At first glance, Wi-Fi in a caravan might not seem an essential upgrade for a middle-aged tourer, but turning Penny into a connected tourer actually makes perfect sense for both of us.
We work full-time and with hybrid working now the norm, there’s no need to be in the office every day. But reliable access to the internet in a caravan is essential if you plan to finish your working week from a campsite.
While tethering to your phone might work, a dedicated mobile SIM card and router is a more reliable connection. This set-up allows you to choose a network provider with good coverage in your location, while freeing up your phone.
It means that you will be able to connect tablets, laptops, smart TVs or other similar luxury caravan accessories without draining your battery or leaving your phone in the caravan for others to use as a hotspot.
Setting up a wireless router for Wi-Fi in a caravan is surprisingly simple and in fact, there’s no need to make this a permanent installation if you prefer to have a flexible option.
In our case, we did want a fixed set-up. Caravan sites often have patchy mobile signals, but a dedicated router with a SIM card is much better at picking up reception than a phone.
If you opt for a router with an external antenna, you stand a very good chance of getting a signal even in areas where your phone struggles.
Once set up, the router will create a Wi-Fi network for your van, making it easy to stream music, watch films or television on the best caravan TV, or work online without relying on your phone’s data. That might sound a little techy, but for us, it’s a potential game-changer. Here’s how we connected Penny and got Wi-Fi in a caravan.
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Getting started
Many SIM card routers are low-power devices that use mains power, but actually run at 12V, so the best caravan leisure battery can power it.
This will allow us to use it when we’re at music festivals or away from a hook-up, in our 1998 Bailey caravan too.
It’s all too easy to spend a lot on mobile Wi-Fi set-ups, but we wanted something simple that could improve our chances of getting a signal, while allowing us to switch networks if needed.
A search on eBay revealed dozens of MiFi devices – small, portable routers that connect multiple devices to the internet through a mobile network – but we wanted a 4G-compatible model that could support an external antenna for better reception in remote locations.
Another key requirement was that the modem needed to run off the van’s leisure battery, so checking its voltage compatibility was essential.
After some research, the TP-Link MR6400 stood out as a good choice. This 4G router is widely available, has twin external aerial sockets, operates on a 9V power supply and takes a standard nano SIM card. It uses 4G LTE technology, which will provide a solid data connection wherever coverage is available.
Installing the modem does require a little planning, but it’s no more complicated than any other 12V project. The modem needs a power supply and must be placed away from microwaves or other electronics, to avoid any interference.
Mounting it higher up tends to improve reception. While we’re not installing an external antenna just yet, we’ve chosen a location with space above, which will allow us to upgrade later if needed.
Although some devices can tolerate running at 12V, doing so can cause them to overheat and fail. To avoid this risk, we decided to buy a DC-to-DC voltage stabiliser, which steps the 12V leisure battery output down to the router’s preferred 9V. These stabilisers are inexpensive and readily available online. They are ‘fit and forget’ components, so we also decided to buy an enclosure to house ours out of the way.
The final thing you’ll need is a SIM card. With so many companies offering cheap data plans, there’s no need to spend a fortune. We chose a rolling monthly data SIM that costs £2.50 for the first few months, rising to £5 thereafter for 10GB of data per month. There’s no contract, so we can cancel it at any time if we’re not using it. The SIM uses the EE network, which neither of our phones do, so hopefully, we’ll have a good connection for streaming Spotify wherever we end up.
Down to work
We tackled installing Wi-Fi in our caravan in two stages: first, assembling the wiring on the workbench, then transferring everything to the van for the final fit.
As mentioned, to power the router from the leisure battery, we needed to step the voltage down from 12V to 9V. We tracked down an adjustable DC-DC voltage module on Amazon for £8 for a pack of two – always handy for future projects! We also bought a plastic enclosure to house the module once configured.
The instructions provided were terrible, but thankfully, Amazon reviewers had shared helpful guidance. The module allows voltage adjustment via a small screw or buttons, with a display showing the output voltage.
However, we found the display unreliable – when it read 8V, our multimeter showed 11V. Using the screw adjuster rather than the buttons gave us a more accurate result.
Once we had obtained the correct voltage, we attached the cables to the module, fed them through a freshly drilled hole in the enclosure, and secured the module using a hot glue gun, to prevent rattling on the road.
With the module ready, we then routed the power cables – one to the 12V supply and the other to the router’s power plug.
We connected the power supply to existing busbars, using an inline fuse for protection. This isn’t the tidiest set-up as it stands, but a future project will neaten things up.
The router requires a 5.5mm power plug. Rather than cutting the one off the mains adaptor, we bought a separate plug and cable for £4 on eBay.
This was connected to the voltage module’s output, with enough length to reach the router, which we mounted high inside the wardrobe using a couple of screws and a strip of Velcro for additional support.
With everything wired up, it was now time to pop in the SIM card and power up the router. We had chosen a Lebara SIM on a discounted £2.50 per month plan. Although it only includes 5GB of data, it can be topped up when needed.
Getting the Wi-Fi up and running in our caravan
After activating the SIM card, we inserted it into the router, powered everything on, and within minutes, the router was up and running. We created a Wi-Fi network, handily called ‘Penny WiFi’, and a speed test showed that we had 10Mbps download, which is more than enough for streaming music or even a bit of Netflix on a rainy evening.
The main advantage of a dedicated router over phone data is flexibility. If you are travelling in Europe and the kids want to use their iPads, rather than racking up hefty roaming fees, you can pick up a local PAYG SIM with prepaid data and let them browse away.
For us, it’s particularly useful at rural music festivals, where often, only one network has data coverage. A little research before setting off means we can grab a SIM for the right network and stay connected, whether for work, catching up with family, or just streaming tunes.
If you’re yet to get a leisure battery for your tourer, be sure to consider “what size leisure battery do I need for a caravan?” to ensure you get the one which works best for your needs.
Future Publishing Limited, the publisher of Practical Caravan, provides the information in this article in good faith and makes no representation as to its completeness or accuracy. Individuals carrying out the instructions do so at their own risk and must exercise their independent judgement in determining the appropriateness of the advice to their circumstances and skill level. Individuals should take appropriate safety precautions and be aware of the risk of electrocution when dealing with electrical products. To the fullest extent permitted by law, neither Future nor its employees or agents shall have any liability in connection with the use of this information. You should check that any van warranty will not be affected before proceeding with DIY projects.
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