Internet access

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Chris_Stannard

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Thinking of living aboard next year for six months, ither in France or the Netherlands and Baltic.

Would like to be able to get internet access via a mobile, connected to a laptop. I understand AOL is the best service for this as you can access the local server, but does anyone have any tips as to the best way to go about this and the best gear to have.

Many thanks

<hr width=100% size=1>Chris Stannard
 
If you go to my website (see link below) you will find an extended paper entitled 'Communication in European Waters.' This should answer many of your questions.



<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.yachtretreat.com>http://www.yachtretreat.com</A>
 
Technology has moved on very quickly.

I Use GPRS all the time, in European waters and undertook extensive trials with Orange France in the early days (problems with roaming). I use Vodaphone GPRS, but my service provider is AST Airtime happily provided to me through Marine Computing International.

Communications are very important to me and if you visit http://www.freeipcall.com I found this to be another saver too in English and French!


<hr width=100% size=1>http:// [url]http://www.mpcee.co.uk/katoema.html [/url]
 
For a few years I have used GSM phones on board along the European coasts in at least 7 different countries. Until this year I had a business account with ATT and tried to place local calls where possible. In Portugal and Spain I used local pre-paid cards for that.

In terms of cost the ISP service was negligable, but the airtime costs quite high.

This year I used GPRS exclusivly for all data via cell phone and local pre-paid cards only for voice. That is because I couldn't find a decent prices GPRS service in the coutnries (Spain, Portugal) for pre-paid. In retrospect I should have bought a local one year contract.

While a year ago it was very spotty, I find relyable GPRS service almost anywhere I go. In addition, with GPRS you don't need an ISP, and that seems to be the future trend in general, whether it's Iridium or W-Lan. So I have canceled all ISP accounts.

Given very high GPRS prices on pre-paid, (so far), I used roaming and learned a few lessions:

Granularity is 250k bytes. Whenever you connect you be charged for at least 250k bytes. Since I didn't stay connected all the time, connecting a couple times can get very expensive. I now collect work, and connect once a day only. Cost is about 3 times higher than at home. For the local contract granularity is also much smaller.

Clearly I got more done and it was faster than in the GSM days, but while cheaper by calculation, one ends up using more and my phone bill was more than in the previous years. So even if only used for three months, a one year contract might be much cheaper. At least I would have paid half the price.

Speed and reliablility was very acceptable.



<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.taniwani.de>http://www.taniwani.de</A>
 
A slightly different route via an ISP. Sign up to RYAOnline. This is a free service to members, so even if not one already it is a bargain. For dialling from outside UK I am using one of two companies that provide this service, costs $.10 per minute in Europe. Don't have their links here but PM me if you are interested and I'll send them.

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Like others, I used GPRS exclusively this year in the Baltic (Germany / Denmark / Sweden). GSM coverage has improved immeasurably since I was last there, and GPRS has the added advantage that the login is identical for all countries. At busy times voice takes precedence over data but we never had any major issues.

The cost is indeed high (about £8-10 Mb), but the few local PAYG accounts that allow data (Vodafone-SE is one) cost almost as much and there are dificulties getting a contract phone without a local address. Using old-style 9600 data costs almost as much (£1.50 per min) and racks up charges even when the network is slow, which GPRS dosent. Unlike another poster, my GPRS accounts do not seem to have a minimum data charge, so I never bothered 'batching' stuff

GPRS is ideal, fast and reliable for email. Its tenable for the web if you set the browser to ignore graphics. We used local libraries which have free Internet access for heavy graphical stuff.

Webmail (e.g the RYA online stuff, or hotmail) is heavy on graphics, subject to spamming, and not ideal. Its better to use normal SMTP email (Outlook Express) but you have to set up the servers correctly, and I have a OE rule loaded which prevents large emails being downloaded. I have some notes on this stuff <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.kissen.co.uk/communications.htm>here</A>

The only thing we had problems with was using FTP to update a web site. There are some timing problems on GSM that make the links flaky.

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Hi,

If you intend to stay in Marina's, you may find that many offer a wireless internet service where you buy an access code for 24 hours or more unlimited access. You need a wireless PC card in your laptop to access. This is becoming more popular in the UK and by next year many marinas will offer wireless access at speeds equivalent to broadband.

The UK company is called Square Mile International I think. Cards are on two frequencies I believe and cost around £30.00.

Poggy

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I cannot comment on services there but can for equipment. For my equipment solution I permanently installed a Fixed Cellular Terminal on board. Mine is a 3 band Ericsson F221M (but Siemens and others do them) connected by RS232 serial and serial/USB adapter to notebook. You can get bluetooth but in my experience wires always work so thats the way I went. And while it has its own stubby antenna, I use a car antenna permanently fixed to a hatch using the normal capacitive feedthrough that comes with the car antennas.

