priced unlimited data plans from the big 3 which makes a cellular modem more useful. We recently got a 100GB un-throttled data plan through ATT for $55/month prepaid. A lot of times cellular companies do not want to give you unlimited or fast data for hotspot usage without charging an arm and a leg. It has been the real issue for me trying to save money and switching plans only to find out the data didn't work as advertised. I do feel like their should be a simpler option that would work just fine like some of the mobile hotspots, satellite, etc. but saying that there are some very cool features like better reception than from a cell phone due to better technology combined with stronger antenna, better GPS signal, Wifi outside of the camper ( good for when in TV), can have 2 SIMs installed for switching between services, nice being able to keep Ollie connected to the internet and for wifi connected devices like alarms, cameras, door bells, temp sensors (main cab and fridge), Victron energy, etc. 

[Overland]

I think that if I were doing this today, I'd just get a 5g wifi hotspot, since many of them can be used with an external antenna.  The Netgear hotspots that AT&T sells look pretty robust to me.  5G, two external antenna ports, ethernet port, battery powered with USB charging, wifi 6, etc.  It's $500, but honestly, it's a better device for what any of us need than my Cradlepoint, and not so much that I'd regret having spent it if something better comes along in a few years.

We have an unlimited AT&T account that allows us to add extra devices for just $20/month, and I just use the sim from my iPad when we travel, so essentially we're not paying anything extra for the trailer.  So, it's not too bad, discounting the steep base price of course.  But it's the best choice for us here since Verizon coverage isn't great.  If we were out west, I'd be looking for a Verizon plan - I'm sure they have something similar.

[Overland]

On 6/8/2021 at 8:16 PM, Coach and JoJo said:

I saw a couple of you tube videos about Nighthawk M-1 mobile router....looks interesting!  Anybody using a Nighthawk?

That's the Netgear one that I mentioned above, I think.  I haven't used one, but like I said above, the specs look spot on.  It looks to me like the only real disadvantage over the Cradlepoint is that for me it would be a little harder to swap the SIM card with my iPad.

[AndrewK]

We use the Netgear Nighthawk with the $50 Netgear portable MIMO antenna with AT&T.

Everytime we have used it, it has had better reception than my Apple iPhone SE on Visable(Verison).

We just put the antenna in the window with the best reception.

Andrew

[Middlefork49]

The Cradlepoint does seem pricey, and we'd sure be happy to find something that would work well for a cheaper price. We'll have to do more research to figure out which option will best meet our needs, as well as continue following this thread for more feedback before finalizing our build. Thanks for starting this discussion Coach and Jojo!

Here's a link I just found:  https://rvlife.com/mobile-hotspot-plans-for-rvers/

[Mark and Lorraine]

Does anyone have experience with a Solis Skyroam? https://soliswifi.co/?rfsn=5639186.ba6b66

My unit won't be comlete until May of '22 and I do have reservations with adding the options currently available including cradlepoint. 

Two things I like about Solis: It picks up the best cell provider in the area, so your not locked into one service provider. And you can select a pay as you go with your purchased data not expiring with a billing cycle.

[Trainman]

Were still trying to camp the old fashion way and get away from all this high tech stuff, so far the iPhone works well for us, just don't see spending $$$'s just to hope you get something that will work much better. If you talk to campers that have more suffocated equipment they will tell you it still iffy at times and spending more $$$'s may not be the thing to do. All being said, someday we will all be connected with a implanted chip and we will just be able to think about it and we will have our answer, I can hardly wait for the day.

trainman 

[chiwald]

Hello there, I will be making my final selection choices in June for my Oliver and I have on my order to get the cradlepoint wireless wan. Our Oliver is for camping and travel, not a business so I am exploring less costly options. I know this is an older thread so I'm wondering if there is new info for other options? Any info is greatly appreciated. Thank you

Christi

[SeaDawg]

If I felt I needed more internet than our 5g phones could access, I'd order the starlink, and take advantage of their roaming program for rvs. (Full disclosure, I have a starlink on order...)

The monthly fee is $135 for roaming ability, but it is billed in one month increments,  and can be started and stopped at any time. (Subject to change, of course, as with anything produced by a Musk company...)

[chiwald]

I'm assuming the starlink will let you stream on TV with Hulu, Netflix, etc.?

CW

[SeaDawg]

We've had a long thread on Starlink running for quite awhile. Several people here have it at home, and @IL_Travelers has been using the roaming ability on a trip out west. His comments are on the page 4.

 

[VBistro]

Had Starlink for RVs been available when we finalized our build, I would have skipped the Cradlepoint. But I had good experience with CP in another rig, so opted for it in our Oliver. 
 

That said, if you opt for CP, don’t bother with the service bundled by Oliver - Mobility Help Desk. You’ll get MUCH better rates if you simply purchase a SIM and plan directly from the carrier. Mobility Help Desk plans are ridiculously expensive, and the “help desk” doesn’t offer much help in setup and/or configuring the system to your needs

[chiwald]

Hi again,

I've beening doing more research on this topic and I am worried about getting starlink and the tree obstruction situation.  I just chatted with Cradlepoint and he said there were no month fees to pay them, that after the first year, you can renew support for $65 per year I think is what he said. So the monthy fee would be just from Verizon for the added line per month? I know it is a large upfront cost, which is why I'm not sure, I just want to be able to get decent service wherever we are and I know camping in State Forests and such, there is ZERO cell service. If you have found something that works good and since this is an older post, will you share it? Thanks so much! And thanks VBistro for the tip on declining the service from Oliver.

CW

[SeaDawg]

With the growing  proliferation of 5g signal  I'm wondering if a less expensive 5g modem /hotspot with an advanced Qualcomm chip that combines signals , and a decent antenna,  wouldn't suit your needs, for less. 

But, I'm no expert, as I continue to look at alternatives, for us. We spend a lot of time in rural, mountainous western North Carolina.  My Verizon phone gives me internet most of the time, and it's enough for our needs. I turn on the hotspot, and my husband uses his tablet from my phone. In Canada, we're vice versa. His tmobile phone works better in most places. Neither worked in remote spaces in the Yukon, but our last trip there was several years ago, pre covid.

Where do you plan to camp? (Regions)  we've found at least  limited cell service east of the Mississippi in many remote locations. I don't camp much in the west, but even two different  services can be spotty or nonexistent,  way out there. 

You might want to read through some of the info on technomadia's mobile internet access website. Chris and Cheri test all kinds of gear, and offer honest and useful analyses. 

One thing is pretty certain. Whatever tech you buy today, will become a tech relic in a year or two. 5g will be a super game changer, imo.

 

 

 

[SeaDawg]

To clarify, my scenario: 

15 years ago, we bought a property for camping, way out in the sticks,  in western North carolina. At that time, we had tmobile only. We had to get in the truck and drive several miles to a country  church parking lot where we could pick up enough signal to call our daughter.  A few months in, bought a separate Verizon cheap flip phone and cheap plan, and, immediately,  had capability.  It was a safety game changer.

We've kept that two plan service concept going. Mine usually works where his doesn't,  and vice versa. Unless no towers anywhere, like parts of the Yukon.