iboost or other....? (1 Viewer)

[Just smiffy]

thinking of getting an iboost, has anyone got good or bad things to say about them or recommend somthing better/cheaper...?

For use on a site and connecting iPads and phones...

 

[Chris]

We have an iboost and have nothing bad to say really.

It's a bit of a faff to set up initially but since I delegated that bit to my wife it has been ok.

Particularly good if you are on a site with paid for wifi and multiple devices.

 

[WillinFrance]

Just purchased one last week.
So far just tested it at home connecting to the home WiFi router from about 50m.
Set up was very easy, once I disconnected the WiFi Booster, it picked up a strong WiFi signal, were I was struggling to get a signal with the phone.
So far very pleased with it. Will be testing it in Spain in the next few weeks.
Excellant service, delivery and support.
I a sure there are alternative / cheaper options, but you may need more skills in setting up the system.

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[Jim]

My iboost works great, but I've come across an issue recently that is a pain. In that, you can't change the wifi password. So if you give the password to someone, or in my case the kids have it. you cannot change it, you must use the password that is stuck on the outside of the router. The password is hard coded into the router, which means while I'm trying to work, the kids are nicking my bandwidth. Normally I would change the password for a few hours while I needed the bandwidth, but with the iboost there's not a lot I can do about it apart from curse them

So guard your Iboost password, you cannot change it.

 

[Gromett]

It is a pricey but good bit of kit. If you know networking/electronics and have a bit of time you can save quite a bit by buying the parts, making a PoE injector and configuring the routers yourself. I could have done it but prefered something that was pre-configured. I bought mine very shortly after they came out and have been very happy with it.

 

[TheBig1]

http://www.solwise.co.uk/wireless-usb-usbwifirpt-3000.html

plus

http://www.solwise.co.uk/wireless-usb-patriot-usb.html

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[JohnH]

As @grommett said. A more expensive way of buying what you can get off the shelf but unless you are an IT specialist I guess that the iBoost is easier to set up.
I bought the items off the shelf and it is not very easy to set up. I used to be an instructor on various computer systems and I struggled.
You pays your money and takes your choice.

 

[Minxy]

Any good?

Link Removed

 

[Deleted member 29692]

iBoost for use every single time.

You can certainly get cheaper options but you won't get the unbeatable support and after sales service that Motorhome WiFi provide.

If you think you have the skills and knowledge to never ever need any support or help with it no matter what goes wrong then save yourself a few quid and buy the Solwise one or one of the other cheapo ones. If you don't have those skills or that knowledge.......

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[Deleted member 29692]

One other point.

We've had far more success with the iBoost in the UK than we have in Europe. It still finds plenty of networks but there don't seem to be as many public or unsecured networks as there are here. Of course they might be available on campsites but we don't use them so I couldn't say for sure.

We have a MiFi which we use far more when we're abroad.

 

[Camping Gaza]

I got a high gain wifi antenna on a mag mount I stick above the cab window and run the skinny co axial under and through the starboard side dinette window. That connects to a plug in dongle (like a usb stick) that has the wifi stuff receiver in it. on the lap top select I the dongle wifi and it pulls in signals fine.

Its omni directional of course meaning you dont have to point it. After all antennas in all their shapes and form are simply resonant bits of wire cut to the desired frequency, ie wavelength. You can only boost a signal by amplification of said signal, so if you have a good receiving antenna that is resonant and low loss... You're sorted in many cases.

Oh and the price? around £10.00

looks like this:

 

[Deleted member 29692]

I got a high gain wifi antenna on a mag mount I stick above the cab window and run the skinny co axial under and through the starboard side dinette window. That connects to a plug in dongle (like a usb stick) that has the wifi stuff receiver in it. on the lap top select I the dongle wifi and it pulls in signals fine.

Its omni directional of course meaning you dont have to point it. After all antennas in all their shapes and form are simply resonant bits of wire cut to the desired frequency, ie wavelength. You can only boost a signal by amplification of said signal, so if you have a good receiving antenna that is resonant and low loss... You're sorted in many cases.

Oh and the price? around £10.00

looks like this:

Great if you take a laptop or something with a USB port and it's only for you.

