Building a Private Wi-Fi System for Under $100!
Updated from 2014 with new router!
What can we say, we all would like a much better connection to an RV Parks Wi-Fi. For at times, you just can’t reach based on where you are parked or you can not stay connected. It also would be nice to have our own internal protected Wi-Fi setup in our coach or RV for all our devices to connect to. (Noting can make you 100% secure, but having your own internal Wi-Fi setup surely makes you more secure than just being on a RV parks Wi-Fi network.)
Seeing I have been asked about a lower cost solution vs our other video of our personal setup, in the below video we show you how you can do this for under $100! You will not only have a much more powerful connection to a parks Wi-Fi over a longer distance, but you will always connect to your own secure Wi-Fi in your RV so you never need to connect to another SSID for each device. This also means you will be able to connect your wireless printer and print to it any time. (Just leave the setup plugged in.)
In the photo above, this is all you will end up with at the end. All you will need to do is plug it into an outlet. Then, seeing this is a much more powerful directional antenna/radio, just point the antenna towards the parks closest access point and connect to it.
The best placement for the antenna would be pointing out a window. You can use a longer network cable to put the antenna somewhere else if you do not have an outlet close by. You can even put the antenna outside. But I am getting ahead of myself. First things first….what you need to do this.
All the items listed below you can purchase from Amazon. The names of each product are also links to the product on Amazon. (Below the main products are OPTIONAL upgrades that will setup the same.)
….What you need….(Just click the product name to be taken to Amazon.)
Ubnt NanoStation Loco M2 – This is the directional antenna and powerful radio all built into one nice package. It is made by Ubiquiti which is a carrier grade company. As such, it is not as consumer friendly with wizards and the like, in other words, it is not a fancy looking user interface as it is geared towards someone who knows what they are doing. Do not let that scare you however, as once it is setup, which I walk you through, you will be good to go.
NOTE: There is also an M5 unit and some people have bought them thinking it is newer. This is NOT a new version! It is a 5 Ghz version of the radio which most parks don’t support. You can surely buy one also and have both the M2 and M5 and if a park offers 5Ghz, then use that as it is a less crowded frequency and you likely will do better on it. AGAIN…Only if the park supports 5Ghz. If you have no idea what I am referring to, then just be sure to buy the M2. :) Also they have a NanoStation 5AC, this will ONLY WORK with another Ubnt AC product and thus can not be use as a 5Ghs radio.
NOTE: You can also use this NanoStation with any router you may choose once it is setup. (Stop video when we get to the AirCube setup.) You would come out of the POE power injector’s LAN port into the WAN port of a router of your choice and use the same steps below (or talked about at the end of the video) to connect to a RV Parks AP. Sorry, I will not be able to help with your own router setup, just too many on the market. The AirCube below is what we will use for the wireless router as it makes for a nice little package.
AirCube AC– This is also made by Ubiquiti and is a very little wireless Wi-Fi router and what is new vs the tutorial I did in 2014. This is DUAL BAND and runs 2.4Ghz as well as 5Ghz. This is actually what all your devices will connect to to talk to each other and the Internet. It also does 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz! It may be small, but can cover your motor coach or RV without an issue. Best part…it’s low cost and it uses the same power supply as the NanoStation. This makes for a clean setup. After you can use the Ubnt U-Mobile app for Android and IOS (Which is easy!)
NOTE…It seem they may be out of stock on Amazon… Here is a link to an eBay dealer for the AirClube AC… eBay Link
OR the AirCube ISP – This is a 2.4Ghz only version at a less cost. But the setup is the same. The above one gives you 5Ghz network speeds for your devices which is a nice addition.
FIRMWARE: Click Here to be taken to the Download page for AirCube Firmware!!! (You will need this!)
Two Network Cables – You will need TWO (2) of these. I recommend shielded cables and that is what I linked to. If you already have network cables, then you are all set. If not BE SURE to order TWO.
….Optional Upgrades….
Ubnt NanoStation M2 – A more powerful model of the Loco M2 listed above with double the antenna range for hard to reach access points in a park. (It is also double the height do to the large antenna.
NanoStation Window Mount – A handy window suction mount for your NanoStation. Great for windshields or other areas as the NanoStation is usually pole mounted outside. (But we are using it inside.)
Ubnt NanoStation M5 Loco – While most parks always run at 2.5Ghz, thus the need for the M2 unit, you may also consider adding an M5 Loco unit so you could use 5Ghz if the park has it. Or the full size NanoStation M5 (NOTE: This is NOT in place of, but in addition to the M2. You set it up the same way and then just use the one you want.) 5Ghz is a less crowed frequency not most parks currently do not offer it.
Now as a reminder, even though you will have a much better chance connecting to the RV parks Wi-Fi service, that does not mean you will have better Internet. The speed depends on a number of things, from the amount of data bandwidth they have coming into the park, to how many people may be on the Wi-Fi network using it. Or the park could even be limiting speed per user among other things. But one thing is for sure, you will have a much better way of connecting to them as well as having a secure Wi-Fi setup inside your coach or RV.
As a side benefit, if you have a MiFi, JetPack, Hot-Spot, or something else you use to connect you to the Internet, you can also connect this setup to that just like you would an RV park. This is great for the times you need it, like if the park is just really bad or you are somewhere that does not have Internet. Then all your devices will just stay on your secure Wi-Fi without the need to change to another connection.
