Caravan WiFi - Fitting a Poynting PUCK - 2 Antenna
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 ก.ย. 2024
- In this weeks vlog I fit a WiFi antenna to our caravan, after lots of research and phone calls I opted for the Poynting PUCK-2 Antenna.
I also fit a USB socket to provide power to the Netgear Nighthawk wireless router.
Poynting PUCK -2 Antenna
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USB socket
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All videos and associated content are the sole opinions of the The Caravan Nut and are for entertainment purposes only.
Martin
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You really do not need a netgear nighthawk in this country, Even cheap £40 huawei devices are more than capable of delivering enough speed, the problem lies with the service providers, Three are notorious for throttling your internet speed especially in in high use areas like London. You know if the service provider is throttling the network if you have more than 3 bars on your device and your internet is slow to none existent.
If I had to buy one I would get the Huawei, the Nighthawk was given to me that’s why we have it. The antenna has helped and the SIM seems to work that’s all that matters. Cheers
The Caravan Nut yes, those Poynting antennas are amazing, very high quality, your van will shield some of the signal so to have an external antenna hard wired to your router is essential but just keep your eyes on those bars, I went with three unlimited data sim and it was terrible, had a full 5 bars and couldn’t even get online most of the time, so it was nothing to do with the signal, I’m based in London so switched to EE, more expensive but as fast as home broadband with my puck 4. Thanks for the vid.
Before drilling ANY holes, one should always first see if the antenna works! and in that particular position!
Absolute f@cking genius Martin. This vlog has made my year. What a great solution. I very excited BTW I think I'm going to do exactly the same! (Assuming Mandy lets me drill a hole in the roof.) Exactly the solution I was looking for. I must buy you a beer sometime...BTW that netgear device is rather pricey :-( Graham
Hi Graham, Thanks for the comments. I looked at loads of options but wanted something that was just there and I don't have to mess about putting up. I was a bit nervous about putting a hole in the roof but if you use the correct tools and sealant there won't be a problem. I would just check with your warranty as you have a newer van, from what I remember your still covered but the section of roof around any hole you put in isn't.
Yes the netgear is pricey but great, the antenna's in it are good but this just gives it a boost in those lesser reception areas.
Cheers Martin
I have just watched your video on the puck 2,
Just wondering has it made a difference to your signal, do you think its worth doing. By the way I enjoy all your vids, keep up the good work
Yes it does make a difference but as long as the service provider has good coverage. We have been able to stream films no problem. Thanks for the feedback on the channel. Cheers, Martin
Hi Martin, another great video. I’m in the process of doing the same thing. I also have purchased a Poynting aerial, although a different style to the one you’ve used. I spliced into the TV booster power supply for my USB power source, and will remove the TV aerial and replace it with a short mast of the same diameter with the WiFi antenna attached. This means I don’t have to drill any holes, we still have 9 years left from our 10 year water ingress warranty. I’ve also left provision to add another cable through the new mast, should I wish to add a mini roof top TV aerial. We use a satellite dish for TV. But found we were watching more TH-cam and NetFlix so have made the change. The alternative mast was purchased from the Caravan TV aerial manufacturer. A bit expensive but it’s an odd sized tube. An alternative is to buy the screw in blank plate, then drill through it. One word of warning, is that the cables from the aerial can be quite stiff, I’ve read the TZ terminals in the router can become damaged because of the force exerted because the cable has a significant memory in its form. Poynting recommend using a short adaptor cable or “tail” to make the conversion between fitting types. Amazon sell them. The difference in how easy the connection is significant.
Cheers, thanks for the great content. John
Thanks for your comments. Yes you have to be careful with warranty as you don't want to invalidate it. Sound like you will have a good set up there, we are tending to watch more YT and Netflix now we are away. Fed up with repeats on the TV! I've seen the short adaptor so will get that ordered. Currently when putting the connectors on it doesn't feel that robust so don't want to damage them.
