How to Get Motorhome Wi-Fi and Internet in the UK and Europe
- Chris Wallace-Tarry
- Feb 3
- 30 min read
Your motorhome Wi-Fi setup should match how you actually travel and work. If you only need to message friends, check maps, and stream a film now and then, your phone hotspot might be all you ever use. If you work from your van, taking video calls and regularly sending files, a dedicated 4G or 5G router with an external antenna can be a huge upgrade. And if you spend time parked up in places where mobile coverage is patchy or non-existent, you may eventually find yourself looking at satellite internet. In this guide, we'll go over all these options and who they're for, making concrete product recommendations for each one.
Index
Shane, the founder of The Van Conversion, is a campervan professional and NCC-certified electrical installer. Since 2020, he’s lived on the road full-time, completing several van builds along the way. He’s the author of Roaming Home and the creator of The Van Conversion Course, which have helped thousands build their own vans. Shane also writes The Van Conversion Newsletter, where he shares hands-on tips and practical insights. He’s passionate about empowering others to make their vanlife dreams reality.
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Some Things to Consider
In practice, campervan internet usually comes down to three bottlenecks:
Coverage
Regardless of the setup in your van, the internet connection itself comes from either mobile data or satellite. If there’s no usable signal where you’re parked, no router or antenna can perform miracles. A better modem and a proper roof antenna can pull in weak signal more effectively than a phone, but they can’t connect to a tower that isn’t there. A complete lack of mobile signal can sometimes be remedied by a satellite internet setup like Starlink, but even that service has gaps in its coverage.
Capacity
Even in areas that show strong signal on your phone, speeds can fall apart at peak times if everyone nearby is hammering the same mast. This is why you can arrive somewhere with full bars and still struggle to load a webpage. Congestion is also why performance can change dramatically between early morning, midday, and evenings on popular campsites or in tourist towns. Mine and Shane's hometown, Chamonix, is a great example of this. There are only two mobile towers in the whole valley, and neither of them seems to be particularly equipped to deal with the valley's population. During weekends and peak tourist season, or if there's a widespread broadband blackout, mobile data is functionally unusable even when we've got full bars of 4G+.
Power
It’s easy to focus on data plans and signal strength and forget that your motorhome internet setup is another appliance you’re running all day. A small USB-powered hotspot has a very small but continuous power draw, but a full router and antenna kit draws more, and Starlink can become a serious daily drain on your leisure battery, especially in winter when solar is limited.
Reality Check: Motorhome Wi-Fi vs. Internet
It’s also worth doing a quick reality check on what “Wi-Fi” means in a van. Strictly speaking, Wi-Fi is just the local network inside your vehicle, the thing your laptop connects to. The internet connection itself usually comes from mobile data or satellite. People understandably blur the terms, but it matters, because you might already have campervan Wi-Fi in the form of a router, and still have useless internet if the mobile signal is weak or the campsite network is overloaded.
Finally, a campervan internet connection is simply not going to be as reliable as a domestic one. You’re trying to get radio signals into a metal box whilst constantly moving through variable terrain and switching between different towers or satellite coverage areas. The goal of this guide is to make the trade-offs clear, so you can choose a setup that works for the way you travel, rather than buying kit that looks impressive on paper but frustrates you the first time you try to use it in the real world.
Our Quick Recommendations for Motorhome Wi-Fi
The best way to choose your motorhome Wi-Fi setup is to decide on what your regular internet usage looks like:
Everyday leisure usage: you use the internet for general browsing, music, life admin, and a bit of video steaming.
Work usage: you need a reliable internet connection for your job.
Remote usage: you frequently spend time where there is no mobile signal at all.
Options for Everyday Leisure Usage
This use-case treats motorhome Wi-Fi as a nice-to-have. Your usage is for pleasure and if you really need the internet for something important, you can always drive somewhere with good signal or stop in a café.
Weekend and Holiday Users
Use your phone as a hotspot. For most people, this is the best starting point because it costs nothing extra and it works everywhere your phone works. If you only need browsing, music, messaging, and occasional streaming, a good UK data plan plus sensible hotspot habits will cover you.
Long Trips and Vanlifers
Buy a pocket hotspot (MiFi) and keep it plugged in on USB power. This is ideal if you want your internet running in the background without draining your phone battery, especially if multiple devices will be connected at once. It is still fully dependent on mobile coverage, but it is a step up in convenience.
