WiFi & 3G network on boats

pan

pan

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Having spent sometime considering installing a WiFi & 3g network on our new boat, I came across Piers 'new extra' on Play d'eau & then the write up in MBY. This appears to be just what I am looking for, but also want to WiFi stream music on the boat sound system, using iPhone/Ipad, has anyone set up a system like this? The yacht router micro seems to do cover most, but unsure about the music streaming & connections into the Bose system...

Any advice would help, thanks.:rolleyes:

Pan
 
Fairline fit iPod/iPhone stations .... so easiest way is just to stuff my iphone in then charges and plays at the same time. No need to use wi-fi router at all or am I missing something?
 
You don't need to go to the expense of a dedicated marine based system
Just use normal domestic routers etc at a fraction of the price.
Some even work better than the marine kit as well

I have (efectively) two routers on the boat
The first runs the open source DDWRT software and provides an internal WiFi LAN to the boat.
This is connected to a second router which in my case connects to the marina/shore side WiFi internet.
This second unit could be any internet connection - 3G, 4G, WiMAX or ADSL etc..
My external WiFi antena is connected to this second "router"
The one I use is a really cheap one that I bought off Amazon - one in the TLink range.
I think it was this one http://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-Link-TL-...FIEI/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1360492621&sr=8-9

Using a system like this, your iPad could very simply connect to your local internal (boat's) LAN and stream music.

If anyone is interested, I could draw a diagram but it is quite straight forward stuff these days.
If you want to know more just ask and I will give more detail.

I have also configured my (first) router (the DDWRT one) with a VPN (Virtual Private Network).
This makes my LAN on the boat connect directly with all my devices on my LAN at home.
So, simply using Windows RDP, I control/access my home computers from the boat.
The VPN I use is an Open Source produce called OpenVPN.
I set all this uip a couple of years ago - the VPN took a bit of understanding but the whole thing is very robust.

It is also possible to buy a domestic router with two WiFi radios but they are quite complicated to set up.
This way you only have one box - one WiFi radio serves your local LAN - the other connects back to the marina.
I once bought a Buffalo router (again running the DDWRT software) but it didn't work as well as the system I outline above.
I ended up giving it away to JOHN100156 (on this forum) who is using it with excellent results.
Maybe he will comment later.
 
Last edited:
EME said:
Fairline fit iPod/iPhone stations .... so easiest way is just to stuff my iphone in then charges and plays at the same time. No need to use wi-fi router at all or am I missing something?
Click to expand...
Our boat has the iPhone stations, but there is nothing more annoying than having to get up from a refreshing g&t & sunshine to change the track, I use apple airport at home & it's great, but needs router & is mains powered (don't went the generator running all the time), plus the router Piers has installed also logs into shore base plus 3g, for internet use.

Pan
 
Thanks Huriicane, does your network use mains power or 12/24v, sounds like you have a great setup, although rather than VPN I use LogMeIn for my personal & business computer networks. Often I find that some marina/shore wifi is very weak, the setup on Piers system, seems to offer a solution to this, with the advantage of the 3g connection. I had a look at the manufacturers website, this type of system seems to becoming very popular on the big charter yachts (I know a couple of skippers who have larger versions installed) obviously guests want this level of network & comms. Although I have been following JFM's build, I cannot recall if he is installing anything like this? Which surprises me, considering his high standards in the spec!

Pan
 
OK then
What about a simple MiFi which you can plug your local mobile SIMM into and get 3G data over a WiFi connection
Something like one of these http://www.amazon.co.uk/ZTE-MF60-Mo...OLM2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1360494772&sr=8-3
That is what jfm was using on Match1 when we visited the SoF
It was working so well for him that I suspect that's what he is still intending to do.
For me, the OpenVPN is important so a DDWRT router works best.

I have a friend with a sailing cat who uses a MiFi solution in Spain.
In a weak 3G area, he puts it into a little bag and hoists it to the top of his mast.
 
