Forest River WiFi Prep: How Does King WiFi Work in RV?
It seems that pre-wired does not mean what it traditionally has meant. That wires are already in place and ready for hook up. Some RVs do not get the wire or the wires are placed in such a position that it is difficult to connect them to the antenna. It's par for the course with RV makers.
All you have to do when you want to use the King Wifi in your RV is to hook up the wires that are supposed to be in position already. These wires are also supposed to be hooked up to the switch and once hooked up, you flip the switch and enjoy your wifi system
To learn more about this system and other details, just continue to read our article. It has the information you want to know about so you can use your King Wifi in your Forest River or another brand of RV.
The Forest River WiFi Prep
The concept of prep work seems to differ between owners and Forest River. What the former considers to be prep work does not seem to matter to the latter as your RV could come with just stickers and nothing else. or it could come with wires but no antenna.
Supposedly, the Forest River Wifi prep means that the wires for wifi service are already in place and they only need connecting to the wifi antenna. Sometimes you cannot use the installed antenna like that is for t.v. and radio use only.
Other times, you will remove the faceplate off the wall as that has the sticker saying King Wifi ready, or similar terms. Underneath the faceplate, all you see is a gaping hole where the wires are supposed to be.
There could be a variety of legitimate reasons why those wires are missing. Then, the wires may be there but they are placed in such a position that owners need to drill extra holes just to get to them and finish placing the wires up to the antenna.
In other words, King Wifi prep by Forest River means, you get what they decide to give you. The only consistent behavior is that there is no consistent behavior except failing to prep the RV.
Pre-Wired For King WiFi
The ideal behind this convenience is that the pre-wiring or prep work for the wifi system makes it easier for owners to connect to the wifi antenna. To let you know that the wiring is in place, there are stickers placed on the faceplate or other locations telling you that the RV was pre-wired.
All you have to do is go buy the antenna bundle of your choice. That is the ideal. The King Wifi prep is used by Forest River, KZ Thor, Winnebago, Braxton Creek, Gulfstream RV, and Pleasant Valley/ Nucamp brands.
At the moment we cannot say if those brands do the same type of prep work that Forest River does, which is less than ideal. If the RV has been prepped for the King Wifi systems, there is supposed to be a switch, faceplate with sticker, and wires running to the roof of your RV.
Anything else you need to enjoy wifi service on the road is up to you and you are on your own to purchase. However, the ideal does not happen all the time as many owners have posted photos of their prep work and all you see is an empty hole or here wild tales of items missing that should be there.
How Does King WiFi Work in RV?
We do not want to insult your intelligence but the system is very simple in operation. To receive wifi service, all that needs to be done is connect the wires to the antenna and then flip the switch on the faceplate.
Once it is flipped you should be able to enjoy wifi service almost anywhere you happen to be. The antenna once activated, picks up the closest signals and is supposed to amplify them so you get uninterrupted use and hassle-free service.
Depending on the antenna bundle you buy, you can pick up signals and have them amplified 2x, 3x, and 6x through the King network. The antenna picks up public wifi signals and strengthens them through its booster technology.
The price you pay for the antenna bundle depends on how strong you want your signal to become. The prices range from $120 to over $500 approx., through the King corporation. Some antennas are directional while others are Omni-directional.
You get to choose the type of antenna you want and if you want to have signals coming from all directions or not. Once you purchase the antenna bundle, you can set it up yourself or have someone do it for you.
How To use King WiFi in a Camper
This is fairly straight forward and simple to work. The first step in this operation will be to install your antenna. You will have to get up on the roof of your RV and go to the spot where the pre-wired coaxial cable end is located.
After connecting the cable, to the antenna, you need to go back inside your RV and go to the faceplate that is labeled for King Wifi. Connect that end to a boosting device and all you have to do after that is connected to the wifi.
It is not that hard of a system to operate. When you are on the roof, you will have to remove the HDTV antenna to get to the roof end of the coaxial cable. The good news is that while the RV may say that it is pre-wired for King Wifi, you do not have to use King Wifi equipment to have wifi service.
The cable will hook up to any brand’s devices or equipment so you may be able to save some money by using a different brand.
King WiFi RV Setup
The setup is basically the same with a few variations depending on the type of antenna and service you are buying from King. The wifi max setup, which is the cheapest option available, will come with an owner’s manual, a small antenna, a 9-volt power supply, and the router.
All you have to do is hook up these parts in their correct places to enjoy wifi service. The antenna attaches to the router not the roof of your RV. After connecting the system to power, turning it on, and seeing that all the lights are glowing or flashing, you still need to set up the router to receive wifi signals.
King wifi has placed a setup video tutorial to help you through all the steps of connecting the router to the internet. You can see that video at this link. It is only 6 minutes long and the instructions are very clear and easy to understand.
If after watching the video, you still have any questions, you can contact the company or your local dealer for the answers and any help you may need. The contact information for the company is on the about us page.
How Much Does King WiFi Cost?
You have 3 options you can buy through King Wifi. The first one is the WifiMAx system, which was discussed in the previous section. It runs only $199 at the time of this writing. This and the following prices are taken from the King website.
The KING Swift™ Omni-Directional Wifi Antenna Bundle option is the middle of the pack when it comes to cost. You can purchase it for $249.99. This bundle includes the WifiMax router and you should watch the video to set that up correctly.
Finally, there is the KING Falcon™ Directional Wi-Fi Antenna Bundle and it will cost you $549.99 but it gives you the longest distance and the most powerful boost of all the options available.
Because your RV is supposed to be pre-wired for King wifi service, you may not have to hire someone to install the antennas or other equipment. According to many owners, this ideal is rarely seen and you may have to do additional work to get the wires in place.
If those prices are a little more expensive than you want to pay, remember the wiring in the RV is set to work with all brands and is not brand exclusive.
Some Final Words
When you go to hook up your wi-fi system in your new RV, you may be in for a surprise. Depending on the RV maker, you may find the wires all set up and ready to go or you may not.
We cannot speak for the reasons why this is so but we can only report what other owners have experienced. The type of signal you will get will depend on where you are, how many people are using the signal, and how powerful it really is.
We have not heard of many complaints about King wifi service either.
