Ok, this has been talked about A LOT by others, and by that I mean the product WeBoost Drive 4G-X. But we get asked often, as you may guess, about how “WE” are doing phone and data on the road and if we have made any changes over the years. The answer is YES we have now made a big change.
So after all the things I have seen and read on the weBoost Drive 4G-X RV, I had to get my hands on one and see what all the fuss was about. Now let me say this upfront, it is not inexpensive. It is quite a hit in the wallet actually. Especially when you consider to get the best performance you would also want an outside mounted antenna and that new weBoost 4G antenna alone is not cheap. The Drive 4G-X comes in THREE kits, the weBoost Drive 4G-X , Drive 4G-X OTR , and Drive 4G-X RV. The OTR comes with the powerful 4G antenna and is the way to buy it if you want both, as the kit is less expensive than buying the Drive 4G-X and new antenna separately. Even though it is not inexpensive, if you require the best chance at cell and data coverage and speed, as we do, then it surely will cost you. But is it worth the price? As you have also seen, there is an RV version of the kit, the difference is a lower profile outdoor antenna for your roof. Note however, if you have roof rails that hide the stuff on top, it will block some of the signal seeing it is low to the roof.
Me? I currently run the Drive 4G-X OTR with the slight more powerful Desktop Indoor Antenna that comes in the RV kit that came out after I did the below video.
Now I will say we still believe that there is a place for the less expensive Drive 4G-S Sleek if you do not require multi user. We have used the Sleek for many years for our data needs, as we would place our phone or JetPack in the cradle and have increased performance. It has serviced us very well and is much less expensive, as it is meant to be used by one device. It is also 50% less powerful then the Drive 4G-X, which has the most power output, allowed by the FCC. If you already have the Sleek and are happy…Great!!! However…You will want the new 4G-OTR Cellular Antenna to replace the old one. The old one in the 2100Mhz frequency bands actually hurt your signal as it reduced it. The new one now does what it should and boosts it in that frequency band. (4G LTE lives in that band as it can be from 700-2100 Mhz depending on your provider.)
But now our needs have changed, as well as technology, and as such we have now changed right along with it. The Drive 4G-X offers us multi device connections, as well as greater power and thus reach than we have ever had before. This comes off as better cell coverage with less drops and increased data speeds, especially on the uploads. So to us…YES…It is worth the price of admission.
IMPORTANT NOTE: NO BOOSTER, none, nada, zippo, will do you any good in a poor signal area. In order to boost something, you need something to boost. If you have no signal, or very poor signal, their is nothing to be boosted. This is why a larger gain antenna is important as the antenna is used to bring that signal in from further away as well as transmit out over longer distances. I mention this as sometimes, ok a lot of times, someone says it does not work without understanding HOW it works. “It did nothing for me. I had no signal and I still have no signal.” Well, hello, yeah! So you get this important fact…right? Hope so.
As far as where or how to mount it…That’s your call! :) But for us I removed the older Wilson Trucker antenna I had mounted to the roof and replaced it, in the same place and with the same mount plate, with the new WeBoost 4G antenna. NOTE…The cable is attached directly to the antenna, no clue why they would do this, so you cannot use the existing cable that you may have already run. (Grrrrrr) So I clipped off the cable from the old antenna and was able to pull the new antenna cable wire through using the old cable. Behind the front cab cabinets is A LOT of space. So getting into that area to get the cable is not an issue. And seeing we chose to mount it all up in the front, I did not need to run the cables anywhere else. Yippee!!!!
You see, the WeBoost Drive 4G-X uses an inside Plate/Patch/Directional antenna that is good for about 3 maybe 4 feet away from it. So seeing we sit in the front of the coach, it actually does provide us with improved service from the driver and co-pilot seat. But more important is that the JetPack is located right next to it! As such, it gets all the performance it needs!!! (Which is very important to us.)
I made a video talk about the WeBoost 4G-X which is about 11 minutes long. I talk about what it does, some things you need to be aware of, but also, I show On/Off demos on the gains you receive not only in the signal, but also in download and upload speeds. Yes, others have done this for this product. But hey…you asked. Well maybe not “you” per say…but whatever.
So please watch the video and then you can decide if the WeBoost Drive 4G-X is right for you. I hope this helps and I am sorry in advance if I once again cost you money. ;)
WeBoost Links: Drive 4G-X RV – Drive 4G-X OTR – WeBoost Drive 4G-X – 4G-OTR Cellular Antenna – Drive 4G-S Sleek
Good stuff. Thanks Guys!
Great video, well presented. BUT, it would be much more impressive if you were in a weaker area where the antenna and booster could show some significant download speed improvements.
Sure it would…but the concept and the use is still the same. We did get higher data speeds on both download and upload. Also I forgot to mention, the cell tower plays a part as you might only be able to get X speed out of it depending on the current number of users. And that is no matter how good your connection may be. :)
I actually recently purchased both the 4GX and the new antenna. However, we haven’t been in an area with a weak enough signal for the booster to make any difference yet. I look forward to trying it out at future locations.
