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You’ve gotta stay connected! Email, WebEx, Zoom, Netflix, Plex, Hulu, Amazon, RV Trip Wizard…..we all rely so heavily on the internet to complete everyday tasks – AND we often work from the RV so we need reliable internet. Once we determined our mobile internet needs and wants it was time to install the equipment in our 2020 Newmar Dutch Star to stay connected!
Our Equipment Choice
Here is a list of our current equipment:
- Mobile Router: Pepwave Max Transit Pro
- Antenna: Parsec Husky Pro 7
- Signal Booster: WeBoost Drive Reach RV
- Internet: Starlink Satellite Internet
- Internet: Calyx Institute Internet Membership unlimited T-Mobile hot spot
- Internet: (3) iPhone 13 with AT&T service and 50-Gb hotspot data (each)
Stuff you’ll need for this install:
- Waterproof junction box
- Waterproof Connectors (Cable Glands)
- 1-1/2″ PVC Conduit – local hardware store sold a 5′ section, I used less than 1′
- 1-1/2″ PVC box adapter
- Dicor lap sealant
- Dicor Butyl Seal Tape
- Cable tie mounts with zip ties
Electronics Cabinet
The first order of business was to map out where I wanted things. For me, I wanted something near the center of the coach that had access to the roof (and possibly the cargo bays), power and room to mount everything.
In our 2020 Newmar Dutch Star 4369 we have a mid-ship half bath that will work perfectly for our application!
In this cabinet we will be mounting:
- Mobile Router: Pepwave Max Transit Pro
- Signal Booster: WeBoost Drive Reach RV
- Internet Source: Calyx Institute Internet Membership unlimited T-Mobile hot spot
- Note: the Calyx hot spot is generally in this cabinet but sometimes moved to a window for a better signal.
The cabling from the roof mounted WeBoost antenna and Parsec Husky Pro 7 roof mounted antenna for cellular, wifi and gps will be ran into this cabinet.
All will be connected to a Belkin power strip and surge protector. At some point I will connect these all via 12-volt connections to the panel in this cabinet.
Roof Mounts
On the roof we’ll be mounting
- waterproof junction box to pass the cables through
- Weboost antenna
- Parsec Husky Pro 7
Using
Planning the Installation
After choosing where I wanted the electronics to go inside, it was time to figure out how the cabling would get there.
The 1/2 bath is mid-coach, and has a roof vent, so this was an easy place to measure from. The Girard Awning boxes were here though, so I had to make sure to account for what space I had, or didn’t have.
From the inside of the coach, I needed to detach the electrical panel in the 1/2 bath cabinet. Thankfully Newmar did a nice job with their wiring and I had plenty of room to work with to move the panel enough to give me room to work.
Here are the existing wires behind the electrical panel that go up into the ceiling and routed throughout the RV. I wanted to utilize this existing hole but had to ensure I would not hit any of these wires while drilling the new hole through the roof.
After careful measuring, using the roof vent as the guide, it was time to drill the hole.
A little tip – drill a small pilot hole to ensure you’ve hit the spot you intended to. If you missed it’s a much smaller, easier hole to seal and try again. You can see my pilot hole just below the green bit in this picture.
I drilled the larger hole. As you can see in the picture on the first attempt I hit the aluminum structure piece. Thankfully I was able to move slightly over and make the hole. So even though I made the smaller pilot hole, it still wasn’t perfect.
I wasn’t concerned as I know I’d be able to fill the hole with sealant and it’d also be under the well sealed junction box.
I drilled a hole in the bottom on the junction box to run the conduit through. It will sit directly on top of the hole I drilled through the roof.
I affixed the conduit in place with silicon caulk, keeping it slightly raised above the bottom of the junction box in case water got inside the box. I then secured the junction box to the roof using the Dicor Butyl Seal tape. Use it generously! This helps hold it in place and also as a sealant. 4 small screws hold the junction box to the roof.
Once I tested everything, I mounted and closed up the junction box. Everything was sealed with Dicor lap sealant to ensure a water tight seal and no leaks into the RV.
The install is complete. I mounted the Pepwave mobile router on the wall with the 7-plug antenna coming in from the roof and connected.
I mounted the weBoost cellular booster box just below it.
Currently I am just using the standard power cords to a power strip which I have plugged into one of the floor heat GFCI outlets in that cabinet using a low profile plug. It works fine for now since we usually have Starlink as our primary internet source, and that’s only deployed when we’re stopped and on power, etc. Future plans is to wire each to a 12v power source so they are constantly on (and off when the primary power is off). This would allow us to always have the router on, using our hotspot, phone, or nearby wifi as the internet source on travel days. We’ve not had this need so this has not been a priority.
Summary and Future Thoughts
The install in our 2020 Newmar Dutch Star was not too bad, after getting past the idea of drilling a hole through the roof. It’s been in place for over a year with zero issues at all, we’re very happy with the install and the hardware itself.
It seems we use Starlink the most for internet. We do not have the Starlink Dishy permanently mounted, we wanted to be able to move it to a clear signal if we’re parked under trees. We deploy Dishy, and keep the Starlink router in a bay. The signal from the Starlink router to the Pepwave has never been an issue for us. I would like to explore wiring options to mount the Starlink router in this cabinet (although it generates a lot of heat!!) and use an ethernet connection into the Pepwave to ensure a consistent, strong signal.
The Calyx T-Mobile hotspot has been working great and we’ve renewed for a 2nd year. They released a new hardware option but it would have been a $400 upgrade. We didn’t see the need at this time, and will monitor the functionality.