IMPORTANT NOTE: These Nanostations are very powerful, please DO NOT point it at your our personal HotSpot or even have it close. I would suggest laying it down flat when used with the HotSpot so not to over modulate the radios. Try to be between -50db and -70db when looking at the signal.
The video is a little long, 27 minutes , but that does not mean it is difficult. I just happen to go into more detail and explain things along the way. I could have made it 10 minutes but then some people would likely become confused.
*** NOTICE 1 *** In order to configure the NanoStation you MUST HAVE a network port in your computer and KNOW HOW TO change the network settings from using DHCP to using a STATIC IP and back again. I use my MacBook showing my screen, so if you have a Mac product, you should be able to follow along. If you use Windows, here is a Google search to help you if needed – CLICK HERE (You will only need to set the IP and Subnet.) NOTE: New MacBooks may not have a network card, and the MacBook Air surely does not. If you need a network adaptor a USB to Ethernet one works great. I use this one in my MacBook Air… Plugable USB to Eithernet.
*** NOTICE 2 *** You will also likely need one computer to do the configuration with and another to watch this video as we will be turning off Wi-Fi during the process.
If you mess up, don’t worry. You can always reset both units to factory defaults and try again. To do this, with the units powered up, use a toothpick or something to press down and hold the RESET button on each unit for 20 seconds and release. Wait 30 seconds before powering them off.
So, are you ready? Do you have your parts? Do you care to just watch the video to see what you are getting into? Well here you go. (You will likely want to watch this in HD and full screen mode to see my screen share as the entire video tutorial is done with my MacBook Pro as I do the demo from my desktop.)
Here is a recap on how to connect your private Wi-Fi network to a RV parks Wi-Fi or to your own Internet data connection… (Like when you go to another RV park or need to use your own Internet data.) Copy the text below and save it if needed.
Point the NanoStation towards an access point. Hint…Try to point it towards the main office where the Internet connection usually comes in. Plug in the system if not already plugged in and give it 30 seconds to boot up.
FOR AFTER ALL IS DONE…QUICK CONNECT CHEAT SHEET….
1) Connect to your Wi-Fi SSID.
2) Open web browser and go to: http://192.168.2.1
3) Put in the user name and your password. User name = ubnt Password = What you made it.
4) Click on the WIRELESS tab.
5) Click on SELECT
6) Find the Access Point you would like to connect to. (The park or your own data device.)If there are several with the same SSID name you want to connect to, then select the best signal. The first number in the Signal column you want to be closer to zero. -55 is better than -75.
7) At the bottom click LOCK TO AP.
8) If the Access Point requires a password *, enter it in the bottom area. (The park would have supplied one if needed. Or the one for your own data device.)
9) Bottom Right of the screen click CHANGE.
10) Top of the screen click APPLY.
In under 30 seconds, you should see the antenna lights light up and then you should have access to the Internet.
Dealing with Captive Portal or “Agree” Pages: Some parks require you to “agree” or login with a user name and password before you have access. So once you connect to the park with the NanoStation, while on your Wi-Fi network, the first time you open your web browser the “captive portal” page will come up asking you to agree or log in. Once you do, the portal will note the MAC address of the NanoStation and then allow access to anything on your local Wi-Fi network.
NOTE: If your browser defaults to open a webpage that is HTTPS (vs HTTP) then the captive portal can not show up as it is not HTTPS active. So be sure you are trying to go to a site that is not HTTPS. (Ie…Facebook, Google, GMail are all examples of HTTPS sites that people have their browsers default to.) So try another site…any site…maybe ours http://Bott.net, and the captive portal page should come up for you. Also some campgrounds auto log you out after X hours or at the start of a new day. If this is the case you need to AGREE again. Just a heads up.
*NOTE on WEP Security: If the RV Park uses WEP as an encryption, then you will have try a few settings to connect to the park. WEP is hardly ever used anymore, but I just had a person need help connecting. You will more than likely need to change KEY TYPE from HEX to ASCII if they give you a actual word vs a bunch of characters. With each change you will have to click CHANGE at the bottom and then APPLY to see if it worked. If the lights on the back of the NanoStation light up, then you connected. If not, try again by changing the TYPE to be Shared Key.
REMINDER NOTICE: These Nanostations are very powerful, please DO NOT point it at your our personal HotSpot or even have it close. I would suggest laying it down flat when used with the HotSpot so not to over modulate the radios. Try to be between -50db and -70db when looking at the signal.
QUICK VIDEO ON UPDATING THE NANOSTATION FIRMWARE…
We kindly ask you share this as the topic comes up in other places so it will help others. Enjoy your own personal secure Wi-Fi connection.
What is the power rating? I have a 2000mw booster now, and 9Dbi antenna. Will this one get a better connection?
This is 13db. Not sure what the radio itself is.
I just wish the airgateway would support AC for inside the coach.. I love its form factor. I Just drilled a hole thru the side of the entertainment cabinet so only the small antenna is visible.
Then don’t use the AirGateway, use any router you wish and you can plug the NanoStation into that in the WAN port. POE to NanoStation and LAN port to WAN port of any router. Still will reach the NanoStation at 192.1689.2.1
Wouldnt this work: https://store.amplifi.com/products/amplifi-mesh-router cost a bit more than the ISP version…..
