Internet Access! Solution?

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Captain Bill

The band width requirements you state don't really exist in a mobile system, at least ones that are available to civilians. I'ld be interested in knowing if you actually have those speeds available on a residential wired internet connection today. The highest we have available in our area is 14 Mbps. 100 Mbps speeds are only available on commercial connections and those cost quite a bit,

WOW - what kind of high-speed wireless data network is giving you 14 Mbps actual ?

[Captain Bill]

The local cable provider is offering a 14 Mbps wired premium residential service in some neighborhoods. One can connect any Wifi 802.11 b or higher wireless system to it and achieve wireless speeds of up to 14 Mbps if your near enough to the station. That distance is usually less than 100 yards. I've never done this myself, but I have occasionally achieved 10 Mbps on a 10 Mbps capable wired system through a 802.11 b wifi connection.

[exranger]

Here in Florida, Verizon FIOS CAN get you up to 50mbps for $145 a month, 20mbps for about $58 a month. You need a fast wireless router and card, but it is doable.

[SilentOption]

This question goes along with internet access. What s the farthest offshore (CONUS) you have picked up a good wireless signal?
I had Verizon when I had my sportfishing boat and we routinely made com 60 nm from Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Now I am using AT&T and I often don't get a good signal laying in my bed.
I would like a semi-reliable and simple email solution for near coastal US. Like out to 100 nm.
Cel seems simple compared to HF. Could be wrong as I was wrong once before.

[exranger]

How did you do that?? The towers are not supposed to allow a latency greater than that which is generated by about a 25 miles distance?

[Brent Swain]

Originally Posted by Evan

Plan to visit marinas with Wifi every few weeks when you have a paying job - or an internet cafe. Wifi hotspots from anchorages are a possibility but if you are on a deadline, it will be unlikely to be the best solution. Lots of the Carib is controlled by Cable and Wireless, that charge a lot for cell roaming access

A paying job doesn't usually let you leave the dock very often and paying for marina tieups require you have a paying job. Either way you don't get to cruise much and then can use the public library. Either way makes this a moot point.
Brent

[Pblais]

The band width requirements you state don't really exist in a mobile system, at least ones that are available to civilians.

You need to be the US Navy for that level of service. You need a wire to get that kind of bandwidth and it's not cheap even on a wire.

[marlborosounds]

G'day,
If you cant get a good signal via high range wifi antenna. look into sprint cards , this will get you some service running thru the key's etc. And really they will work anyplace the Sprint or Verizon phones work. You can upload ftp etc using these. they arnt speed demon's but seem to work for me uploading large mb files and audio as well as video. So if you look you will find. many ways. or spend the $$$ buying a new trackfon system or any of the other high priced over priced cheap made systems but since they arnt on every boat the prices are high just as satellites land based were in the late 70's. Its a sellers market, you want it you pay for it.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by exranger

Here in Florida, Verizon FIOS CAN get you up to 50mbps for $145 a month, 20mbps for about $58 a month. You need a fast wireless router and card, but it is doable.

How does one get fiber optic to a remote (traveling) mobile - or are we just talking "backyard" mobility?

[exranger]

Hey Gord! I can actually contribute to a thread!! lol

The fiber would run to the marina. With a 802.11g wireless router at the marina and a wireless "g" card in your computer on board, you could "theoretically" get 54 mbps.

There are also more proprietary ways to get even faster wireless, but the "g" stuff is everywhere.

Of course, none of this is real life, just the theoretical maximums.

(Thanks for giving me a chance to give back to everyone else!)wireless

[marlborosounds]

there are wireless routers now that can span large distances. You can place a antenna 140 metres up and another the same or higher and can get 140 km easy with today's off the shelf the technology. The same can be done next to the marina's or to the marina's. Then ship to shore isnt really a problem. And if you get away from the US of A and the FCC you can get things working quiet smoothly. The Techno stuff today is about 12 years behind but they want to regulate you americans as to what you do and how you do it. Cheers

[exranger]

I don't know if it's the government here in the USA holding us back, lol, but I DO know that 140 meter antenna are! That's more than 425 feet high???? And then another one on the receiving end??? Maybe for creating a MAN (municipal Area Network) or something, but that's not happening at a marina OR on the "receiving" end -- my boat!

Not sure what the point of that post was.

[marlborosounds]

Well Ex, the meaning of the post is,,,,,,,,,,,,, anything is possible if you want it. People can hook up the wireless routers or bridges to get the signals out and to boats or house. Marina's can host many or people can and the equipment works in
reverse also. Can snag signals from land with the equipment on water.
So i'll hush now and go back to scrubbin the decks with my shirt.
cheers

[Captain Bill]

In the company I used to work for we put up several wireless links based on microwaves which are line of site and basically, as you state, are limited by the height of the two antennas. What you didn't state is that those antennas were highly directional and the two antennas had to be pointed directly at each other. These were not omnidirectional systems which had the ability to service large numbers of devices at high data rates. Despite the fact that they were technically wireless they certainly could not be considered mobile or supporting mobile users. It would have solved a huge number of business problems if I could have gotten high speed mobile connectivity anywhere in the world. Believe me it wasn't regulatory problem with the FCC. My recommendation for maximum coverage at the highest data rates and lowest cost would be to mount a cell phone repeater to the top of one's mast and use a cellular modem. That should be good to about 25 miles offshore. The best I've obtained without a repeater is about 5 miles.

[marlborosounds]

G'day Captain Bill, yes there are several US FCC approved line of site applications, that most use in the Western hemi. There are other that have been used thru out EU and Asia and Oz that work pretty well. Yes most line of sites or over the horizon go 12 to 16 km or 5 to 8 miles depending on weather, waves and other lil things that make the nite go bump. Just as it was in USA when 2 gig stuff hit the wires. One day the equip worked well till the microwave trash perm the air. get too much smog and nothing works or channels drift etc. can go on and on on this subject. Either way the equip is avail out of the USA that will keep you connected to some source of internet off shore . maybe in a few years after the Satellite comp's loose some more money that will even come down. look at what equip for Tracphone cost years ago compaird to now. but then go to taiwan and purchase the same equip for half the price , the only catch is getting someone to hook you up to the bird or allow you to hook up to the bird.
anyways back to swabbin the deck. Good day and best of luck to all of those who are looking.
cheers