Options for Work Usage
This use-case treats motorhome Wi-Fi as an essential utility, more like electricity and water. With this use-case, you can still get away with using a pocket hotspot, but you'll be doing a lot more driving around to chase a reliable connection. I can attest that it's far less convenient, as this was how I worked whilst travelling in my van in Turkey. Had I had the option, I would have installed one of the following upgrades:
The Sweet Spot
Go for a proper 4G or 5G router and pair it with an external MIMO antenna (usually roof mounted). This is the sweet spot for most remote workers. A dedicated router is more stable under load, handles multiple devices better, and an external antenna can turn marginal signal into usable internet in places where a phone hotspot struggles inside a metal vehicle. If you only buy one serious upgrade, this is usually it.
The Premium Option
Choose a router and roof antenna kit from a van-specific supplier. You are paying for a matched set of components, mounting hardware, and support. It is a good option if you want to optimise performance through compatibility, or if you want the installation to feel as deliberate as your electrics and solar.
Options for Remote Usage
If you'll often camp in areas with zero mobile signal, and you absolutely don't want to be without motorhome Wi-Fi in these cases, a satellite connection is the only way to go. This option is the most reliable for speed and coverage, but there are trade-offs. It's more expensive, more visible, and it draws far more power than mobile-based options. For many vanlifers it's a tool to be used when needed, rather than something you run all day.
We'll cover each of these campervan Wi-Fi options in detail below. If you're unsure, start with the smallest step that could realistically meet your needs, and upgrade later if you feel you need it.
Hotspotting Your Phone for Motorhome Wi-Fi
Hotspotting your phone is the simplest way to get motorhome internet, and for many people it's also the most sensible. If you already have a decent data allowance, you can be online in seconds with no extra hardware, no installation, and no extra power draw beyond what your phone already uses. The trade-off is that you're asking a small device to do a lot of work, often inside a metal vehicle, sometimes for hours at a time. Used casually, it works fine. Used as an all-day solution for remote work, it can become frustrating.
Pros and Cons
The biggest advantage is convenience. You're not buying, setting up, and powering a new device, and the Wi-Fi connection on your computer will work the same as the data connection on your phone. Your phone also has the fastest network switching and the simplest interface for checking signal and troubleshooting.
The drawbacks are mostly to do with battery usage. Hotspotting for motorhome Wi-Fi hammers your phone battery and can easily overheat your phone. You'll often need to charge your phone whilst the hotspot is active, and this combination can cause it to overheat. Many phones throttle charging or hotspot performance whilst overheated, interrupting your connection. This was what put an end to my phone hotspot usage in Turkey; the summer heat was too much for my phone to handle whilst charging and hotspotting, and I had to turn to a different device to give it a break.
Tips for Proper Hotspotting
Heat is the enemy, so keep your phone out of direct sunlight and give it plenty of airflow.
If your devices are close to the phone, using the 5GHz hotspot band can give faster campervan internet speeds. If you are trying to reach further, or you are sat outside the van, 2.4GHz often holds a connection better at distance. If your phone lets you choose, it's worth switching depending on how you are using it.
For longer sessions, USB tethering can be more stable than a wireless hotspot. It also avoids having to push two wireless links at once, which can help when signal is weak or your phone is already working hard.
Where you place your phone matters far more than most people expect. A phone hotspot works best when the phone itself has a strong mobile signal, and vans are not friendly to that. Metal bodywork reduces signal, tinted windows can make it worse, and your phone might be sat in a low spot behind seats and cabinetry. In weak coverage, try putting the phone high up near a window, on the dash, or by a skylight. Even moving it 30cm can change your speeds. If you are parked in a valley, walking a few metres can tell you whether the problem is coverage or just a poor spot inside the van.
If the connection is unreliable, test the basics before you assume the network is the problem. Toggle mobile data off and on and restart the hotspot. Sometimes forcing 4G instead of letting the phone hunt between 4G and 5G improves stability.
When a Phone Hotspot Stops Working for Motorhome Wi-Fi
Hotspotting is perfect as a starting point, and it may remain your main setup indefinitely if your needs are simple. But if you find yourself fighting overheating phones and battery drain, or relying on video calls and uploads for work, that is usually the point where an upgrade starts to make sense. A phone can absolutely get you online, but it is not designed to be a fixed internet appliance, and the moment you treat it like one, the limits begin to show.
Pocket Hotspots (MiFi) and USB 4G Routers for Campervan Wi-Fi
If hotspotting your phone feels like the right idea but the wrong device, the next step up is a dedicated cellular hotspot. Pocket hotspots and small USB-powered 4G routers do the same basic job as your phone hotspot, but with two key advantages: they can stay powered and running all day without tying up your phone, and they tend to be more stable as a background internet connection for a van. They are also an easy upgrade because there is no installation. You put a SIM in, plug them into USB power, and connect your devices over your new motorhome Wi-Fi connection.
The important thing to understand is that these devices do not magically create signal. If you're parked somewhere with no usable mobile coverage, a pocket hotspot will be just as offline as your phone. Their value is convenience, consistency, and power efficiency.