If you mean in place of the NanoStation and AirCube…Nope as it will only mesh with other Amplifi products. If you mean can you use it instead of the AirCube, yes, as it is a router. You can use any router for that matter. Just program the NanoStation as I show and plug into the WAN port of any router. You will still be able to reach the NanoStation at 192.168.2.1. Understand, I was looking to help people build a low cost, yet good system. If you spend more, no reason to do this at all as you might as well buy a retail solution.
I have used the old equipment and that works great in my rig . David you made it super easy for us to use. I love it
Hi Dave,
Thanks for another informative post. I follow your old video on this subject but did not have much luck with router part so I just used an old router I had lying around. When I saw this I ordered the cube and set it up per your instructions. It is working fine but I have noticed that my speeds are very slow using the cube. Are the additional settings I can change that might improve speeds? Thanks in advance.
Ray
Hi…Hard to say as it could be a number of things. Did you have the same issue with the mother router you were using? Are you still in the same place? You can also try connecting to your computer directly via one of the LAN ports on the AirCube and then see the speed. It should be much faster as you will always loose speed via a Wi-Fi connection. But the question is how much loss vs that connection and wi-fi and also between that and the other router. Also assuming that the other router you were using was 2.5 and not 5g as that would make a difference. I would check to see you are not on the same channel 1,6,11 that the NanoStation is using. You can’t change the NanoStation channel as it has to use whatever channel the AP you are connecting to, but you can change the channel the AirGateway is using. (If the channel is the same, and you are close to both, you will get interference and it will be slower.) Hope some of this helps.
David, Is the nanostation loco m2 more powerful than the camp pro 2? Want to use the nanostation loco m2 with onstar hotspot in GMC Canyon pickup any suggestions? Know I will have to keep battery charged with a battery tender.
Bill
Sorry, no idea as I have never used or seen one.
Any reason you did not go with the airCube AC (w/ 2.4 & 5Ghz) instead of the ISP (2.4Ghz only)?
Cost. Keeping it to under $100 as a lot of RV’er just need something to help and not anything else.
Appreciate your response and your great walk thru.
One RV park has wifi authentication using a web browser which prompts for user name and password similar to what I have seen in hotel rooms. By addressing the public wifi mac address and entering the password in the Nano Station will it still pass this type of authentication
David, just finished putting my system together, talk about easy. I just followed the video and I was connected. I will say that I did spend a little more than the $100.00 you mentioned but still well worth it. I got the Air Cube AC, Nano M2, wall mount and cable from Amazon and my cost was 209.00. I still think it was a super value. Right now I have it connected and decided to see how many connections I could use on the cube so I have a firestick, 2 Ipads, 2 IPhones and Alexa and everything runs great. All of that and the Nano M2 is mounted on the inside drivers window facing the RV park antenna and the reception is great . This video was a great help.
Glad to read! Thank you for taking the time to write the note. :)
David, I am extremely impressed with this video presentation. As an IT person myself, I know how hard it is to put together a tutorial that walks users through such a difficult setup process. I did not hit one single snag following your video, This was absolutely fantastic! Ubiquiti products tend to have a big learning curve, but once you are set up there isn’t much better out there. Also, your suggestions for the nanostation and the aircube were great and well worth the investment. The nano has a huge range, and as an Xfinity mobile customer, I can bypass park wifi and connect to nearby Xfinity modems in peoples homes and get unlimited and unthrottled wifi. So this is a lifesaver for me, as I work when on the road and need strong wifi. Thanks again!
Outstanding!!!!
David, Thanks for the great video and especially the update for the Aircube. Just got my system up and running. I went with the AirCube AC (in case I ever go 5Mhz) and went with the larger nano station. That pushed the cost more up towards $200 but I still think it is a better system than most of the off-the-shelf systems. I did have problem with the Aircube when I went to update the firmware. It bricked (became unresponsive) on me. Apparently this is not an uncommon thing. Fortunately, the average Joe can get it back running. Go to the Ubiquiti forum and look for how to get the Aircube into TFTP mode (yeah I know, more techno-speak). Then google ‘how to perform a TFTP recovery’ and go to the Ubiquiti Youtube video and follow it. They do the recovery on a Nanostation but the Aircube is exactly the same – just use your new firmware file. It’s a little more technical than your video here but not too bad. In addition, I bought a 12V to 24V step up boost converter (available on good ol’ Amazon about $16) and using a tip from the Buslandia.net folks, made a cord to connect the converter to the Aircube. Now I can run my system straight off of 12V without having to flip on a large inverter. It’s a great system. Sitting in my house my laptop finds 11 wifi sites. This set up with the antenna just lying on the couch finds 42. Can’t wait to get it fully installed in the RV. Think I’ll put the antenna on the Batwing stand. That way I can raise/rotate it from inside the RV. Fun project. Thanks again David!
Great to read you are all set and even though you had to go though some things, you are still happy. Great job on the 12V…In our coach our inverter is on all the time as we are an all electric coach, so for us, it does not matter as much. Congrats.
@Gregb – I am interested in what you purchased for the 12v to 24v step up booster. Do you have a link? I’m also curious about what the “bat wind stand” is that you mention.
