.The Cel Fi unit does not get very good reports either and from some searching there are other more expensive units out there which resemble the Cel Fi unit.
I may be wrong (I think it did happen once :) ) but I think the Cel-Fi unit is the only mobile phone booster which is approved for Australian use and my advice is do not even consider using an unapproved unit for this purpose because, almost certainly, it will be detected and recognised by the telcos and/or ACMA who have some *very* sophisticated equipment for this purpose and they *will* give you a very painful and expensive slap on the wrist. With the amount of licence fee the telcos pay for bandwidth they do not take at all kindly to people stuffing up their systems.
Mike,you are correct.At one stage I was tempted to get one of thise super high-power boosters,but investigation soon changed my mind.Easily traced and huge fines.Cheers
Rob Driver said
11:24 AM Aug 17, 2021
Mike Harding wrote:
Rob Driver wrote:
.The Cel Fi unit does not get very good reports either and from some searching there are other more expensive units out there which resemble the Cel Fi unit.
I may be wrong (I think it did happen once :) ) but I think the Cel-Fi unit is the only mobile phone booster which is approved for Australian use and my advice is do not even consider using an unapproved unit for this purpose because, almost certainly, it will be detected and recognised by the telcos and/or ACMA who have some *very* sophisticated equipment for this purpose and they *will* give you a very painful and expensive slap on the wrist. With the amount of licence fee the telcos pay for bandwidth they do not take at all kindly to people stuffing up their systems.
Hi Mike,
According to the various websites the RV Wi Fi unit is approved for use in Australia and New Zealand and when purchased in Australia it actually comes with a Telstra Sim Card of which the new owner / user will contact Telstra to activate.
The buyer has the option to use the Telstra Sim or to contact and use another Telco of their choice.
It would be risky undertaking for many of the well known van manufacturers to fit anything at the factory that is not approved.
Rob Driver said
11:46 AM Aug 17, 2021
yobarr wrote:
Mike Harding wrote:
Rob Driver wrote:
.The Cel Fi unit does not get very good reports either and from some searching there are other more expensive units out there which resemble the Cel Fi unit.
I may be wrong (I think it did happen once :) ) but I think the Cel-Fi unit is the only mobile phone booster which is approved for Australian use and my advice is do not even consider using an unapproved unit for this purpose because, almost certainly, it will be detected and recognised by the telcos and/or ACMA who have some *very* sophisticated equipment for this purpose and they *will* give you a very painful and expensive slap on the wrist. With the amount of licence fee the telcos pay for bandwidth they do not take at all kindly to people stuffing up their systems.
Mike,you are correct.At one stage I was tempted to get one of thise super high-power boosters,but investigation soon changed my mind.Easily traced and huge fines.Cheers
Yobarr,
You would be well advised to research the ACTUAL unit that I am referring to. The fact is that the Cell Fi unit does not get very good reports in contrast to the RV Wi Fi where I have not seen one bad report, but feel free to jump onto Google and find a complaint or two
From their website:
The statistics are in, 95% of family homes and business are Wi Fi enabled giving occupants access to up to date on line data, social media, music and movies the options are endless, with the internet being on an unstoppable course and where it is revealing itself as the prevalent communications technology of choice. RV Wi-Fi routers are optimised for the Telstra networks 3G and 4G data pre paid plans, though the RV Wi-Fi+ enables you to choose your own provider to access the internet to give you the best range or price options available and you only pay for the time youre using the caravan. The coverage of this device is available where mobile coverage is available from your carrier, only better due to the external antenna providing greater range. The RV Wifi + typically provides up to 50 meters of coverage from your caravan or motorhome and allows you to connect multiple devices at once as well as using from your car whilst travelling. In addition, it comes with a built in media centre, allowing you to insert a hard drive or USB and share movies, images or music over multiple devices.
The RV Wi-Fi router Software has been developed specifically for the Australian Recreational Vehicle community.
Yobarr if you read my posts above you may have noted that these RV WiFi units have an option of two external antennas, one of which is very similar to the aerial you have shown in your pics above. My thoughts are with this 6db antenna it, in theory should have the same performance as your Cel Fi unit but without the complaints.
I am interested in sensible comments from anyone who owns or has had experience with the RV WiFi unit so please don't drag my enquiry in this topic into oblivion.
You have already stated how happy you are with the Cel Fi so can I ask that you just leave it there.
Thank you
Mike Harding said
12:13 PM Aug 17, 2021
Rob Driver wrote:
According to the various websites the RV Wi Fi unit is approved for use in Australia and New Zealand and when purchased in Australia it actually comes with a Telstra Sim Card of which the new owner / user will contact Telstra to activate.
The Cel-Fi and the RV Wi-Fi are different products I think:
The Cel-Fi is a mobile phone booster ie. it receives a signal from a mobile tower, amplifies it then retransmits it for local use as a mobile phone signal - this is a highly complex process and, unless done, properly will disrupt the mobile phone network which is why it needs mobile phone type approvals... and more!
The RV Wi-Fi is simply a mobile modem and network hub, it receives a mobile signal strips the data component out and retransmits that as a local wi-fi (not mobile) signal. It doesn't require approvals outside those applied to all electronic gear in Oz.
The RV Wi-Fi will do the job you seek and will probably allow you to use wi-fi calling and similar however it would be much cheaper, I suspect, to buy a standard 4G modem/router such as the Nighthawk I mentioned in a previous post in this thread.