Thanks for the info and watching, Martin
Hi Martin, Good job done there with the antenna, shouldn't get any water leaks at all. £15.00 for 100GB / month is outstanding value. Great instructional video. Thank you. Rob
Hi Rob, yes I can't see any water getting in there with the adhesive pad and sealant it should be spot on. 3 network have some good deals on at the moment, we got it through a site called Smarty. Thanks for the comments and watching, Martin
Tidy job there Martin, small item too does not look like a mahoosive mushroom sitting on top of the caravan.
Hi Mark, I was surprised how small it was, have tested it on a trip and worked really well.
Thanks for watching, Martin
Good job there martin but i can't blow up a air awning without bursting it, debs technically minded so I'll see what she thinks
Another helpful video mate
Hi Tony, yes leave it to Deb’s 😂 So far it’s worked really well and a good addition. Enjoy Scarborough! Cheers Martin
Great video Martin! Gave me the confidence to do exactly the same using the same kit you did. I have just returned home from the storage yard having successfully finished the job. One thing I did slightly differently was, after drilling the pilot hole from the inside, when I moved to the roof I just drilled through the outer skin slowly and carefully first and then stopped, picked out the circle of Ali and had a dig through the polystyrene insulation with a screw driver. I'm so pleased I did because sitting off centre of the hole (so the pilot drill missed them) was some 12v cables wrapped in insulating tape that the hole saw would have made a meal of!
Keep up the great content on the channel.
Regards
John
Hi John, glad you managed to do the job. Good job you you had a dig before drilling through, that would have been a nightmare.
Thanks for comments and watching
Good stuff, looks a decent setup. I’ve got something similar with 3 mobile that costs £17 a month with unlimited internet and 4g router with 4 LAN ports. Not tried external antenna other than one that mounts on the window. Just need to build up the confidence to drill through the roof.
They have some great data deals and reception is not that bad. The hole in the roof wasn’t that bad, it’s smaller than the others in the roof (haki) 😂 Thanks for watching, Martin
Motorhome WIFI do a roof mounted arial too but this one does the same job at a fraction of the price.. except you need your own mobile wifi unit, great video mate..
Haven't seen the motorhome wifi one but will have a look out of interest. Yes the bonus is having the Netgear as a router which is a great device. Thanks for comments and watching, Martin
The Caravan Nut Ye have a look mate and tell me what you think, Iv got an EE mifi device which I take to work so I have Wi-fi in my truck, Iv just ordered a Netgear one so I can hard install it in my CV so when I’m in it Iv just got to seal the SIM cards over... 👍👍
Excellent video Martin. We have minimised the number of gadgets we buy and take with us over the years. This seems like a good investment and is reasonably simple to install. 😉👍🏻 Trev
Hi Trev, Hope you are well. It worked a treat on the last trip as I was able to watch the formula 1! Thanks for the support, Martin
Thank's Martin, good job there, looks to make a good improvement. I'm curious how you streamed F1 to the TV. Didn't think you could cast Sky to TV. Were you mirroring your phone to the TV?
Hi Bob, we downloaded the Sky Go app to the smart TV and watch through that. We also have Netflix and Prime Tv, the only downside is the amount of data it uses, a dish would be better. cheers Martin
Hi there. What hole saw did you use for the job?
This is the one I used
www.screwfix.com/p/erbauer-multi-material-holesaw-20mm/22647?tc=RT3&ds_kid=92700048793290430&ds_rl=1244066&gclid=CjwKCAiAp7GcBhA0EiwA9U0mtv4Tzi1W1pAWnp7ozs3oL-RDdW5E28KSaEQczwzZGjEEjiyN-VVpvxoCo7YQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
@@TheCaravanNut Thanks :) 👍
Hi Martin great mod mate. You could hear the anticipation in your voice. I think I'd be the same. Your right about the usb conector as well. Sarah would have said to me it wasn't straight as well if I was fitting one. 🤣 great video hope it all works out for you 👍.. Paul and Sarah
HI Paul, yes Angela would have noticed and she noticed the scratch on near the USB that I made, no one has mentioned it yet!