Yup I use a mifi exactly as Hurricane says. It works so well I cannot think of any reason to change it. As the signal weakens outside (mebbe 10miles from coast) I put it high up outside and get a few more miles. It has an internal battery but lives most of its life plugged into its charger (which is 230v, but uses an inverter so genset isn't needed). Also it holds an SD card so you can bring a briefcase of files from home if you wish. These things are so good, so cheap, so throwawayable, that I just cannot see the point of anything else. And they work out of the box: no setting up IP addresses and all that shenanigens. This year they will be 4g so I can chuck it away and upgrade, whereas with heavy duty kit you have much more gear that you have to chuck away to upgrade
 
jfm said:
Yup I use a mifi exactly as Hurricane says.
Click to expand...
+2.
I couldn't have thought of anything more convenient than that, if I had to design the ideal device for onboard usage.
Btw, if you have an onboard server, you can live it attached via USB and get rid also of its specific power supply.
Though the PC power supply is still necessary, of course.
 
MapisM said:
+2.
I couldn't have thought of anything more convenient than that, if I had to design the ideal device for onboard usage.
Btw, if you have an onboard server, you can live it attached via USB and get rid also of its specific power supply.
Though the PC power supply is still necessary, of course.
Click to expand...

I'm also in the mifi club, it's excellent. If you want to leave it plugged in on your 12v, you could just use one of these:

21rX8R-aPjL._SL500_.jpg


Cheers
Jimmy
 
pan said:
Thanks Huriicane, does your network use mains power or 12/24v
Pan
Click to expand...

As jfm says, Princess factory fitted a dedicated inverter for the audio / TV kit in the saloon.
Our TV cupboard houses the routers and a dedicated ship's PC which feeds round the whole boat.
I've also fed a DC supply to this cupboard which the PC and the DDWRT router run off.
The rest (inc Satellite receiver TV and Bose systems) run off the Princess (Vicrton) inverter.
As a result whe we arrive at the boat it all gets switched on and not switched off until we go home - could be a month later!!
It all runs all the time - whether you in port or at sea.

The MiFi approach is definately the simplist way to go though.
 
Thanks all... seems that this MiFi is the answer, I will look into it as had never heard of it before (the older I get the less I seem know about this technical stuff !). This forum is invaluable to numpties like me...:confused:

Pan
 
pan said:
Thanks all... seems that this MiFi is the answer, I will look into it as had never heard of it before (the older I get the less I seem know about this technical stuff !). This forum is invaluable to numpties like me...:confused:

Pan
Click to expand...

Are you going to be based in the UK, or somewhere else?

Cheers
Jimmy
 
Not sure about the wifi bit but I fitted a logitech bluetooth adapter to my bose system yesterday, streams music from phone or tablet brilliant and only £23 from amazon, neil
 
jimmy_the_builder said:
That sounds very interesting ... what power does it need, 12v or 240v?

Cheers
Jimmy
Click to expand...

Its 240v but like phone chargers etc is actually 5v I think, does not worry me as bose is 240 anyway, with a radio app will play radio as well. Apparently you can get a usb bluetooth thingy ,from poundland!!, for your pc or laptop. I have been using blackberry.
 
There is a Belkin 12v bluetooth receiver for about £20, which is very compact & would enable user to stream music directly to music system, think this may be my solution... don't want to spill the g&t getting up & down to change the music!

Pan
 
Maybe it is just my provider(s) (I have 3), but I really haven't been that impressed with the data speeds from 3G. Apart from just using phones and tablets, I have had to use it to do some work in anger; occasionally using my phone as a wifi hotspot from my laptop or a dongle direct (just a few emails and smallish webpages). The speed really isn't up to much. It reminded me of the struggle I used to have on 14400 modems.

I am waiting for 4G to take a hold before I do any MiFi setups. The speed should really increase to one that is usable then. (Does anyone remember that amazing day that they first got 64kbps?)
 
I saw the 'Wifi and 3G network' title of the thread but see it's more about music streaming so this might constitute thread drift but...
I installed one of these www.thewirie.com/marine-wifi-product-AP.html a year or so ago - it finds wifi signals from up to 6 miles away and then acts as a router on board allowing many users to log on to it's network. So, at anchor or in a marina, you search for a signal (many will be listed and you usually find a free one, if not c€3-5 per day) and then all iPods, ipads, laptops etc on board can just log onto the network in the normal way (you just set the boat network up once when you instal it and then have a 'boat name' network permanently). I've found it to be a very effective way of getting wifi access for very little cost (once you've bought the box)!
 
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