Rob Driver said
12:38 PM Aug 17, 2021
Mike Harding wrote:
Rob Driver wrote:
According to the various websites the RV Wi Fi unit is approved for use in Australia and New Zealand and when purchased in Australia it actually comes with a Telstra Sim Card of which the new owner / user will contact Telstra to activate.
The Cel-Fi and the RV Wi-Fi are different products I think:
The Cel-Fi is a mobile phone booster ie. it receives a signal from a mobile tower, amplifies it then retransmits it for local use as a mobile phone signal - this is a highly complex process and, unless done, properly will disrupt the mobile phone network which is why it needs mobile phone type approvals... and more!
The RV Wi-Fi is simply a mobile modem and network hub, it receives a mobile signal strips the data component out and retransmits that as a local wi-fi (not mobile) signal. It doesn't require approvals outside those applied to all electronic gear in Oz.
The RV Wi-Fi will do the job you seek and will probably allow you to use wi-fi calling and similar however it would be much cheaper, I suspect, to buy a standard 4G modem/router such as the Nighthawk I mentioned in a previous post in this thread.
Thanks Mike,
It is hard to get my head around all this new technology.
I have noted the Nighthawk unit you mentioned and the link you provided is certainly cheap.
When I bought my current unit I was offered an external antenna for $89 from memory. The external antenna for the RV unit is currently $99 but that is not an eBay price.
I will continue to research.
yobarr said
12:56 PM Aug 17, 2021
Rob Driver wrote:
yobarr wrote:
Mike Harding wrote:
Rob Driver wrote:
.The Cel Fi unit does not get very good reports either and from some searching there are other more expensive units out there which resemble the Cel Fi unit.
I may be wrong (I think it did happen once :) ) but I think the Cel-Fi unit is the only mobile phone booster which is approved for Australian use and my advice is do not even consider using an unapproved unit for this purpose because, almost certainly, it will be detected and recognised by the telcos and/or ACMA who have some *very* sophisticated equipment for this purpose and they *will* give you a very painful and expensive slap on the wrist. With the amount of licence fee the telcos pay for bandwidth they do not take at all kindly to people stuffing up their systems.
Mike,you are correct.At one stage I was tempted to get one of thise super high-power boosters,but investigation soon changed my mind.Easily traced and huge fines.Cheers
Yobarr,
You would be well advised to research the ACTUAL unit that I am referring to. The fact is that the Cell Fi unit does not get very good reports in contrast to the RV Wi Fi where I have not seen one bad report, but feel free to jump onto Google and find a complaint or two
From their website:
The statistics are in, 95% of family homes and business are Wi Fi enabled giving occupants access to up to date on line data, social media, music and movies the options are endless, with the internet being on an unstoppable course and where it is revealing itself as the prevalent communications technology of choice. RV Wi-Fi routers are optimised for the Telstra networks 3G and 4G data pre paid plans, though the RV Wi-Fi+ enables you to choose your own provider to access the internet to give you the best range or price options available and you only pay for the time youre using the caravan. The coverage of this device is available where mobile coverage is available from your carrier, only better due to the external antenna providing greater range. The RV Wifi + typically provides up to 50 meters of coverage from your caravan or motorhome and allows you to connect multiple devices at once as well as using from your car whilst travelling. In addition, it comes with a built in media centre, allowing you to insert a hard drive or USB and share movies, images or music over multiple devices.
The RV Wi-Fi router Software has been developed specifically for the Australian Recreational Vehicle community.
Yobarr if you read my posts above you may have noted that these RV WiFi units have an option of two external antennas, one of which is very similar to the aerial you have shown in your pics above. My thoughts are with this 6db antenna it, in theory should have the same performance as your Cel Fi unit but without the complaints.
I am interested in sensible comments from anyone who owns or has had experience with the RV WiFi unit so please don't drag my enquiry in this topic into oblivion.
You have already stated how happy you are with the Cel Fi so can I ask that you just leave it there.
Thank you
"Can I ask that you just leave it there" What are you on about! Perhaps you could desist your constant denigration of the CelFi-Go system,when the only experience you have with one is the reading of dubious reviews on the internet.Whilst,on occasions,reviews are of some value,many CelFi-Go reviews seem to be from disgruntled self-installers.All I have done is advise of the great performance I have received from my unit,and I have not commented on the value of any of the cheap spit alternatives.Hopefully,my positive experiences may help others to make an informed choice,but always there are people who will purchase cheap spit,and then cry "foul" when it doesn't work.You don't race at Bathurst with a VW beetle. The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.Cheers
-- Edited by yobarr on Tuesday 17th of August 2021 01:11:05 PM
Does the Cel-Fi support VoLTE? (See my new post in General).
Because if it doesn't then it won't do voice calls after 2024. I imagine one could get around that by using wi-fi calling but I'm not sure if that would work with the Cel-Fi either?
I'd suggest there is a lot of "Buyer Beware" to be done here.
yobarr said
01:07 PM Aug 17, 2021
Mike Harding wrote:
Yobarr:
Does the Cel-Fi support VoLTE? (See my new post in General).
Because if it doesn't then it won't do voice calls after 2024. I imagine one could get around that by using wi-fi calling but I'm not sure if that would work with the Cel-Fi either?
I'd suggest there is a lot of "Buyer Beware" to be done here.
Hi Mike.Unfortunately,I cannot answer your question,as I am not at all tech-savvy,and don't even know what VoLTE is! My CelFi-Go suits me,as I use it only for phone and internet.If I needed to make calls from the back of beyond,I could simply send a text message to the person I wish to converse with,and they can call me back at standard mobile rates.Cheers
Rob Driver said
01:17 PM Aug 17, 2021
Yobarr,
I don't doubt you word that your Cel Fi works perfectly as you would expect. You have said it does and that is fine.
