Router for RV

[nsh43i]

Hello, I have been doing some searching but with the dizzying array of options out there, I would like to defer to the experts here. I'm looking for a router that:
Runs openwrt.
Sits indoors.
Has a port for an external antenna for cellular signal (will be a yagi) cable run only ~10 feet or so.
Has a port for an external antenna for wifi signal (will also be a yagi) (same as above)
Can do wifi-as-wan
Can remove and change the cellular modem card.
Has an ethernet port.
Bonus: can run on 12 volt.

I already have a small router for providing wifi to my devices. I would like to use it's ethernet port to plug into the router I'm hoping to find, so I'd rather not have one of those routers with a bunch of small antennas sticking out of it, as they're bulky and unnecessary.

Thanks in advance to the knowledgeable folks here!

[MattB29]

You really are not looking for a router. You are looking for a cellular modem. That modem can be installed in a router to serve up an internet connection.

Make sure whatever you buy it will work with the carriers that you are wanting to use. Also understand that those whip or paddle antennas on a wireless modem router box are removable for attaching other external antennas. Your intention to use a Yagi antenna in a RV seems odd and especially a outdoor Yagi for WiFi signal. Who outside your RV are you wanting to supply your connection to?
You might be better served with a omni-directional antenna setup if you are traveling a lot.

Hard to figure what the WiFi as Wan is necessary for.

[Didneywhorl]

Pretty much every router bundle on thewirelesshaven.com can do all that.

If you just want the router, not the bundle, cick on the Routers category, or the router link in the bundle.

https://thewirelesshaven.com/product-ca ... r-bundles/

[tetranz]

Hard to figure what the WiFi as Wan is necessary for.

Most campgrounds provide Wi-Fi. It's usually not great which is why RVers use cellular but if you're lucky enough to be somewhere with adequate Wi-Fi then Wi-Fi as WAN lets you use it transparently if the cellular signal is bad or you just want to save burning through data on a cellular plan when there's a free alternative. i.e., point the WAN at the Wi-Fi and everything inside your RV stays the same.

[tetranz]

I have this in my RV https://thewirelesshaven.com/shop/route ... le-em7565/. I bought the router and modem separately but the end result is that package.

[MattB29]

Hard to figure what the WiFi as Wan is necessary for.

Most campgrounds provide Wi-Fi. It's usually not great which is why RVers use cellular but if you're lucky enough to be somewhere with adequate Wi-Fi then Wi-Fi as WAN lets you use it transparently if the cellular signal is bad or you just want to save burning through data on a cellular plan when there's a free alternative. i.e., point the WAN at the Wi-Fi and everything inside your RV stays the same.

I understand being able to use a business WiFi connection (campground, hotel, Walmart). I just did not think it made sense to put another router between it and the end point.

[tetranz]

I understand being able to use a business WiFi connection (campground, hotel, Walmart). I just did not think it made sense to put another router between it and the end point.

The big thing is the simplicity of changing the WAN connection in one place if you have several devices on a LAN. Also the router / modem probably has an external antenna on the roof of the RV so it's better all round than connecting individual devices to the external Wi-Fi.

[MattB29]

I understand being able to use a business WiFi connection (campground, hotel, Walmart). I just did not think it made sense to put another router between it and the end point.

The big thing is the simplicity of changing the WAN connection in one place if you have several devices on a LAN. Also the router / modem probably has an external antenna on the roof of the RV so it's better all round than connecting individual devices to the external Wi-Fi.

Thanks for the information. Not being an RV'r it is not something I have thought about before.

[nsh43i]

I have this in my RV https://thewirelesshaven.com/shop/route ... le-em7565/. I bought the router and modem separately but the end result is that package.

Thanks, do use external antennas for wifi and cellular on the roof? If so, which antennas did you order?

[tetranz]

Thanks, do use external antennas for wifi and cellular on the roof? If so, which antennas did you order?

Yes, I already had something like this installed from an earlier package. https://poynting.tech/antennas/mimo-3-15/
That does cellular and Wi-Fi so it's supposed to be good for picking up the campground Wi-Fi if you using Wi-Fi as WAN. It's magnetically mounted on a metal plate for a ground plane which is taped to the roof.

I'm not convinced that the antenna gives me much advantage in a non-metallic vehicle. I have the router / modem mounted in a high spot near the ceiling so this thing is only a few inches higher through the fiberglass roof. Poynting seems to have a good reputation but they're nothing magic. My experience is that the internal antennas are pretty much just as good so the external antenna is dubiously worth the hassle of mounting it and dealing with cable entry. If your vehicle has a metal skin like an Airstream then it would be more useful.

That said I'm going to sound a bit contradictory. I've since bought one of these or very similar https://parsec-t.com/product/husky-pro- ... g-antenna/ . I got a good deal for a used one on eBay with the magnetic mount. I now have a different router which does 4x4 MIMO and band 71 which the Poynting antenna doesn't do. I haven't installed it yet but I already have the hole in the roof and the cable entry so it will be pretty much a drop in replacement. Hopefully it will be somewhat useful, especially when we're moving so a passenger can work.