Internet Access! Solution?

[betachz]

I'm a graphic designer by trade, and I make my living currently working from my home. I never need to see my clients and work completely over the phone and Internet to run my business. I would love it if I could continue to do so while aboard a cruising catamaran as my wife and circumnavigate the the globe and spend much time in the carribean etc...

My Internet needs would be:

• 200mbps/s download speed
• 100mbps/s upload speed
• FTP capabilities
• Email etc...

Reason for upload and download speeds are related to file transfers using FTP to misc website projects.

I would also be looking for some solutions for Phone communications.

I'm guessing these things can be had within a certain distance of the Continential US but what about the carribean and elsewhere around the world.

Would love to have your input and ideas on how I could continue my business but still be a globe trotting cruiser of the sea!

-Beta.

[betachz]

Wow... 32 views and no posts... is getting internet access actually that difficult?

- Beta

[AnchorageGuy]

perhaps it is because the issue has been discussed many, many, many times on the board already and your question is a bit generalized for any precise answers. Are you looking for access in coastal waters or offshore or in foreign ports? any would require different solutions. Do a search on the board then come on back with some specific questions.

[betachz]

Roger that... was not aware... didn't notice any threads off hand that dealt with the issue. Sorry to be a bother. I thought I was asking a general question about it beacuse I thought possibly there were several solutions for each part of the journey. Oh well, I'll start searching.

[David M]

There are lots of great related threads here. Most marinas now in the states have either free wi-fi or wi-fi you can pay for. Some marinas even have cable internet you can connect to. I don't know much about the connection speeds though.

[AnchorageGuy]

Originally Posted by betachz

Roger that... was not aware... didn't notice any threads off hand that dealt with the issue. Sorry to be a bother. I thought I was asking a general question about it beacuse I thought possibly there were several solutions for each part of the journey. Oh well, I'll start searching.

Not at all a bother, just a good starting place is info already available here. Once you get some idea of what might work where, ask some questions and others will be able to give you input as to what works for them.

[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

[philip van praag]

hear is a genral answer
as it looks like you will not be suffering a drop in income and i asume you are self enployed and can ofset your buisness costs against taxes. get your self a sat tracking system,for sat phone and internet.
uk cost starts at around £3000 a small investment for a chance to work full time anywear.

[camaraderie]

Quick answer...you can use cell phone broadband in the states in some places coastally...and in some other places around the world. You can find wifi in most harbors around the world. At sea...there is nothing but gyroscopically gimballed satellite systems (sat phones are limited bandwidth suitable for e-mail only.)
such systems cost around $5k to install and charge by the KILOBYTE. Upload and download speeds depend on the price you wish to pay but max is 512K up and 2.0MB down. Unlimited monthly use at THIS speed is $5K PER MONTH. Unlimited 120KB up and down is "only" $1200 a month!! Or...you can pay as you go for just $5 per megabyte!!
Here's the rate sheet:
http://www.kvh.com/pdf/DS_TPV7_AirtimeRates.pdf

[Idiens]

Have a look at http://www.Inmarsat.com/BGAN

[Nauticatarcher]

GMN-COMPRESSED WIRELESS SATELLITE EMAIL, WEATHER, VESSEL TRACKING have just set up their email on our iridium satphone, very fast and cost effective

[camaraderie]

Nauticatarcher...he said he needed:

• 200mbps/s download speed
• 100mbps/s upload speed
• FTP capabilities
• Email etc...
• How does your reply address that?

[Howard Just]

For a global (deepsea) solution you would need to look at Fleet Broadband 250 satellite system in a 19" radome from Intelsat, which costs about $12K to purchase and then $16/MB for data rates up to 280K, and $1.50/min for voice calls.

See WorldCruisingGuide.net for more information.

[Strygaldwir]

Is there really any solution out there for a mobile platform with that type of speed? I thought a T1 was only about 1 MBps or 10mbps or so. At 100 mbps you could open up a fair size web server farm. I'd think from a practical cost perspective 512k mbps would be reasonable. The cost then only be slightly unreasonable!

[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, on the order of thousands per month. The issue is distance. While a wifi signal may be rated over 100 Mbps it is capable of doing so only across a relatively short distance. Odds are that the fixed end of that wifi set is connected to a 10 mbps or less line at the other end.

By the way a T1 line is 1.5 Mbps or approximately 150 KBps.