So, you know exactly how to make sure clients have rock solid network coverage at home and work, but what about when they are out and about?
Growing numbers of UK consumers, of all social back-grounds, enjoy a little bit of life on the road with either purpose built camper vans, trailers, caravans, but also in the burgeoning van conversion market where sturdy Ford transits and the like live out their semi-retirement as converted campers, sometimes specked to very high standards.
Quite a few installers out their got their start in vehicle AV and there could be opportunities there again as those converting vans needs help with their AV and connectivity needs.
Some useful help in this area and also if you just want to stay better connected when out on the road visiting projects, comes from Solwise with its range of vehicle antennas.
The company has solutions for a wide range of vehicles including cars, busses, lorries, caravans, motorhomes, boats, barges and has even supplied a space agency, an F1 team, mountain rescue teams and a defence contractor.
Across the range there are permanent and temporary solutions for antennas to mount on any vehicle; these antennas cover Wi-Fi solutions and Mobile Data Solutions.
The Solwise Patriot Antenna offers USB or Ethernet connections for 2.4GHz Wi-Fi or USB connection for a 4G connection.
The Patriot is billed as an ideal solution for a budget option or if you are looking for a temporary solution whilst moving from site to site. The Patriot is also the antenna solution of choice in the Solwise range for the caravanner or motor-homer who regularly visit different sites; it is a simple to use solution, especially good for those new to setting up Wi-Fi connections on their travels.
Requiring a data SIM, mounting brackets offered with the Patriot include suction cups for attaching to a caravan or motorhome, jubilee clip or U-bolt for attaching to a pole or handrail which is ideal for boats.
Alternatively, this unit can be screwed to a wall, making it a good solution for the garden. The WiFi USB Patriot has a kit option to use with a router for sharing the internet connection with more than one device.
Staying connected
Another temporary solution to consider would be the Poynting XPOL-1 for 4G/LTE frequencies. Whilst this antenna is more often used in permanent locations, it is also supplied with suction cups allowing it to be mounted to a window or to your caravan/motorhome/barge/boat.
An omni-directional antenna, it comes with two five metre cables for terminating, inside the unit, on your chosen router.
This antenna is often partnered with the Teltonika RUT240 or RUT950 4G routers. Occasionally it is taken to connect to a Mi-Fi device which users can buy from their mobile solution provider.
When using an antenna and router combination for 4G frequencies, it’s necessary to have a suitable data SIM.
For a more permanent solution the ‘PUCK’ Antenna offers a neat solution for adding an antenna to a van, truck or motorhome.
The PUCK antenna range, from Poynting, offers antenna for 2G/3G/4G/LTE antenna (5G Ready, includes 3.2GHz to 3.8GHz) as well as versions that cover dual band Wi-Fi and GPS / GLONASS.
The PUCK range of comes with versatile mounting options included with each pack. Poynting also offers a vehicle antenna using similar frequencies, but in a larger housing, ideal for big lorries, larger motorhomes and buses/coaches. The MIMO-1 and MIMO-1-1 antennas offer dual band Wi-Fi, 2 x LTE and GPS & GLONASS.
On these lower profile style antennas, the MIMO-1 has a better performance at the lower 4G & GSM 900MHz frequencies whilst the PUCK antenna has a better coverage gain in the majority of the 3G/4G/LTE frequency bands.
Poynting also offers a family of marine antennas that robust and all weatherproof for harsh conditions. Many of the marine antennas are 5G Ready, where they cover the 450MHzLTE/CDMA bands and/or 3.5GHz LTE/CBRS bands which are starting to become available internationally.