The NanoStation comes with a AC adaptor. This is NOT tied into my 12V system.
David this is a great tutorial but somewhere I must be missing something. My setup works but I have tried many times and still cannot get from my laptop to the nanostation to change AP. Because some of my servers and printers are static in the 2.0 network I chose to use 192.168.20.1 for my nanostation and 192.168.2.1 for my router. When I want to change AP I have to connect my laptop to the nanastation via ethernet. I have tried it with my Windows10 laptop through a Dlink router and receive the dialog unable to connect and my friends system an Apple laptop with a TP841n router which gets “Error 403 Forbidden” across the screen. Any idea where I am dropping the ball?
Hummm…you can’t do that as 192.168.20.X is a totally different network from 192.168.2.X. As such, they can’t see each other and you can’t reach the Nano. If you want to use 192.168.20.X for some reason, then you need to set the NanoStation router settings to be 192.168.20.1 and the DHCP part of it to be 192.169.20.5 to say 192.168.20.20. Then you can set your router to be 192.168.2.1 and thus have an internal IP range of 192.168.2.2-254 for all your devices. But I am kind of lost at what you are trying to do and why you are setting static IP’s vs just setting it as mentioned. :)
David, I am going to go with your setup but get the ubnt nanostation m2 you say its better and can reach out better, But can you show us how we need to Direct the antenna when we get to a rv park Is there some software that shows us what is the best direction any help would be great THANKS AGAIN Mike
Hi…Nothing really you can use to point you to the right Access Point. You need to know where they are as you should be able to spot them in the park if they have them around. Then all you do is point the NanoStation and do a scan to see what you see. Then you can turn it say 90 degrees and scan again and see if you get better signal. Once you find the AP you want to connect to, do so. Then after connected you go back to the main page of the NanoStation and you can see the signal. You then can move the AP around and see the signal change. Just know that that -55 is better than -70. You want the signal moving towards zero. Hope this helps.
Hi, great work on the video. I have just configured an airCube along with a Mikrotik Groove, had a few teething issues but finally got it running and updated firmware on both devices. Good performance to my phone but the IPad doesn’t like something, can see it connected but times out. Still working on that. Given I’m not a whiz on computers your tips were most useful.
Thank you for this wonderful tutorial!
Were you able to change the Mac Address of the Nano station from your Mac or did you need to find a tool somewhere? I can’t find the setting in the GUI and would love to try a different Mac Address to see if I can bypass an issue should there be one…
Hi…It’s in the NanoStation. Clone MAC is the setting if I recall correctly and I think it is under the NETWORK tab.
David,
THANK YOU!!! Easy to follow instructions and this is a great solution, no matter the cost. The <$100 price just made it even better.
I would prefer a clean install and would like to avoid putting the Nano on the roof or on a pole or attached to say the rear ladder or a slide. I have an idea for a rotatable mount in a cabinet. How much signal degradation do you think I’d see having the Nano in a cabinet inside the coach? For example, put the Nano in an upper rear cabinet with other electronics and still be able to rotate it 360? Would the 2.4GHz be able to pass through the wood/skin of the coach and not lose the signal increase I was wanting to gain in the first place? The signal would pass through the cabinet wood, insulation, and then fiberglass.
I wouldn’t have an issue with mounting the Nano on the roof if it were not for the difficulty of rotating it (no crank up antenna) if need be. In case I might mount it outside, and I can’t find this on the Ubiquiti site, do you know the IP rating of the Nano M2?
Thanks in advance and I appreciate what you do for the benefit of fellow RV’ers.
Any time you go though anything you will loose signal. How much depends on a lot such as thickness, what comes after it, etc etc. Usually these are not put inside of something. I have no idea what you are asking in regards to “IP Rating”. If you mean water proofing, these are meant to be outside in an upright position as they are outdoor units.
Yes, I was referring to the water resistance, e.g. IP67. Thanks for your reply.
Hello David and thank you for the video !
I am still researching upgrade versios :) …does Ubnt make a 2.4Ghz/ 5Ghz combo unit ?
Not for the NanoStation but the AirCube comes in an AC version that does dual band. The NanoStation are used by installers and thus know if they will be using 2.4Ghz or 5Ghz. As such, dual band it in that makes no sense as it just adds cost.
Excellent tutorial – thank you!! Can this setup be used to access wifi when parked close to a starbucks?
Hi…Yes it can. I have been known to connect to one and also a McDonnalds as well as hotels. :)
Good to know! Forgive me if this is a amateur question but when I am inputting the wifi information (selecting the wifi network and password) for a wifi network like starbucks do I just leave password blank? Thank you
That would depend on if the SSID you want to connect to is password protected. If it is NOT protected, it will say OPEN next to it when you scan. If it is, it will will you what type of encryption it is thus requiring a password.
Makes sense – thanks for the replies. Have a great week!
Hi David, great videos and cost effective plan. I bought the M5 and the AirCube AC as our marina uses 5mhz. I got through the Nanno setup fine. However, as soon as completed I no longer can access the Nanno on 192.168.2.1. I have not yet setup the AirCube and will be doing so this morning but wondered what steps I need to take to be able to get back to the Nanno user interface. Many thanks!!