If you only use a tablet or a phone or if you need to be able to connect multiple devices? Not so useful

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[Camping Gaza]

For 3 and 4g I use a netgear aircard. That gives me a hotspot in the van. Still trying to get a decent antenna for that when I wild. and yes the wifi is only for me... I am all alone in this world and travel solo.......

 

[Greenway]

Good bit of kit and of course always great service from motorhome wifi.
I ordered a mifi kit yesterday at 4:15 and it arrived this morning at 10:30 and that was with standard delivery. Again I know I could by it cheaper elsewhere but like knowing if I have a problem I can email and get a reply almost immediately.

 

[Gromett]

After all antennas in all their shapes and form are simply resonant bits of wire cut to the desired frequency, ie wavelength. You can only boost a signal by amplification of said signal, so if you have a good receiving antenna that is resonant and low loss

Not quite correct, Antennas come in many forms from a straight dipole to a yagi to a satellite dish. You can get a stronger signal by using an antenna that is directional, the more directional the more gain. An amplifier is just as likely to amplify noise as it is the signal (generally speaking) so it is better to get a better antenna than resort to amplification.

How do I know this? I am a radio amateur and during my formative years I had a passion for antenna design for my Packet radio set up. This is why the number 300 has stuck in my head for so long.

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[wigster]

Cant fault my iboost , didn't realise you couldn't change the password , was about to give access to others as connection is poor to site wifi without it. Thanks @Jim for that .

 

[Munchie]

My iboost works great, but I've come across an issue recently that is a pain. In that, you can't change the wifi password. So if you give the password to someone, or in my case the kids have it. you cannot change it, you must use the password that is stuck on the outside of the router. The password is hard coded into the router, which means while I'm trying to work, the kids are nicking my bandwidth. Normally I would change the password for a few hours while I needed the bandwidth, but with the iboost there's not a lot I can do about it apart from curse them

So guard your Iboost password, you cannot change it.

Agrred Jim, they also will not allow you to change the name from iboost xxx so sites do not see it! Though their service is good otherwise they just will not listen to the customer on these points! They respond with a load of waffle about customers forgetting what they have changed!

 

[Jim]

They respond with a load of waffle about customers forgetting what they have changed!

Yes I was told the same that a lot of their tech support is because people lose passwords. So they've hard coded the password and the SSID Router Name. They say this saves them a lot of support calls. I suppose it suits the vast majority of their customers. But IMO there should be a better way of servicing those that lose their passwords. I can live without being able to change the SSID (which I assume they hard code just to advertise the name iBoost) that is just mildly annoying, but denied the basic security option of being able to change the password is not really on.

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[DBK]

I built my own iBoost equivalent but the saving wasn't great given the time, as already mentioned, it took to configure the thing. I can change the password through the setup pages but the same pages have oodles of other settings on them which you alter at your peril. It sounds as if Motorhome WiFi have set up the iBoost so users can't fiddle with these settings. Probably a sensible step.

 

[Just smiffy]

Thanks for all the info, I already use a mifi with three but they just seem to be strangling it at the mo, I have very good signal on it but it's just so slow where I am at the moment... the site wifi is good but somtimes drops as we're on the edge of it...

In a way it pi**** me off that that I've become reliant on wifi...

 

[Allanm]

We have had our iBoost for a couple of years or more. Its excellent, and even if you mess the settings up ( don't ask!) Adam from MHWifi will sort you out.
We are using it at the moment, picking up someones SFR Fon signal from a few hundred metres away

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[Deleted member 29692]

the site wifi is good but somtimes drops as we're on the edge of it...

Some sort of WiFi booster will solve that.

If you want something that will work straight out of the box and if you want support on the end of the phone then get an iBoost.

If you have the skills/knowledge to be able to configure it yourself without help then perhaps one of the cheaper ones.

If you have the skills and knowledge but simply can't be arsed to faff around then it's back to an iBoost

 

[Just smiffy]

Some sort of WiFi booster will solve that.

If you want something that will work straight out of the box and if you want support on the end of the phone then get an iBoost.

If you have the skills/knowledge to be able to configure it yourself without help then perhaps one of the cheaper ones.

If you have the skills and knowledge but simply can't be arsed to faff around then it's back to an iBoost

Looks like I'll be getting an iboost when I get back.....

