The Sleek works well but is getting dated technology wise and only came with small antennas designed for use in cars. This weBoost RV Trucker kit comes with a pair of much larger antennas. One to mount externally and one for inside the RV. It can also handle 4 devices at the same time. I’m expecting quite a step up in performance.
The kit came with the large Wilson RV/Trucker external antenna. The provided clamp is designed to easily mount to a truck mirror so I figured a good spot on our fifth wheel trailer would be the rear roof ladder. The antenna would then be up above the RVs roof line and in close proximity to a junction box I’ve recently installed to run my RV backup camera wiring inside the rig.
I clamped the external antenna onto the ladder rail and ran the wire into the existing junction box and down into a rear RV cabinet. To hold the antenna wire in place on the roof surface I used some Eternabond roof repair tape. I’ve used this method in the past with my solar panel wires and it worked out quite well.
Next task was to find a location to mount the weBoost 4G-X amplifier unit. It comes with a plastic snap mount which I screwed into the roof of my rear storage cabinet. Doing this allowed the amplifier box to be hidden from view and conveniently close to the incoming antenna wire and a 12-volt DC power source.
The weBoost came with two power options a regular household AC power pack or a cigarette lighter style 12-volt plug. I elected to use the 12-volt plug since a good portion of my cellular amplifier use will be in off grid camping situations. Also, I already have a 12-volt outlet installed in the rear cabinet for my RV backup camera.
To finish the installation of the weBoost amp box, I simply screwed in the incoming external antenna wire and plugged in the 12-volt power adapter to my recently installed 12 volt DC power socket.
Next was to install the included Wilson internal antenna. The internal antenna from this particular kit comes with 20 feet of hookup wire so I have a lot of options. I ran the internal antenna’s hookup wire in behind my fifth wheels power control panel. There is an empty space in there to store any excess wire I don’t need. From there it will run out to a permanent mounting location high up on a wall or ceiling. The internal antenna comes with its own screw-in mounting plate.
I’ve read it’s best to have some distance between the inside and outside antennas to prevent oscillation. If they are too close performance could suffer. So, I’ve decided to delay it’s permanent mounting location until I’ve had a chance to experiment with different places inside the RV, looking for maximum performance.
Finally, I had all the wires hooked up and hit the power switch. The weBoost amplifier lit up all green which means its ready to amplify my cellular devices inside the RV. The installation was incredibly simple with the hardest part being figuring out where to run the wires in my fifth wheel.
I’m eager to give the weBoost Drive 4G-X a thorough testing and report back my findings with a full Love Your RV! product review. Unfortunately, we are camped in a full bars cell reception area so will have to wait a week or so. Next, we head down the Oregon coast which is known for lots of weak cell areas due to the rugged terrain and sparse population. I should be able to really put the system through its paces and report back. Stay tuned for that.
Not sure what a cellular signal booster is and how it works? Check out this guide put out by Wilson Amplifiers – Cell Phone Signal Boosters:The Definitive Guide.
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