Guide: Internet in motorhomes and caravans - routers, antennas and complete solutions

Internet access via WiFi is now offered on most campsites and pitches (and in many cafés and restaurants), but the price, quality and availability of connections vary considerably.

While you can get relatively good reception in one place for a few euros, you pay a small fortune in the other or sit frustrated in front of reception. This is the only place where you can get at least minimal reception. But even there you wait for hours to be able to send a short e-mail to your family.

In this article, I’ll show you what we use and have already used to get internet in our motorhome. You’ll then have a clear idea of how to get better internet in your motorhome and what else you might need.

These options are available

Three variants are possible and we have already tested them all:

• Internet via a WLAN from the campsite or pitch or from a restaurant or another WLAN
• Internet via mobile communications with 4G/LTE or 5G
• Internet via a surf stick/ USB dongle
• Internet via satellite

Each of these options in turn offers different variants that you can use, with different advantages and disadvantages, which I list here.

Internet via WLAN/WiFi

Sometimes this solution works perfectly and sometimes not at all. Many campsites offer WLAN free of charge or for a fee.

Internet via mobile communications with 4G/LTE or 5G

Most campers in caravans and motorhomes always have mobile internet with them on their smartphone. Do you too? If so, this could be a way to make the Internet easy to use for everyone in the camper.

Thanks to roaming, the data volume from Germany can also be used free of charge in all EU countries. If this is not enough, you can also buy a prepaid card in many countries to get more data volume at a reasonable price.

Internet via satellite

A few years ago, this variant was connected to a large satellite antenna and consumed a lot of electricity. We used such a system ourselves for a while. We found it impractical. But there are now better systems. More on this below.

Your own WLAN in the motorhome or caravan

Like many other campers, you will probably have several devices with you:

• Smartphone
• Tablet
• Laptop/ MacBook
• Smart devices
• Television

All these devices can use the Internet if you set up your own Wi-Fi in your camper. There are two ways to do this:

WLAN hotspot with your smartphone

If you are traveling in Germany and have a mobile phone contract with an Internet flat rate or are using a prepaid tariff, you can easily set up a Wi-Fi hotspot via your smartphone.

Your other devices, e.g. tablet or laptop, can be connected to the Internet via this hotspot and the corresponding password. This works with almost all Android and Apple smartphones.

Since 2017, no additional roaming costs may be charged in other EU countries, but there may be a so-called “fair use clause” in your contract. In simple terms, this means that the data volume used abroad may not be higher than in the country in which you have concluded your contract.

Internet outside the EU

Due to the high roaming prices in all other countries, this solution is unsuitable. The best option here is to buy a prepaid SIM card locally and, as described below, also use a private hotspot. We have already listed the offers available for most countries:

• Prepaid cards and Internet in Denmark
• Prepaid cards and Internet in France
• Prepaid cards and Internet in Greece
• Prepaid cards and Internet in Italy
• Prepaid cards and Internet in Croatia
• Prepaid cards and Internet in Norway
• Prepaid cards and Internet in Austria
• Prepaid cards and Internet in Portugal
• Prepaid cards and Internet in Switzerland
• Prepaid cards and Internet in Sweden
• Prepaid cards and Internet in Spain

How to switch on the WLAN hotspot on your cell phone

On both Android devices and iPhones, you can find the feature in the settings or quick settings. Simply swipe down with your finger from top to bottom.

It is called a hotspot or mobile hotspot. You can activate the function there and assign a password, which you should definitely do. And then you have Wi-Fi and Internet in your motorhome.

Advantages

• You have your smartphone with you anyway and don’t need an extra router
• you simply use your data plan
• cheapest solution

Disadvantages

• The metal walls in campers attenuate the mobile phone signal
• The reception is worse
• Battery wears out and runs out quickly
• Cell phone may get hot under certain circumstances

We have already used this as an emergency solution. But it’s annoying in the long run. The better solution is:

WLAN with a router in the motorhome

This makes WLAN feel like home. There are small, mobile routers with a rechargeable battery that consume very little power and therefore don’t drain your batteries too much. After all, electricity is scarce when you’re not connected to shore power.

Many routers have two antenna connections. This allows you to connect two antennas. The antennas on the roof ensure significantly better reception on the move.