You quoted me in your comments to Mike H when at that same time you were referring to illegal equipment which was an attempt to cast doubt on the unit that Mike and I were discussing. I asked you to research the subject unit.
As Mike has pointed out these two units have different functions so unless the Cell Fi unit boosts internet wifi I have no more reason to consider it, regardless of public opinion.
I am not racing at Bathurst, I am considering replacing an old Wi Fi hotspot unit which appears to have a fault, with a new more up to date unit which will work as best as it can on any Telcos signal and I would like to have members of this forum contribute and communicate without interference to my particular question. Considering I was not talking about the Cel Fi unit I asked you to just leave it there.
That is all Yobarr, I meant nothing more.
Thank you
yobarr said
02:15 PM Aug 17, 2021
Rob Driver wrote:
Yobarr,
I don't doubt you word that your Cel Fi works perfectly as you would expect. You have said it does and that is fine.
You quoted me in your comments to Mike H when at that same time you were referring to illegal equipment which was an attempt to cast doubt on the unit that Mike and I were discussing. I asked you to research the subject unit.
As Mike has pointed out these two units have different functions so unless the Cell Fi unit boosts internet wifi I have no more reason to consider it, regardless of public opinion.
I am not racing at Bathurst, I am considering replacing an old Wi Fi hotspot unit which appears to have a fault, with a new more up to date unit which will work as best as it can on any Telcos signal and I would like to have members of this forum contribute and communicate without interference to my particular question. Considering I was not talking about the Cel Fi unit I asked you to just leave it there.
That is all Yobarr, I meant nothing more.
Thank you
No problem Rob.Seems to have been a bit of a misunderstanding,but no one's died,so all is good.As I have said many times,I am not at all tech-savvy,but I do know that my CelFi-Go runs my internet at "high speed",according to a "Check internet speed" site. Cheers
-- Edited by yobarr on Tuesday 17th of August 2021 03:19:23 PM
Mike Harding said
03:45 PM Aug 17, 2021
I took a look at the datasheet for the Oz Cel-Fi and cannot find a mention of VoLTE but mobile protocols are complicated and I'm no expert in them, however I suspect it does not currently support VoLTE so, Yobarr, you may wish to contact your supplier to check if a firmware update is available.
dabbler said
05:02 PM Aug 17, 2021
Cel Fi Go certainly does support VoLTE and it's easy to verify. Just check any Australian seller website. (There are early versions of Cel Fi - and I believe not approved for Australia - that don't support VoLTE.)
Rob Driver said
05:30 PM Aug 17, 2021
Mike Harding wrote:
I took a look at the datasheet for the Oz Cel-Fi and cannot find a mention of VoLTE but mobile protocols are complicated and I'm no expert in them, however I suspect it does not currently support VoLTE so, Yobarr, you may wish to contact your supplier to check if a firmware update is available.
Hi Mike,
I found a video on the Cell Fi Go units.
It mentions VolTE at around the 35 second mark, to confirm dabblers info above.
Cel Fi Go certainly does support VoLTE and it's easy to verify. Just check any Australian seller website. (There are early versions of Cel Fi - and I believe not approved for Australia - that don't support VoLTE.)
Just in case it is going to be overlooked,here is a very recent post,elsewhere in the forum, by Brodie Allen..In his post,Brodie clearly explains what some seem to be struggling to comprehend? Hope this helps? Cheers
Rob, if you don't want to spend a lot of money on a solution that may not be needed, you could get the inexpensive Telstra 4GX modem (ZTE MF910Y). Available at various stores, but only $69 from Big W and Kmart. I have been using the MF910V for years (no screen on that model).
This is the well known ZTE (brand) MF910Y which Telstra has rebranded and locked to Telstra. So it won't be usable on another network without paying a fee. Telstra resellers should be fine. The unlocking fee is $80 for devices that have been activated for six months or less ; $25 for devices activated for six months; free after 2 years).
You can also buy unlocked devices on ebay for under $100 and that may be the better way to go.
It accepts an external antenna but I have never used one. I have a pole to hoist it up high and that often makes a substantial difference when signal is weak. I have no doubt the Cel-Fi Go will do a better job in areas of poor signal, but you may not need it. If your 7 year old (apparently failing) modem gives good speed I'm sure this will do the job. Not a lot to lose.
-- Edited by Are We Lost on Tuesday 17th of August 2021 06:00:36 PM
-- Edited by Are We Lost on Tuesday 17th of August 2021 06:02:14 PM
Rob Driver said
07:35 PM Aug 17, 2021
Are We Lost wrote:
Rob, if you don't want to spend a lot of money on a solution that may not be needed, you could get the inexpensive Telstra 4GX modem (ZTE MF910Y). Available at various stores, but only $69 from Big W and Kmart. I have been using the MF910V for years (no screen on that model).
This is the well known ZTE (brand) MF910Y which Telstra has rebranded and locked to Telstra. So it won't be usable on another network without paying a fee. Telstra resellers should be fine. The unlocking fee is $80 for devices that have been activated for six months or less ; $25 for devices activated for six months; free after 2 years).
You can also buy unlocked devices on ebay for under $100 and that may be the better way to go.