We have used the antenna on our last trip and it worked a treat, much better signal. Cheers for the support, Martin
How do you get Sky Go on your tv?
It had an old operating system on it and I was able to download the app, it doesn’t work anymore! Cheers
Hi Martin your braver than me. i don't think I could drill the roof. It looks like a great device. Let us know how you get on with it. Phil. 👍🙂
Hi Phil, It worked really well on the last trip away in the lakes. Like I've said to many people, there are a lot of other holes in the roof (Heki's) that are ok so applying the same principles to this hole it shouldn't be a problem. Thanks for watching, Martin
Great review Martin. Thanks. Does anyone know if it's worth paying £100 more for the NETGEAR Nighthawk Mobile Hotspot 2GBPS rather than the 1GBPS ? I'll be downloading videos such as iPlayer and Netflix. I understand Netflix requires 3 GBPS for standard definition streeming, so streeming is out of the question, but is download and view later possible? The 5G option is £740!
Hi Stephen, Thanks for the feedback, not sure about the difference. Think Dan Trudgian has the earlier Netgear so might be worth asking him.
My technical knowledge is not that great, Thanks for comments and watching, Martin
Great video, we still hot spot our phone, but when the signal is bad this would be a good solution . 🙂Mark
Hi Mark, used it up in the lakes recently and it worked a treat. Cheers, Martin
Thanks for introducing the Puck 2, I've been in the market for an affordable antenna like this for a while. Iv'e since watched the manufacturers video and others which have given me confidence in the water tightness of the 3M double sided sticky pad that fixes the Puck in place. I'm always impressed with your research and presentations. Great channel 👍
So far it’s done the job well. I put a small bead of silicone around the base just to be sure.
Thanks for the feedback and support.
Hi Mark.. I have a huawei e5577 router. The puk 2 antenna you installed in your caravan will this support this item if I got the connectors to fit the antenna
Regards Paul 👍
Hi Paul, I have replied to your email, Cheers
Great video. Inspired me and gave me confidence to do the same to my caravan. Thanks for the links to buy the correct equipment to do the job
Glad the vlog helped, hope the job went well, cheers
Hi Martin
Got to say I take my hat off to you fir drilling through your caravan. But a fantastic idea in the process of doing the same. Not bad for someone who is not tech minded 🤔 great job. Keep the vids coming a joy to watch and learn. Your like the Martin Lewis of caravaning . Money saving expert DIY.
I was a bit apprehensive drilling the hole but I knew I had all the right gear for doing the job which makes it easier. It has made a difference to the signal and speed. Not sure about the money expert, that’s not what my wife says 🤣
Thanks for comments and supporting the channel.
Got me on the formula one fact. Did a solar panel last year, took lots of pondering before I committed. Gonna give the puck ago. Cheers
The Puck will be easy compared to the solar panel! We have found it works well, cheers
Great job Martin, not bad at all for a self-confessed not technically minded DIYer... 👍🏻✅👏🏻
Hi Rog, I make it sound like I know what I'm talking about, I really haven't got a clue what I'm doing!!
It's working well anyway,
Thanks for the support, Martin
Thanks for sharing. Is this a 5g antenna too? I would want to future proof this mod when 5g becomes a nationwide source of mobile data.
According to the instructions it’s 5G ready. Never thought about that when I fitted it. Cheers
Fitted the puck to my Hobby in April as i have smart TVs etc. I did a speed test with an EE sim and an Asus router. 72 MBs then used smarty.com same time and router only got 500kbs.. Nice Vid Cheers.
That’s the only issue that some providers has a better network. We used it in the lakes recently, signal wasn’t great but managed to watch the F1! Thanks for watching
Hi Martin
What colour wires are the live and neutral at the rear of the radio I’m thinking of putting a usb next to mine like you have done
Thanks 🙏
It’s usually red live black neutral, it should have a label on it showing what’s what. Cheers
Hi Martin,
A very nice and tidy install. I have been looking into something like this. Thanks for sharing pal. Nigel 👍👍😁
Cheers Nigel, Thanks for watching 🙂
Fitted this antenna my download speed without antenna was 15mbs with the antenna it went up to 20mbs. Thanks for the heads up, did sweat drilling hole through caravan roof but it did seal and is waterproof.