A lot of these units are battery powered, which can be useful if you want internet while you're outside the van, but in van use most people simply keep them plugged in permanently. Their power draw is generally very low compared to bigger router setups, so they have only a small impact on your overall power use.
For a lot of campervan users, these are the best option for casual connectivity. They can stay plugged in to a USB socket, quietly providing a Wi-Fi network for your devices without any supervision from your end. This is what I upgraded to when travelling in Turkey. My little SIM-based motorhome Wi-Fi hotspot stayed on continuously, positioned on the windowsill for optimal connectivity. It was a relief not to have my phone tied up providing the internet for the van, and I never worried about overheating again.
What to Look for when Buying a Pocket Hotspot
First, make sure your chosen hotspot is unlocked, or at least available in an unlocked version. An unlocked device lets you swap SIMs easily, which is particularly useful if you travel into Europe and end up using a local SIM or eSIM adapter setup.
Also think about how many devices will be connected at once. If it's just a laptop and a phone, almost any hotspot will cope. If you regularly have multiple people and devices online, look for a unit that supports modern Wi-Fi standards (Cat 4 and above) and has a reputation for stable performance rather than headline speeds.
Avoid a Common Confusion: Travel Wi-Fi Routers vs. Mobile Internet Routers and Hotspots
It's worth clearing up a common product category mix-up. Some “travel routers” don't contain a SIM-based 4G modem at all. Instead, they take an existing Wi-Fi connection, like campsite Wi-Fi, and rebroadcast it as your own private Wi-Fi network inside the van. That can be useful, but it's not the same as a SIM-based pocket hotspot.
Pocket Hotspot Power Use
One reason pocket hotspots and USB 4G routers are so popular is how little power they use compared to bigger setups. Many of them will run happily from a typical 5V USB supply, and their consumption is generally closer to your phone charger than an appliance like a laptop charger. That means you can often leave them on all day without thinking about it, which is not true of more advanced systems like satellite internet.
When a Pocket Hotspot Stops Working for Motorhome Wi-Fi
If your frustration comes from weak signal, unreliable connection inside the van, or glitches due to firmware, then you've reached the point where hardware starts making a difference. That's when a dedicated 4G or 5G router paired with an external MIMO antenna becomes the logical next step, because it's designed to maximise the performance and reliability of a mobile data connection.
Dedicated 4G and 5G Routers with External Antennas
If you want the most reliable mobile-data internet setup for a campervan, this is usually it. A dedicated 4G or 5G router paired with an external antenna is the point where your motorhome Wi-FI solution stops feeling like a workaround and starts behaving like a proper utility. It will connect more consistently in weak coverage, stay stable under load, and serve multiple devices without dropouts.
The key idea is simple. Your router can only use the signal it receives, and vans are hostile environments for radio. Metal bodywork, insulation, cupboards, and tinted glass all reduce signal, and your devices are usually sat low down inside the vehicle. An external antenna gets the receiving elements high up and in the open, and a dedicated router gives you a better modem and better control over how that signal is used.
Why a Dedicated Motorhome Wi-Fi Router Beats Hotspotting and Pocket Hotspots
A phone hotspot is designed to be occasional, and a pocket hotspot is designed to be portable. A proper router is designed to stay plugged in all day and route traffic. That difference shows up in stability. A dedicated unit will usually handle multiple connected devices better, maintain a connection for long periods, and recover better when signal is weak or the network changes.
A router and external antenna setup shines when you are operating on the edge of coverage, when you need stability for work, or when multiple people are online at once. It won't fix congestion on a busy campsite, and it won't make you immune to the realities of geography, but it is the most effective way to get the best possible performance from mobile networks in a campervan.
What to Look for in a Campervan Router
The first thing to look out for is the quality of the cellular modem. The main decision is 4G versus 5G. In parts of the UK, 5G can offer much better speeds and can cope better with congestion, but it is not a guaranteed upgrade everywhere. If your travels keep you in and around towns, 5G is increasingly useful. If you spend most of your time in remote areas, especially mountainous regions, you may still be on 4G most of the time. In that case, it can be better to buy a strong 4G setup with a good antenna than to spend extra on 5G and still be limited by coverage.
Dual SIM support is another feature worth considering. If you work from the van, having access to two different networks is often more valuable than chasing the fastest single network. One provider might be strong in one valley, another might work better on the far side of the ridge. A router that can switch between SIMs saves you having to swap cards manually.
Finally, look at practical details. Does it run happily from 12V or does it need a mains adapter? Can it be mounted securely? Does it have decent Wi-Fi coverage, and if you need it, does it support VPNs or advanced settings you might use later?
