Current state of offshore internet (Raymarine)

[capn_billl]

I have a Raymarine Axium, and a radar that plugs into the plug that is also marked Ethernet, and have an adaptor to an ethernet type connector.

Now I want to add a camera, and keep the radar which means finding a hub that will run on straight 12VDC.

Second issue. I want Internet when offshore so I can check weather. (and Email, etc...)

I see WIFI extenders, and bought one, but it's not compatible with Captive portal login that my marina uses.

SO I need a purpose built WIFI that can echo to short range WIFI which is everything on my boat, (Smart TV, Laptop, phone)

When further offshore than a WIFI can reach, I need a Cellular hotspot with an extended antenna, and amplifier, and a smart router that can choose free WIFI over Cell when available.

This should get me 90% of the time, leaving a satellite connection as the most expensive last resort when I make a crossing which will be maybe twice a year.

SO any experts, let me know which direction to go, Thanks.

[smac999]

forget the wifi and just go cell

[Dockhead]

Many people take their mobile phones, turn on the hot spot function, put them into a plastic bag, and haul them to the masthead.

This is really KISS compared to doing up an outdoor router with multiple antenna, POE, etc., a very involved and expensive installation. And you will still not have a connection truly "offshore" -- just adds a few miles of coverage.

If you want weather and basic email offshore, there are two good relatively affordable options:

1. HF radio and Pactor modem, Winlink or Sailmail. For Winlink you need a ham radio license and if you have a U.S. call sign you can't do email (but you can get all kinds of weather data). For Sailmail you don't need a ham radio license and you can do email including business email, but you pay $250 a year or something for the service. HF radio installation is expensive if you don't already have one.

2. Iridium Go!. Very low speed but very reliable connection perfectly adequate for GRIBs and other weather data, and plain text email. Device is cheap and needs no installation, and the service is $139 per month when you use it for data limited only by the glacial speed. You also get a fair quantity of voice minutes and unlimited text messages for that price. You can pay by the month, but when you switch it off you lose the SIM card and have to buy a new one.

I've used both and both have their own advantages. I use HF radio for other purposes so this is what I've been using lately. It's a lot more of a faff to use than Iridium, and may take a bit of time finding the right station to connect to for the propagation conditions. But for me it's free (Winlink and ham license).

Iridium Go! is really good and despite having a fairly decent HF radio installation I sometimes regret having sold it after my Arctic trip. Unlike with HF radio, where you have to scan channels and usually make multiple attempts to get a connection, Go! just works.

[goboatingnow]

In most developed areas and a surprising number of less developed areas you are going to get much better internet over the mobile 4G network then Wi-Fi.

These days there are very few open Wi-Fi hotspots anyway.

Hence I’d agree l, forget public Wi-Fi use your mobile.

I don’t see why your Wi-Fi range extender is having issues with Captiva portals , these are agnostic the range extender shouldn’t be accessing the captiva login

I’ve used iridium data and HF and iridium while expensive is much more reliable and easier to use but these days slow internet is largely useless even for email , so I find very little application for at sea for low speed internet.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

In most developed areas and a surprising number of less developed areas you are going to get much better internet over the mobile 4G network then Wi-Fi.

These days there are very few open Wi-Fi hotspots anyway.

Hence I’d agree l, forget public Wi-Fi use your mobile.

I don’t see why your Wi-Fi range extender is having issues with Captiva portals , these are agnostic the range extender shouldn’t be accessing the captiva login

I’ve used iridium data and HF and iridium while expensive is much more reliable and easier to use but these days slow internet is largely useless even for email , so I find very little application for at sea for low speed internet.

In Northern Europe, especially around the Baltic, LTE (and now 5G) data is really superb, with bandwidth exceeding some home fiber optic connections and with seamless coverage. I have a truly unlimited (no fair use limts at all) data subscription which covers all the Nordic and Baltic countries. I think it costs €27 per month. In North America where the OP is, YMMV.



HOWEVER, marina and harbour wifi connections have been improving constantly, and many of them are now really excellent. This is not the world of 5 years ago where most marina wifi connections were basically just a home router which was instantly overloaded with a few connections.



So we have a wealth of choice. I normally use the harbour wifi when I'm in a harbour, even while having an unlimited mobile connection. Just to keep the phone unoccupied for calls and keep from running the battery down.


As to whether a slow connection like Iridium is "useless" for email, depends on how you do your email. It's true you can't send and receive large attachments -- not at all. But you can send very light spreadsheets or word documents or low res photos. I ran a business for two months in the Arctic over an Iridium Go! connection and it really worked OK. You can accomplish a lot with a plain text email, and those go through without the slightest problem.

[Recy]

[QUOTE=Dockhead;3469440]In Northern Europe, especially around the Baltic, LTE (and now 5G) data is really superb, with bandwidth exceeding some home fiber optic connections and with seamless coverage. I have a truly unlimited (no fair use limts at all) data subscription which covers all the Nordic and Baltic countries. I think it costs €27 per month. In North America where the OP is, YMMV.


What subscription is that?

[Dockhead]

[QUOTE=Recy;3469470]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

In Northern Europe, especially around the Baltic, LTE (and now 5G) data is really superb, with bandwidth exceeding some home fiber optic connections and with seamless coverage. I have a truly unlimited (no fair use limts at all) data subscription which covers all the Nordic and Baltic countries. I think it costs €27 per month. In North America where the OP is, YMMV.


What subscription is that?

DNA Business Rajaton:



https://www.dna.fi/dnabusiness/subsc...-subscriptions


It costs as little as €23 a month with speed of 50mbs. I have the €27 plan with nominal speed of 100mbs, but in Finland it seems to be unthrottled as I regularly see 200-300mbs.

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by capn_billl

Second issue. I want Internet when offshore so I can check weather. (and Email, etc...)

I see WIFI extenders, and bought one, but it's not compatible with Captive portal login that my marina uses.

SO I need a purpose built WIFI that can echo to short range WIFI which is everything on my boat, (Smart TV, Laptop, phone)

When further offshore than a WIFI can reach, I need a Cellular hotspot with an extended antenna, and amplifier, and a smart router that can choose free WIFI over Cell when available.

I mentioned the RadioLabs o2Air router in the other thread.

Connect to WiFi when available, router function services the rest of your devices.

Connect to cell hotspot (created by your phone) when necessary, router function still services the rest of your devices.

Needs AC power, as it comes out of the box, although it's via a wall wart so probably adaptable to DC. Needs Ethernet connection for set-up, so laptops with only USB connectors (for example) won't work for set-up.

Cheap.

I'd guess there are several other brands/products that will do the same thing.

-Chris