It accepts an external antenna but I have never used one. I have a pole to hoist it up high and that often makes a substantial difference when signal is weak. I have no doubt the Cel-Fi Go will do a better job in areas of poor signal, but you may not need it. If your 7 year old (apparently failing) modem gives good speed I'm sure this will do the job. Not a lot to lose.
-- Edited by Are We Lost on Tuesday 17th of August 2021 06:00:36 PM
-- Edited by Are We Lost on Tuesday 17th of August 2021 06:02:14 PM
Thank you for that info, that is most certainly the cheapest way to go.
I have a friend coming next week and he has a relatively new Telstra Modem. He has offered to let me put my simcard into his unit and run it for a day to check how it goes.
This should prove wether or not my unit is at fault.
Thanks once again for your help and input. I will report back.
Rob Driver said
09:26 AM Aug 31, 2021
Ok, I will post what I have now done as it might help the OP and others when considering internet on the road. So I have tried my mates new modem and it worked fine.
I made the decision to replace my old unit but I decided to go with the RV WiFi unit rather than a Telstra type dongle. The main reason is that we have a 5 gb plan per month on our phones for when we are away from our van and I like the fact that the RV WiFi fixes permanently into the van and an exterior areal is easily fitted to the unit. We never took the old dongle with us when we left the van anyway.
The unit is a no brainer to set up, it took about 5 minutes, I dont have to worry about charging or the eventual deterioration of a battery as it runs off 12 volt. I do still have to fit the external antenna which should be fairly easy as well. There is a *hockey puck* type antenna that comes with the unit but I opted for the 6db folding antenna similar to the one pictured on Yobarrs post above.
I found a great supplier with an excellent very informative website for all rhings mobile broadband. I have no affiliation.
I then researched and found a site which gives you the locations of all towers from all the Telcos. You need to put in your location to get a result. It gives you all the info you need including the optimal height of your antenna in relation to your actual position and distance from the tower. It also gives you a compass bearing if you are using a high gain Yaggi type antenna.
I hope this may help others if they choose to go the way I have.
edited: to add second tower location site
-- Edited by Rob Driver on Tuesday 31st of August 2021 11:55:41 AM
PeterD said
12:24 PM Aug 31, 2021
yobarr wrote:
Rob Driver wrote:
I am not racing at Bathurst, I am considering replacing an old Wi Fi hotspot unit which appears to have a fault, with a new more up to date unit which will work as best as it can on any Telcos signal and I would like to have members of this forum contribute and communicate without interference to my particular question. Considering I was not talking about the Cel Fi unit I asked you to just leave it there.
That is all Yobarr, I meant nothing more.
No problem Rob.Seems to have been a bit of a misunderstanding,but no one's died,so all is good.As I have said many times,I am not at all tech-savvy,but I do know that my CelFi-Go runs my internet at "high speed",according to a "Check internet speed" site. Cheers
The big problem is - you did not desist-
Rob, I think you are going the correct way. The RV WiFi will be a good replacement for your troublesome mobile broadband modem. By placing a good antenna in the same place or a more favourable place than a Cel Fi antenna would have been placed you will get the same or better range than the Cel Fi unit for half the price. Purchasing the Cel Fi unit would have been a case of WOFTAM (waste of flipping time and money.)
Rob Driver said
12:47 PM Aug 31, 2021
Hi Peter,
Than you for your confirmation and your help with other comments on my choices.
As I said I am yet to install the outside antenna but at this time it is working quite well so the exterior antenna can only help.
On a side note I was given a discount from my supplier so I got the entire kit for a few dollars under $600.00 including the bigger antenna and freight.
I am pretty happy with that.
I will report any gain in performance when I do install the bigger antenna.
-- Edited by Rob Driver on Tuesday 31st of August 2021 12:49:10 PM
bomurra said
01:40 PM Aug 31, 2021
For those interested, the complete Cel-fi Go kits are being sold by Telstra at field days in WA for $752.00 at present.
This product is licenced by Telstra for sale in Australia.
This includes the small external antenna and small internal antenna. Best performance is obtained by upgrading the external antenna to a larger marine type unit.
Installation and external antenna are the keys to making this unit perform at its best.
This unit requires no SIM card and has no ongoing cost after initial purchase.
Hope this helps.
Bob.
yobarr said
04:36 PM Aug 31, 2021
PeterD wrote:
yobarr wrote:
Rob Driver wrote:
I am not racing at Bathurst, I am considering replacing an old Wi Fi hotspot unit which appears to have a fault, with a new more up to date unit which will work as best as it can on any Telcos signal and I would like to have members of this forum contribute and communicate without interference to my particular question. Considering I was not talking about the Cel Fi unit I asked you to just leave it there.
That is all Yobarr, I meant nothing more.
No problem Rob.Seems to have been a bit of a misunderstanding,but no one's died,so all is good.As I have said many times,I am not at all tech-savvy,but I do know that my CelFi-Go runs my internet at "high speed",according to a "Check internet speed" site. Cheers
The big problem is - you did not desist-
Rob, I think you are going the correct way. The RV WiFi will be a good replacement for your troublesome mobile broadband modem. By placing a good antenna in the same place or a more favourable place than a Cel Fi antenna would have been placed you will get the same or better range than the Cel Fi unit for half the price. Purchasing the Cel Fi unit would have been a case of WOFTAM (waste of flipping time and money.)