The best mobile 4G/ LTE/ 5G routers

There is a huge selection of routers with very different features ranging from around €50 to over a thousand euros. I’ll help you through the jungle of offers here.

Entry-level LTE router TP-Link M7350

We had the predecessor in use for a while. However, we replaced it because it didn’t have any external antenna connections. Otherwise, it’s a great device that always had a fast network without any problems.

The router achieves 150 MBit/s download and 50 Mbit/s upload (CAT 4). It is compatible with all SIM cards in Europe. You can see the operating status, data consumption and more on the screen.

You can pair 10 Wi-Fi devices and even insert a microSD card to store movies or pictures that can then be accessed by all devices.

Thanks to the built-in rechargeable battery, you can easily take it with you. If reception is poor, you can simply place it on the roof for better reception. If it rains, simply put it in a Tupperware box. Coupled to a power bank and with a Tupperbox and on the roof, you’ll have internet in your motorhome. 🙂

The battery lasts 5-8 hours, depending on use.

Incidentally, the router can also use 3G or UMTS. But these networks are being switched off more and more.

It is charged via micro USB and a charging cable is included. It can also be charged during operation or always remain connected to the power supply.

Our router of choice: Netgear Nighthawk MR1100

In fact, we are using its predecessor. The Netgear Nighthawk M1. It accompanied us as a router in the motorhome for 3 years and always did its job.

The biggest advantage is the two antenna connections. We connected the two LTE antennas on our roof to them and had fast Internet in the motorhome even in the most remote locations.

The control and configuration via an app is also very cool. This allows everything to be conveniently controlled and set from your cell phone.

It achieves 1 GBit/s in download and 150 MBit/s in upload. I have also written a test report on its predecessor: Netgear Nighthawk M1 review.

You can charge it via USB-C and it even has a network connection and a large battery.

I also bought a holder so that it is properly attached to the wall and you can still put the screen down. The ingenious thing about this holder is that it is an antenna plug adapter. This is because the connections on the router do not fit directly to our aerials. You can buy the holder here.

Perfect for the 5G future: Netgear MR5200 router

The 5G networks in Germany are constantly being expanded. 5G is the successor to 4G, more precisely LTE. This router is already equipped for 5G networks. It can handle 3G/ 4G/ 4G+ and 5G.

This allows you to achieve download speeds of up to 4 GBit/s. You can connect 32 devices and it already has the new WiFi 6 on board. This is particularly fast WLAN.

Like the MR1100 above, it can be managed and controlled via app, browser or on the device itself.

According to Netgear, it lasts 13 hours on a single charge and you can charge it via USB-C. It can also remain permanently connected to the power supply.

Tip

The two Netgear routers can not only connect to the Internet via mobile radio, but also via WLAN. This means you can also connect to a Wi-Fi network with the router, for example at the campsite, and then use it with all devices in the motorhome.

The tinkering or all-round tip: Teltonika RUTX50

I have purchased a router for our house in the countryside in Portugal that has excellent LTE reception characteristics and has both an LTE antenna and a WLAN antenna connection. These devices come from the industry. They are extremely robust and can do a thousand things. Ideal for a nerd like me …

If you also want it to have 5G on board, then go for the RUTX50. But beware, it costs over €800.

The two devices can also accommodate two SIM cards. And you can connect 2 or 4 mobile phone antennas, 2 WLAN antennas and a GPS antenna.

The right antennas for LTE and 5G

I have already written several times that external antennas can significantly improve the reception and therefore the stability and speed of the Internet in a motorhome. We were on the road with our motorhome 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for 6 years and were in many places where we had no or only one bar with our cell phone.

However, our WLAN router with external antennas had full reception. The more you want to use the internet, the more you should put external antennas on the roof. You can either mount these permanently or place them on a magnetic base if required.

We have opted for a fixed installation. To do this, you have to drill a hole in your roof and attach a roof duct. We did this when we installed a solar system, so we had to drill a hole anyway.

Antennas are usually specified with the value “antenna gain” or “amplification” or “signal gain”. Stores and manufacturers use this to show how much the signal is improved by the antenna.

