Recommendations - 4G LTE internet solutions with external antenna(s)

[danieleither]

I am looking to install a 4G LTE router / internet to my motor boat, with external antenna(s) which will be fitted to the radar arch.

Interested to hear of any recommendations and reasoning behind the recommendation?

 

[philipdawsonladds]

I installed a 4G router and omni directional antennae at reasonable cost - call Millbrook Communications for a more current recomendation - my equipment cost just over £200 and works well - streaming TV, internet, etc. OK at sea for 4-5 miles I guess, not tried too much further as yet.

 

[mnts]

you can check Teltonika (Teltonika Networks - LTE Routers, Gateways & Modems for IoT), they do industrial OEM network equipment.
eg. Scout is using their basic router.
4G onBoard – SCOUT

you can check RUTX12 which can combine 2 sims also (not just failover when sim1 is off).
they also have remote monitoring/config cloud platform (you need to pay for it).
RUTX50 also supports 5G, but not sure how useful that is on the boat. but there is a good selection of products.

I use RUTX12, however I don't use external antennas, so don't have experience to share, otherwise it can happily run 9-30V, so easy to connect to the battery.
there are QuSpot antenas which can fit Teltonika router and put it on the radar arch.

 

[Bran]

I have a Teltonika RUT360 mounted inside a QuSpot antenna, mounted outside on the radar arch. Works very well, I opened up the antenna and applied a small amount of silicon sealant to each antenna blade as they rattled with the engine at low revs.
I have used Teltonika in industrial applications for remote support, they do seem to be reliable in my experience.

 

[Hurricane]

I used to use a standard domestic DLink DWR-921 connected to a 4G omni antenna on the radar arch. However I don't think the extra effort of the external antenna is worth it. Several friends just use the router with it's own local antennas which seems to work just as well.

Recently, I changed it to a Teltonica RUT950 4G (so called) rugged router. Lots of people on here use them.
The RUT950 works but I was disappointed with its hardware - very old and slow technology. Not that it slows the data - more that it's web interface etc is slow. I also upgraded its firmware to the latest which was a mistake - it wasn't reliable so, after advice on here I downgraded the firmware back to its original and it has been working reliably since but I wouldn't buy another one.
I was hoping to use the 2nd SIM facility but it only has one 4G radio so it is a bit limiting.

I also use downstream routers to create a secure tunnel to home. Those routers are Linksys DDWRT devices and have been running 24/7 for about 8/9 years. I am currently working on a project to replace those with newer more powerful technology.

Not sure how long I will be using the RUT950. Maybe replace it in a year or so.

BTW My old DLink router is kept on the boat as a backup.

EDIT
I'm in Hong Kong at the moment and I noticed that my boat security cameras weren't on line.
So, I've just remotely rebooted my RUT950 router and the cameras are all working again.
This is the first time that the RUT950 has failed in any way and in this case, it was still working - just not connecting its WiFi clients.
Just thought I would report that failure in this thread because it is a topical point.

 

[Dino]

I picked up a Huawei B818 for €100 secondhand and used it on the boat last year. It has no external antenna but it worked flawlessly. I then moved house last March and the fibre broadband rollout was not available until recently. I used the B818 for 8 months for all my home broadband needs, working from home, Teams calls, Netflix, etc. with no issues.
The fibre broadband was installed last week so the B818 is going back to the boat.

 

[mnts]

I guess it all depends what is needed. just that it would work? or is the router also a network switch powering remote boat monitoring and management, entertainment and etc.
so anything can work, even your phone can be an access point.
everybody has different boats and different needs.
If you have limited interest to geek out on this topic, then getting a packaged solution would most likely be best option - you will have a phone number to call if nothing works.
if you just need connection, can take home/mobile 4g router and store it in a dry cabinet - use it will work just fine, if not - restart it.
if you are designing a more complex setup, if device will run all the time, need to also consider low power consumption, voltage drops/surcharges, then you need some more reliable equipment.
it's same as with home network. one router behind TV can do it; or you might be having a 19" rack full of switches/router/UPS/NAS/NVR/servers/etc..

 

[Hurricane]

It isn't all plain sailing.
One big issue is using 4G whilst roaming. For us Brits that means using 4G data in the Med.
Most, if not all UK contracts limit you to 25Gb per month which is no good if you want to watch video/TV etc.
In Spain, I have found a good local provider called Lobster. Lots of benefits - one is that you can freeze your data whilst away which isn't any use to me but great for most people.
Also, local 4G also means that you cant watch UK TV whilst outside of the UK. UK contracts work though. My solution is a good VPN provider - I use NordVPN which works reliably.

 

[danieleither]

This is for UK use, South Coast (Solent through Scilliles). This is purely about reliable 4G internet on my boat, for me to use when I am on the boat. Not for remote monitoring or power management.