Not the quickest cab on the rank,are we? Took 14 days to respond to my post,so you can't have been too fussed? Cheers
-- Edited by yobarr on Tuesday 31st of August 2021 04:38:16 PM
Rob Driver said
09:36 PM Aug 31, 2021
yobarr wrote:
PeterD wrote:
yobarr wrote:
Rob Driver wrote:
I am not racing at Bathurst, I am considering replacing an old Wi Fi hotspot unit which appears to have a fault, with a new more up to date unit which will work as best as it can on any Telcos signal and I would like to have members of this forum contribute and communicate without interference to my particular question. Considering I was not talking about the Cel Fi unit I asked you to just leave it there.
That is all Yobarr, I meant nothing more.
No problem Rob.Seems to have been a bit of a misunderstanding,but no one's died,so all is good.As I have said many times,I am not at all tech-savvy,but I do know that my CelFi-Go runs my internet at "high speed",according to a "Check internet speed" site. Cheers
The big problem is - you did not desist-
Rob, I think you are going the correct way. The RV WiFi will be a good replacement for your troublesome mobile broadband modem. By placing a good antenna in the same place or a more favourable place than a Cel Fi antenna would have been placed you will get the same or better range than the Cel Fi unit for half the price. Purchasing the Cel Fi unit would have been a case of WOFTAM (waste of flipping time and money.)
Not the quickest cab on the rank,are we? Took 14 days to respond to my post,so you can't have been too fussed? Cheers
-- Edited by yobarr on Tuesday 31st of August 2021 04:38:16 PM
Settle yobarr,
Your Cell Fi Go is probably a good system. After all you have told us how good it is.. let's just leave it there.
In FNQ or anywhere within a few miles from a state capital I defy you to contact a Telstra representative through their chain of agents that knows anything about their offer with the supply of a Cel Fi Go.
Actually it gets worse than this, the term Cell Fi Go only relates to units which arent supplied through Telstra as they have their own terminology.
It probably only took me a day of internet research to discover this but that is ok yobarr, because you posted this info as Cell Fi Go and not what Telstra call the same service.
To the rest of us, Telstra do offer this great system mainly because most of their other dongles and modems have problems with reception at times in certain areas, oh but they can fix it with another thousand bucks by supplying the consumer extra units with their failing original unit which will then transmit wifi to black spot areas within your hotspot area.
Lets forget Telstra and contact a private supplier.
They are not interested in supplying you the kit unless they can install it.
Fare enough after all it is their business.
This does not suit most of us caravaners but if you are all in Brisbane or in northern NSW then you may want to contact yobarrs supplier.
For those in WA, Bobs link seems like good value but My research produced nothing similar to that offer.
Why is it so difficult to by a Telstra unit.because they make such good money out of, for the most, less than adequate, other options.
I will leave it with you.
dabbler said
12:29 PM Sep 1, 2021
Just Google Cel Fi Go Telstra. Dozens of suppliers offers with *optional* installation including Telstra which market as Telstra Go. Only takes seconds.
Rob Driver said
01:13 PM Sep 1, 2021
dabbler wrote:
Just Google Cel Fi Go Telstra. Dozens of suppliers offers with *optional* installation including Telstra which market as Telstra Go. Only takes seconds.
Some good hints there dabbler which will be helpful to others.
When I started out I googled CelFiGo and did not see any link to Telstra.
Then I googled Telstra improved WiFi or similar and was directed to a link to the two boxes that they want you to buy for a fortune and then put into your house.
I then found on a third party site that Telstra do the CellFiGo and as you say, they call it Telstra Go.
It is all simple google searches if you know the terminology.
From the Telstra website.
Customers can take up the Telstra Go Repeater on a monthly repayment plan or purchase the device outright, at a RRP of $648 for the stationary version or RRP of $720 for the portable version which includes an external magnetic mount antenna and internal antenna. The stationary version will require an external antenna at an additional cost and is required to be professionally installed. We do not offer installation for the portable version and it is recommended that customers arrange installation by an auto-electrician if required.
So,
after reading this I contacted my nearest Telstra office and no one there knew what I was talking about, but in the same breath they were happy to sell me a new dongle and those two boxes that is their solution to improve wifi. This was at a cost of $400 odd for the dongle and close to $900 odd for the wifi booster boxes.
At about this time the CellFi Go unit became too hard but only after I had phoned 2 auto electricians in my area to see if they knew about these units. I probably dont need to add that these sparkies did not know what I was talking about and was not interested.
Now I know that yobarr bangs on at times but I did take note of his highlited post above clearly stating that the installer apparently needs to know what he is doing and considering with my first search for problems with the CellFiGo there were numerous negative comments, I was not considering fitting this unit myself if I actually opted to go that way.
Another confusing detail I came across was that a supplier other than telstra would offer the box alone for around the $7 to $8 hundred dollars but by the time you bought all the other bits to do it, the price was up around $1200 with the highest I came across of $2300
So whoever is still with me after this epic tale might see why I opted for the RV WiFi units with exterior 6db gain antenna for under $600 delivered to my van.
I did not need any electrician to fit it. It mounts with 4 screws the 12 volt power lead plugs in and the antenna wires just screw on.
I dont doubt that if you are in a capital city these units and the installers might be easily found but I am happy to be in NQ and would not consider travelling hundreds of kilometres to get this work done.
If any good comes of this rambling tale it might be someone who wants a CelFiGo might eventually find a Telstra link to be able to communicate with a supplier / technician from more country areas in our large country.
For now I am extremely happy with my RV WiFi unit.
yobarr said
01:15 PM Sep 1, 2021
dabbler wrote:
Just Google Cel Fi Go Telstra. Dozens of suppliers offers with *optional* installation including Telstra which market as Telstra Go. Only takes seconds.