This is where mainly low-cost providers cheat with particularly high values. 7-20 dBi are promised here. To explain exactly what this means, I would have to write so much that it would go beyond the scope of this article. If you are interested, take a look here: dBi and antenna gain.

Tip:

Tip

Before you decide on antennas and routers, check which connections both have. Many routers have a TS9 connection. Here, the antenna plugs are simply plugged into the socket. Many antennas come with an SMA connection, where the whole thing is screwed together and is much more stable. The connectors can easily come loose, especially when driving.

We use this holder for our Netgear router. It has a built-in adapter from TS9 of the router to SMA of the antennas. Super practical. But you can also simply buy cable adapters.

Tip

Make sure that the cables are as short as possible. Every meter of cable worsens the signal and therefore the reception! 3 meters is a good value. Every meter of cable attenuates the signal by 0.3 dBi. And this value applies to high-quality, shielded cables!

So on the one hand you gain signal strength or better reception through the antenna and through the height on the vehicle roof and because nothing is shielded in the vehicle.

Especially campers with a metal outer shell are like a Faraday cage and attenuate the radio signals considerably in some cases.

External LTE and 5G omnidirectional antennas

We use these antennas. As the name suggests, they transmit and receive in all directions. You don’t have to align them with a radio mast, which is quite annoying and sometimes not possible when you’re on the move.

For the best reception, however, the antennas must be mounted on the roof. You can either mount them permanently, as we do, or only when needed. Then it’s best to use ones with a magnetic base.

When we installed the solar system on the motorhome, we also used the roof feed-through for the antennas.

Tip

You need two antennas for almost all routers. This is called MIMO. One antenna transmits, one receives and both are ideally at least 50 cm apart.

Antenna with magnetic base

A simple antenna for 3G and 4G costs around €40. There are also significantly cheaper offers. If you really only want an antenna on the roof, then the following set is okay:

There are already two antennas inside, they have a magnetic base, three meters of cable and are available with TS9 or SMA connectors. Pay attention to the connector when buying and choose the right model.

The signal gain is supposedly 5 dBi, but I’m skeptical because of the price.

Better antenna with magnetic base

I would recommend the following antenna. It is much smaller, also has a magnetic base and different connectors. However, it costs more than the inexpensive ones above. And you have to buy two:

2G/ 3G/ 4G magnetic base antenna.

Here, I simply believe the signal gain of 3 to 5 dBi much more than the cheap model above.

5G antenna with magnetic base

Here I can recommend the following antenna for approx. 80 € each:

Deloc 5G LTE magnetic antenna.

It has a gain of up to 3 dBi 3 m cable and an SMA connector. You may need an adapter for your router and remember to buy two antennas.

Antenna for fixed mounting 4G

We have had two of the following antennas installed on our motorhome for 6 years. One on the left and one on the right of the roof:

It has a gain of up to 3 dBi. With the two antennas, we always had good reception on our travels and we use the Internet every day for work.

Antenna with 5G and WLAN

This antenna can handle 3G, 4G, 5G and even WLAN. You can also use it to get WLAN from the campsite. However, this only works with the Teltonika router. This is the only one with connections for LTE/ 5G and WLAN.

Internal MIMO antennas for the window

If you don’t want to drill any holes, a MIMO antenna for the window is the solution. Motorhome windows are usually made of plastic and radio waves can easily pass through them. The following antenna is suitable for 2G-5G and has 5 dBi gain:

Multi band adhesive antenna 2G-5G for approx. 130 €.

There is also an antenna for 2G-4G for approx. 60 €.

Yagi or directional antennas

Some of these antennas provide over 20 dBi antenna gain. Compared to the 3-5 dBi of the antennas above, this is a multiple. Why do I still not recommend them?

Because they are huge in comparison and always have to be precisely aligned with a radio mast. I know 1-2 campers who have such an antenna with them, but for “normal” campers these antennas are simply nothing.

Internet with a surf stick / USB dongle

The oldest solution for mobile Internet connections: Since the beginning of the digital revolution, when computers left the office and started traveling, there have been so-called “surf sticks” for laptops.

These sticks have a compartment for SIM cards and can be used – similar to a smartphone – for Internet reception via local cell phone networks. The advantage of the surf stick is that it can be used universally on several computers thanks to its USB connection, it is quick and easy to configure, relatively secure, but of course cannot be used without a laptop and is therefore dependent on a regular power supply.

