Having an RV Cell Booster is pretty much a must in today's world for the RV full-timer. What about the weekender or occasional RVer? Well, that depends how important staying 'connected' is to you. For the average vacation camper I suppose having a cell booster is a luxury, but, with SureCall's Fusion 2Go 3.0 RV Booster, it is an affordable one. The kit comes with everything you need to do the entire install with no special tools. Included in the kit is the Fusion2Go 3.0 Booster, Exterior Omni-directional Antenna with mounting hardware, Interior Omni-directional antenna, 40ft. of coax cable, and two power supply options 120v or 12v. As you will see from this article and video, the install is not complicated and the results are promising.
The first thing is to locate the best area to mount the exterior antenna. Keep in mind the exterior and interior antenna should be as far apart as possible. If you have a ladder, using the included hardware make this an easy task. I don't have a ladder on my rig and I don't like to take the easy way out so I built an antenna mount.
I purchased a 4-way Ratchet Mount Shakespeare Antenna Mount. This is a great and sturdy mount. With the addition of a 3/4" PVC plumbing tee, a couple 5/16" bolts, and some wood that was laying around I was able to assemble the mount in less than an hour.
As you can see in the picture the plumbing tee screws to the Shakespeare Mount and the included antenna and mount attach to that. The entire mount and antenna attach to some plywood that I mounted to the RV roof with EternaBond tape.
1. Glue two pieces of 1/2" plywood together approximately 8"x12"
2. Cut 45 degree angle on all edges of glued plywood
3. Paint plywood base
4. Attach a metal or aluminum plate of appropriate size to top of plywood
5. Attach Shakespeare antenna mount to base using four stainless steel screws
6. Cut a strip out of top of plumbing tee so it will compress
7. Attach plumbing tee to antenna mount
8. Attach antenna mounting bracket to plumbing tee using stainless steel bolts and stop nuts
9. Attach exterior antenna to mounting bracket
10. Attach entire assembly to RV roof using Eternabond tape.
The easiest way to get a wire from the roof to the inside of the RV is the refrigerator vent. This isn't possible with all RVs so using a plumbing vent or actually drilling into the roof may be necessary. I ran the antenna wire from the roof refrigerator vent to the rear of the refrigerator then into the cabinet below the refrigerator.
The image below shows a typical installation of the Fusion2Go 3.0 in an RV
Once the exterior antenna wire is inside the RV you connect it to the Fusion2Go Booster. Then connect the interior antenna to the booster and finally the power supply. I recommend to not permanently mount the booster at this time. You want to run some tests to see where you get the best coverage. You also want to find a location the booster will not oscillate with the exterior antenna. The lights on the Fusion2Go booster should all be solid or blinking green. Any red or amber lights and you will need to move the booster to a different location.
Now that everything is connected and powered up the booster will come to life and it's time for testing. I was able to test both T-Mobile and Sprint cellular service.
The results were fairly similar. For both carriers an improvement was obtained using the SureCall Fusion2Go 3.0. How close you are to the booster does have an effect on how well you can utilize the boosted signal. Although the booster worked best when testing within 4 feet of the interior antenna, I did see an improvement through most of the RV with the booster centrally located. My testing is not scientific. I conducted some simple tests in one location with my cellphone and tablet. You can see the average of the actual test numbers from the tests I conducted in my RV, below. You can also see the product specifications and even download the Data Sheet and Users Manual.
My personal testing results
According to SureCall's website the Fusion2Go 3.0 RV™ cell phone signal booster provides the maximum gain and power possible ensuring seamless cellular connectivity for multiple users inside any RV or motorhome in addition to the following
Boosts voice, text & 4G LTE signals for all North American cell carriers
Reduces dropped and missed calls
Increases signal strength & extends battery life for all cellular devices
Improves 4G LTE data speeds and connectivity for more miles of uninterrupted coverage
Optimizes gain ensuring booster is always operating at max performance
No cradle or docking station required
High-gain exterior omni antenna captures signal from all directions
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