It mimics a landline so you just attach any normal pieces of terminal equipment to it such as modems (although it has its own inbuilt), fax machines or normal telephone receivers, and it does GPRS. It is very nice and civilised using a regular telephone receiver. The unit costs about the same as a normal data capable mobile phone and takes ones normal SIM card. If you do SMS you can get seperate displays for that but I use an SMS client program on the computer (Message Master, also known as Freebee as it is a free download, and it manages the phone's phonebook as well). SMS with a proper keyboard is a real pleasure after the pecking at the phone's keypad approach.

Mine is not 12 volt (7.5 from memory) but a dc voltage dropper like one can get for use in cars is fine (I actually just made up a little regulator which I permanently installed).

I wanted a robust installation because I work for weeks at a time from the boat (the only way I can go sailing), but having set it up I would do exactly the same again if it was for pleasure use only.

Looking at Pandroids good notes on his site your ISP's have IP wrapping too causing difficulties sending emails using another ISP (in this case your GPRS service provider) as Pandroid explains if you wish to retain your email account with your existing ISP, and webmail access is a clunky alternative at best. If a change of address is no problem, then I assume your GPRS provider will provide you with a free email account (but that may or may not be only clunky webmail accessible).

I do it pretty much the same as Pandroid explains but have a few more complications as I need to keep my broadband connection at home always operational and need automatic permanent records downloaded of everything for business purposes - so all those things have work arounds if required. The costs Pandroid quotes for your part of the world seem horrendous, can't recall what I pay but is alot less, but even so internet surfing is an expensive business which I avoid. However, for email is not bad and 1 month's heavy usage, including many attachments each of megabytes in size might cost around the equivalent of GBP50.

Wrapping up, GPRS has proved a good solution for me.

John

<hr width=100% size=1><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by MainlySteam on 10/11/2003 02:32 (server time).</FONT></P>
 
Re: AOL is the best ?

I'm no techie, but I have a friend in the business and he won't have anything to do with AOL because of the way it takes over your computer - he says it's worse than a virus. Apparently should you need to uninstall it, even formatting your hard disc will leave gremlin causing traces.

Unless AOL offers you something you particularly need, I'd look elsewhere.

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This thread spurred me to reanalyse our costs when crusing the Baltic this year.
It turns out that our GPRS costs aren't as much as I thought.

GPRS works out (from Scandanavia) at £3.60 per megabyte, with a minimum charge of 3.6p (10kb). We use Vodafone, on a Vodafone 200 Price plan with European Call Saver.

Voice (and 9600 Data) charges are 51p a minute for both local (i.e In country) calls and back to the UK. There is a minimum charge of 51p (now 59p)

All of these prices are plus vat, and are interestingly LESS than they publicise on their website.

The only PAYG (sim only) account we found (and we talked to 'em all) which allowed GPRS was Vodafone Sweden, where the data costs were extortionate (£10.25 per Mb)

I've updated (and extended) the notes on our website <A target="_blank" HREF=http://kissen.co.uk/communications.htm>here</A>

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Re: AOL is the best ?

You said: "I'm no techie, but I have a friend in the business and he won't have anything to do with AOL because of the way it takes over your computer - he says it's worse than a virus. Apparently should you need to uninstall it, even formatting your hard disc will leave gremlin causing traces."


I can't let you get away with that. Its pure gossip, unfounded and untrue. I am reasonably computer literate and have used AOL for years without any of the problems you have described. It has distinct advantages for the Cruising Yachtie and I would hate anyone to be put off my mis-informed, second-hand information.

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.yachtretreat.com>http://www.yachtretreat.com</A>
 
Re: AOL is the best ?

I cannot speak about modern versions of AOL, but the previous thread is very much correct about early versions of AOL. It was fine if you were happy to remain with them as ISP, but if you had loaded the trial copy and then decided to go elsewhere, it was very nearly impossible to get rid of AOL bits within the different programs without a complete re-load. This was well discussed in all the magazines at the time, and certainly led me (and I expect a vast number of other people) to avoid it like the plague. I would hope that the modern version is considerably less invasive, but I am not going to bother to find out.

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Re: AOL is the best ?

When I left aol the damage was considerable; most particularly files in documents, which were there before aol was installed, had been polluted by an aol logo and were erased.

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Re: AOL is the best ?

I put AOL on a computer at work for a free trial.......BIG mistake. Had to reload the computer in the end.
Also, a friend of mine used them for some time but when they changed they found the same problem.
The other thing you have to consider is that AOL use thier own software and not the stuff that everyone else has. So in the event you need help with software not many people can help you cos they all use internet explorer.
In my opinion I wouldn't have AOL again if it was the last ISP on earth.

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