What is the best way to get internet?

[Nostrodamus]

As liveaboards wanting to help others what is the best way to get cheap internet.
There are a variety of methods from data cards, bats, bullets, sat dishes and the new go but what works and what doesn't . What is good value. I would really like to hear your views.

 

[Richard10002]

Are you in Sicily? I would get a 4G Huawei Mifi unit and investigate data offerings from WIND or TIM. They had some very good offerings when I was around Italy in 2007, and I would guess they can only have got better.

If you have trouble getting a signal with the mifi down below, you can get an outdoor aerial that plugs into the Mifi.

If that doesnt make sense, do a bit of googling, then ask some questions.

 

[sailaboutvic]

Or just rise it up the mast

 

[Spi D]

It depends on where you are - or rather the coverage where you need it. More than often the supplier or technology that is good in one place doesn't work in another.

Within comparable performances the price varies mostly with technology and customer service (since there are more vendors than network owners they often have same coverage). Most have maps on their homepage showing coverage but they tend to be optimistic, IMO.

Our marina's wifi is weak but 3G and 4G works at some 45 mbit. I have mifi but also use my mobile as hotspot (formerly known as tethering). Data plans vary, mine is an added option to the mobile phone subscription (7 hours voice + 10 gb 4G data at £8.90 /month no binding). Similar might be available in the UK and elsewhere.

 

[Nostrodamus]

Thank you for the replies. To be fair here I am trying to write a blog covering the various options that are out there for getting the internet. We have been sailing and living aboard for 5 years and have tried various means from sim cards, wi-fi's, Alphas and at the moment we are using a receiver that is usually used in local homes.Prices of course vary depending on the company, what deals they have and the country as does coverage.
I am looking for what others have used as well and what works and what does not ie boosters, sat dishes or cans and string to try and put the options together to help others on boats. I have spoken to a few companies that do provide equipment to assist in getting a better signal or picking a weaker one up but the views I trust most are the views of boaters who have used the internet with what ever means. It may save people a fortune on equipment that does or does not work.

 

[sailaboutvic]

If we talking about picking up free wifi from hotels , cafe, bars I not sure any equipment make much of a different , you may pick up a better signal but in no means that you be about to log on to it or get a faster download , most of that depend on the router being used to send out the signal and how many people there is between you and the router , example , at a local bar we used in the winter if you sat next to the router you would get a good speed if you sat the other side of the bar and there was people downloading between you and the router you got very litter speed or at time nothing at all but you still had a very good signed , with our Alfa we always got a good signal from the bar at the boat but not alway manage to get internet , best time to get a good conection was after everyone was in bed and the bar was closed , day time we very rearly got connected athough always had a good signed , so the question has to be asked how well do any of this stuff really works .

 

[colind3782]

Having tried Alpha units, external aerials on the mast and other options, I gave up and now use my Spanish PAYG mobile (Movistar) as a hotspot. Yes it costs, but, as I work on board, the 25 € a week that it costs for quite heavy usage works for me. I get near broadband speed and I don't waste drinking time looking at the screen trying to load.

 

[duncan99210]

There are three basic ways to get internet access on board. Wifi, using a bar or marina signal; mobile phone network (3G/4G) and satellite.

Wifi is free if you can find a signal, which is not always possible. When you can find a signal, you'll often need to use an external antenna and amplifier (such as an Alfa) to get a good enough signal to work. There are lots of amplifiers and antenna systems on the market but we've had good results (3/4 of a mile) from a simple Alfa set up with an external antenna. We don't use it much these days as its difficult to find a signal you can log on to and as Vic says often very slow.

3/4G is available in most places these days and you can get good deals from most networks on data SIMS. The options then are a simple dongle to plug into a laptop USB port (cheap) but you then have the power burden of the laptop. We've run Connectifiy on Windows 8.1 which turns the laptop into a wifi hotspot so that the signal can be shared round the boat. We now use a Huwei mifi brick which has its own SIM and generates a wifi signal for the boat. If we're in a poor reception area, hoisting that up the mast with its power cable often improves the signal. When we were in UK over the winter we used an Alcatel Osprey which was also good and offered 4G rather than the 3G of the Huwei.

No idea about sattellite gizmos. I've looked at them but the cost of access for Internet purposes at present means that they're for ocean crossings only as my pockets just aren't that deep.

 

[Richard10002]

During my travels across the med to Malta in 2007, I used a variety of aerials connected to the laptop by USB to pick up various wifi signals. I never managed to crack anybodys security code, but I think there are ways and means if you are that way inclined.

My research in England in 2011 when I got a narrowboat resulted in a mifi being the weapon of choice. Research late last year confirmed this, so I upgraded the mifi and bought an aerial.

In England 15Gb of data per month costs £20 from EE.