Best Wi-Fi Boosters and Extenders for Your RV

If you’re new to life on the road in an RV, the Alfa Camp Pro 2 Kit can quickly set you up with RV Wi-Fi. It has almost everything you need to connect to Wi-Fi from the comfort of your fifth wheel, including a router/repeater combo, antenna, and receiver.

Unlike some other options, the Alfa’s antenna rises high above your RV's roof. (Some folks even extend it farther by attaching it to an extension pole.) This is optimal since it makes it less likely for other RVs, trees, and buildings to interfere with your wireless signal.

Not in the market for a full kit? Get the stand-alone Alfa Wi-Fi network adapter. This suction cup–mounted booster and extender isn’t too expensive. It’s well worth it for better wireless signal at the RV park.

If you’re more of an urban camper and want to create a Wi-Fi zone with your phone data, try the Alfa Camp Pro 2+ Kit. Although it doesn’t connect to free hotspots in town, it works while driving along the road.

If you're traveling in your RV but out of range of strong Wi-Fi, an extender with 4G LTE capability is very useful. The Winegard ConnecT backs you up with a 4G LTE connection from AT&T or Verizon, so you don’t have to worry about being stranded without internet. Winegard allows you to purchase prepaid data for your next RV trip.

If you do stumble upon a campsite or truck stop with decent Wi-Fi, the Winegard also acts as an extender. It helps the wireless signal reach your RV or truck without you parking on Starbucks’s doorstep just for free Wi-Fi. 

We love this option for its flexibility and ability to be used while in motion. Satellite internet is the only other in-motion option besides cellular.

The main downside is the price—at over $350. Although it’s much more affordable than a satellite service like Starlink Roam.

The weBoost Drive Reach RV is pricey, but it’s backed by a strong brand with good customer service. It offers the maximum allowable boost while in motion. It’s also 5G compatible, although it won’t work with some of T-Mobile’s 5G frequencies.

This kit includes an outdoor antenna, an indoor wall-mounted booster, and a small indoor antenna that sits on a table or countertop. The boost is best within a few feet of the indoor antenna. Or, as a workaround, place a mobile hotspot device right next to the indoor antenna so you can get a good boost all around your RV. 

The company weBoost offers several cell phone boosters for vehicles. If you want to check out similar products of varying price ranges, you can check out the weBoost Drive Sleek or the weBoost Destination RV Cell Phone Signal Booster.

There’s no difference between a Wi-Fi booster and a Wi-Fi extender—this is all about terminology. 

Technically speaking, a Wi-Fi booster is any device that extends the range of a Wi-Fi network. Wi-Fi extenders and Wi-Fi repeaters are the two different types of Wi-Fi boosters.

Wi-Fi extenders work by connecting to the parent network using a wired connection. This provides the best possible performance for the extended network.

Wi-Fi repeaters wirelessly connect to the parent network and rebroadcast the signal (with some amplification). This still extends the range, but with the caveat that it decreases the network’s total bandwidth.

Functionally, Wi-Fi repeaters and extenders do the same thing: create a new network access point closer to where you are, thus extending the range of a Wi-Fi network. However, the performance differences can be significant, so it’s worth looking at the fine print to ensure you know what to expect.

Here’s another area where the terminology starts to get confusing. Technically, all Wi-Fi devices contain antennas, whether it’s your router, a booster, or even your laptop. However, since antennas are generally known as things that amplify signals, and some Wi-Fi boosters look like big antennas, the terms have come to be used somewhat interchangeably.

You can buy Wi-Fi antennas separately, and many of the Wi-Fi boosters on the market come with external antennas. However, these help pick up or broadcast a signal—they won’t boost the network like a Wi-Fi extender or repeater will. In other words, they complement boosters but don’t replace them.

