taying connected has never been more important. Smartphones, tablets and laptops have become an integral part of our daily lives — so much so that, when something goes awry, many RV owners have to reach for their anti-depressants. We’re just plain obsessed with watching the bars on our devices showing reception strength — and when nothing or just one appears, we tend to shudder. Shockingly, given all the advancements in technology, the number of service providers and, of course, the staggering number of customers, not all places have cell towers within range. Consequently, we cuss at our devices, go running up hills or to clear areas to find better signals or, in many cases, just give up the ghost.

In a world where someone builds something and someone else builds something to make it work better, Wilson Electronics’ weBoost can provide a welcome respite for RVers who need to stay connected, whether for professional or social reasons. The weBoost name has pretty much become synonymous with cell boosting equipment, and its new Drive Reach RV cell booster is one product in the company’s lineup that is a “must have” for RV travelers, especially those who stray from large urban areas.

In order to use the provided spring with the antenna, the adapter with the side access hole must be used. A pigtail makes it possible to attach the antenna extension using the threaded fittings without wrapping the cable.

The Drive Reach RV is the company’s most robust system for those who want service while on the road as well as in an RV park. It allows for a claimed 74% improvement in signal reception over the previous model, the Drive X RV, that we tested in various areas before moving up to the Drive Reach RV. While the Drive X RV helps with distant signals, it doesn’t compare to the performance attained by the Drive Reach RV.

In this application, the cable was routed in the bulb seal surrounding the opening for the slide-out room. Once routed, the cable has no effect on proper sealing of the side-out.

The Drive Reach RV has all the same installation attributes as the Drive X RV, but improvements in antenna design and electronics give it an advantage when seeking out signals from more remote towers. Owners of the Drive X RV who want to upgrade while retaining the existing antenna cabling can make the connection using the included SMA to SMB adapter.

The weBoost is capable of strengthening 4G, LTE, 3G and now 5G signals. The Drive Reach RV boasts uplink output power capabilities of 29.5 dBm and 50 dB gain – the maximum allowable gain under Federal Communications Commission (FCC) standards — and can be used by multiple family members or friends while in an RV park or on the go. The booster is compatible with all U.S. service providers and can be used with any phone or cellular device. For those RVers who stay put for longer periods of time, the company offers its Connect 65 model with an antenna that is placed on a 25-foot mast. It provides additional signal boosting, which will improve service from more remote towers, but is not practical for RVers who travel and want uninterrupted performance while on the road.

Installing the Booster
There are a number of options for installing the system, including one that requires drilling a hole in the roof or sidewall to route the cable. We chose to pass on the latter option, but those who have no choice because of location necessity can use the provided cover plate where the cable enters the roof.

A 13-foot cable connects the inside antenna to the booster box. In this fifth-wheel, the antenna is placed on the decorative molding around the slide-out. For best reception, the inside antenna should be placed between 4 feet and 10 feet of the cellular device.

One option is to run the cable through the space between a slide-out room and wall structure. Moving the slide-out seal to the side should allow for easy cable routing; however, the cable may have to be removed when closing the slide. For our test, we chose to route the cable down the slide-out bulb seal and underneath, through the existing hole used to run other factory cables and wires. This allowed the cable to be permanently attached and routed up the back of the slide-out wall and into an overhead compartment that houses the satellite TV receiver. There was plenty of cable provided by the company to accommodate the distance from the antenna bracket to the booster box, which was mounted in the aforementioned cabinet. The booster box will get hot, so the cabinet door should be left open when in use, or ventilated using mesh material, as was the case on the test fifth-wheel.

Provided with the weBoost kit is all the hardware for mounting the antenna to the roof, sidewall or ladder. This gives the installer a number of options; in our case, we mounted the bracket to the sidewall of the fifth-wheel. The process was easy and, in this case, plenty of sealant was used to prevent any water intrusion. There is an exact order to mounting the antenna to the bracket to allow for proper cable management. A 13-inch mast extension is provided in the kit, which can be used to extend the height of the antenna. Just make sure it doesn’t extend above the legal height limit for roadways, however; 13 feet, 6 inches is a safe number.

Once the booster was connected to the antenna cable and 120-volt AC power, the inside antenna was moved to a suitable location near the phone or other cellular device. A 13-foot RG-58 cable is provided to connect the inside antenna to the booster box; this antenna should be placed within 4-10 feet of the cellular device for best reception. For this installation, the inside antenna was set on the wood slide-out decorative molding and moved closer to the phone when necessary. When traveling, the inside antenna stores in the adjacent cabinet to the one with the booster box. Motorhome owners will likely mount the inside antenna in a logical place for use while on the road.

The hole underneath the slide-out room provided by the factory to route cables and wires made a perfect entry point for the antenna cable. The cable was zip tied to allow movement that follows the slide-out when opening and retracting.

Mounting the bracket for the booster box was a simple step: just allow room for air flow and to remove/connect cables. The booster box will heat up, so the cabinet door should be left open during use. The owner of this fifth-wheel opted to replace the glass insert in the cabinet door with a mesh screen to allow adequate ventilation.

Does it Really Work?
The short answer is “yes.” Boosters do not create a signal — they pick up the outside signal and amplify it. The closer the tower is to the RV, the better the performance. Therefore, the amount of boost is changeable with location, terrain and obstructions. Fortunately, the outside antenna is omnidirectional, which makes it unnecessary to physically point at the tower, since most owners will have no idea where that is. Keep in mind that if you are deep in the “boonies,” the nearest tower might simply be unreachable. Fortunately, that doesn’t happen too often. Besides, those addicted to their cellular devices will not stick around too long if there are no bars showing.

The Drive Reach RV outperformed the Drive X RV in all areas, making it a logical choice for RVers who love to stay in touch. During our testing of the Drive Reach RV, there was a significant improvement — enough, in many cases, to make data more usable for Internet functions. In areas where reception teetered back and forth between “no service” and one bar, the booster helped with dropped calls. The booster is a great asset for RV travelers, putting on happy faces for those with little patience for connecting to the Internet.

Source
Wilson Electronics
866-294-1660
www.weboost.com