Combination external vehicle antenna housing and installation method

Abstract

An antenna housing facilitates retrofitting a repeater/router and/or an LTE antenna on a vehicle. The combination antenna housing comprises a housing including a base adapted to be assembled to the vehicle, an intermediate portion, and an upper antenna enclosure portion for a radio and television antenna. A method for providing a vehicle with one or more communication links includes the steps of first assembling a plurality of cables within a wall of the vehicle that extend from inside the vehicle to a location on a roof of the vehicle. A radio and television antenna is attached to one or more of the cables within the combination antenna housing. An extra cable is secured inside the housing without electrically connecting the extra cable to another device until after assembly of the vehicle is completed.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A LAN system comprising:
 an access point router that sends and receives LAN signals;   a housing adapted to be attached to a vehicle that encloses a television antenna, a radio antenna, and a repeater/router that sends and receives secondary LAN signals between the access point router and the repeater/router, the housing including a base attached to the vehicle and an enclosure portion that is detachably secured to the base; and   a LAN enabled device being adapted to selectively—
 send and receive LAN signals between the LAN enabled device and the access point, or 
 send and receive secondary LAN signals between the LAN enabled device and the repeater/router disposed in the housing. 
   
     
     
         2 . The LAN system of  claim 1  further comprising:
 a rebroadcaster disposed inside the vehicle that is adapted to send and receive the secondary LAN signals from the repeater/router in the housing, and wherein the LAN enabled device is adapted to send and receive signals to and from the rebroadcaster. 
 
     
     
         3 . The LAN system of  claim 2  wherein the secondary LAN signals from the repeater/router in the housing are transmitted through a cable extending between the repeater/router and the rebroadcaster. 
     
     
         4 . The LAN system of  claim 2  wherein an extra cable is installed in the vehicle when the vehicle is assembled, and wherein the enclosure portion is at least partially removed from the base to install the repeater/router on the base as a retrofit with the enclosure portion being reattached to the base after the repeater/router is installed. 
     
     
         5 . The LAN system of  claim 1  further comprising:
 a passive antenna including an outside portion disposed outside the vehicle and an inner portion disposed inside the vehicle, wherein the secondary LAN signals from the repeater/router in the housing are passively transmitted through the passive antenna between the repeater/router and the LAN enabled device. 
 
     
     
         6 . A long-term evolution (LTE) system comprising:
 a cellular system that sends and receives primary mobile phone/cell phone data signals;   a housing adapted to be attached to a vehicle that encloses a television antenna, a radio antenna, and an LTE antenna for receiving primary mobile phone/cell phone data signals, the housing including a base attached to the vehicle and an enclosure portion that is detachably connected to the base; and   a mobile phone/cell phone data signal booster disposed inside the vehicle and connected to the LTE antenna, wherein the mobile phone/cell phone data signal booster is adapted to send and receive secondary mobile phone signal/cell phone data signals between a cell phone and the mobile phone/cell phone data signal booster and a cell phone.   
     
     
         7 . A LAN system for receiving LAN signals from an access point router and transmitting LAN signals to the access point router, the LAN system comprising:
 a housing adapted to be attached to a vehicle that encloses a television antenna, a radio antenna, and a repeater/router, the repeater/router receives the LAN signals between the access point router and the repeater/router, the repeater/router transmits the LAN signals to the access point router, the housing includes a base attached to the vehicle and an enclosure portion that is detachably secured to the base;   a rebroadcaster disposed inside the vehicle that is adapted to send and receive secondary LAN signals with the repeater/router in the housing, wherein the rebroadcaster sends and receives secondary LAN signals; and   a LAN enabled device being adapted to selectively—
 send and receive LAN signals between the LAN enabled device and the access point, or 
 send and receive secondary LAN signals between the LAN enabled device and the rebroadcaster. 
   
     
     
         8 . The LAN system of  claim 7  wherein the secondary LAN signals from the repeater/router in the housing are transmitted through a cable extending between the repeater/router and the rebroadcaster. 
     
     
         9 . The LAN system of  claim 7  wherein the secondary LAN signals from the repeater/router in the housing are transmitted through a wall of the vehicle between the repeater/router and the rebroadcaster. 
     
     
         10 . The LAN system of  claim 7  further comprising:
 a passive antenna including an outside portion disposed outside the vehicle and inside the housing adjacent a second antenna connected to the repeater/router and an inner portion disposed inside the vehicle, wherein the secondary LAN signals from the repeater/router in the housing are passively transmitted through the passive antenna between the repeater/router and the LAN enabled device. 
 
     
     
         11 . A long-term evolution (LTE) system that communicates with a cellular system that sends and receives primary mobile phone/cell phone data signals, the LTE system comprising:
 a housing adapted to be attached to a vehicle that encloses a television antenna, a radio antenna, and an LTE antenna for receiving primary mobile phone/cell phone data signals, the housing including a base attached to the vehicle and an enclosure portion that is detachably connected to the base; and   a mobile phone/cell phone data signal booster disposed inside the vehicle and connected to the LTE antenna, wherein the mobile phone/cell phone data signal booster is adapted to send and receive secondary mobile phone/cell phone data signals between a cell phone and the mobile phone/cell phone data signal booster.