Hello Sherry…It sounds like you did not make it though the setup just fine if you can not reach the interface via 192.168.2.1 :) Right after you get into it at 192.168.1.20 and then do the setup, as soon as you click APPLY it will reboot the NanoStation to take the new settings and at that point the NanoStation is then in ROUTER mode and handing out IP addresses in the 192.168.2.X range. So your computer that you were using for the setup you should have but back into DHCP mode or AUTOMATIC mode so it could receive an IP address from the NanoStation. (If you recall, you needed to be in static or manual mode so you could set your network card to use a specific network address range.) If you did not do that, that is why you can’t reach the NanoStation as you are now on the wrong IP address range. :) So be sure of that first. (Be suer your computer ethernet port is back into automatic mode or DHCP mode.) Otherwise, to start over from, the beginning, power up the NanoStation and wait for about 1 min. Then using a paperclip press in and hold down the little button inside the RESET hole for 20 seconds. The NanoStation will start to flash and it will then reset to factory defaults. At that point you can start over from the beginning again. Hope this helps.
Hi David!
After over a year of flawless performance at 4 different rv parks. I hooked up to a new parks wifi . No Joy!
Did I inadvertently mess up a setting? Any advice will be much appreciated!
Signal strength is -67
LANO is RX: 5.90kbps
TX: 16.7kbps
WLANO is
RX: 0bps
TX: 0bps
I just tried a test. I connected to my very limited data hotspot and it connected flawlessly and can reach any internet site I think I have ruled out my messing up the settings. Do you have a clue as to why I can not connect to the parks wifi? r
Thanks In advance
Hi…
Glad it works with your JetPack. So, it may be one of two things. I am not sure if you are able to connect, meaning the NanoStation has the LED’s lite but you can’t go anywhere, thus they may haver a captive portal, or you have no way to connect, like no way to select the AP. So in my blog post I cover both issues. He…re they are, hope one of the below helps you…
– Dealing with Captive Portal or “Agree” Pages: Some parks require you to “agree” or login with a user name and password before you have access. So once you connect to the park with the NanoStation, while on your Wi-Fi network, the first time you open your web browser the “captive portal” page will come up asking you to agree or log in. Once you do, the portal will note the MAC address of the NanoStation and then allow access to anything on your local Wi-Fi network.
– I DO NOT SEE A WAY TO SELECT THE PARKS AP: As far as not seeing the radio buttons…this can happen for usually one of three reasons. One, the park is using old, not longer supported WEP security. Two, the AP you are seeing is actually being used as a BRIDGE to connect two radios together like it was a network cable. Three, the system is setup to detect routers like the NanoStation and not allow connections from them. Now you can get around the last one by changing the MAC address of the NanoStation to that of your computers MAC address. For example, I set mine to be the MAC address of an old device I no longer use. This is another good thing about commercial gear, you can do this. :) (You will find it in the settings if you look though them if you care to try.) LAST, I read that someone said they’d successfully connected by manually entering SSID and password and security settings into the Wi-Fi page vs using SELECT it and it connected!
David
I don’t see any captive portal pages. I do see the radio buttons; select the parks ap with no problem. I am able to connect to the parks wifi directly . The parks wifi through my laptop dumps me out of direct park connections every hour or so.
thank you for taking the time to help me through this.
Sounds like a part Wi-Fi issue if it is dumping you out. :) But you could try putting in a Alias MAC address so the NanoStation looks like a phone vs a router and see if that does it. I think you will find the setting under the NETWORK tab. Check the box and put in this mac address… 88:83:22:cd:9c:2c Save and Apply. The NanoStation will reboot and then look to them to be a Samsung Android device. It is worth a shot and will not hurt anything. If it works, great! Just leave it their as then other parks will also see it the same way. Hope this helps as I am out of other thoughts.
Could you use this Tp-link item instead? TP-Link Long Range Outdoor Wifi Transmitter – 2.4GHz, 300Mbps, High Gain Mimo Antenna, 5km+ Point to Point Wireless Transmission, Poe Powered W/ Poe Adapter Included, Wisp Modes (CPE210)
Not sure. But also not sure why as this tutorial surely would not help you to set it up. :)
David, great video.
Is there any way to get the airCube to connect to my VPN service so each of my devices don’t have to individually connect?
Thanks
I am not aware of a VPN client build into the AirCube.
When you say I can use any router, does that mean I can use a wired router?
Not 100% sure what you are asking, but yes, you can use ANY ROUTER with the NanoStation.
I have the older style Air Gateway. I haven’t used it for over a year and now when I try to connect to 192.168.2.1 my Mac can’t connect. Do I have to upgrade to the Air Cube ISP?
Hi…No need to upgrade. Are you sure you are connected to the SSID of the AirGateway? If not, you will not be able to reach it as you need to be connected to it’s network. (Seems silly to ask…but would not be the first time.)
Duh! I didn’t have it connected to the SSID of the AirGateway.
Thanks a bunch.
