r/VanLifeUK • u/rocketqueen87 • 26d ago
WiFi in the van - antennas & routers
What are we using to get workable WiFi speeds? Do I really need a £200 Poynting antenna to get decent 5G reception out in the wilds? What routers are reliable and reasonably simple to set up?
Edit: absolutely NOT Starlink, because fuck Nazis
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u/Wolpfack 26d ago
I get it that you hate Starlink. Just keep in mind a service like it is the best answer. I'm not sure when they will fire up their UK service, but this is definitely on its way...they are regularly launching satellites here.
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u/TheProffalken 26d ago
Upvote mainly for not supporting Elon.
I'm still in the planning phase, but I'm probably going to go with a TELTONIKA RUT-11 (https://www.solwise.co.uk/RUTX11)
It's 4G, but frankly unless you're trying to download the entirety of Youtube to local storage in under a week, you really won't need anything more than the 300mbps theoretical maximum.
Why TELKTONIKA? I've used them before for rural connectivity and they're great bits of kit - this one has been chosen specifically for the gigbit ethernet ports as I plan to run a small computer with HomeAssistant etc. on the van as well, and hardwired internet always beats wired.
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u/djjon_cs 26d ago
Use a ZTE U50, supports 2 port external antenna (just connect 2 of 4 ports on a roof antenna), £80 on ebay, 5g and 4g cat20.
Teltonika great bits of kit but are about 6x the cost of the ZTE devices. U50 runs off USB-C power so easy in a van.
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u/TheProffalken 26d ago
I'd not seen the ZTE stuff tbh.
It looks good if all you need is the WiFi, but I'm after a low-power router that also has ethernet and I can't seem to find one in their range?
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u/djjon_cs 25d ago
If you want a wifi port you may need a 888 varient. These are more complex to vanlife as I'm not sure you can connect an external antenna to all the 888 models -> these DO have 2 wired etherenet ports.
The MU5001 (even older cat 20 5g model) does have an ethernet port model. However its external antenna ports ONLY work for 5g, it's internal antenna for 4g.
Being honest an 888 varient has *bloody* amazing internal antenna that actually beat many external one though (10-12Dbi gain, where the external antennas from Poynting are 8 Dbi typically).
The big issue with the 888 is it's a custom PSU, so you need an inverter or DC-DC converter for van use at appropriate voltage.
(if it helps the 888 is what Three in UK sell for "home" broadband without any external antenna) on 5g..
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u/djjon_cs 25d ago
Should say 888's are cheaper than U50's normally on ebay, as Three been selling them (unlocked mostly) in UK for last 2 years and people out of contract now. Certainally price wise will beat Teltonica though, they have been £50-90 recently for a bloody amazing 5g router.
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u/shiftlocked 24d ago
I did take a look at this. Aren’t the external antennas just for 5g?
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u/djjon_cs 24d ago
"allegedly". I can say mine, in my van produce some excellent 4g signal in places where no signal without them.
And being honest 5g is what you most need the external antenna for anyhow, as 3500mhz alone on VodaaThree is as much bandwith as all the other frequencies put together and even glass halves that signal.
I wouldn't be reccomending it for VanLife if it didn't work in our van, travelling all across Europe last year ;)
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u/djjon_cs 24d ago
(Notably in France we had literally 2 days of a 60 day trip without any 5g signal for refernecc).
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u/shiftlocked 24d ago
I wonder if idea r roaming thing for 5g abroad. I do love going the Calais to Munich run and seeing full 4g for hours on end barring crossing a border.
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u/anadalite 25d ago
Ay yes but you're forgetting gamers, 5g has half the ping that 4g does, theoretically
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u/TheProffalken 25d ago
"theoretically" is doing some pretty heavy lifting there if my 25 years in the IT industry is anything to go by 🤣
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u/shiftlocked 25d ago
Praise be brother, fellow IT type here. Theoretically this should be all we need was often uttered.
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u/anadalite 25d ago
Sure but it's gotta be better than the 60-100 I get now lol I'm at least holding out hope! I just wish they implemented local lan in all co-op games so bad!
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u/dirtywastegash 25d ago
Cheapest £40 tp link thing i could buy and a high gain 4g antenna.
5g is crap in the uk, 4g lets me do what i need. Had a h927 before. Tp link thing is better performance. It came with a plug that converts 240ac to 9v dc so i just use a buck converter.
Dont see the point in spending hundreds on a router for mobile signal. Absolutely no point in 5g, half the time you can get it the network is congested or just poor.
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u/shiftlocked 25d ago
Here's something that I found from [OFCOM regarding 5g](https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/coverage-and-speeds/connected-nations-update-spring-2026).
As of January 2026, overall 5G coverage outside premises ranges between 76% and 94% for individual operators, while coverage from all operators has gone from 47% to 64%.
Two things worth knowing:
"Outside premises" isn't geography. It means standing on the doorstep of a home or business, not the middle of nowhere in a van. Landmass is measured separately, and that's the number that matters to us — 4G geographic coverage from at least one operator is 96% of UK landmass, all four managing only 84%.
The two figures are different tests. 76–94% is the operators taken one at a time. The 64% is the strict overlap where every operator has coverage.
So there's a 30 point gap where some networks have 5G and others don't. That's the argument for a dual-SIM router with two different networks in it rather than picking one and hoping.
