Network Components

When thinking about networking, we need to consider three key use cases:

  • Local WiFi access: WiFi inside Beastie needs to be rock solid because most smart devices and sensors rely on WiFi to communicate. Without WiFi, most of the smart features will no longer work.
  • Outbound Internet access: Obviously we want to be able to connect to the Internet from within the RV and have the connection be as stable as possible, no matter where we are.
  • Inbound access: We want to make sure we can connect to Beastie’s internal network from anywhere so that we can monitor the systems and receive alerts in case something goes wrong while we are not present. This could be a battery issue, a security issue, a problem with the tire pressure, etc. Being able to receive these alerts and logging in remotely is critical to ensure Beastie stays in good health no matter where she is (or where we are).

Requirements

  • Reliability. We obviously want to make sure that all three aspects of our network setup are as reliable as possible. We made sure all network devices are of high quality and from respected vendors.
  • Resilience. We never want to have to log in to a router in case a connection goes down. The system should be set up so that connections that go offline will recover automatically when they become available again.
  • Redundancy. Unfortunately, we need more than 1 network connection to create a stable network in most locations. No single network can cover us in all situations. So, redundancy becomes key.
  • Easy to use. Configuring a network like this is quite complicated. However, we’ve designed it so that most of the complexity is hidden to the end-user who should be able to benefit from a reliable connection without knowing or understanding the inner workings.

All networking gear is mounted in an overhead cabinet
and hidden behind an aluminum grid

Hardware Choices

Networking sits at the center of our overall Smart RV design. So, the choices we make here are critical to ensure reliability, resilience, redundancy, and ease of use.

Cellular Router – Peplink Max Transit LTEA

This is the beating heart of our system. Without the router, there is nothing. So, we picked the best and most reliable option available in the market, the Peplink Max Transit LTEA. It has a very fast CAT-18 modem, 4 LTE antennas, and supports T-Mobile’s long-range band 71, which is important for an RV traveling in remote areas. In addition it has a dedicated GPS antenna which we use to track our location, and 2 WiFi antennas, which we can configure as WAN.

The router only has 1 GSM modem, but it accepts 2 SIM cards. It has 1 WAN port and 1 LAN port and can be powered by 12V. The challenge with this set up is that the 2 SIM ports are in the back of the device, in between the 7 antenna outputs. This makes it really hard, especially in the confined space of an overhead cabinet, to access these ports. Luckily, there is a solution: the Pepwave SIM Extender (ACW-511).

This router has been discontinued. Strangely enough, its replacement model, the Max Transit 5G no longer supports band 71. So, instead, we would recommend the Peplink Max BR1 Pro 5G. For us, upgrading to this newer router doesn’t offer any meaningful improvements. 5G is really only relevant in highly populated areas. Having access to band 71 is far more important than having 5G.

Cellular Roof Antenna – Mobilemark LTMWG 942

We matched the router with a Mobilemark 7-in-1 omni-directional antenna. The 7 antennas can be connected directly to the 7 antenna outputs on the Peplink router. It is a future proof antenna since it supports 5G bands. Also, importantly, it has support for T-Mobile’s band 71 operating at 600 mHz.

WiFi Access Point – Unifi nanoHD

A dedicated wireless access point is not a necessity since the Peplink router also includes WiFi capabilities. However, given the amount of sensors spread around the cabin and the importance of a high quality, stable WiFi connection, we decided to mount a Unifi nanoHD in the roof towards the middle of the cabin. Our Peplink router is installed in the front of the cabin, in an overhead cabinet covered in aluminum, reducing its wireless range.

The nanoHD is very small, has a low profile, and can be recessed into the ceiling for a discreet presence. It can support overt 200 concurrent clients, has 4×4 Wave 2 MU-MIMO, and is powered by 802.3af PoE.

PoE Ethernet Switch – TRENDnet 5-port Gigabit Switch

Our TRENDnet switch connects and powers the Unifi nanoHD. It has a sturdy metal housing and, with some hacking, is mounted in our small overhead rack, together with the Peplink router and the Odroid N2+ server. It has a fanless design (quiet is good!), and is faster than we would ever need. The only inconvenience is that it requires 48V DC power, which forced us to install a 12V to 48V DC converter.

Satellite – Starlink Flat High Performance Kit

And, finally, there is Starlink. We decided to buy the in-motion antenna and mount it directly on the roof of our RV, using the included wedge mount. We bought the Ethernet adapter (and disabled Starlink’s WiFi access point) to connect the Starlink directly to the WAN port of our Peplink router.

The high performance kit uses an electronic phased array antenna with a field of view of 140 degrees allowing it to connect to more satellites than the standard Starlink antenna, provided you have an unobstructed view of the sky. We noticed that performance degrades significantly with obstructions in the immediate vicinity, even if these obstructions are low on the horizon. So, while we thought we would rely on Starlink for most of our connectivity needs, in practice, Starlink accounts for only about 20% of our data usage. 80% is still coming from cellular.

Starlink is also quite power hungry, using 110-150 Watt. And it’s annoying that it requires a 110V connection. Some folks have figured out how to disconnect the power supply and router and connect the dish directly to a PoE source. Not sure that this will work with the new flat antenna. To be investigated.

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