Your not the 1st to do that after a long period of time. :)
David, I just got my Nano station locoM and air Cube AC. My problem is after setting the static IP address and going to the web browser. I first used Safari and it did not work and then changed to Chrome on a Mac Book Pro. The problem I have is that once I put in the address 192.168.1.20 and go to the “your connection is not private screen” and the message I get above the Advance button is NET::ERR_CERT_REVOKED and hitting the Advance button does not give me the choice to proceed. It just describes that the certificate has been revoked. Any ideas? I also have Avast Anti-virus which I have closed. Would this have interference. Also I am trying this from home and trying to connect to my home network. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Kevin
Hi…Sorry to say this is 1st I have heard of this error. Might I suggest trying to clear the browsers cache. (Just the cache only…as it could be corrupt for the page.) By any chance is your MAC running Catalina? I ask for doing a Google search for that error I see a lot of people having the same sort of issue with different local devices. Like this one is also a Ubnt product… https://community.ui.com/questions/Google-Chrome-NET-ERRCERTREVOKED-for-UNMS/1947bccb-07df-4134-8c7f-fc01bf4b187d
BTW…You mentioned “after setting the static IP”…At that point you should be trying to go to 192.168.2.1 to reach the NanoStation if you had set the static IP.
Just finished the setup and works great!!!! Thanks so much for the information and tutorial. We appreciate you.
Awesome video and thank you for sharing the knowledge! This worked perfectly for me when I tested it at home connecting my RV to my home WiFi.
Unfortunately I had the same problem as many others in comments above (going back almost 5 years) – at a park with Viasat gowifi (a Navy base), I could connect to their AP and even complete the captive portal form successfully. However, all subsequent traffic was dropped by the park when I tried to browse websites.
After spending an entire evening troubleshooting a nonexistent problem on my end, I refined my google-fu and found a link to someone who had this exact same problem (and the smarts to figure out what was happening) – turns out that the park Viasat system is intentionally preventing further NAT routing (like we have done in this setup) by modifying the TTL on each packet it sends the connected client. Viasat doesn’t advertise this.
Awesome post here with instructions on what’s going on and how to fix it (not for the faint of heart and not necessarily recommended – it involves a firmware downgrade and customization of firewall rules from the command line). But it will answer the question for those of us who were frustrated and confused by this bad ISP behavior:
http://www.mindylynnskitchen.com/2019/06/full-time-rv-long-range-wifi-internet-setup
Nice find as it might help others. The good news is that Viasat is not used much. :)
Have you had any trouble with the M2 after upgrading the firmware. I can no longer turn off the airmax. I can connect to the M2 but never get internet from the wifi source. Where there used to be two graphs at the bottom of the main page now there is only the ethernet one. The the m2 locks onto the wifi source showing it’s mac address for a few seconds but then drops all the time.
Ubiquiti will not help as they say that the unit is no longer supported for this use. So they orphaned us.
I can not find any firmware older than 3/29/2019 xw6.1.11.
Thanks
Hi…I have not had any issues with my M2 or M5’s. I also have not updated the firmware in some time for the simple reason of…”If it works, don’t mess with it.” as Ubnt has been known to mess things up sometimes with new firmware. Here is a link to firmware for it…Click on SEE PAST FIRMWARE and try an older one…. https://www.ui.com/download/airmax-m/nanostationm/locom2 (The oldest is all the way back to 2017.)
has to be the xw not xm version.
That all depends on the model you have. Log into your admin panel and it will tell you which version or hardware it is.
Hi David,
Great Video.
I moved to a new RV park. (Sun RV resort) When I scan for available SSID’s, I find about six SSID for SUNWiFi. I selected the best signal and I receive the following error message.
“Access Point MAC Address (6 HEX pairs, separated by colons”
All SUNWiFI SSID are not complete MAC address. The one I selected was 1C:B9:C4:36:CaA:9.
Please help,
Jim
Hi…Well it seem that that they are using a system that messed up as all devices I know of have 6 sex of two characters/numbers. From what you wrote it looks like the last set is out of place and should be 1C:B9:C4:36:Ca:A9 vs 1C:B9:C4:36:CaA:9. (6 sets of 2 unless you made a typo.) In any case, just don’t LOCK to an AP and give it a go. The radio will still choose to try to lock to the best AP signal wise it can see. (Well, it usually does.) ;)
Hi David,
Thanks for the reply. I rebooted my laptop and it looks like it fixed the problem.
Jim
I’d like to try this. I notice that the AirCube is unavailable on Amazon. Do you know if it’s discontinued? Any recommendations?
Hi… UGH!!! Here they go again changing things that just WORK. I think they are low on stock due to imports being effected. But you can find them on eBAy… Here is a link to a good dealer… https://tinyurl.com/y5j6sxmx
Excellent tutorial on the NanoStation and AirCube. We set these up over the last few days and it seems to be working quite well. Very stable; our campground WiFi seems to be more stable using these products.
Great job on the tutorial!
Thank you kindly and your very welcome. Enjoy your new protection and usability!
Your videos are excellent. I am having a little problem, everything appears to be set up correctly, lights on the nanostation and the air cube is showing up on devices and it appears to have a strong signal, however it says no internet connection when I go on to my browser. Any idea of what the problem could be or what else I could try
Thanks
Hi…Just two thoughts come to mind…(Short of these, please recheck your settings and or try to connect to a different SSID (Like a JetPack) to see if it maybe is just not the park you are connecting to having issues. (assuming you are at a park and not just at home testing.)
