Cruisers Forum
 


Reply
  This discussion is proudly sponsored by:
Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on Cruisers Forums. Advertise Here
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Rate Thread Display Modes
Old 01-12-2015, 11:00   #1
One of Those
 
Canibul's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Colorado
Boat: Catalac 12M (sold)
Posts: 3,218
20 gig a month?

Honest, I DID try the search function, but get masses of links that don't seem to exactly address this. I know someone out there already knows all the simple answers.

My wife develops medical software. She essentially spends about 30 hours a week, during the business day, connected to a VPN in New Jersey. We've been using various mobil hotspots to do this, but would love to be able to sail more while she works. Get to some remote areas, without having to be within cell phone range. Cruising area is from the Bahamas to the Caribbean and Central America. She basically needs about 20 gig a month.

Fleetbroadband people tell me it's about $13K in hardware costs, and another $4k a month for a data plan. Is that still the only option?
__________________
Expat life in the Devil's Triangle:
https://2gringos.blogspot.com/
Canibul is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-12-2015, 11:33   #2
Registered User

Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: between the devil and the deep blue sea
Boat: a sailing boat
Posts: 20,420
Re: 20 gig a month?

Of all the solutions I have used inmarsat broadband was the best (and the most expensive too). That was long time ago. I would guess there must be alternatives today.

Is thru put of devices like Iridium Open Port / Pilot enough for your needs?

Panbo: The Marine Electronics Hub: Iridium OpenPort vs KVH FB150 testing #3, VOJ in the Pacific

b.
barnakiel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-12-2015, 12:00   #3
Registered User

Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: oriental
Boat: crowther trimaran 33
Posts: 4,414
Re: 20 gig a month?

Where do you anchor that is also not in cell phone range? Is it remote islands?
seandepagnier is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-12-2015, 12:23   #4
One of Those
 
Canibul's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Colorado
Boat: Catalac 12M (sold)
Posts: 3,218
Re: 20 gig a month?

Quote:
Originally Posted by barnakiel View Post
Of all the solutions I have used inmarsat broadband was the best (and the most expensive too). That was long time ago. I would guess there must be alternatives today.

Is thru put of devices like Iridium Open Port / Pilot enough for your needs?

Panbo: The Marine Electronics Hub: Iridium OpenPort vs KVH FB150 testing #3, VOJ in the Pacific

b.
Don't know, but I just wrote them and asked. Thanks for the lead.
__________________
Expat life in the Devil's Triangle:
https://2gringos.blogspot.com/
Canibul is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-12-2015, 12:24   #5
One of Those
 
Canibul's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Colorado
Boat: Catalac 12M (sold)
Posts: 3,218
Re: 20 gig a month?

Quote:
Originally Posted by boat_alexandra View Post
Where do you anchor that is also not in cell phone range? Is it remote islands?
yes, we want to explore out islands of Bahamas, mostly, and BTC towers are not the greatest when it comes to range. We'd like to be able to stay in, for example, the Jumentos for weeks and still be connected.
__________________
Expat life in the Devil's Triangle:
https://2gringos.blogspot.com/
Canibul is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-12-2015, 13:05   #6
Registered User

Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 125
Re: 20 gig a month?

I was just about to post the same question and found this post .
I live in the uk and travel to the keys and to be honest even in the states 4/5 gig seems to be the max data I can get . So when I head to the Bahamas on the boat I'm dreading it !
So if I do find a solution I'll post it on here . I am thinking that some sort of compression application is going to be the key .
In this day and age ( as mentioned before ) you'd think it was simple .
But with deep pockets , I still think it's not .
Woody


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum
woodyapex is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-12-2015, 13:22   #7
Registered User
 
colemj's Avatar

Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Presently on US East Coast
Boat: Manta 40 "Reach"
Posts: 10,108
Images: 12
Re: 20 gig a month?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Canibul View Post
yes, we want to explore out islands of Bahamas, mostly, and BTC towers are not the greatest when it comes to range. We'd like to be able to stay in, for example, the Jumentos for weeks and still be connected.
Can you hear me now?

You will be surprised at how far BTC has come with coverage and speed.

20GB/month won't be cheap - $216.

Mark
__________________
www.svreach.com

You do not need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to skydive twice.
colemj is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-12-2015, 13:33   #8
One of Those
 
Canibul's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Colorado
Boat: Catalac 12M (sold)
Posts: 3,218
Re: 20 gig a month?

Quote:
Originally Posted by colemj View Post
Can you hear me now?

You will be surprised at how far BTC has come with coverage and speed.

20GB/month won't be cheap - $216.

Mark
I've got every BTC tower I can find plotted out on Google Earth and we're planning the trip around those locations. Last news we got here was that Long Island took a real hit by the hurricane in October.

And compared to the other prices I'm seeing, $ 216 is pretty cheap. In any case, it's the difference between being able to do this for 8 months a year, and not.
__________________
Expat life in the Devil's Triangle:
https://2gringos.blogspot.com/
Canibul is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-12-2015, 14:03   #9
Registered User

Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 1
Re: 20 gig a month?