The short answer is yes—Wi-Fi boosters do work. But the exact results you get can vary widely due to several nearly inescapable factors:

• The speed of the internet connection itself: A booster can potentially speed up a slow connection by increasing the strength of the signal, but it can’t exceed the speed of the parent network. If the campground Wi-Fi is slow, your boosted network will be, too.
• Distance to the source of the connection: If you’re extremely far from the host network, your Wi-Fi extender starts with a weaker signal to boost. This can result in reduced performance.
• Distance to your devices: If you try to take your devices too far from the Wi-Fi booster, you may experience reduced performance. This is primarily a concern for people who want to use their devices outside the RV—say, for streaming movies by the campfire.
• Potential signal interference: RVs are small, cramped spaces. If you have a lot of electronics in there, they can interfere with the signal and reduce performance.

In other words, a Wi-Fi booster can help solve some of your connectivity issues. However, you shouldn’t expect miracles. No matter how much you spend on a booster, you’re not going to turn a 30Mbps connection into a 500Mbps connection.

When shopping for a Wi-Fi booster, there are a few features to look out for to ensure the best experience.

Since you’re hopping on the public Wi-Fi network at your campsite, security should be a big concern for you. If you use a booster that integrates with 4G LTE mobile data (such as the Winegard ConnecT or the Alfa Camp Pro 2+ Kit), you have a more secure connection.

Make sure your range extender or booster has Wi-Fi protection capabilities. We recommend at least WPA security mode, but if you can go with WPA2, do it.

In a nutshell, WPA2 is more secure than WPA because it uses stronger encryption, called AES, which secures your Wi-Fi connection. Also, WPA2 doesn’t allow the Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP) algorithm, which has certain limitations and gaps in its security.

As an added bonus, WPA2 requires you to create a longer password than WPA does. Yeah, it’s harder to remember, but it’s far more secure than commonly used short passwords like “123456.”

Chances are your Wi-Fi booster hangs out on the roof or side of your travel trailer. The last thing you want is for it to rust over—or worse, stop working.

Look for water-resistant and high-grade materials for weatherproofing. And if you decide to get handy with waterproof tape during setup, make sure using it doesn’t void your warranty first.

Wi-Fi boosters and cell phone signal extenders for your RV can vary a lot in price. But sometimes a higher price comes with a few extras. Fork over more money and you may get a full router and extender kit with the Alfa Camp Pro 2. Or tag a couple extra hundred onto the price tag to get extremely rugged materials with the Halo Wi-Fi Extender System.

One thing to note: A Wi-Fi booster or extender intended for your RV is likely more expensive than one you plug into a wall outlet at home. That’s because boosters and extenders made for campers tend to be more durable.

The range of your Wi-Fi booster is important—you want to make sure the secondary network it creates covers at least the interior of your RV. Generally, the maximum size of an RV (by law) is between 320 and 400 square feet, so if you’re not sure the size of yours, aim to cover at least this area. If you intend to use your devices outside the RV, however, go for something with a slightly longer range.

It’s also worth considering the ease (or lack thereof) of setting up the booster you choose. While we wouldn’t say any of the boosters in this article are difficult to get started with, some options do require mounting on the roof of your RV—if that’s not something you’re willing to do, you have more limited choices. Typically, roof-mounted options require more difficult installation and setup procedures (not surprisingly), but once they’re mounted, they don’t need to be messed with again.

A booster may make the most sense if you frequent campgrounds that offer good Wi-Fi. The same is true if you frequent campgrounds that don’t get good cell reception—a cellular booster won’t do much good in these situations.

On the other hand, a cellular booster shines if you need to use your connection on the road or don’t have reliable access to Wi-Fi in the campgrounds you visit. In these cases, you may get better overall connectivity with cellular.

Yes and no. A Wi-Fi extender can give you a stronger connection to a public Wi-Fi network, which can increase internet performance. However, a Wi-Fi extender can’t increase the speed of the public network itself, so you need to set realistic expectations.

Generally, you want the extender, or at least the antenna, to be on the roof of your RV. This gives it the best chance of picking up existing Wi-Fi signals. Barring that, find the area of the RV that seems to get the strongest signal and place the booster there—this ensures it has the best possible material to work with.

This depends on the exact model of extender you choose, but generally, you mount the Wi-Fi booster on the roof of the RV. Some models that are designed for in-motion use remain permanently mounted, while others can be put up and taken down as needed. Once mounted, the booster can connect to a public Wi-Fi network, and then you connect your devices to the new network created by the booster.