Mobile data in eastern Lake Ontario

dlochner · Feb 24, 2026

Rogers has always been annoyingly aggressive about capturing cell phones along the US-Canadian border, so I would suspect they will have a stronger presences in your area. Its been a few years since I've been up your way but I had no difficulty connecting to a mobile provider in Waupos. I can't recall which provider.

rgranger · Feb 24, 2026

This seems like a great option.... and you can watch Netflix on your phone or laptop while at anchor....

https://starlink.com/roam?srsltid=AfmBOoo2PGg3hLtLQotPHl0jzcsiwN5mKH8ksMvBf0FRrbbyk240GiSl

marcham · Feb 25, 2026

Another vote for Starlink mini.... it works. Everywhere, even while the boat is moving. In the off season, we roll back to the $8 standby plan (unlimited data @ 1MBPS instead of 100). Only draws 16-18 Watts, powered from a 12VDC-24VDC converter (96% efficiency).

I'd be surprised if you'd get much better coverage with other cell providers. In some locations, the towers co-host cell antennas for multiple providers.

The cell coverage maps are theorical / predictive, not based on actual testing, so they are not reliable in the fringe range of the network.

Foswick · Feb 25, 2026

Just make sure, with Starlink, that you like where your money is going. But, as you clarified that you are looking specifically at LTE/4G/5G, I tend to think your best option will be Rogers. I don't know about your end of the border, but over here (Vancouver area), as Dave mentioned, Rogers' coverage is pretty "aggressive". By that, I mean that if we get within about 10 miles of the border (on the U.S. side), we tend to get picked up by Rogers' towers.

This used to be a real problem. We used to get charged for international roaming. We had to call our provider every month and explain where we live, and they would reverse the roaming charges. Since we don't get charged for roaming anymore, I don't notice this as much, but I know we still pick up Rogers towers on the U.S. side.

A big distinction, though, is that we are just south of Vancouver. So, the tower concentration is likely quite different from your area. Interestingly, out in the San Juan Islands, the picture changes because there are U.S. towers on the islands and the Gulf Islands are still a bit farther north.

danstanford · Feb 26, 2026

We were quite surprised last year how little coverage we got once out in the lake. Starlink Mini is in my future

dlochner · Feb 26, 2026

danstanford said:
We were quite surprised last year how little coverage we got once out in the lake. Starlink Mini is in my future

At the east end of the lake cell coverage extends about 7-10 miles out from the US side. Cell companies don't aim their antennas towards the lake because there are too few customers. What we get is coverage from a few miles inland that spills out over the lake. The St Lawrence River area is well covered by both US and Canadian companies. US coverage now extends out to at least Stony Island, but not to Main Duck Island. I've had no trouble with coverage from Kingston to Picton along the Aldophus Reach. I use AT&T with US and Canadian coverage so I'm not tied to any one Canadian company.

Project_Mayhem · Feb 26, 2026

Would a masthead mounted antenna help? There's plenty of outdoor rated modems if you want to keep the antenna lead short

dlochner · Feb 26, 2026

One of the issues with getting 5g service is its short range. Its signal is only good for about 5km or less. The connections I was referring to were for LTE and 4g which operate at a lower frequency and have a longer range.

If the modem you have is battery powered, the range can be extended by running it up the mast in a bag on a halyard, just remember to have a tag line so you can retrieve it. Prior to Starlink this was a tried and true method of getting data access in the Bahamas.

Project_Mayhem · Feb 26, 2026

I've done a lot of live streaming at 1080p with 4G (uploading). It works well for most tasks but as with any radio signal, it's dependent on strength

Foswick · Feb 26, 2026

dlochner said:
If the modem you have is battery powered, the range can be extended by running it up the mast in a bag on a halyard, just remember to have a tag line so you can retrieve it.

I did this with my phone, which I was using as a hotspot a few years ago. I thought I was being clever and it actually worked a treat ... until I went to lower it. I wasn't thinking through this all the way and just assumed I would lower it and let gravity bring it back down. I didn't consider the fact that 40 or so feet of halyard is heavier than my phone. Of course, I didn't attach a downhaul line.

I couldn't really ascend the mast to retrieve it either, since we had just purchased the boat and I did not really know the true condition of the halyards - not enough to stake my life on one.

We gave the neighbors a show, but we did manage to get it down.

rgranger · Feb 27, 2026

degas said:
Yeah, that's my next step if a Roger's SIM pans out this season. Like I say I'm only using the included blade antennas right now. The same modem manufacturer sells an all-in-one exterior pod with bigger antennas that I'd mount on the stern rail. Or I could look into a masthead antenna for even more gain.

I'll know more after I swing by a Rogers store and splash in the spring.

Please post what you end up using with a review of how well it worked. I'm retiring in a few years and hope to do a long treck in some remote areas. I'm probably going starlink but as @Foswick said, there may be good reasons to NOT use the best technology.

dLj · Feb 27, 2026

rgranger said:
Please post what you end up using with a review of how well it worked. I'm retiring in a few years and hope to do a long treck in some remote areas. I'm probably going starlink but as @Foswick said, there may be good reasons to NOT use the best technology.

Just a FYI - in a few years, there may well be a competitor to Starlink.... Not that it may or may not be any better but... do check...

Starlink - for all it's potential negatives - is an absolutely incredible technology....

dj

David in Sandusky · Feb 27, 2026

We chartered from Kingston to Grenadier Island some time ago. Then I crewed for a friend down the Trent-Severn to Prinyer Cove, and on across Lake Ontario. We had no problem using Rogers on our cell phones until we were offshore going across the lake.