I have been contemplating the very same issue. I run my own company and to cruse remotely I will need Satellite Internet. I saw the Cobham Sailor Fleet One is now available for $2500, and I'll need about 5GB/Mo which using Fleet One prepaid is $100 for 5mg/Mo. Frankly it's still prohibitively expensive. Any better options and I'd like to hear about it...
OpusCalifornia is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-12-2015, 15:12   #10
Senior Cruiser
 
hpeer's Avatar

Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Between Caribbean and Canada
Boat: Murray 33-Chouette & Pape Steelmaid-44-Safara-both steel cutters
Posts: 8,508
Re: 20 gig a month?

And another, with a wrinkle.

My Wife will be continuing a phone practice. She will have about 12 hours a week on the phone. The first year we will be in the US (big boat) and Canada (small boat.). So I've got to rig up 2 boats.

Mostly she will be using her Verizion phone. I also have a WiriePro on the big boat which will give me a WiFi or GSM connection so she could use Skype.

The other option is to get a Weboost type of rig, but that's more money and I've got to move it boat to boat and between carriers. The Mobil "legal" version of the WeBoost requires you to sit within a foot or so of the repeater. The fixed version is not "legal" and will cover the whole boat. This is to limit extraneous signals for screwing up other folks, biput since we are on a steel boat it is not really a practical issue, but a regulatory one.

I have no idea how to estimate practical/billable (vs. theoretical) data usage for a voice call.
hpeer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-12-2015, 15:50   #11
Senior Cruiser
 
StuM's Avatar

Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Port Moresby,Papua New Guinea
Boat: FP Belize Maestro 43 and OPBs
Posts: 12,888
Re: 20 gig a month?

As a guide,

Skype figures are:
  • Skype-to-Skype: 50kbps or around 3MB for one minute of calling
  • Calls to landlines or mobile numbers: 6-20 kbps or around 1MB for one minute of calling
  • Video calls between two mobile devices: 500kbps
  • Video calls between a mobile device and a computer: 600kbps

And here's a real world test of different voice apps which shows Skype using 875 kb for one minute (about 15kbps) :

Which voice calling app uses the most data per minute? We tested the top 10

If you are talking about straight VOIP, then it depends on the CODEC in use. Here are approx rates for the various CODECs:

G.711 - 87Kbps
G.729 - 32 Kbps
G.723.1 - 22 Kbps
G.723.1 - 21 Kbps
G.726 – 55 Kbps
G.726 – 47 Kbps
G.728 - 32 Kbps

So let's round all of that off to an approximate 2MB per minute

Your 20 hours per month should use about 2.5 GB per month.
StuM is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-12-2015, 16:14   #12
Senior Cruiser
 
hpeer's Avatar

Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Between Caribbean and Canada
Boat: Murray 33-Chouette & Pape Steelmaid-44-Safara-both steel cutters
Posts: 8,508
Re: 20 gig a month?

Thanks Stu. Helpful.
hpeer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-12-2015, 16:39   #13
Registered User
 
Dennis.G's Avatar

Join Date: May 2011
Location: Sea of Cortez and the U.P. of Michigan
Boat: Celestial 48
Posts: 904
Re: 20 gig a month?

My guess would be that 30 hours a week on VPN is going to be way more than 20 Gig in a month. Possibly more than 20 Gig a week. I would guess you have tracked your usage to come up with that number, but it seems low to me. Maybe if no tele conferences, video chats, huge data transfers etc it can be done. I know when I was tied in via VPN to an office network I was real glad to have an unlimited data plan.
Dennis.G is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-12-2015, 16:46   #14
One of Those
 
Canibul's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Colorado
Boat: Catalac 12M (sold)
Posts: 3,218
Re: 20 gig a month?

We did track it all summer while on a Verizon mobile hotspot for four months in the Rockies. We upped it from 10 to 20 gig after running over the first couple of months, but 20 gig worked out well. No video teleconferences, nor video chats.

We're in a sailboat. They're in an office conference room. No video from this end.
__________________
Expat life in the Devil's Triangle:
https://2gringos.blogspot.com/
Canibul is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-12-2015, 17:38   #15
Registered User

Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 316
Re: 20 gig a month?

I was going to say 20GB was high. My own usage is about 12GB a month. I think cellular and staying near towers is the only hope. Satellite will either be too slow or too expensive... or both. There are latency issues that just can't be overcome.
JayH is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
first gig as a USCG captain MC2019 General Sailing Forum 20 06-06-2015 22:46
LIVEABOARD MARINAS IN PORT ORCHARD TO GIG HARBOR? wldbyntr Marinas 8 15-01-2015 22:08
Electric Dinghies/Gig Harbor Boat Works David Dennis Auxiliary Equipment & Dinghy 7 19-05-2014 23:29
Mifi (global gig) and the Mediterranean Plank Europe & Mediterranean 20 08-02-2014 03:13
Crew Available: Florida to...??? Experienced sailor looking for a new gig! SailorKeddy Crew Archives 3 12-01-2012 06:40

Advertise Here


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 22:19.


Google+
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Social Knowledge Networks
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.

ShowCase vBulletin Plugins by Drive Thru Online, Inc.