4g roof antenna - which one?

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Jimbob45

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I'm not sure there's much in the way of practical comparisons available, but theory is to get an omni-directional aerial rather than a directional one, as the signal could be coming from anywhere, and not necessarily direct. So avoid high-gain directional antennae. Be interesting to hear if anyone's got more info.

I had a look around a while ago, and thought these two looked good:

http://www.panorama-antennas.com/si...0&mfp=path[4G+LTE+Antennas_LTE-router-antenna - looks like the unit you linked

Does your Huawei have two aerial connectors for MIMO LTE?

4GAntenna have some advice and sell a few less expensive omnidirectional antennas; they might be worth speaking to:

And here's an article on the subject: https://editorsean.com/articles/3g4g-antenna-advice/

I also liked the look of the Spitz GL-X750 router https://www.gl-inet.com/products/gl-x750/ which is compatible with OpenWRT https://openwrt.org/
 
Someone on here researched, sourced and fitted their own setup... a much cheaper option than Mohowifi...

The thread included a lot of detail and pics IIR.. (y)
 
I fitted a Poynting MIMO antenna - description of the job in my signature block. Cost was about £125. It is just for broadband though they had versions with a GPS antenna built in too. @Lenny HB has fitted the same one. Performance is excellent and in some locations it will pick up a signal where a mobile phone can't although generally it just gets a faster connection than the MiFi on its own.

Solwise only seem to sell the version with GPS now (A-MIMO-1) which I don't think is any hardship as in retrospect I should have gone for one of these instead. My current GPS doesn't have antenna connections but several Garmin ones do and they are not their most expensive models.

There are also some smaller "Puck" antenna which are cheaper but probably don't give as much gain. There should be specification sheets you can download somewhere.

The MiFi should be mounted as close to the antenna as possible as signal strength is lost down every metre of cable.

https://www.solwise.co.uk/4g-wifi-antenna-omni-a-mimo-1.html
 
We got the antennae only from Motorhome Wifi a couple of years ago. Seems it has gone up by£50 in the last couple of years. Works well for us, with 4G throughout Portugal Spain and France on our last trip.
 
We have the motorhomewifi version and very very happy with it. (y) Yes, it costs a fair bit more, but it is the after sales support that Adam and Sophie gives that is excellent.:) I fitted ours in lieu of the Status Aerial and was very simple. Remove Status pole and slot in 4G Antennae in the same hole. Connect the charger to the same power source lead as the Status Amp and connect the 2 antennae leads, then the attached fly leads to the MiFi unit. Job Done, no mess, no drilling. ;) The New Forest is renowned for none to poor phone reception and in all the times we have used it, the 4G signal is strong. Used with the Vodafone 100Gb deal and those wet and windy UK weekends are transformed with Fire TV.:D2
 
DBK said:
Solwise only seem to sell the version with GPS now (A-MIMO-1)
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They are still selling both.
You do need to allow about £25 for leads to connect and as John says keep them as short as possible as the cable losses are very high. I kept mine to ½m certainly wouldn't want to go over 1 metre. If you buy the Puck with a lot less gain cable length becomes even more critical.

With the MIMO so far only once have we not been able to get a signal (top of a mountian in France). Had to change networks sometimes to get a signal but have been up in the mountains in Spain where neither of our phones would pick up a network or data signal, but the MIMO would pull in 3G.
 
Thanks guys , very helpful!

Think I will go for the Pontypoint, seems well rated and half the price. The guy at solwise said it has 30cm cables. Included, might need a little longer though.

A little nervous of drilling a hole in the roof in our 1 year old Hymer, but I’ll read @DBK ‘s fitting guide first!

Any thoughts on the benefits of the version with GPS?

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Jimbob45 said:
Any thoughts on the benefits of the version with GPS?
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TBH an external GPS antenna isn't really necessary except perhaps for those MHs with a bed above the cab overhanging the windscreen which might block the satnav from getting a good view of the sky. It was the geek in me which was attracted to the idea, though no doubt accuracy will be improved by using one. :)
 
Hi, I’ve recently purchased a Poynting Puck 2. It’s permanently connected to the mifi and I have run the cables to the back doors of my PVC. The Puck has a strong magnetic base and I store it inside clamped to a small metal disc on the end of upper cupboards. When I need better 4G reception I just open the back doors and clamp it on the roof. I’m currently in the New Forest; 1 bar on phone and 4/5 bars on mifi. It’s a simple solution with no holes drilled in the roof. If it continually proves its worth I’ll permanently fit on the roof because one of these days I’m going to drive off and find out just how good the magnet is !!!
 