External Antennas: What they Do and Which Type to Choose
An external antenna improves the quality of the connection your modem can make. In weak signal areas, that can mean the difference in having any usable internet at all. In moderate signal areas, it can mean higher speeds and a more stable connection.
Most campervan antenna setups fall into two broad types: omnidirectional and directional. An omnidirectional roof antenna is the common choice for vanlifers because it works in all directions. You do not have to point it at anything, and it is a fit-and-forget installation. It is ideal if you move regularly and want consistent performance without fuss.
Directional antennas are more specialist. They can be very effective in weak signal areas because they concentrate reception in one direction, but they usually require setup, aiming, and sometimes a temporary mount. They are better suited to people who park up for longer periods and are willing to do a bit of work to squeeze signal out of the landscape.
You will also see terms like 2x2 MIMO and 4x4 MIMO. In simple terms, MIMO uses multiple antenna elements to improve throughput and reliability. A proper MIMO antenna setup can make a real difference, especially when the network is busy or signal is marginal. The important thing is that the router and antenna should match. A 4x4 MIMO antenna is only useful if your router can actually use four antenna connections. A 4x4 MIMO antenna can receive more data from more directions than a 2x2, and will thus perform better in congested and marginal areas.
Installation Notes
If you are happy drilling holes for solar cable glands and roof vents, you can install a roof antenna. The aim is to keep the installation tidy and weatherproof.
Antennas perform best with a clear view and some separation from other roof-mounted electronics. Avoid mounting right next to a solar panel frame or a roof rack bar if you can, and do not put it in a shadowed corner behind tall roof boxes.
Cable routing is the part that catches people out. Antenna cables are not like standard 12V wiring. The longer and thinner they are, the more signal you lose. That means you want short cable runs and decent quality coaxial connectors. If you mount the router far from the antenna, you can end up undoing the gains of having an antenna at all. In a campervan, the best approach is to mount the router fairly close to where the antenna cables enter the van.
Ready-to-go 4G and 5G Router and Antenna Kits
If the previous section sounded appealing but you don't want to spend time comparing modems, connectors, antenna types, and power supplies, a motorhome Wi-Fi router kit is the most straightforward way to get a proper internet setup in your van. Companies like MotorhomeWiFi package a router, a roof antenna, and all the necessary wiring and mounting hardware.
What You Pay For
The core value of a kit is compatibility and support. Compatibility means the antenna is chosen to match the router’s capabilities, particularly around MIMO. It means the connectors are correct, the cable lengths are appropriate, and the whole system is designed around how a motorhome or campervan is actually used. Even small details matter here. A kit should include a proper 12V supply solution, mounting hardware that makes sense for a vehicle, and a clear wiring and setup path.
Look out for the support you'll get if anything stops working. A mobile internet setup can be frustrating when you hit a problem and you don't know if it's the SIM, the network, the router settings, or the antenna cabling. A van-specific supplier is usually better placed to give practical troubleshooting advice than a generic electronics retailer.
The other thing you're paying for is tiering. Many kit suppliers offer different levels, typically from a portable router system through to a more capable fixed router, and sometimes all the way up to 5G.
What to Look for In a Motorhome Wi-Fi Router Kit
A good kit should answer a few questions clearly:
Is the router unlocked, and will it accept standard UK SIMs without restrictions?
Can it handle the kind of usage you have in mind, such as multiple connected devices or video calls?
Does it have useful connectivity like Ethernet ports if you want to hardwire a laptop, TV, or work setup?
On the antenna side, does the kit include a proper MIMO roof antenna, not just a single external aerial?
If the router is 4x4 MIMO, does the antenna support that, and are all required cables included? You want the kit to be designed as a system, not a router bundled with a generic antenna that only uses part of its capability.
It's also worth checking how the kit expects you to mount and route cables. A roof antenna typically means drilling and sealing, and the kit should make that process clear. If the instructions are vague, or if the cable runs are impractically long, it can be a sign the bundle was built for marketing rather than real installs.
Satellite Internet for Motorhomes
A good 4G or 5G router and roof antenna can take you a long way, but there are still plenty of places in the UK and Europe where mobile data is either unusable or simply not there. That's where satellite internet comes in. It's the only mainstream option that can get you online without relying on a nearby mast, but it comes with its own trade-offs.
When Satellite Internet is Genuinely Good
Satellite is at its best when you regularly park in spots with no mobile coverage. In the UK, this would be remote moorland, long wild coastlines, big Scottish glens, mountain valleys, or anywhere tree cover and terrain make your phone bounce between one and zero bars. In Europe, it's easy to find yourself in places like this if you're exploring, especially the further East you go. If you work from your van and you cannot afford to lose a day every time you get a bad park-up, satellite can feel like a cheat code. Satellite internet is also often the only reasonable option for overlanders who are exploring in far-off, remote areas.