This is great! We’ve been looking into these so this is very timely. Curious why you didn’t go with the weBoost RV 4G? I thought the RV was the highest power to cover the wide open spaces of RV’s? Thanks y’all!
That device is classified as a HOME device (an RV can be a fixed home.) As such, using on the road in an RV that moves is not allowed per the FCC. You can tell this is for a FIXED home as the outside antenna is a DIRECTIONAL ANTENNA and thus must be pointed. Does not help much in a when on the move. ;) (They just did not use the term RV as they should and this makes for confusion.)
Thanks David! You’re awesome! What ASUS are you using by the way? I have a Go2 as my router, but I’m open to something better :)
It is the older RT-66U unit. Older, but does a great job.
If you were to have to buy (or buy a new cool toy just because you can) a new one tomorrow…. what would you get?
A 360 degree birds eye view video camera system of around our coach.
LOVE IT…. can’t wait for your video and equipment recommendation :) One last thing (hopefully), if you had to replace your ASUS today what would you get? I have a WiFi Ranger Go2 and Elite but would like to replace the Go2 with something better. Thanks again David!
It would likely be another ASUS as it has been a great router and they are very popular as they work so well.
Thanks David!
David,
What app are you using on your phone for signal strength? I can’t find it on my iphone?
SignalCheck Lite – We use Android phones so not sure if there is an iPhone version of it.
When we are ready going to need some help on this technical stuff. But we are super excited
Hi David! Thanks for very informative video! We are getting ready to install ours on our coach. Where on top of your coach did you install the outside antenna, front or rear? We’ve been reading that the outside antenna needs to be 25′ away from the inside antenna to prevent feedback.
Thanks in advance!
Hi…I replaced the older 4G I had on the roof already. It is mounted in the front of the coach. They are about is about 8 feet away with the inside antenna pointed AWAY from the outside one. 25 feet would be A LOT for a lot of RV’s and even more so for CARS which this is made for. So kind of lost at that 25′ needed thing. :) I have had zero issues the way it is installed.
That’s what we both figured. We’re going to install ours similar to yours. Thanks again for all the info!
David, really enjoy your blogs..QUESTION. Using the WeBoost with the JetPack…do you connect the jetpack directly to the router …or use the wifi connection to router? if plugged in…why JetPack rather than just a modem that plugs into the router?
No. You use something like the Under $100 Private Wi-Fi solution and then you can connect the NanoStation to the JetPack via Wi-Fi. So JetPack Wi-Fi to NanoStation….Nanostation into a router that then feeds all your devices. You usually do not have a MODEM at an RV park or on the road.
Trying to understand your setup..sorry to be so dumb on this ….I understand WeBoost use to JetPack..
JetPack then has wifi to your devices…
What is the ASUS router for or is that a separate system for campground wif and not used as part of the Verizon cell solution
Thanks
We use the router as our internal network. All our devices connect to that for Internet. The NanoStation network cable goes into the WAN port of the router like a cable modem would. The NanoStation is connect wireless to either the JetPack or a RV Parks Wi-Fi.
Hope this helps.
Do you have a link to the nanostation device mentioned above? Thank you
Do you one better…I did an entire tutorial on setting it up… https://www.outsideourbubble.com/secure-private-rv-wi-fi-and-making-a-better-park-connection-for-under-100/
I know this is old, but wanted to clarify something. According to my manual (4Gx RV, version) the red flashing means your antennas are too close together:
Blinking Red, Then Solid Green
This indicates that one or more of the booster bands has reduced power due
to a feedback loop condition called oscillation. This is a built in safety feature
to prevent harmful interference with a nearby cell tower. If you are already
experiencing the desired signal boost, then no further adjustments are necessary.
If you are not experiencing the desired boost in coverage then refer to the
Troubleshooting section below.
So it’s not just booting up, it’s actually an error code for reduced power, but it will still work.
Thanks Brian. But yes, it is also the start of the process as it needs to check signal levels. But your information is correct.
I have a OTG 4G…green lights ON…never see any increase in the bars on cell phone…the jet pack…right next to it …does not work sny better with it on or off..I have given up on it…no way to confirm it works at all…
Sure there is. You just need the right app for your phone or know how to get in to see the actual signal vs looking at the bars which does not tell the real story. Look for an APP called Network Cell Info Lite.
I have IOS , all I find in APP STORE is one called
LTE Cell info : Network. Is this it?
Thanks
Yes, sounds about right. :) You will be able to see the actual signal and if/how it changes with the unit on or off.
Will give it a try when I return to the coach…thanks
Hi David and Brenda,
I really enjoy reading about your adventures and appreciate all the informative information on products.
We just picked up our new MH and working on adding many of the products you’ve recommended.
I wanted to see if you still recommend the WeBoost and if there’s any updated version as of 2019.
Thank you,
Michele Gutierrez
Hi…Yes, the weBoost is still the way to go as far as I am concerned. We still use ours to this day. :)
Awesome! Thank you.