Waveski said:
Hi, I’ve recently purchased a Poynting Puck 2. It’s permanently connected to the mifi and I have run the cables to the back doors of my PVC. The Puck has a strong magnetic base and I store it inside clamped to a small metal disc on the end of upper cupboards. When I need better 4G reception I just open the back doors and clamp it on the roof. I’m currently in the New Forest; 1 bar on phone and 4/5 bars on mifi. It’s a simple solution with no holes drilled in the roof. If it continually proves its worth I’ll permanently fit on the roof because one of these days I’m going to drive off and find out just how good the magnet is !!!
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That’s good to know because that’s the one I’m thinking of getting, did you test it with the antenna connected and disconnnected.
 
Yes I’ve done some tests which indicate a reasonable improvement. It’s early days and I’m yet to prove it in really difficult reception areas. At present my phone is on Vodaphone and my mifi is on Three. So far I’m seeing about a 2 bar improvement on Three with the antenna but I will change over to Vodaphone in the mifi for an impending trip to France because Three only allows 3G in France. So far so good; but I’m not yet convinced enough to drill holes in the roof for a permanent fix.
 
Waveski said:
Yes I’ve done some tests which indicate a reasonable improvement. It’s early days and I’m yet to prove it in really difficult reception areas. At present my phone is on Vodaphone and my mifi is on Three. So far I’m seeing about a 2 bar improvement on Three with the antenna but I will change over to Vodaphone in the mifi for an impending trip to France because Three only allows 3G in France. So far so good; but I’m not yet convinced enough to drill holes in the roof for a permanent fix.
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In your original description you mentioned "running the cables to the rear doors." I may and probably am wrong but this suggests the cables between the MiFi and the antenna are quite long. Ideally, they should be kept short, under a metre if possible. :)

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The Puck comes with a 2 metre cable and I’ve managed to work with that length. Adapter connectors are required to link to the HUAWEI mifi. My van is only 5.4 metres but I could have moved the mifi to try it out.
 
The Puck is fairly new and made by Poynting. Have a look on Solwise website you can compare it with their other products. I have no commercial interest, it seems ok but the jury is still out.
 
DBK said:
The MiFi should be mounted as close to the antenna as possible as signal strength is lost down every metre of cable.
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What type of cable and connections do they use, might be able to source better spec cables.
 
daveandsan said:
What type of cable and connections do they use, might be able to source better spec cables.
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Mine has SMA connectors on the antenna and I need TS9 adaptors at the MiFi end. Buy the best cables you can of course but there will still be losses which can only be minimised by keeping the cables as short as possible.

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Hi. I’m no electronics expert, but all the data is on the solwise.co.uk website. They are very helpful if you need to contact them.
 
DBK said:
Mine has SMA connectors on the antenna and I need TS9 adaptors at the MiFi end. Buy the best cables you can of course but there will still be losses which can only be minimised by keeping the cables as short as possible.
Click to expand...
50ohm or 75ohm ?
 
All coax is manufactured with a natural impedance - normally 50 Ohm or 75 Ohm.

Surely it's possible to install the mifi unit very close to the aerial? It only needs a USB power connection which is a lot easier to extend than the aerial connections?

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Waveski said:
Yes I’ve done some tests which indicate a reasonable improvement. It’s early days and I’m yet to prove it in really difficult reception areas. At present my phone is on Vodaphone and my mifi is on Three. So far I’m seeing about a 2 bar improvement on Three with the antenna but I will change over to Vodaphone in the mifi for an impending trip to France because Three only allows 3G in France. So far so good; but I’m not yet convinced enough to drill holes in the roof for a permanent fix.
Click to expand...

I’m on three in my MIFI and recently I’ve been getting 4G in France.
 
Jimbob45 said:
Hi
Considering a roof mounted 3g/4g roof antenna to connect to my Huawei Mifi.

Motorhome WiFi do this one @ £240 -

https://www.motorhomewifi.com/product/low-profile-4g-mimo-lte-roof-mount-antenna/

The quick mount looks quite good so the mifi can be quickly removed etc.

However this Ponyting one also looks ok and cheaper -

https://www.solwise.co.uk/4g-wifi-antenna-omni-a-mimo-1-1.html

Does anyone have any thoughts or experience with these? Also are they easy to diy fit?

Thanks!
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I have the exact motorhome WiFi one or sale if you are interested.Please message me if you are.I would take half new price plus postage.
 

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