I use a bunch of internet based tools to plan voyages and look at weather, and having access to those helps the quality and safety of the trip. When we are far away from normal signals, being able to amplify what signal is available is important for safety and planning. Again, having a fast network here will help out. While we can get a WiFi signal from them, I find that in the majority of cases, it is actually better to use a cellular connection as it is more reliable and consistent. Marina WiFi is hard – I even wrote a whole article about it – and most of the marinas we visit are no exception. So I need a fast network when we’re near civilization. Even explaining it to them doesn’t mean they change their habits.

However, to a crew member, a wireless network looks the same on a boat as at home. In reality, this is unlikely because LTE/cellular is still a bit behind the broadband internet market. Why do I want to do this? Well, there are a few reasons:Ĭrew expect internet speeds on the boat to be the same as home. In poor signal areas, improve the signal to allow for basic network operations – WiFi cell phone calling, sending emails, etc.Leverage diversity antenna configuration on Peplink for more bandwidth and LTE-A features.In good signal areas, provide high bandwidth and low latency allowing for multiple streaming devices and normal network operations.The goal was to find a setup that allowed for the following: Please see Best Boat Internet Systems for up-to-date choices.January 2020 While much of the information in this article is still relevant, some of the hardware choices have changed. The search for a good antenna system led to some surprising choices. We use the Internet all of the time while on board, and I want it to be reliable, fast, and easy to use no matter where we are. I don’t remember another project I worked on that took so much time and effort to gather data. For almost two years I have been testing, re-testing, and re-wiring my setup on Grace in an effort to find the best LTE antenna configuration.

Marine wifi antennas long range