Internet & 12 v supply

[hja]

Firstly, we are not very good with IT stuff.
We have a new van - Globecar Sumit Prime. We opted to have the internet installed. Dealer installed a Motorhome Wifi system of Huawei router, docking station and roof aerial.
We have managed, eventually, to get it connected & working - hoorah!
We first tried when on a campsite, router battery was fully charged. Couldnt get connected, but tried again from home found that the router battery was now low. Charged it in the house, and got the connection completed. Put the router back in the van. Made sure the docking station was turned on (switch pressed in) but could not see any LED. Next morning battery low again.
Had a brain wave. Does the 12 v switch for the lights need to be on? Maybe the "gubbings" for the internet are connected to the light circuit.
Our control panel is CBE "PC220-HE". There is an on/off button and then three other buttons - pump, fridge, & 12v. Manual says 12v is for lights and heating/boiler.
When we had got home we had turned the control panel off - as we have always done.
If I turn it on, and turn on the 12v, the LED on the docking station comes on and the router appears to be charging.
So do I need to leave the 12v on? Will it do any harm? Especially if the van isnt used for a few weeks.
Thanks. Sorry if the answers to this are blindingly obvious.

 

[Phill D]

Switch the router off when you park the van up and normally switch everything off.
Unless you use the van WiFi when it's parked on the drive.

Also I am not sure that the huawei mifi unit battery likes to be on permanent charge.

 

[cmcardle75]

Why leave it on? I'd think that charging only when the 12V is active is a good thing. Stops you draining the battery when it isn't in use.

It's slightly more complicated as your router appears to have an internal battery and probably need to turn the router off manually to stop that draining. I've now got one without an internal battery, which works better for me. Some routers work fine if you remove the battery. If yours in removable, I'd suggest charging it up, removing it and putting it in a cupboard somewhere for emergencies.

 

[Sapper520]

I’ve got the Motorhome Wifi system fitted and have found it to be a very good purchase.

It’s connected to the vehicle 12v system not the leisure battery side so no need for 12v system to be left switched on.

We leave it switched on all the time (well since we picked up the van last September). With our 130w solar system, which is split 70% leisure 30% vehicle, the vehicle battery is easily kept topped up.

 

[hja]

Thanks for replies.
Sapper - if your 12v isnt on, do you get the LED on the base station?
The instruction with the system says that once fully charged it takes very little from the battery, but it says it runs from the leisure battery.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[autorouter]

So do I need to leave the 12v on? Will it do any harm? Especially if the van isnt used for a few weeks

If the van isn't used for a few weeks, best to turn the 12V off, and also turn the mifi unit off, so that the mifi battery doesn't drain flat. Ideally let it drain to 50%, but anything is better than 0% or 100%.

 

[Sapper520]

Thanks for replies.
Sapper - if your 12v isnt on, do you get the LED on the base station?
The instruction with the system says that once fully charged it takes very little from the battery, but it says it runs from the leisure battery.

Photo 1 is of my 12v supply switched off.
Photo 2 is the Mifi Unit with power light on.
Photo 3 is MiFi display in sleep mode.
Photo 4 is MiFi when I press the front power button to wake up display.

Hopefully it will help you.

 

[hja]

Thanks all.
I think ours must be connected to the leisure battery, which is why we need the 12v on to make it work. We certainly dont get the base station light on without the 12v turned on.
I also contacted Motorhome WiFi and between all the advice, I have got to this position:
Make sure router charged, then turn off base station, router and van 12v when van not being used. Motorhome WiFi say router battery should be OK for a while.
Have done all that, and we will see next time we go away, in a couple of weeks, what the situation is.