Boat 4G data options? (Australia)

[Seawindow]

We are live-aboarding along the east coast of Australia and rely on internet data via a 4GX Telstra hotspot modem. It works fine but costs a bomb (approx 20-30GB per month, approx $100/mth).

Does anyone have any good ideas on how to get around this high cost? Thanks!

Also any suggestions for high gain wifi setups (to get longer range to onshore wifi hotspots)?

[StuM]

Originally Posted by Seawindow

We are live-aboarding along the east coast of Australia and rely on internet data via a 4GX Telstra hotspot modem. It works fine but costs a bomb (approx 20-30GB per month, approx $100/mth).

That's not "a bomb".. Come on up a few hundred more miles and it will cost you $5-700 for the same amount.

[olaf hart]

I have an Optus phone account that gives me 10 gig a month for $40.

You have to ask at the Optus shop for these sorts of deals.

Coverage offshore isn't as good as Telstra round here, you can pretty much find coverage for most of Bass Strait if you stick close to Flinders Is, as well as the east coast.

Don't know the coverage story in Qld.

[svseachange]

I'm interested in this subject and feedback on coverage and costs. We are making our way up to FNQ now from Sydney Harbour.

My wife reported passable Vodafone coverage when she brought the boat from Brisbane to Sydney last year.

We had a Bullet in the US, Bahamas and Carribean, worked great. Not sure about Wifi availability in the Australian East Coast outside of marinas. Figuring mobile data is more ubiquitous and less complicated.

[StuM]

Telstra coverage is much better than Vodaphone up the Qld coast.

[PaulinOz]

Telstra 4G $100 / 25 gig per month, forget about the rest. External 4G aerial at top of mast, Skype from the Percys. Only black hole all the way up to Port Douglas was down the Southern end of Whitehaven Beach.

Even had internet all be it slow and early am way down the back of Island Head Creek.

[Mirage Gecko]

Our personal experience over the past 4 years cruising the QLD Coast is anything other than Telstra or someone like ALdi who uses Telstra is always going to be useless in a lot of areas.If you follow the well used cruising route you will still find quite a few dead spots but have found that friends with external antennae usually get some signal when we get none.
We never use more than about 5 Gig per month when away so we stay with a cheap phone card deal and an Aldi data pack for the iPad and use the phone or IPad as the Wi Fi gadget.

[Seawindow]

Thanks wantok (StuM PNG) - I remember the high cost/poor quality of Telikom PNG!

[clownfishsydney]

Virtually all the cruisers we met 2 years ago used Telstra. They are the most expensive for a reason, they have by far the best coverage. We have used Telstra for 20 years for 4WD trips throughout Australia and the other companies have no where near the coverage.

[savoir]

With that amount of data you must be streaming a pile of movies. That kind of extravagance always comes at a price.

Cut yourself back to basic net surfing and you can get 10gpm for $45 or 20 gpm for $70.

[capblasters]

If all you're looking for is internet connectivity go with PAYG. $180 for the year, 100Gb. That's what I've been doing for years. I usually run out in about 9 months.
Stop in Lake Macquarie and give me a shout so to speak, wouldn't mind catching up with a live-aboard as it is in my longer term plans.

[pacific_voyager]

The plans seem to change regularly. We always use Telstra when voyaging, and a cheaper plan when the signal is available. We had Dodo, then Voda, now Optus.

With an external antenna to our unlocked Telstra Wi-Fi enabled "broadband modem" we often get Internet up to 20 miles offshore. It's mounted about 4M above the waterline on the transom. I hadn't thought about mast-mounting; that would make coverage even better, I expect.

We now have a prepaid Telstra Sim good for 1 year ($50/5GB) which we only use when cruising because (as we all now) the Telstra coverage is the best.

When we can get Optus coverage we swap out the Telstra SIM for the Optus SIM. Our Optus monthly plan costs $70/month for 50GB and the data is pooled (shared) among the broadband modem and two iPads. I like this because I no longer have to manage data usage (or over-use)

For another $8/month we have Netflix; the data used by Netflix is NOT CHARGED against our 50GB/month. If you use lots of data like we do that's a pretty good deal! Unlimited NETFLIX plus 50GB for net $78/mo.

[svseachange]

Great info, Pacific Voyager. I've got a couple of questions:
1. Did you buy your Telstra broadband modem unlocked from a Telstra store?
2. How did the external antenna connect to the Telstra modem? Can you point to the info on the web?
3. Is it Optus you get free Netflix data with?

Thanks also to all the other responders to this thread for the great feedback. Great information.

[svseachange]

Pls delete this post.

[capblasters]

Originally Posted by svseachange

Pls delete this post.

Not a bad option, maybe next time. Stop at Broughton Island if the winds are right!