Upgrades to Your RV… Don’t be Afraid to Tinker…

We have been RVing for a little over five years, and in that time we’ve owned three different RVs upgrading to a newer model each time. Most RVers learn that no matter how hard they have searched for that perfect RV, after you’ve owned it for a little bit you will always find at least a few things that you would add or change. In our first two RV’s we choose to purchase a different RV rather than make significant changes ourselves. Part of the reason we chose that path was we felt we were still getting our feet wet in the RV world. I’m sure that’s the case with most of you also.

Does it seem like just when you’re getting to know every inch or sound in your RV that the camping season comes to an end? I have spoken with a few RVing friends and they express those exact frustrations. Many of you may fall in the same category as we do, while your desire is to make major changes to your RV, your skill level to do those changes is severely lacking. Now yes, there are plenty of places you could take your RV to have a professional do your remodeling, and I highly recommend those places for major remodels. What about if you want to do some light remodeling? We have enjoyed following more than a few RVers on YouTube as they go through renovations to their RVs. For us we weren’t ready to do a major renovation. We do have one big thorn in our side. Our RV has no bunks for the kids.

But the other major issue we had with the RV when we purchased it was the lack of Wi-Fi or cellular booster. Technology has changed so much in the last few years and availability of aftermarket products has greatly increased.

So instead of waiting for a service professional to do the system install, we decided to tackle it ourselves or should I say myself. Now I fancy myself as a gadget geek who is not afraid to tinker with many electronic systems and computer systems in our household. So the thought of adding a Wi-Fi router system and a cellular booster to our coach got my toes tingling.

There was one area that I was very nervous about and that was making any type of roof penetration on the RV. One of the biggest problems for RV repairs is water penetration problems. That part of the install scared me to death. I didn’t want to be the one to be solving one problem yet creating a bigger more costly problem later. So maybe you can say I cheated a little bit.

I decided to hire my dealership who does all the repairs to handle the running of the wires and roof install. That way I allowed the professionals that do this every single day to ensure that the roof penetration was done correctly and sealed correctly.

Not to mention the benefit of me not having to try to climb up on top of that roof I really don’t think RV Roofs were made for 300 pound former football players to be crawling around on top of it.

After the pros finished running the wires inside the RV, it was time for me to get to work. I had already predetermined the final location of the units.

All that was left for me to do was secure the unit to the wall, connect the antenna cable that ran up to the roof and connect power. Sounds simple right? Well now the real work begins, but this is the technical computer type work.

After getting the unit powered up, I download the updated software, set up new access codes and was ready to go.

Probably like many of you I use the app Speedtest to check my Internet speed. So I tested my current cellular speed without the use of the booster;

then I compared it to the speeds I got once I had my booster up and running. What’s the difference? I can easily say the speed boost was well worth the price of the unit.

I know some of you RVers maybe read this cynically. You may choose to RV and boondock out in the middle of nowhere to get away from technology, cell phones and Wi-Fi. And that’s awesome, that’s great, I have no issue with that but for our family since we’re on the road so much, we need access to the Internet for kids homeschool and for the work we do. Having reliable internet connections, just makes it possible for us to be away from our homebase as much as we are.

So I know we all tend to be judgemental of others and without all the information; I want to give you this little tip next time you’re at a campground and you see someone on a device. They may be freeing themselves up by working at the campground to they can do those incredibly fun experiences yet still get work done.

Now that I have conquered this upgrade, I’m ready to tackle more. So if you’re thinking about making changes to your RV, go ahead and do it even if some items are out of your comfort zone, don’t be afraid to use experts to handle aspects above your pay grade. On to my next project….

See you out at the campground

Keith and Tia Sims soulfulrvfamily@gmail.com

Special thanks to Road and home for sponsoring this post. Please check out their website roadandhome.com for many of your RVing needs.