Glad it’s working, the quality of the network provider makes a difference. On our recent trip I got 40mbs download and 25mbs upload, was able to watch the F1 so was happy with that. Cheers, Martin
Hi Martin, love the flog, we are in Devon as we speak, the issue I have is that there is no phone signal and the camp sites wifi is very poor the the degree where there is none, would this divice plus the M2 work in this circumstance, TIA
The set up is only as good as the network signal. For example we are at Kelling Heath and our SIM is 3 but there is very little 3 coverage so it’s not good. We have bought a Tesco SIM as our phones are on that network and they were working, it’s a little better. The M2 is a great device and the Antenna does increase the signal but only if there is good coverage.
The M2 will take any SIM so we check out the coverage before we go away to see which network provider is the best.
Hope that answers your question, thanks, Martin
Thanks for that Martin. Having married a Lancashire lass she was missing her rugby league on sky sports. I followed your installation and it worked a treat. Many thanks.
Glad you got it sorted, great to be away and be able to keep watching your favourite sport. Cheers Martin
That’s one addition that I’d like to consider, already done the usb on radio stand (was just two screws on top to get it out). I’m very nervous about drilling through the roof ... thanks for sharing !! Pete 👍👍
Hi Pete, That was my only concern but if you get the right tools for the job its much easier, Thanks for watching, Martin
Great mod. I’m half-way there with router and USB but drilling the roof....🥴
Hi Rob, I was a bit worried about the hole in the roof but if you have all the right tools for the job and decent sealant it will be fine. There are lots of holes in the roof already, (Heki) another small hole won’t make a difference. Cheers Mate, Martin
What was the speed without the antenna connected? If it was 20MBps after
The speed readings with out the antenna where lower, can’t remember the exact figure as it was a while ago. It all depends on the network coverage. I have had speeds up to 50mbps on download and 30 on upload. I have filmed a update video which should be out next month.
Cheers
Great job 👍. Done the same thing to mine a while back. Scary drilling a hole through the roof but turned out to be a simple job.And works really well.
Hope Angela didn’t notice the scratch by the USB port 😜😜
Ah someone noticed the scratch....so did Angela!
Yes it's quite a simple effective job, wasn't overly worried about the hole in the roof as there are others that don't leak (Heki)
Thanks for comments and watching, Martin
To improve your signal coverage, it will be worth changing to EE, as they have the best coverage, even in rural areas.
Cheers, will have a look at that.
Enjoyed this video was thinking of doing it to our van but it’s still under warranty so may leave it for now we have the netgear nighthawk M2 and an suction cup antenna if I need it but looking to put a usb socket in the top locker for it to stay in their
Thanks for the feedback. It’s been a great addition and works well. We managed to get a signal at a site we previously couldn’t which is a bonus.
The hole cutting wasn’t as bad as I thought!
Thanks for watching, Martin
Great video, Really looking to do this but at that point the drill went through the roof I almost spat my dinner out. All that said it look like it works well.
I was unsure about drilling the hole in the roof but thought there are other holes in the roof, Heki roof lights, sealed the same way and they don’t leak so go for it. It has improved the internet speed and on our last trip we got 40mbs download and 25 uploaded, this however is only as good as the SIM providers coverage. Thanks for comments and watching
i have been waiting for someone to pioneer putting a router in their van and now i will make that my next project ,thank you.
The results are great well worth drilling the hole in the roof.
Why not fit it to the top of the TV aerial and come down inside the pole of the aerial
Not sure that would have been viable, it also needs to be away from the aerial to stop possible interference. Thanks
Hi Martin is the sky go app on your TV? I've got it on my phone but can't share it to the TV on smart share 😭
Yes we have downloaded the Sky Go to the smart TV, seems to work ok. cheers
That’s the bit I was going to ask about.
I have a Sniper TV that’s really well connected, but I use a Firestick for smart features (especially since you can now get AppleTV on it now, too).