When it's Overkill
If you mainly travel through areas with decent 4G or 5G, satellite-powered motorhome Wi-FI is often an expensive solution to a problem you don't really have. You might get impressive speeds, but you are paying more, carrying more kit, using more power, and making your setup more visible.
It's also overkill if your internet needs are light. For messaging, browsing, music, and occasional streaming, a good mobile setup is usually simpler and cheaper. And if you stealth camp a lot, a satellite dish on your roof is far from subtle.
Satellite Internet Power Consumption
A satellite terminal is more like an appliance than a device, requiring more serious and continuous power. Looking at Starlink as an example, we see that their 'Mini' ground station runs at between 20-40W, and their 'Standard' station pulls more like 50-75W [1]. For reference, a standard 50L 12V campervan fridge pulls 30-40W on average.
You can therefore think of a satellite internet dish as a second medium-to-large fridge running continuously. Your battery size and solar generation capacity will need to be big enough to support this; many users treat satellite as 'internet on demand' rather than a continuously-running appliance.
Starlink for Campervan Internet
When vanlifers talk about satellite internet, they are usually talking about Starlink. They offer high-speed, low-latency satellite internet in a way that is genuinely usable for everyday online life, including video calls and normal browsing. Starlink positions their Roam package specifically for travel and remote locations, including quick setup and packing away. Starlink's coverage is already widespread globally, and it improves every time a new batch of satellites is launched. They offer fast speeds and package their services much like home internet bundles, with hardware and data plans offered together at a range of prices. We'll focus on the Mini and Standard Roam options in this article, as these are the ones designed specifically with campervans in mind.
Starlink for Campervan Alternatives
It's unfortunate that the only mature portable satellite internet service is owned by Elon Musk's SpaceX. Many people will understandably not want to fund him or his companies, but are there alternatives? Sadly, nobody else seems to have the resources (or the desire) to launch thousands of tiny satellites into low Earth orbit (9,422 as of January 2026 [2]). Eutelsat's OneWeb is aimed at business and government use rather than domestic customers, with no small-scale domestic options planned. Amazon's Leo is set to compete with Starlink directly, but if you're opposed to Musk, a service owned by Jeff Bezos with satellites launched by Lockheed Martin and Boeing's United Launch Alliance isn't exactly a preferable alternative [3].
Therefore, your best alternative to Starlink for fast, reliable campervan Wi-Fi is to fall back on a top-of-the-range 5G router kit.
Buying Guide: The Best Motorhome Wi-fi Setups
Having explained your options, we'll now make practical recommendations for the setups and providers in each category. All of the below options have a UK focus, but we'll discuss how each one will work for vanlifers who make frequent trips to Europe.
Phone Hotspotting and Portable Hotspots: Best SIM deals for Motorhome Internet
If you’re relying on phone hotspotting or a portable hotspot, the SIM you choose matters more than the device. In the UK, you can often get unlimited or very large data allowances cheaply, but the rules change the moment you cross the Channel. Since Brexit, UK networks are no longer required to offer “roam like at home”, so some providers charge daily fees or require roaming passes, and even the ones that include EU roaming usually apply a fair use cap, which is often somewhere around 12GB to 30GB per month for a limited period of consecutive months. MoneySavingExpert keeps a regularly updated rundown of which UK networks charge and what caps apply, and it’s worth checking before you travel.
The best SIM deal for you will depend on your usage. If you only do occasional EU trips, you want a UK SIM with a generous EU roaming cap built in. If you spend months in Europe, you will usually be better off switching strategy and using an EU-based SIM or a Europe-wide eSIM to avoid the limited-time roaming policy on UK SIMs.
Best SIM Deals for UK-based Vanlifers doing Occasional EU Trips
Budget Recommendation: SMARTY
If you want a cheap UK SIM that still works well in Europe for navigation, messaging, browsing, and moderate hotspot use, SMARTY is a strong budget pick. We recommend them for their wide range of UK plans and the fact that you get a monthly 12GB limit when roaming in the EU. This is often plenty for short trips if you’re not trying to work full-time on video calls.
High-allowance Recommendation: Lebara
For occasional EU trips where you want the most breathing room for hotspotting a laptop, Lebara is one of the better options. They're an established UK mobile provider with a great range of plans and prices, but thye offer a 30GB monthly EU roaming allowance. This is a genuinely usable amount for remote work days and streaming video.
Best SIM Deals for UK Vanlifers on Long EU Trips
If you’re spending months at a time in Europe, relying purely on UK roaming can get annoying quickly. This is where EU-issued SIMs and Europe-wide eSIMs start to make more sense. EU networks operate under the EU’s “roam like at home” framework (extended to 2032), which means an EU SIM can generally roam across EU countries at domestic-like rates.
