Marina WiFi

[readings]

I'll report back when I've tried it.

Any results?

 

[smartmove2014]

To the OP
An easy and inexpensive option would be to buy a netgear n300 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NETGEAR-PR2000-100EUS-Trek-Universal-N300-Wi-Fi-Range-Extender-and-Travel-Router-/161910957238?hash=item25b2a524b6:g:RQkAAOSwxN5WZcIm

You configure the n300 with a SSID (the name of the wireless LAN your devices will connect to, 'my boat' for instance) and a username and password then via your laptop/device you simply log into the n300 via a web brownser and connect it to your marina's wifi using the name and password the marina gave you. The beauty of this device is you can connect all your wireless devices to it and use the marina's hotspot.
Put the n300 in your cockpit where it can get a signal from the marina wifi and it'll transmit your wifi ('my boat') around your boat.

I have this unit (not used on a boat yet) and it works brilliantly. I used to travel around a lot of hotels with wifi that would only allow 1 device, plug this in, connect to the wifi and those limits are gone

 

[jakeroyd]

Sutton Harbour Marina are just ditching WifiSpark after 5 years - http://www.wifispark.com/about/blog/entry/sutton-harbour-marina-upgrades-wifi
For us the service has been dreadful and often I've not been able to make any connection at all and when I can it's almost unusable.
Very soon a new provider comes on line we are waiting with baited breath to see if its any better.

Noticed you are in Plymouth.
So am I , at Mayflower.

The Wifi there was wifispark until recently which was always useless.

Don't know what they have replaced it with but it is wonderful, I get about 4Mbps which is passable streaming.

However , on 3 I get excellent over the air data there as well.

 

[skip50]

Noticed you are in Plymouth.
So am I , at Mayflower.

The Wifi there was wifispark until recently which was always useless.

Don't know what they have replaced it with but it is wonderful, I get about 4Mbps which is passable streaming.

However , on 3 I get excellent over the air data there as well.

I am also at Mayflower. They have run a dedicated fibre optic cable down Richmond Walk from the main road. I am told it has improved matters, I wouldn't know as I use my iPad on 4G and it is VERY fast. I tested the speed, admittedly at about 0730 last Sunday morning and got a reading of 36 megabits or whatever it is. At home on BT infinity I only get 24!

I was speaking to someone last year who had sailed down from the Solent and he reckoned he had 4G most of the way down.

 

[Hannah12]

Slight 1st World problem here...

Our marina uses a system/company called WiFi SPARK to serve internet to it's customers. On the most part the system seems to work well provided we are standing in the cockpit.

The network uses a captive portal to authenticate devices. This means when connecting to the network for the first time you are prompted to enter a username and password via an unsecured webpage before access to the internet is granted. This login/registration process records your devices MAC address, allowing you to connect again without the need of a username and password.

Obviously in a sailing boat, the main cabin/saloon sits low in the water and is blocked by a great big pontoon and by other boats so we struggle to achieve a reliable connection when sat inside the cabin. Not ideal.

To get around this problem I was thinking of buying a portable WiFi router and installing it in cabins highest point. My main concern is how this router will authenticate with the marinas captive portal. Has explained above, captive portals require you to enter a username and password via a webpage, which you obviously cannot do on a router.

The other suggestion I've had is to register my laptops MAC address with the network, then change the routers MAC address to that of my laptop, but I suppose this could be in breach of whatever IT policy the marina have.

The other final option is to buy a great big USB WiFi antenna and set my laptop up as WiFi hotspot.

Not sure if anyhow else has had, or is having similar issues?

If marina Wi-Fi fails, a 4G/5G mobile hotspot may work. Mobile hotspots or phones are used by many sailors for internet access. Cellular coverage in your marina may provide more reliable service than public Wi-Fi. 12 Must-Try Wi-Fi Speed Hacks to Boost Connection Speed | TP-Link Philippines

 

[samfieldhouse]

In my experience marina wifi is universally useless.
Around the Solent (Beaulieu excepted), the 5g is so good there's no reason to use marina wifi.
My record 5G download was 430mbps off Gurnard Ledge - that's 6x faster than my parents landline broadband.
As a direct comparison sat here, marina wifi is giving me 35mbps. My iPhone mini on EE is getting 143mbps.

For the money you'll spend on wifi extenders/boosters you'd be better off investing in a 5G booster/repeater at the mast head.

 

[Irish Rover]

If marina Wi-Fi fails, a 4G/5G mobile hotspot may work. Mobile hotspots or phones are used by many sailors for internet access. Cellular coverage in your marina may provide more reliable service than public Wi-Fi. 12 Must-Try Wi-Fi Speed Hacks to Boost Connection Speed | TP-Link Philippines

Your WiFi must be exceptionally slow if it took 8.5 years to access this thread.