A word of warning though.Unless you are a skilled technician,do not self-install,and be very wary of others who say that that they can do it for you on the "El Cheapo".Better to pay a tech who is experienced with CelFi Go,or it all will end in tears.Cheers
-- Edited by yobarr on Wednesday 1st of September 2021 04:23:10 PM
Mike Harding said
02:20 PM Sep 1, 2021
yobarr wrote:
dabbler wrote:
Just Google Cel Fi Go Telstra. Dozens of suppliers offers with *optional* installation including Telstra which market as Telstra Go. Only takes seconds.
A word of warning though. Unless you are a skilled technician,do not self-install,and be very wary of others who say that that they can do it for you
Good advice from Yobarr. Dealing with these super high frequencies is black magic and one badly done connector can negate all the other gains your expensive new system provides.
dabbler said
08:33 PM Sep 1, 2021
Cel Fi installation is available right across the country. Cel Fi are used in remote areas so anywhere with an active mining or transport industry will certainly have qualified installers. Where I am on suburban Gold Coast, it's actually harder to find someone to install UHF than Cel Fi. Self install of many things isn't for everyone of course and I didn't mean to suggest otherwise.
Mike,you are correct.At one stage I was tempted to get one of thise super high-power boosters,but investigation soon changed my mind.Easily traced and huge fines.Cheers
Hi Mike,
According to the various websites the RV Wi Fi unit is approved for use in Australia and New Zealand and when purchased in Australia it actually comes with a Telstra Sim Card of which the new owner / user will contact Telstra to activate.
The buyer has the option to use the Telstra Sim or to contact and use another Telco of their choice.
It would be risky undertaking for many of the well known van manufacturers to fit anything at the factory that is not approved.
Yobarr,
You would be well advised to research the ACTUAL unit that I am referring to. The fact is that the Cell Fi unit does not get very good reports in contrast to the RV Wi Fi where I have not seen one bad report, but feel free to jump onto Google and find a complaint or two
From their website:
The statistics are in, 95% of family homes and business are Wi Fi enabled giving occupants access to up to date on line data, social media, music and movies the options are endless, with the internet being on an unstoppable course and where it is revealing itself as the prevalent communications technology of choice. RV Wi-Fi routers are optimised for the Telstra networks 3G and 4G data pre paid plans, though the RV Wi-Fi+ enables you to choose your own provider to access the internet to give you the best range or price options available and you only pay for the time youre using the caravan. The coverage of this device is available where mobile coverage is available from your carrier, only better due to the external antenna providing greater range. The RV Wifi + typically provides up to 50 meters of coverage from your caravan or motorhome and allows you to connect multiple devices at once as well as using from your car whilst travelling. In addition, it comes with a built in media centre, allowing you to insert a hard drive or USB and share movies, images or music over multiple devices.
The RV Wi-Fi router Software has been developed specifically for the Australian Recreational Vehicle community.
Yobarr if you read my posts above you may have noted that these RV WiFi units have an option of two external antennas, one of which is very similar to the aerial you have shown in your pics above. My thoughts are with this 6db antenna it, in theory should have the same performance as your Cel Fi unit but without the complaints.
I am interested in sensible comments from anyone who owns or has had experience with the RV WiFi unit so please don't drag my enquiry in this topic into oblivion.
You have already stated how happy you are with the Cel Fi so can I ask that you just leave it there.
Thank you
According to the various websites the RV Wi Fi unit is approved for use in Australia and New Zealand and when purchased in Australia it actually comes with a Telstra Sim Card of which the new owner / user will contact Telstra to activate.
The Cel-Fi and the RV Wi-Fi are different products I think:
The Cel-Fi is a mobile phone booster ie. it receives a signal from a mobile tower, amplifies it then retransmits it for local use as a mobile phone signal - this is a highly complex process and, unless done, properly will disrupt the mobile phone network which is why it needs mobile phone type approvals... and more!
The RV Wi-Fi is simply a mobile modem and network hub, it receives a mobile signal strips the data component out and retransmits that as a local wi-fi (not mobile) signal. It doesn't require approvals outside those applied to all electronic gear in Oz.
The RV Wi-Fi will do the job you seek and will probably allow you to use wi-fi calling and similar however it would be much cheaper, I suspect, to buy a standard 4G modem/router such as the Nighthawk I mentioned in a previous post in this thread.
Thanks Mike,
It is hard to get my head around all this new technology.
I have noted the Nighthawk unit you mentioned and the link you provided is certainly cheap.
When I bought my current unit I was offered an external antenna for $89 from memory. The external antenna for the RV unit is currently $99 but that is not an eBay price.
I will continue to research.
"Can I ask that you just leave it there" What are you on about! Perhaps you could desist your constant denigration of the CelFi-Go system,when the only experience you have with one is the reading of dubious reviews on the internet.Whilst,on occasions,reviews are of some value,many CelFi-Go reviews seem to be from disgruntled self-installers.All I have done is advise of the great performance I have received from my unit,and I have not commented on the value of any of the cheap spit alternatives.Hopefully,my positive experiences may help others to make an informed choice,but always there are people who will purchase cheap spit,and then cry "foul" when it doesn't work.You don't race at Bathurst with a VW beetle. The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.Cheers
-- Edited by yobarr on Tuesday 17th of August 2021 01:11:05 PM
Yobarr:
Does the Cel-Fi support VoLTE? (See my new post in General).