1) In the NanoStation setup you forgot to check the box for NAT and make sure the sub-boxes are also check that show when you click off NAT. Here is where I talk about it in the video… https://youtu.be/-i8SmOf5ZTw?t=604
2) Does the park happen to have an AGREE PAGE that you need to go through? (A captive portal.) Here is the note I had on that in the blog post…
Dealing with Captive Portal or “Agree” Pages: Some parks require you to “agree” or login with a user name and password before you have access. So once you connect to the park with the NanoStation, while on your Wi-Fi network, the first time you open your web browser the “captive portal” page will come up asking you to agree or log in. Once you do, the portal will note the MAC address of the NanoStation and then allow access to anything on your local Wi-Fi network.
NOTE: If your browser defaults to a open a webpage that is HTTPS (vs HTTP) then the captive portal can not show up as it is not HTTPS active. So be sure you are trying to go to a site that is not HTTPS. (Ie…Facebook, Google, GMail are all examples of HTTPS sites that people have their browsers default to.) So try another site…any site…maybe ours http://Bott.net, and the captive portal page should come up for you. Also some campgrounds auto log you out after X hours or at the start of a new day. If this is the case you need to AGREE again. Just a heads up.
Hope one of these help.
Hi David. Thank you for the tutorial. I set this all up at home and it worked perfect. Now I’m in a Jellystone campground that has a ton of APs and its not working. The NanoStation M2 appears to be connected to the AP, but my airCube ISP says no internet. I posted screen shots here if you can see them. https://community.ui.com/questions/NanoStation-M2-and-airCube-ISP-Connected-but-no-internet/71e0a504-8dc0-474a-9bda-b988db9bb853 This park does not have a captive portal page. Just an SSID and a password. I’m sitting outside my RV on my laptop connected to the SSID right now just fine. But the NanoStation M2 and/or airCube ISP doesn’t seem to get internet. Any tips?
Hi…
Few things to check….The AirCube would get it’s Internet via the NanoStation that is connected to the parks Wi-Fi and thus the Nanostation would need to be be plugged into the WAN Port of the AirCube for that to happen. So check that first. I would also go into your NETWORK tab of the NanoStation and check to be sure you have NAT checked and all little items that show up under it when you check that box.
If that also is all set then the park might be blocking routers (aka a NanoStation) from being able to be used. So you can thus try to change the MAC address of the NanoStation (Under Wireless Tab) by checking CLONE MAC an putting in something like b0:72:bf:fa:a0:3d which is an iPhone. This will make the NanoStation look like it is an iPhone trying to connect.
Remember to CHANGE and APPLY as usual after you make the changes you may make. The NanoStation will reboot when you do.
Side Note…From the looks of the wireless scan it looks like the park is using a MESH network…Ouch! (Ubnt good, but Mesh can be slow as they are all hops with 50% loss per hop.) I am guessing this based on all the SSID’s for the park being on all the same channels. So if you get it working, would also go into your AirCube and change the channel your personal SSID uses to be channel 11 so not to be on such a crowded freq.
It does seem your NanoStation is connected as you have a link, if the password was wrong you would have no link and the signal lights on the back of the unit would be flashing slowly on and off as it keeps trying to connect. (Thus usually an incorrect password)
Hope this helps.
Quick question – 10:42 Wireless Security section on your video..you explain where to put in the password for the RV Park. When I do..I get this message….”Please enter a valid WPA passphrase (Min 8 printable ASCII Char, Max 63)…
The password for the rv park is 5555555 (It is there 7 digit phone number)
After attempting different security configurations WPA, WPA2, no security….with no results – Do have any suggestions?
And Thanks for all the interesting information !!!
I think they screwed up the printed info as all current Wi-Fi standards, for years, are 8 or more characters. So 7 will not cut it.
Hey David, great video have had this saved for awhile on YouTube in prep for us to be moving full time to camper. Couple questions I hope you have time to answer?
1) Will any of the Airmax Loco stations work for this (most of the links aren’t available on Amazon and plan to order direct from Ubi store. I know the 5 AC won’t work and plan to get both 2&5 as we have been to a couple parks on weekends with 5 ghz)
2) How good is the wifi range on the air cube? Have switched to mesh at S&B and love it, just want to make sure it would cover whole 40’ camper without issue.
3) If using a jet pack where would best place be to put nanostation as I know you say the radios are powerful
4) Planning to get the pole adapter from TechnoRV, if I’m also looking to put a weboost antenna in what order would you mount the antennas on a pole? Weboost on top then nanostation slightly below, reversed, different sides?
5) Will the air cube still offer a WiFi network without internet? We have Apple TV and want to be able to watch a movie on it from small computer server even if no internet available.
Thanks for your help and time, can’t wait for the season to begin and get this setup!
Hi…
1) You are correct that the 5AC will NOT work as the AC that Ubnt uses is for their own radio to radio bridges. So I also carry a NanoStation N2 and N5 to switch them out as needed. (The are setup 100% the same.)
2) The AirCube AC is very good, it will cover inside as well as outside your coach and is also dual band which is great as it gives you 5G on most of your devices so not to be in the crowded 2.5G frequency.
3) Just not right next to it. I would put the JetPack in the best place it can get the 4G data signal and then just connect the NanoStation to it.
4) weBoost on top as the higher up you are for cell data the better.
5) Yes, you AirCube is a wireless router so it will do just that with or without Internet your other devices on the network can still talk to each other.
Take care, keep safe.