Budget Recommendation: Free Mobile
A local EU plan is often the cheapest way to get lots of data. As one concrete example, Free Mobile’s pricing brochure shows its plan includes 35GB per month usable from 117 destinations (including European roaming destinations), which can suit vanlifers who spend long stretches in Europe and want a normal monthly SIM which works in Europe with no time limit.
High-allowance Recommendation: Airalo Euralink eSIM
If you move between countries and want a single Europe-wide data solution without contracts, a regional eSIM can be the easiest option. One commonly used high-allowance example is Airalo’s Eurolink 100GB plan with 180 days validity, which can cover a long multi-country trip if your usage is heavy but not truly unlimited.
Best Portable Hotspots for Motorhome Wi-fi
If you’ve decided to go with a data SIM and portable hotspot (MiFi) setup, you want something that can sit on a shelf all day, stay powered from a normal 12V USB outlet, and keep your devices connected over Wi-Fi without constant fiddling. Here are two solid picks that cover most vanlifers.
Best Portable Hotspot: Our Budget Pick
For our budget pick, we've gone for the TP-Link M7000. It's the classic first motorhome Wi-Fi setup for a reason; it's affordable, tiny, and draws very little power. Crucially, the device is unlocked, meaning you can insert any SIM card and it'll work the same as if the SIM were in your phone.
You'll Like
Very low hassle: insert SIM, connect devices, and you’re away.
USB-powered.
Low power demand: 1A at 5V, or about 0.5A at 12V.
Good fit for occasional hotspotting and lighter workloads.
You Might Not Like
4G-only, and performance is limited by a small modem and internal antennas, so it won’t compete with higher-end 5G hotspots in busy areas or marginal signal.
Fewer “power user” features (things like Ethernet, advanced band controls, serious external antenna support) than pricier units.
For normal usage with a handful of devices, where signal is adequate or where connectivity is non-essential, this is a simple, cheap device that will work for most people.
Best Portable Hotspot: Our High-performance Pick
If you're looking for a portable hotspot that feels closer to a home internet setup, the TP-Link M7750 is the sweet spot. It supports 4G+ LTE-Advanced Cat 12 (up to 600 Mbps down/150 Mbps up in ideal conditions) and can share the connection to up to 32 devices, which is a big step up if you work from the van or travel with multiple people. It also charges and runs from USB-C, pulling 10W/2A from a standard 5V USB socket.
You'll Like
Noticeably stronger performance than entry-level MiFi units, especially when multiple devices are online.
Better suited to remote work basics like video calls and file uploads, assuming you have usable mobile coverage.
Works for up to 15 hours on its internal battery.
Uses USB-C at 10W/2A; very manageable in a campervan electrical system.
You Might Not Like
Still ultimately limited by mobile coverage and congestion. It won’t fix saturated masts and weak signal.
Higher USB power requirement than basic hotspots, which may become noticeable in a low-spec system when solar generation is weak.
How to Set Up Your Hotspot for Motorhome Wi-Fi
With SIM-based hotspots, placement matters more than people expect. Whether it's your phone or a pocket hotspot, the Wi-Fi will only be as good as the mobile signal it can receive. Your van is basically a big metal signal dampener, so how you position your phone or hotspot needs to combat this.
Start by putting the device high up and close to glass: the top of the dash, a shelf by a side window, or up near a skylight tends to work best. If your speeds are borderline, even moving it 30–50cm can make a noticeable difference. If you know where your nearest tower is, give your device line of sight; when I was hunting signal in rural Turkey, I would often park my van so I could just see the top of the nearest cell tower. I would then place my portable hotspot in the window facing that direction. Moving your device away from the densest parts of your electrical system's wiring also helps.
If you’re relying on mobile masts in more remote areas, the fastest way to reduce frustration is to choose your park-up based on coverage rather than guessing. In the UK, Ofcom’s Map Your Mobile lets you check predicted coverage by network for a postcode area, which is useful for planning valleys and rural regions before you drive in. For more granular positioning, both Opensignal’s and GSMA's signal maps are based on real user measurements, so you can check whether an area tends to perform well in practice and park within a tower's coverage area.
Best Portable Wi-Fi Router for Motorhome Internet
If you're ready to step up from phone hotspotting and portable hotspot units, a fixed 4G/5G router with a roof-mounted antenna is usually the biggest upgrade you can make for reliability. You are not magically creating signal where none exists, but you are giving your modem a cleaner, stronger connection to the nearest mast, which which will give you the fastest and most stable connection possible.