Need to look into the SkyGo app.
Great solution I will add this one to my list of future caravan improvements and a reasonable price too
Works really well, I shopped around for it as the price difference at some places was £20! Thanks for watching.
Another really good video Martin, thank you
Thanks for taking the time to watch, Martin
Hi Martin. Thanks for the video - that's a massive help. I was wondering what type of drill bit you used to go through the roof? Was it just a 20mm steel drill bit?
Hi Paddy, this is the drill bit I used, you also need a harbour for it. www.screwfix.com/p/erbauer-multi-material-bi-metal-holesaw-20mm/22647?tc=RT3&ds_kid=92700055262507123&ds_rl=1244066&gclid=CjwKCAiA8Jf-BRB-EiwAWDtEGsGKcJNt6Zrc7S3q-vJYa7l-DAotIoNoJaUIlvvRc8ATkEZ-yOvAYBoCXVAQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
Hope that helps, cheers Martin
@@TheCaravanNut Thanks Martin - really appreciated.
Hi little knowledge on this, but does the puck receive mobile signal and public wifi for the nighthawk to use or just one service and does nighthawk have to have SIM card, sorry guys early days for me on this subject and baffled by some websites
Hi Andy, the puck is just an antenna that receives 3,4 and 5g signal. The nighthawk has the SIM in, it can use any network which is a bonus. The antenna’s on the nighthawk are really good, the antenna just gives it that boost in poorer signal areas. Hope that helps, cheers Martin
@@TheCaravanNut Thanks yes very helpful
Hi Martin really useful info and content 👍 is it portable take anywhere ie from are camper van when cycling I’m looking to fit the same kit please can you post a link for the SMA TS9 cable adapters many thanks 🌈😊
Hi, yes the Netgear is mobile and can be used anywhere.....well as long as you have a signal.
Here’s the link for the adapters
Pack of 2 RF Coax 4G LTE Antenna... www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B077JJPP1X?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
Thanks for watching, Martin
@@TheCaravanNut thanks for your reply really appreciate your time 🌈😊
Great advice thank you
Thanks for watching
Hi Martin when we travel through France we have a Wi Fi directional antenna that can find the source signals that the various campsites use to offer their chargeable connection to their customers, often they have a poor signal with very low up and down speeds. The antenna can reach up to 5 miles when and where we stop - you clearly need to connect to the internet and log in to google etc and send emails. We have never had to pay for that connection and it works in the UK too. I have a antenna connection to the body of the van so it is easy to set up. PS this is not the roof antenna that one would use to find TV etc.
Sounds interesting John! Will stick with what we’ve got as it works well. Cheers
@@TheCaravanNut Hi Martin - Just thought I would share it with you if ever you needed it.
Hi Martin .. great video .. what smart tv did you download sky go onto
Thank you
We’ve got a Cello smart traveler TV, you should be able to download the app to any smart TV. cheers
The Caravan Nut thanks for reply
Another nice and tidy install Martin 👍
Hi Colin, I was a bit scared cutting through the roof! I made sure I had all the right tools for the job which made it easier. Cheers Martin
you are a lot braver than me!
It’s only a small hole, it will be fine 🙂
Great video Martin*****
Thanks for watching 😊
Another great vlog Martin , nice tidy job ... once again looks like it’s gonna cost me 😄
I’ve Just changed to an unlimited data /text/vox plan with Three for 18 quid month - initially they offered it at 22 but bit of haggling got it to 18 for 12 months.
At mo only using phone to tether but this antenna and netgear looks a better option .
Keep up good work Martin
Hi Howard, Sorry for costing you more cash!
3 network have some great deals on data, we are going to use this one for a few months then change to unlimited next year.
The netgear is a great router but not cheap, the antenna just finishes the job.
Thanks for watching and support, Martin
The Caravan Nut I was already paying over 17 quid for 30Gb but a quick chat to them online via the app got me unlimited deal
Generally had good success with Three coverage and their overseas use is good too
Keep spending the cash 👍🏻
Ours is a 3 network SIM but we got it through a site called Smarty. Seemed to have better deals.
