RV FEATURE
The ultimate option is to install a permanent 12V wi-fi router, such as those available through Cowfish Technologies. These are very similar to the routers you have at home, except they are powered by your caravan’ s 12V power system, meaning they can work even when you’ re off-grid.
They also have larger antennas or even external roof-mounted antennas that perform very well in low-signal-strength areas. These routers will also have a lot of configuration options, meaning you can set them up to do some very cool stuff. More of that later. These 12V wi-fi routers do need to be installed inside your caravan; however, it is very easy to do if you are slightly handy with 12V wiring.
If the dogs are inside the van while we’ re outside, we can keep an eye on them with a wi-fi camera.
Just for a bit of fun, I tried plugging this cheap wi-fi extender into a power bank and it worked perfectly.
The last option is to use the wi-fi router that is supplied with a Starlink internet connection. These are similar in their limitations to a portable hotspot router in that you can’ t do much in the way of tinkering with their settings, but they will do most of the things described later.
USING YOUR WI-FI ROUTER
Sharing your internet connection would be the first obvious thing you can do, as long as your router can connect to the internet in the first place. This will mean inserting a dedicated SIM for one of the mobile telcos. Alternatively, you may want to mirror a local wi-fi network, such as one at a caravan park, especially if the signal is weak and you have trouble connecting with some devices. This also saves you having to log every device into the park wi-fi. Keep in mind that not all wi-fi routers have this ability, particularly the portable hotspot types.
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