Best Portable Wi-Fi Router: Our Budget Setup
For our budget setup, we recomend pairing the Teltronika RUT241 router with the Poynting Antennas PUCK-2-V2. The RUT241 is very popular in vehicle installs because it is simple, stable, and low power. Its modem is LTE, Wi-Fi Cat 4-supporting, which isn't top-of-the-range, but paired with a proper roof antenna it still performs extremely well for general vanlife use (remote work, streaming, calls, navigation, and so on).
You'll Like
The router supports LTE, giving you fast, 4G speeds.
The antenna is a 2x2 MIMO antenna, which is industrial-level, multi-antenna receiver technology
The antenna comes with 2m cables and SMA connectors, which plug straight into the router's SMA inputs.
The router and antenna together use up to 6.5W at 12V, idling at 1W when no SIM is installed. This averages to 3W or 0.25A at 12V, representing 6Ah/day, meaning it can easily be left running 24/7.
Antenna is a neat, low-profile roof install; very inconspicuous with minimal wind drag.
You Might Not Like
The LTE Cat 4 standard and 2x2 MIMO antenna won't maximise performance from busy towers or in areas of weak signal (though they'll still perform better than any portable hotspot).
The router runs off 12V, but uses a 4-pin industrial connector rather than USB, making it a permanent wiring job like your other appliances.
Best Portable Wi-Fi Router: Our High-performance Setup
If you want a genuinely high-performance, future-proof install, go 5G with 4x4 MIMO support. The key difference is not just 5G availability, but that the router can use more antenna paths and do a better job in marginal signal. This setup will give you the best possible SIM-based performance, and is the way to go for high-demand remote working in signal-poor areas.
Here, we recommend the Gl.iNet Spitz AX (GL-X3000) router and the Poynting Antennas MIMO-4-14 V2 antenna. The router is a 5G, Wi-Fi Cat 6 unit, which will give you the fastest possible speeds. The antenna is a 4x4 MIMO antenna, giving you the fastest and most stable connection even when signal is weak and the tower is overloaded. Again, these two units plug into each other using included 2m SMA cables. Together, they use up to 14W from a 12V input, or about 1.17A. If you averaged 8-10W across the day, you'd use 16-20Ah/day.
You'll Like
5G-capable, powerful 4x4 MIMO antenna-based setup maximises performance.
Dual-SIM capability and automatic load balancing means you can build in redundancy.
Antenna is still small, discreet, and easy to install on your roof.
You Might Not Like
Higher electrical cost than a basic portable Wi-Fi router, in the realm of a small fridge.
More cabling to route due to the antenna's four outputs.
Overkill for simpler browsing and email demands in good coverage areas.
These two options are your best bet for a permanent, professional-feeling mobile motorhome internet installation. They do require you to set them up yourself, meaning you'll need to buy the router and antenna individually, wire and fuse them up, bring the antenna wires in through a cable gland, and set up the devices together. If you want to buy everything you need in a kit, with the option of a professional installation, take a look at the next section.
Best Motorhome Wi-Fi Router Kits
If you want the benefits of an external roof antenna and a proper in-van Wi-Fi network, but don't want to design and install the whole setup yourself, this is the category for you. There are a number of companies in the UK who offer the entire package as a kit, with dedicated support and the option of a professional installation. A good out-of-the-box kit should:
Give you a roof antenna that is actually designed for vehicles
Include a router that plays nicely with that antenna
Make installation and troubleshooting straightforward, whether you DIY or pay an installer
Here are two UK-friendly recommendations, one budget and one high-performance, both designed to run from 12V DC.
Best Motorhome Wi-fi Router Kit: Budget Setup
The Maxview Roam X is a perfect example of a mid-range, minimum-fuss package. It pairs a vehicle router with a low-profile roof antenna and is designed to be permanently installed. It's still 4G on the mobile side, but it's a strong choice for most vanlifers because it is simple, stable, and has a clear upgrade path if your needs change later. Maxview offer a list of improved installers which you can visit if you don't want to have to do anything yourself.
The Roam X setup runs from 12V DC and uses 5W or 0.4A when running, representing 10Ah/per day if left running 24/7. Once you're up and running, Maxview offer remote diagnostics and troubleshooting support, meaning that if something stops working, you won't have to fix it yourself.
Best Motorhome Wi-Fi Router Kit: High-performance Setup
If you're building your van around reliable connectivity for remote work, or you regularly end up in marginal signal areas and want the best chance of getting usable bandwidth from weak coverage, MotorhomeWiFi's 5G Pro Flex system is a great choice. The UK provider's higher-end kits bundle a 5G-capable router with a dedicated roof antenna and a vehicle-specific install kit. This is the fastest, most reliable SIM-based internet you'll get from a ready-to-go kit.