Because if it doesn't then it won't do voice calls after 2024. I imagine one could get around that by using wi-fi calling but I'm not sure if that would work with the Cel-Fi either?
I'd suggest there is a lot of "Buyer Beware" to be done here.
Hi Mike.Unfortunately,I cannot answer your question,as I am not at all tech-savvy,and don't even know what VoLTE is! My CelFi-Go suits me,as I use it only for phone and internet.If I needed to make calls from the back of beyond,I could simply send a text message to the person I wish to converse with,and they can call me back at standard mobile rates.Cheers
I don't doubt you word that your Cel Fi works perfectly as you would expect. You have said it does and that is fine.
You quoted me in your comments to Mike H when at that same time you were referring to illegal equipment which was an attempt to cast doubt on the unit that Mike and I were discussing. I asked you to research the subject unit.
As Mike has pointed out these two units have different functions so unless the Cell Fi unit boosts internet wifi I have no more reason to consider it, regardless of public opinion.
I am not racing at Bathurst, I am considering replacing an old Wi Fi hotspot unit which appears to have a fault, with a new more up to date unit which will work as best as it can on any Telcos signal and I would like to have members of this forum contribute and communicate without interference to my particular question. Considering I was not talking about the Cel Fi unit I asked you to just leave it there.
That is all Yobarr, I meant nothing more.
Thank you
No problem Rob.Seems to have been a bit of a misunderstanding,but no one's died,so all is good.As I have said many times,I am not at all tech-savvy,but I do know that my CelFi-Go runs my internet at "high speed",according to a "Check internet speed" site. Cheers
-- Edited by yobarr on Tuesday 17th of August 2021 03:19:23 PM
I took a look at the datasheet for the Oz Cel-Fi and cannot find a mention of VoLTE but mobile protocols are complicated and I'm no expert in them, however I suspect it does not currently support VoLTE so, Yobarr, you may wish to contact your supplier to check if a firmware update is available.
Hi Mike,
I found a video on the Cell Fi Go units.
It mentions VolTE at around the 35 second mark, to confirm dabblers info above.
https://youtu.be/9JIBqkXYMgA
Just in case it is going to be overlooked,here is a very recent post,elsewhere in the forum, by Brodie Allen..In his post,Brodie clearly explains what some seem to be struggling to comprehend? Hope this helps? Cheers
Rob, if you don't want to spend a lot of money on a solution that may not be needed, you could get the inexpensive Telstra 4GX modem (ZTE MF910Y). Available at various stores, but only $69 from Big W and Kmart. I have been using the MF910V for years (no screen on that model).
Telstra 4GX modem
This is the well known ZTE (brand) MF910Y which Telstra has rebranded and locked to Telstra. So it won't be usable on another network without paying a fee. Telstra resellers should be fine. The unlocking fee is $80 for devices that have been activated for six months or less ; $25 for devices activated for six months; free after 2 years).
You can also buy unlocked devices on ebay for under $100 and that may be the better way to go.
It accepts an external antenna but I have never used one. I have a pole to hoist it up high and that often makes a substantial difference when signal is weak. I have no doubt the Cel-Fi Go will do a better job in areas of poor signal, but you may not need it. If your 7 year old (apparently failing) modem gives good speed I'm sure this will do the job. Not a lot to lose.
-- Edited by Are We Lost on Tuesday 17th of August 2021 06:00:36 PM
-- Edited by Are We Lost on Tuesday 17th of August 2021 06:02:14 PM
Thank you for that info, that is most certainly the cheapest way to go.
I have a friend coming next week and he has a relatively new Telstra Modem. He has offered to let me put my simcard into his unit and run it for a day to check how it goes.
This should prove wether or not my unit is at fault.
Thanks once again for your help and input. I will report back.
Ok,
I will post what I have now done as it might help the OP and others when considering internet on the road.
So I have tried my mates new modem and it worked fine.
I made the decision to replace my old unit but I decided to go with the RV WiFi unit rather than a Telstra type dongle.
The main reason is that we have a 5 gb plan per month on our phones for when we are away from our van and I like the fact that the RV WiFi fixes permanently into the van and an exterior areal is easily fitted to the unit.
We never took the old dongle with us when we left the van anyway.
The unit is a no brainer to set up, it took about 5 minutes, I dont have to worry about charging or the eventual deterioration of a battery as it runs off 12 volt.
I do still have to fit the external antenna which should be fairly easy as well.
There is a *hockey puck* type antenna that comes with the unit but I opted for the 6db folding antenna similar to the one pictured on Yobarrs post above.
I found a great supplier with an excellent very informative website for all rhings mobile broadband. I have no affiliation.
onwireless.com.au/
I then researched and found a site which gives you the locations of all towers from all the Telcos.
You need to put in your location to get a result.
It gives you all the info you need including the optimal height of your antenna in relation to your actual position and distance from the tower.
It also gives you a compass bearing if you are using a high gain Yaggi type antenna.
Here is the link.
www.cellmapper.net/map
or maybe this site which I got off the onwireless site.
https://web.acma.gov.au/pls/radcom/site_proximity.main_page
I hope this may help others if they choose to go the way I have.
edited: to add second tower location site
-- Edited by Rob Driver on Tuesday 31st of August 2021 11:55:41 AM
The big problem is - you did not desist-
Rob, I think you are going the correct way. The RV WiFi will be a good replacement for your troublesome mobile broadband modem. By placing a good antenna in the same place or a more favourable place than a Cel Fi antenna would have been placed you will get the same or better range than the Cel Fi unit for half the price. Purchasing the Cel Fi unit would have been a case of WOFTAM (waste of flipping time and money.)