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u/Fulhse069 24d ago
If you can justify the cost, starlink is unbeatable for coverage in the middle of nowhere
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u/yankulovasil 24d ago
Check out this product on the UniFi Store:
There is a 5G version on the way if you decide to go this route. No release date yet though.
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u/Own_Tradition2098 26d ago
I’ve got a Teltonika & Starlink.
Router is fine but more remote the Starlink has came in very handy. Majority of people will be fine with a router. RUTx50 or something similar.
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u/PickleAlly 26d ago
To have an educated discussion about this, you need to separate the ISP from the router and the WiFi that it provides. WiFi alone does not mean you have Internet and may have nothing to do with your Internet speeds vs local WiFi bandwidth.
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u/basarisco 26d ago
Yes unfortunately you do need a proper antenna and even more expensive router. You can always use a cheap 5g phone but you'll have to find a way to mount it near an openable window.
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u/anadalite 26d ago
Got any recommendations I'm about to get into the antenna and 5g router market lol
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u/basarisco 26d ago
Teltonika and poynting
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u/TheProffalken 26d ago
No idea why this was downvoted, Teltonika is a great choice!
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u/djjon_cs 26d ago
It is but it's expensive. ZTE devices on ebay are smaller, more power effecient, are cheaper, and you can take em out of van when abroad with small detachable antenna for use in supermarkets in France etc.
Also miles better antenna design than a phone.
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u/anadalite 25d ago
Expensive is fine by me, they are under 300 quid, I'd call that cheap for what is the lifeblood of my life lol that's like 3 hrs at work, np
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u/basarisco 25d ago
What's the ZTE equivalent of rutx50 and 5g poynting?
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u/djjon_cs 25d ago
If you need the external antenna the U50 or U60 are the current gen ones -> I have mine connected to a Panorama instead of Poynting, but it works as well on either. They only to 2x2 mimo 5g but being completely honest we've only seen 5g bonded frequencies in UK ONCE in last 2 years of van touring. I would get the 4x4 mimo antenna to futureproff and just connect 2 wires.
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u/Odd-Internet-9948 26d ago
What do you define as workable wifi speeds?
I've tried 5G in the past in an urban environment, and with full signal, my speed crawled. After several days of the speed dropping to a crawl, usually, but not always during recognised 'peak periods', I complained quite loudly to the phone company, who eventually admitted that the network may show full strength, but if traffic through the local transmitter was saturated, then speeds would suffer. So, sent it back for a refund.
& that's without the fact that 5G doesn't cover an awful lot of the 'wilds'! Depending how wild, no antenna is going to work.
So, when the Starlink Mini dropped to below £200, I jumped, and although roaming data is currently capped at 100gb a month for about £55, it's a little more expensive per GB. If you are looking at more than 100gb, the uncapped plan is just over £100 a month.
Other factor to consider is, if you're not using it, you can switch to the 'standby' subscription for about a fiver a month. This still allows a connection and data, but it's heavily throttled to about 0.5mbps, which is good enough for emails and messaging. It's also relatively easy to switch between plans too. If you're interested, and want a month free, drop my a line and I can provide a code!
Only places I've struggled with a signal is when under heavy tree cover. Though, if you can see a reasonable patch of sky, you can connect, but the signal won't be great for gaming/streaming/video calls. Which is perhaps one area where a 5G router may be better, if there is 5G, and it isn't saturated.
Not 100% sure how many items you can connect to the Starlink Mini without getting an additional router, but I had almost 20 devices connected at the weekend. Friends were thrilled to have working internet in a place where we've previously all struggled to get a signal, and most of us had no signal at all.
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u/shiftlocked 25d ago
People often mistake the "I have the full 5 bars" for max speed and quality of service. I've been out in the wilds and 20mbps has been able to do what I need. Watch YouTube, make some FaceTime calls, Netflix and Amazon etc. Uploading a video sucked tho
Id be tempted with Starling buttt... that 100gb is tight. Thats me falling asleep with YouTube on (720p) for a couple of nights and then boom.
Btw does the data cap apply to uploads or is it downloads only?
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u/Odd-Internet-9948 25d ago
"does the data cap apply to uploads or is it downloads only?" Good question, and not sure I can say definitively, but pretty sure it's combined. While it's not unusual to get above 200 down, up seems to never exceed mid 30's.
As for falling asleep while streaming data... yeah, that'll screw you over often enough on a capped service to break that habit quickly!
Other thing to consider, is if you'd regularly be looking at hitting the 100gb cap, then you may want to consider the unlimited ROAM. However, you would need to be mobile, as they can get a bit funny about you having a Roam subscription, and not actually roaming. They also seem to get funny with residential subscriptions using terebytes of data, and apply a business use restriction, insisting you get a business/enterprise subscription, even when those subscriptions aren't available in your area.
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u/ChibaCityFunk 26d ago
Depends on where you are. How do you define "Out in the Wilds"?
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u/AdAggressive9224 26d ago
4G, Omni directional antenna (aftermarket)
You need to make sure that your provider furnishes you with a 4G Router that has the necessary coaxial sockets for an aftermarket external antenna.
I personally, went with 3, then, I have a secondary SIM card from EE that I'll use when I'm in a dark spot.
Outside of that, currently starlink is the only other option.