The system runs at up to 24W on a 12V DC system, equating to up to 2A or 48Ah/24 hours in the worst case. MotorhomeWiFi's 150+ approved dealers nationwide will do the entire installation and setup for you, and they offer remote troubleshooting support in case anything goes wrong.
Starlink for Campervan Satellite Internet
As we discussed earlier, Starlink is the ultimate solution for fast motorhome internet regardless of mobile coverage. It can deliver usable speeds in places where 4G and 5G simply do not exist, but you pay for that in both money and electricity.
One important thing to understand up front is that the kit and the plan are separate. You buy a Starlink ground station (Mini or Standard), then you choose a service plan for it. For vanlifers, that is usually one of the Roam plans, either Roam 100GB (£50/month) or Roam Unlimited (£96/month). Roam 100GB includes 100GB of high-speed data, then unlimited low-speed data, while Roam Unlimited stays on unlimited roaming data.
Starlink for Campervan Internet: Lower-end Option
If you want satellite internet as an occasional tool, rather than something you run all day, the Starlink Mini ground station and 100GB Roam plan is the most realistic entry point. Starlink positions Mini as the portable, lower-power kit for internet on the go, and says it can hit max download speeds over 200 Mbps in the right conditions.
The Mini ground station is easily portable and designed to be deployed when needed, then stowed away. It's a smaller antenna than the Standard, which means its performance is weaker in difficult situations where heavy rain, terrain obstructions, and marginal coverage impact performance. However, it requires the same 110° view of the sky as the Standard and offers the same speeds.
In the UK, the Mini ground station will cost you £189, whilst the 100GB Roam plan is £50/month. The Mini consumes 25–40W average power draw, which equates to roughly 2.1–3.3A while running on a 12V system. For an 8-hour evening or work session, that's about 17–27Ah. For 24/7 use, it can be 50–80Ah per day, which is why most vanlifers turn it off when they're not using it.
Starlink for Campervan Internet: Higher-end Option
If you are working full time from the van, uploading large files, living on video calls, or simply want to stop thinking about data allowances, the Starlink Roam Unlimited plan is the way to go. This plan costs £96/month, but gives you unlimited data usage.
The Starlink Standard ground station has a bigger dish, offering better performance when terrain, rain, and marginal coverage affect the signal. However, it's AC-only, pulling about 7A when running, which equates to 170Ah over 24 hours (plus inverter inefficiency). This is an enormous power draw, and we really can't recommend it to van users. It's also a much larger dish, designed for permanent installation and realistically only appropriate for domestic use.
Pairing a Mini ground station with a Roam Unlimited plan will give you reliable motorhome Wi-Fi without worrying about managing your data, making it the best option for full-time remote work and lots of video streaming.
In Summary
We've gone over a lot of options for getting motorhome Wi-Fi in this guide. Overall, we'd recommend that every vanlifer start with hotspotting their phone, and see how this solution works with your internet usage. If your phone simply isn't reliable enough for your use-case, we'd suggest that the best upgrade is a higher-end portable hotspot like the TP-Link M7750. It requires no external installation and the setup and electricity usage are minimal. Pair it with a SIM that matches your needs and place it in your skylight for a semi-permanent, optimised solution. Only if this setup still feels inadequate, and you're determined that a higher-performance motorhome internet supply is necessary, should you start looking at more serious installations.
Remember that the only way to escape reliance on mobile cell coverage is a satellite internet connection via Starlink. This is a comparatively expensive system with high electricity usage, and your money goes directly to a company owned by Elon Musk. By all accounts, Starlink works exceptionally well. If you regularly spend time in areas with no mobile towers, and you absolutely need an internet connection, it really is your only option.
Final Thoughts
Getting motorhome Wi-Fi when you're on the move is always going to be tricky. Thankfully, there's a whole range of options available depending on your internet needs, budget, electrical system, and appetite for involved installations. We hope that our guide has been useful in making a choice. You might like to check out our guides on other vanlife amenities, like portable projectors for making good use of your new internet setup or power stations for supporting it when your leisure batteries can't keep up.
Don't forget to subscribe to The Van Conversion Newsletter for everything you need to get started with your own van conversion (we'll send you a free wiring diagram when you join).
If you're looking for some guidance with your van conversion, you might be interested in our book Roaming Home, or in our online course The Van Conversion Mastery Course. You'll learn directly from our founder Shane how to convert a van into your dream home - no prior experience needed. Shane also offers one-to-one consultations, where he'll help you with any aspect of your build in a face-to-face video call. All consultations come with a free copy of Roaming Home and our Diagram Pack.
Finally, our Van Conversion Ultimate Guide lays out the whole van conversion process in easy-to-follow sections with tools, materials, and step-by-step instructions. It's the perfect companion for your van build.
Until next time.
