e.mail on board

[sundance]

Could anyone tell me what is the best, easiest, and cheapest way to have e.mail and internet access on board using my laptop.

Most grateful for any advice.
James

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[Talbot]

you will really have to provide more information as this is a real open ended question. We need to know where you intend to use the boat, and what equipment that you have already. However, here are a few answers that will all be correct dependant on what you have now, the size of your boat, the size of your purse, How much surfing and how much e-mail, and where you will be using it:

1. WiFi system in the marinas that are so fitted.
2. Laptop plus your mobile (especially if using GPRS).
3. SSB radio with appropriate modem (especially if using Radio Ham net).
4. Iriiidium sat phone connected to laptop (on my personal wish list as abt the same cost as the modem for SSB, but better connectivity).
5. Mini M satellite system.


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[markdj]

Check out this forum thread...

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[Gunfleet]

Talbot is right. Easist is gprs. Cheapest - presuming you have the kit and licenses can amortise the kit over a number of years - is SSB. Best would be Sat phone but it will cost a lot. Decide how many and what type/size of emails you want, then factor in where you are doing your cruising and you'll get the answer. If you are simply cruising around the UK gprs is undoubtedly the cheapest as well as the easist.

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[Budgie]

GPRS

Just a word about GPRS.

I was naive enough to think that having enabled GPRS on my phone, and having checked with phone line provider that GPRS was available, all my data calls would automatically be charged at GPRS rates. - NOT SO. My mobile bill was horrific as all calls were charged at voice rates, and calls made in Ireland were charged at international call rates!

I finally unearthed the correct procedure, and I will repeat it here for the benefit of anybody else who may be as daft as me.

This for a Nokia 6310i on Vodaphone, but I presume the general principles will be the same for any GPRS phone using Vodaphone.


1. On your phone go menu/settings/GPRS and edit to rename the active access point "internet"
2. On your laptop go start menu/settings (or control panel)/dial up networking (DUN)/make new connection.
3. Select your phone as your modem, enter the phone number *99# (star nine nine hash), set the username as "web", and the password as "web". (No quotation marks in either case).
4. Try to connect. If it works Robert is your uncle, BUT
5. If the connection fails and the phone briefly gives a message "subscribe to GPRS" or similar go start/settings/control panel/phone and modem/modems. Highlight your mobile modem, select "properties" then "advanced". In the box for "extra initialisation strings" enter: +cgdcont=1,"ip","internet" (include quotation marks). Save and exit then try again. It worked for me.

I named the connection "Vodaphone" and have a "Vodaphone" icon on my desktop, which I click to connect.

There is also "Vodaphone connect" software available as a free download on the Vodafone site, which may well be more simple to set up.

To connect the phone to my laptop I use a bluetooth card, but a cable or infrared port will also do. Infrared is slower, but as you are only charged per megabyte the costs will be the same.

Hopefully somebody more computer literate than myself could rewrite this properly with instructions for different versions of windows etc.

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[Gunfleet]

even easier

You're dead right. The gprs needs setting up properly. More worrying is the fact that in middle age I seem suddenly to have become unable to spell 'easiest.' Uh?

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[FWB]

Re: GPRS

I use my 6310i to connect to the intenet when I'm on the boat. Also use Vodafone. But I dont use GPRS----because I thought they charged you per Mb. I seem to get through lots of Mbs looking at weather and email. Have I got this wrong? Would GPRS be cheaper ?? It would certainly be faster, quite infuriating using dial up on a mobile. Roll on nationwide WiFi or WiMax.

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[pandroid]

I wrote this up last year. Have a look <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.kissen.co.uk/communications.htm>here</A>

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[sundance]

Thanks everybody. Very heplful info. I should have mentioned that we are off cruising in the Western Med. shortly, Spain, France and Italy. It will be mostly coastal cruising so no need for a "world phone" or SSB etc, just a simple system that will work with the local networks in those countries would suffice.

Cheers
James

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[Budgie]

Re: GPRS

GPRS is cheaper. You get an awful lot of weather charts for a megabyte.

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[Budgie]

There is a list of counties and networks that supply GPRS on the Vodafone website.

It is probably worth printing this out to ensure that you manually set your phone to use the appropriate network.

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[Grehan]

GPRS

This is now an Old Topic, but to add my fourpennyworth . . .
We've now given up and thrown the blimmin thing overboard. This after 18 months of persevering with Vodafone UK and then trying Vodafone Espana.
The technology is fine, but the cost is ridiculous.

At least the amounts both national companies siphoned, or tried to siphon, from our bank accounts, was.

After six months of pressurisation - calls. faxes, letters, etc - Vodafone UK reimbursed about £1,250 of incorrect charges.
The final straw was Spanish Vodafone charging 300euros for one month, then 200euros for the next. Incorrect billing for both data transfer and 'overhead' charges. These amounts were approximately ten times what they should have been according to the Contract, Terms, etc.

You have been warned!

 

[Anonymous]

Re: GPRS

Thanks for the warning - I could have fallen into the same trap. I have a very high gain yagi aerial for WiFi connection that I am using successfully here in Chi Marina and hope to be able to use around the Med (we sail in June, Med-bound and are living aboard now). Aside from that, I have gone the SSB route and have both marine and amateur SSB. This gives me email (very low-speed, low content) but not internet connection.

Here in the UK I do use GPRS when the WiFi is down or when not in a WiFi area. I disable images, etc. in IE to reduce the bandwidth and only download images as required (even the buttons, icons and similar images on websites don't download, so the bandwidth saving is huge).

I like your website - in your line of business you do have a problem in finding a realistic way to connect. I think that WiFi is the way forward. A yagi should give a few miles range given no obstructions.

 

[Grehan]

Re: GPRS

Thanks, Lemain.
2005 version website just comprehensively revamped and re-uploaded tonight.

 

[Its_Only_Money]

Re: GPRS

Just for a bit of balance I use GPRS extensively with Vodafone in the UK and have had no billing charging probs when roaming in the US. I suspect though you have to take care to be connected to Vodafone's partner network, most phones etc out of the box are set to somehow select the strongest signal network etc which may lead to you incurring unexpected charges (not saying this happened in this case but it seems the biggest risk of unexpectedly large charges).

 

[stevesales]

Re: GPRS

Is anybody using Iridium for email/internet - cheap to buy but the cost per Mb seems gross.