In addition, the information you need while traveling (e.g. on routes, sights or restaurants) has to be laboriously transferred to your smartphone or tablet. So if you want to travel light and are content with a quick check of emails or Trip Advisor, it’s better to choose one of the other options.

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However, these surf sticks have the same disadvantages as routers without an external antenna. The shielded reception in metal camping vehicles.

Complete solutions for Internet in motorhomes

In addition to the small Mifis (mobile WLAN routers), various providers also offer somewhat more comprehensive complete solutions with router, WLAN receiver and antenna, which are either permanently installed in the camper or can also be used on the move.

Campernet

For example, my colleagues have been using the CAMPERNET from the company Antretter & Huberwhich is equipped with a powerful LTE foil antenna, an LTE router and a WLAN antenna. Up to two SIM cards (e.g. one German and one local) can be inserted into the router, or you can use the Wi-Fi antenna to “tap into” the hotspot on the campsite. Reception can optionally be boosted with an external antenna. You can find our test report on the CAMPERNET here.

The price starts at around 750 euros.

You can buy the router here: Antretter & Huber GmbH CAMPERNET | CampingWagner

FTS Hennig Caravan Box 5G

FTS Hennig from Saxony offers the Caravan-Box 5G. These are several devices with which you can get both mobile and Wi-Fi Internet in your motorhome.

The price here starts at €1,057.

To the Caravan Box 5G

Internet via an external WLAN

Many campsites offer WLAN. Public facilities, restaurants, stores, petrol stations and supermarkets.

Some of these WLANs have a good range and you can use them very well even 20 or 50 meters away, others barely reach beyond the walls of the buildings.

The network operators Telekom and Vodafone also offer a large network of Wi-Fi hotspots in Germany. Use is included free of charge in many mobile phone tariffs and DSL tariffs. Have a look at your contract.

There are also privately organized, free WLANs in many cities. For example Freifunk or Free Wifi Berlin.

There are even WLAN search engines for public hotspots such as WiFiMap or wifispc.com.

Strengthen WLAN on the campsite

If you are always on sites with good WiFi, it is often sufficient to amplify the WiFi and possibly connect your own WiFi in the motorhome to the WiFi from the site. The Netgear router and the Teltonika router can both do this. There are also much cheaper solutions.

As I have already written a very comprehensive article on this, I will not go into details again here. Read here how you can boost your internet connection at the campsite.

Internet via satellite

We tried this option 5 years ago for 3 months and were super annoyed by it. The satellite antenna was huge and super heavy. The whole thing wobbled in the wind and reception was always interrupted.

And it wasn’t easy to attach the antenna to the roof in such a way that it could be folded in and not fall off the roof while driving and still be set up quickly.

From my point of view, only Starlink from Elon Musk currently offers a sensible solution for this. They now even have an offer for campers. Although the antenna can’t be permanently mounted on the roof, it can be set up quickly.

Power consumption and weight are also kept within limits. As are the costs. And unlike other providers, Starlink offers a real flat rate, good latency and high speed.

The hardware costs €350 once and €80 per month if you use the antenna. There is no monthly fee for months without use.

In Europe, the whole thing works in:

• Germany
• France
• Spain
• Netherlands
• Portugal
• UK
• Italy
• Romania
• Greece
• Lithuania

Sweden, Norway, Finland and most parts of Denmark should also work from the first quarter of 2023. You can see the availability on this map.

Download speeds are 50-150 Mbit/s and upload speeds of up to 20 Mbit/s. The average latency is 60 milliseconds.

You should also bear in mind that you always have to put the antenna out. For campers who drive every day, an LTE router with built-in antennas is the better choice.

The system can be ordered immediately and without waiting at Starlink.

Television via the Internet in the motorhome

We used this option very intensively. Netflix, Amazon Video and YouTube were part of our program. However, we never watched traditional TV channels.