David
Hello David your tutorial is fabulous. I am a full time RV and I am in great need to have WiFi. Many of the items listed are not available anymore. Can you please direct me onto a list of all the items I need so I can buy them now . Thank you
Yes, due to Covid, companies can’t get chips needed to make things as they once good, so things become scarce. But let me try to help…
NanoStation M2 Loco on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3nrnLS2
AirCube AC (Open Box) on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3sZNdiD
Better prices on eBay…
NanoStation M2 Loco on eBay: https://tinyurl.com/34npk8hx
AirCube AC on eBay: https://tinyurl.com/s6v4e6zk
Hope this helps.
David
I have followed your instructions and I am the nano station is connected to my jet pack, however when I try to log onto my new system I get a message that my network requires a WPA2 password. I have tried everything but nothing gets me past this point. What did I do wrong?
Hello…I am sorry to say I am not sure what you are referring to, but guessing by you saying “my new system” you mean the AirCube. (?) If so, you need to also setup and configure the AirCube which is what you will actually be connecting your devices to. When you setup the AirCube you will be setting up an SSID to use to connect to and be setting a WPA2 password to use with it. The NanoStation plugs into the WAN port of the AirCube. The WAN port can also provide power to it once you turn that on that setting when setting it up. Not sure this helps, but not a lot to go by, so I am guessing. :)
I found my initial issue and following your instructions closely I made progress. The issue I am having now is when I try to change the WiFi source, when I select the particular WiFi, lock onto it and select change, I get a message that says “Please enter a valid Access Point MAC Address (6 HEX pairs, separated by colons)
I have tried several locations with the same result. What am I doing wrong?
When you select the AP by clicking the circle and click LOCK TO AP, then the MAC address that was shown in the scan for that AP you want to connect to should be automatically put into the LOCK TO MAC field. It seems like it maybe not be being that for some reason.
For kicks, try to copy and paste the MAC address into the box. So…Find the SSID you want to use and select it. Before you click SELECT at the bottom (not lock to mac) copy the MAC address. When you are dropped back into the WI-Fi page, paste the MAC address into the Lock To MAC.) Be sure to enter in the password for the SSID at the bottom before applying.
Note, there should be no leading or trailing spaces in that field. Also note, if you do not have the right MAC address, it will not connect as it will not be able to find it.
Also try it without locking to the MAC address as you usually do not need to do this unless you really, really need to for some reason.
Hope this helps.
Some of the parks we stay at have internet fiber to the pedestal and we run an ethernet cable into a router on the MH. I would like to use that router with the M2. Currently DHCP is set up on the router. Around 11:33 in the 2018 video, you change network mode from bridge to router and then set up DHCP. If I leave this on BRIDGE, will it just pass the signal to my router so I do not have to change the router if hard wired to the LAN? Set the M2 ip address to within the range of the router?
Hi…Don’t use the NanoStation, plug the cable from the park right into the WAN port of your AirCube. Then you don’t need to change anything and you are still protected behind your own router from others on their network. The AirCube will get an IP from the parks router. (Nice to have data right at the site!)
Is there a single device that can replace the Nanostation M2 and M5 to connect to either frequency? I recently discovered that my M2 would not connect to my home network because I added Unifi AC 2.5 / 5 APs using the same SSID. Once I split them to unique SSIDs for each freq I was able to connect to 2.5 without difficulty. I’m guessing there are parks that have done the same. I scrolled way back but did not find a previous solution.
Hello…There is no NanoStation thats does both 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz. I suggest turning OFF “Band Steering” on your Unifi AP’s and let the client device make the choice on what to use. Band Steering can and does make for connection issues when it tries to force a new connection to 5Ghz first. All my parks have it turned off just for this reason. While it sounds nice in theory, the client devices will already look for a good 5Ghz signal first if it can do both 2.4 and 5. So give that a shot. Hope this helps.
How about this device to replace both the M5 and the M2?
-Link Removed-
Hi…That product is Wi-Fi Range Repeater. As such, it will broadcast the same SSID as to which it is connected to. In an RV Park, that is not a good thing as it will be sending out the SSID for the park you connected to and others users who are close by would likely connect to your network without knowing it was not the parks network. They would have access to anything on your network. If you do that at a park that I operate, my network would see the SSID being sent out and then block the repeater all together as it is not one of it’s AP’s configured on the network. It would be considered a “Rogue Access Point”. Some details on why this is not a good thing… https://www.securedgenetworks.com/blog/rogue-access-point-detection
Take care.
Hi David. I have searched the internet for a Ubiquiti NanoStation Loco M2 and nothing, nada as if 11.08.2022. Supply chain issues, I presume. Do you have any other recommendations as a replacement for this unit?
I am sorry to say no I do not. I would suggest trying eBay.com and doing a search for either the NS-M2 or NS-M2 Loco.
Thank you, David. I will continue to search!
Is there a way to setup the Ubiquiti airCube-AC to use a VPN? I would like to use my ROKU for streaming YOUTUBE TV from my home area but I need the router to handle the VPN since there is no way to configure the ROKU for a VPN.
I’m sorry, not that I am aware of. You can use any router, just need to have a PoE for the NanoStation, come out the LAN port of it and then go into any other routers WAN port. But your on your own setting up the other router. :)