We have a Winegard Connect 2+ mounted on the roof of our LQ. It's supposed to give us access to TV and Internet, but I have been struggling to figure out how it works since Day One.
Well, today I made major progress on all fronts.
The Winegard already had a SIM card installed and the password was printed on the manual that was included in all the documents provided with the trailer. It can boost the signal and help connect you to an existing wireless network or it can act as it's own wireless network if you are out in the boonies.
Where we are currently staying the main house has a wireless network we are allowed to access, but I couldn't connect directly to it from our LQ. It was frustrating, so I decided to spend some time this afternoon to try and figure it out.
So, first you turn on the Winegard unit. Then, you connect to the Winegard network - just as you would to any wireless network. Type in the password and connect. But you won't see any internet connection until you either connect to a wireless network or opt to create your own.
To do that, you open a browser and type 10.11.12.1 in the address bar. Then scan for any wireless networks in the area and viola! You connect.
If you want to create your own wireless network because you are in an area with no wireless networks to connect, you have to pay a monthly service fee to Winegard. It's pretty pricey - $60 for 20 GB. So, we may opt to only use it when we have a network we can access.
So, right now, Ari is playing Diablo inside our LQ using the Winegard connection piggybacking off the wireless network provided by our hosts.
We had been using our cell phones as hot spots in some places, but our cell service here is in and out, so it isn't reliable.
I had to update our route since we ended up staying at the DeCourcey Ranch longer than anticipated. Frankly, our horses are rooting for us to stay as long as possible. They are loving being in a pasture with green grass all around them to nibble on 24/7.
I had purchased an HP Mobile OfficeJet for the LQ. The printer stores up to the space of a 2" binder and stores perfectly under one of the dinette seats when not in use. I wanted to print out the updated itinerary, so I had to set up the printer. I don't need a cable from the printer to the laptop - it connects wirelessly through the Winegard network with no issues. The on-line set-up took about 15 minutes.
In order to print, you have to load the document into the HP software and print through that, but that's no big deal. So, now I will be able to print documents with no issues and I am a very happy camper.
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