Hi Peter,
Than you for your confirmation and your help with other comments on my choices.
As I said I am yet to install the outside antenna but at this time it is working quite well so the exterior antenna can only help.
On a side note I was given a discount from my supplier so I got the entire kit for a few dollars under $600.00 including the bigger antenna and freight.
I am pretty happy with that.
I will report any gain in performance when I do install the bigger antenna.
-- Edited by Rob Driver on Tuesday 31st of August 2021 12:49:10 PM
For those interested, the complete Cel-fi Go kits are being sold by Telstra at field days in WA for $752.00 at present.
This product is licenced by Telstra for sale in Australia.
This includes the small external antenna and small internal antenna. Best performance is obtained by upgrading the external antenna to a larger marine type unit.
Installation and external antenna are the keys to making this unit perform at its best.
Product information is available here- www.cel-fi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/GOG31_brief.pdf
Tec Data Sheet is here- www.cel-fi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/GOG31_datasheet.pdf
Quick start guide available here - content.cel-fi.com/content/doc/go_qsg_mobile.pdf
This unit requires no SIM card and has no ongoing cost after initial purchase.
Hope this helps.
Bob.
Not the quickest cab on the rank,are we? Took 14 days to respond to my post,so you can't have been too fussed? Cheers
-- Edited by yobarr on Tuesday 31st of August 2021 04:38:16 PM
Settle yobarr,
Your Cell Fi Go is probably a good system. After all you have told us how good it is.. let's just leave it there.
In FNQ or anywhere within a few miles from a state capital I defy you to contact a Telstra representative through their chain of agents that knows anything about their offer with the supply of a Cel Fi Go.
Actually it gets worse than this, the term Cell Fi Go only relates to units which arent supplied through Telstra as they have their own terminology.
It probably only took me a day of internet research to discover this but that is ok yobarr, because you posted this info as Cell Fi Go and not what Telstra call the same service.
To the rest of us, Telstra do offer this great system mainly because most of their other dongles and modems have problems with reception at times in certain areas, oh but they can fix it with another thousand bucks by supplying the consumer extra units with their failing original unit which will then transmit wifi to black spot areas within your hotspot area.
Lets forget Telstra and contact a private supplier.
They are not interested in supplying you the kit unless they can install it.
Fare enough after all it is their business.
This does not suit most of us caravaners but if you are all in Brisbane or in northern NSW then you may want to contact yobarrs supplier.
For those in WA, Bobs link seems like good value but My research produced nothing similar to that offer.
Why is it so difficult to by a Telstra unit.because they make such good money out of, for the most, less than adequate, other options.
I will leave it with you.
Some good hints there dabbler which will be helpful to others.
When I started out I googled CelFiGo and did not see any link to Telstra.
Then I googled Telstra improved WiFi or similar and was directed to a link to the two boxes that they want you to buy for a fortune and then put into your house.
I then found on a third party site that Telstra do the CellFiGo and as you say, they call it Telstra Go.
It is all simple google searches if you know the terminology.
From the Telstra website.
Customers can take up the Telstra Go Repeater on a monthly repayment plan or purchase the device outright, at a RRP of $648 for the stationary version or RRP of $720 for the portable version which includes an external magnetic mount antenna and internal antenna. The stationary version will require an external antenna at an additional cost and is required to be professionally installed. We do not offer installation for the portable version and it is recommended that customers arrange installation by an auto-electrician if required.
So,
after reading this I contacted my nearest Telstra office and no one there knew what I was talking about, but in the same breath they were happy to sell me a new dongle and those two boxes that is their solution to improve wifi.
This was at a cost of $400 odd for the dongle and close to $900 odd for the wifi booster boxes.
At about this time the CellFi Go unit became too hard but only after I had phoned 2 auto electricians in my area to see if they knew about these units. I probably dont need to add that these sparkies did not know what I was talking about and was not interested.
Now I know that yobarr bangs on at times but I did take note of his highlited post above clearly stating that the installer apparently needs to know what he is doing and considering with my first search for problems with the CellFiGo there were numerous negative comments, I was not considering fitting this unit myself if I actually opted to go that way.
Another confusing detail I came across was that a supplier other than telstra would offer the box alone for around the $7 to $8 hundred dollars but by the time you bought all the other bits to do it, the price was up around $1200 with the highest I came across of $2300
So whoever is still with me after this epic tale might see why I opted for the RV WiFi units with exterior 6db gain antenna for under $600 delivered to my van.
I did not need any electrician to fit it. It mounts with 4 screws the 12 volt power lead plugs in and the antenna wires just screw on.
I dont doubt that if you are in a capital city these units and the installers might be easily found but I am happy to be in NQ and would not consider travelling hundreds of kilometres to get this work done.
If any good comes of this rambling tale it might be someone who wants a CelFiGo might eventually find a Telstra link to be able to communicate with a supplier / technician from more country areas in our large country.
For now I am extremely happy with my RV WiFi unit.
A word of warning though.Unless you are a skilled technician,do not self-install,and be very wary of others who say that that they can do it for you on the "El Cheapo".Better to pay a tech who is experienced with CelFi Go,or it all will end in tears.Cheers
-- Edited by yobarr on Wednesday 1st of September 2021 04:23:10 PM
Good advice from Yobarr. Dealing with these super high frequencies is black magic and one badly done connector can negate all the other gains your expensive new system provides.