However, you need a lot of data volume to stream movies and series. I once measured the data consumption:

• Netflix approx. 0.25 GB / hour (low video quality)
• Netflix approx. 1 GB / hour (high video quality)
• Netflix approx. 2 GB / hour (HD quality)
• Amazon Prime Video approx. 0.5 GB / hour
• YouTube poor quality (144p) 30 MB/hour
• YouTube medium quality (480p) 0.5 GB/hour
• YouTube high quality (1080p) 1.7 GB/hour
• Sky approx. 1.7 GB / hour
• Spotify low quality 60 MB/hour
• Spotify high quality 120 MB/hour
• Internet radio approx. 1.2 GB / day

A data volume of 20-30 GB or a flat rate makes sense here. You can find suitable tariffs below. More information about television in a motorhome.

By the way: One hour of scrolling on social networks also quickly adds up to 200-400 MB of data. Videos and pictures quickly add up to large amounts of data. And if you don’t use social networks, your children certainly do.

Suitable mobile phone tariffs for Internet in a motorhome

If you are traveling in Germany, Freenet Funk is a good choice. For €0.99 a day, you can use unlimited Internet in your motorhome. With up to 225 MBit/s download speed in the O₂ network. There is also a one-off €10 connection fee.

You can pause the tariff for up to 30 days a year and cancel it at any time. You will receive the SIM card after ordering and can also use it in a router for the Internet.

However, you can only use 1 GB per day in other EU countries.

If you have no luck with the O₂ network where you are traveling, then the Vodafone Gigacube is another recommendation from me. It’s available in various tariffs:

• 155 GB/month for €35
• 310 GB/month for €45
• unlimited for 75 € per month
• with 5G, €10 is added on top.

However, the Gigacube does not have an aerial connection. However, it can also be operated on the 12-volt vehicle electrical system using an adapter.

Telekom, on the other hand, offers a prepaid flat rate for €100 per month and a contract for €85. It gets exciting here if you need several SIM cards, because then it gets cheaper and cheaper, up to €24 per card. Abroad, you can use the prepaid offer with 94 GB per month. The contract includes unlimited use. With one restriction. See the next section!

Internet in a motorhome abroad

Thanks to roaming, you can use many data tariffs abroad in the same way as in Germany. However, there are some exceptions. You need to look at your tariff details. The Freenet tariff, for example, is limited to 1 GB per day abroad. However, there is a pitfall with all tariffs:

The fair use policy

If you’re only abroad on vacation, you don’t need to worry. However, if you are abroad for longer, you do. With some providers you may be charged for one month, with others for several months, in which case your Internet provider may charge you higher fees. In most cases, you will be charged a good €2 per gigabyte of additional traffic. Your provider will inform you of this by SMS.

So if you are going to be abroad for a longer period of time. For example, to spend the winter in Spain, then I recommend buying a local SIM card in the country. At least have that in mind as a backup plan.

Here we have an overview for many countries:

• Prepaid cards and Internet in Denmark
• Prepaid cards and Internet in France
• Prepaid cards and Internet in Greece
• Prepaid cards and Internet in Italy
• Prepaid cards and Internet in Croatia
• Prepaid cards and Internet in Norway
• Prepaid cards and Internet in Austria
• Prepaid cards and Internet in Portugal
• Prepaid cards and Internet in Switzerland
• Prepaid cards and Internet in Sweden
• Prepaid cards and Internet in Spain

Conclusion

The Wi-Fi infrastructure at campsites often leaves a lot to be desired: too few hotspots, insufficient data transfer, networks that are quickly overloaded. If the Internet in your motorhome is part of your vacation, you should think about an alternative solution to make yourself less dependent on the local conditions. Thanks to the abolition of roaming charges, you can use your own mobile data tariff from Germany within the EU at no extra cost.

For non-EU countries, you can purchase a local data SIM card. If you want to surf the net sporadically and don’t need high upload and download speeds, a smartphone or tablet with a SIM card is often sufficient. If you want to use several devices and/or are a more demanding user, the inexpensive models of small, portable routers offer you an excellent result.

If you depend on reliable Internet reception, like to stream a lot or need high data volumes and speeds, we would recommend a higher-priced mobile router or a complete LTE solution.

Podcast with experts on the topic of “Internet in motorhomes and when traveling”

Frequently asked questions about internet in motorhomes and caravans

Do you still have questions about the Internet in your motorhome?

Then simply comment here and write us your questions.

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