I want a permanent installation that gives better signal and reliability than using a hotspot on my iphone, and stops me having to put my iphone on the roof or bow of the boat in weaker signal areas.

I am not overly concerned with cost or trying to find the cheapest solution.

 

[Gumpy]

I have run several Huawei routers on the boat, amongst them the B525, B535, B818 connected to a Poynting Xpol1 external antenna as its a steel boat.
Of those 3 the B818 is easily the best. I would avoid the B525 as it's slow compared to the other two.
If you are after doing it on the cheap then the B535 is the way to go as its way cheaper than the B818.
All have been used as routers at home at some time or the other as we rely on 3 for our broadband, now running 5g at home which is why the 818 is on the boat.

ETA despite them all being 12v I run them from a 13.8v-12v converter rather than directly from the batteries to protect from any spikes that may be around.

 

[Dino]

Loddon, is there much improvement with the Poynting XPol Antenna connected?

 

[Gumpy]

Loddon, is there much improvement with the Poynting XPol Antenna connected?

At home no, but it would be hard I'm only 300mtrs from the mast.
On the boat it makes a huge difference but it is a steel boat so signals are very attenuated when inside.
Also in the caravan even though its ali because of the big windows its worked fine.
To be honest I probably wouldn't bother with an external antenna if my boat was fibreglass unless of course I had been suffering bad signal reception.

 

[danieleither]

I have run several Huawei routers on the boat, amongst them the B525, B535, B818 connected to a Poynting Xpol1 external antenna as its a steel boat.
Of those 3 the B818 is easily the best. I would avoid the B525 as it's slow compared to the other two.
If you are after doing it on the cheap then the B535 is the way to go as its way cheaper than the B818.
All have been used as routers at home at some time or the other as we rely on 3 for our broadband, now running 5g at home which is why the 818 is on the boat.

ETA despite them all being 12v I run them from a 13.8v-12v converter rather than directly from the batteries to protect from any spikes that may be around.

Hmm interesting, can I ask why you chose a directional antenna? That 'seems' like a poor choice for a boat that is constantly moving around and changing orientation?

*update* I'm finding conflicting information on the Xpol 1 - some sources say it's directional, others say omni-directional so my apologies if I'm wrong.

 

[Hurricane]

Hmm interesting, can I ask why you chose a directional antenna? That 'seems' like a poor choice for a boat that is constantly moving around and changing orientation?

*update* I'm finding conflicting information on the Xpol 1 - some sources say it's directional, others say omni-directional so my apologies if I'm wrong.

See my post on your other thread.

 

[Gumpy]

Hmm interesting, can I ask why you chose a directional antenna? That 'seems' like a poor choice for a boat that is constantly moving around and changing orientation?

*update* I'm finding conflicting information on the Xpol 1 - some sources say it's directional, others say omni-directional so my apologies if I'm wrong.

Xpol1 is Omni directional, there are similar Poynting antenna's that are directional.

 

[Forty_Two]

Another vote for the Huawei. I've had a B315 running continuously for over 4 years. Never turned it off, can't remember last reboot & that was only due to local network congestion. Just works & has 4 ethernet ports as well as the Wifi. Totally reliable.

I run it of a buck/boost power supply from the house batteries & external aerial. I can reboot it via a relay output on my remote monitoring Rpi system but has never been needed.

Replacing it with a B535 this year, just cos i feel like it.

 

[admillington]

I have a PEPWave, and it is excellent. It has a priority system, so if the marina is not available, it works down a list of other connections, including the mobile one. I have had a few Yacht Routers on previous boats, and they were slow and unstable.

 

[dune16]

Question for the huawei users. Do these routers allow you to connect to a marina WiFi as primary and then drop to mobile if the WiFi signal isn't available? My huawei e5577 mobile hotspot does this but I tried to "upgrade" to another manufacturer and it didn't have this feature so that got sent back and back with the e5577. Data offloading is the feature I want.

Edit. Reason I like this feature is all my devices that connect to my boat WiFi don't need to change to marinas WiFi, the router does that and it's seamless

 

[Gumpy]

Another vote for the Huawei. I've had a B315 running continuously for over 4 years. Never turned it off, can't remember last reboot & that was only due to local network congestion. Just works & has 4 ethernet ports as well as the Wifi. Totally reliable.

I run it of a buck/boost power supply from the house batteries & external aerial. I can reboot it via a relay output on my remote monitoring Rpi system but has never been needed.

Replacing it with a B535 this year, just cos i feel like it.

The difference between the 315 and the 535 is huge.
315 is SISO, 535 is MIMO so double the throughput providing you have a dual antenna

 

[dune16]

The difference between the 315 and the 535 is huge.
315 is SISO, 535 is MIMO so double the throughput providing you have a dual antenna

I have a brand new B535-333 for sale if you want to make an offer. Didn't have the offloading feature I wanted and I didn't get to the boat in time to test before my amazon return expired ?