Finally getting round to doing this install in our van now, so came back “again” for the link to the usb 12v socked 🤘🏻
Hope all goes to plan 👍😊 enjoy
@@TheCaravanNut just 1 question, I noticed you used a 20mm drill bit, but the manual for puck says 22mm drill bit? Was it a good fit using the 20mm or would the 22mm make no real difference?
The bit I used worked well, didn’t read the instructions! 🤔🤣
Good job martin
Cheers, thanks for watching
Which drill bit did you use to go through the roof. Was it also the same for making the hole for the usb socket
This is the bit I used for the roof; www.screwfix.com/p/erbauer-multi-material-bi-metal-holesaw-20mm/22647?tc=RT3&ds_kid=92700055262507123&ds_rl=1244066&gclid=CjwKCAjwhMmEBhBwEiwAXwFoERgOI4m1iGufhABztOLR94R_u3VXoLOUmLHbUk5Ez080dRrQ1XSyehoC10MQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
The USB was bigger but can’t remember what size, think it might have been 28mm. Hope that helps.
@@TheCaravanNut Thank you for a quick reply. I am going to give it a go
No problem, just check there are no cables in the roof first as some manufacturers run lighting cables across them. Good luck 😊
Hi Martin how have you found the antenna now you have used it?
Yes we used it last year. It worked really well, we had signal at a site we had been to the year before and had none. As long as you have got a good signal its great.
@@TheCaravanNut hi. What did you use to join the power wires to the existing please?
The antenna doesn’t require power, the USB was connected with block connectors.
Can i ask how you are getting Sky Go through the TV using WiFi? I can't get sky go on anything bigger than a tablet. Thanks.
Hi Phil, I downloaded the Sky go app on to the Tv and it worked through that.
Cheers
@@TheCaravanNut thanks. Last one, what brand tv is it? At the moment I'm using illicit sources even though I have a sky account.
It’s a Cello but think you can download the app to any smart TV.
Maybe the 12v TVs are considered tablets by the system?
What was the sealant you used? Was it sikaflex?
No, I was told the Sikaflex is good but sets solid and isn’t flexible. With the changes of temp on the roof you need a flexible sealer, I used Soudal fix all. Anyway that’s what I was told and always use Soudal. Cheers, Martin
@@TheCaravanNut Thankyou for replying, good to know. I have a tiny leak in my kitchen roof light which I only just found after washing filthy roof after lockdown so might try this temporarily till I get it reasealed.
Should do the trick.
Excellent job Martin, you made it so easy. Nice one, I'm sure it will be a great addition.
Cheers Rich. We tested it on our recent trip to the lakes and it worked a treat. Thanks for watching, take care, Martin
I wish I had seen this before you went ahead. To cut a long story short my i phone died on me while on my last holiday. I needed my phone to access internet which was a bit hit and miss. Any way while choosing my new phone I mentioned the wifi saga. It was then I was introduced to mobile plug in router from Hawaii. I was sceptical at first but it’s the best thing we have purchased at £17 per month we just plug it in and away we go it’s perfect and hasn’t let us down yet.We can also allow other users to link up.But for security reasons we don’t. It’s so good we now use it at home.
I’ve seen the Hawaii router, gets really good reviews and there are some great SIM deals out there. The Netgear router is great on it’s own but the antenna just gives it a good boost where the coverage is a little low. Used it in the lakes on our last trip and worked a treat. Thanks for comments and watching, Martin
@@TheCaravanNut I am not as knowledgeable as you Martin, do you reckon we would be better of fitting a wifi antenna to our caravan?
If you’re getting a good signal I would leave it. I just wanted something I don’t have to think about.
@@TheCaravanNut Thank you Martin I appreciate your advice and the video.
Thank you for taking the time to watch them.
Neat and tidy job Martin. I did hold my breath when you started drilling though....😱😁
I held my breath as well, wasn't as bad as i thought and the antenna is working well. Thanks for watching, Martin