 

[jockaneezer]

I'm not computer tech savvy at all, so I bought the iBoost a couple of years ago. I find I have to refer to the manual everytime I set it up (did I mention I'm thick ?) We've had mixed success with BT fon over here (probably down to me), but it's a winner with limited campsite wifi that's only available outside the reception say, and great for sharing devices.

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[BreweryDave]

I recently bought this one -
Link Removed

Very good, more powerful aerial, good customer support, and you can set your own password !

 

[Gromett]

I wasn't going to say anything about this. But I have bought a new router and a Ubuiqiti directional antenna. It is not that I am unhappy with the iBoost it has proven itself to be fantastic over the many years I have used it. However it doesn't have a few features that I wanted.

I have bought a that has a USB port, PoE and much more. This is a small router that has enterprise functionality. It comes preconfigured with a setup that works for powerline and wifi etc. But it will take a lot more work to get it working with everything else. I don't recommend buying this unless you know what you are doing. I couldn't believe it when I found an enterprise level feature set in a router aimed at the domestitic and SOHO market. Very happy with it.

The plan I have for it is to combine my directional wifi antenna with my 3G/4G modem so I have a single point of access no matter how I am connecting to the internet. I got fed up with swapping my 3G/4G modem for my iBoost then swapping that for my powerline setup. I wanted a single hardwired system.

I will post more details once I get the time to set it up properly.

 

[DBK]

I wasn't going to say anything about this. But I have bought a new router and a Ubuiqiti directional antenna. It is not that I am unhappy with the iBoost it has proven itself to be fantastic over the many years I have used it. However it doesn't have a few features that I wanted.

I have bought a that has a USB port, PoE and much more. This is a small router that has enterprise functionality. It comes preconfigured with a setup that works for powerline and wifi etc. But it will take a lot more work to get it working with everything else. I don't recommend buying this unless you know what you are doing. I couldn't believe it when I found an enterprise level feature set in a router aimed at the domestitic and SOHO market. Very happy with it.

The plan I have for it is to combine my directional wifi antenna with my 3G/4G modem so I have a single point of access no matter how I am connecting to the internet. I got fed up with swapping my 3G/4G modem for my iBoost then swapping that for my powerline setup. I wanted a single hardwired system.

I will post more details once I get the time to set it up properly.

I would be interested in seeing what you do. I wrote up my setup but I subsequently discovered I had set the Mikrotik incorrectly. Out of the box it seemed to work fine but then I discovered it was limited to only one user at a time. I have subsequently changed a few settings and it is now working with more than one user or device but I would not be confident I have set it up in the best possible way. I also haven't amended my instructions to show what I did. I've enclosed a copy of the un-amended version for info.

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[Khizzie]

Sold my iboost to another funster last year. I couldn't get on with it at all.. So sticking with my MIFI . Which so far has done all i need it to. Roy

 

[Gromett]

I would be interested in seeing what you do. I wrote up my setup but I subsequently discovered I had set the Mikrotik incorrectly. Out of the box it seemed to work fine but then I discovered it was limited to only one user at a time. I have subsequently changed a few settings and it is now working with more than one user or device but I would not be confident I have set it up in the best possible way. I also haven't amended my instructions to show what I did. I've enclosed a copy of the un-amended version for info.

Thanks for that. Interesting read. Most of my configuration with be the Mikrotik router as I will be setting up VLAN's and Bridges.
I have 2 computers to connect via ethernet, 3 devices will connect to it via Wifi, then on the output section it will connect to the internet either;

• via an ethernet cable to a powerline adapter
• via an ethernet cable to the Ubiquiti M2 wifi router
• via a 3G/4G Modem connected to the USB port.

This means that all my computers/laptops/tablets/phones will connect to a single point that never changes. The internet connection will be prioritised. It will try them in order of preference, Powerline -> M2 -> 4G -> 3G.
I wasn't going to document the setup and just do it as I need the different components. Guess I should document it and post it to my blog though.

 

[DBK]

Sold my iboost to another funster last year. I couldn't get on with it at all.. So sticking with my MIFI . Which so far has done all i need it to. Roy

I find a mifi almost universally useful, working almost everywhere but having a WiFi booster will come in handy at times. We go to a site in Cornwall a few times a year. It has poor broadband but they have free WiFi at reception. With my booster I could pick this up from some distance away.

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