Hey ICW Veterans - anyone know of the best affordable way to keep a laptop connected to the internet from the Chesapeake Bay down to Florida along the ICW?
ICW internet coverage?
- Thread starter trasel
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Increasingly most WiFi along the AICW is now all password protected.
Even with high powered long distance wifi antennas, open wifi nodes are becoming a rarity.
Most marinas will have Wifi ... not a good solution if youre choice is to anchor out. I use a Bitstorm BadBoy Extreme Antenna. http://www.bitstorm.com
The remaining best way for an internet connect along the AICW is an iPad, etc. with a cellphone provider connection and then use an ad hoc network connection for your computer or laptop. Verizon seems to have the best coverage ... except in 'the swamps'.
Even with high powered long distance wifi antennas, open wifi nodes are becoming a rarity.
Most marinas will have Wifi ... not a good solution if youre choice is to anchor out. I use a Bitstorm BadBoy Extreme Antenna. http://www.bitstorm.com
The remaining best way for an internet connect along the AICW is an iPad, etc. with a cellphone provider connection and then use an ad hoc network connection for your computer or laptop. Verizon seems to have the best coverage ... except in 'the swamps'.
Not that Rich needs any confirmations here, but that is so true. It is almost irritating now to look at my Bullet, as it seems it is yesterday's toy. Just yesterday I sat in downtown Wilmington, N.C., and out of maybe 50 possible connections, everyone was password protected. Even the damn coffee shops have figured out that they are giving away free money I guess, and have locked down. More and more, if not most all onshore WiFis now are pass worded. Now and then I will hack one just for the entertainment of the hack itself, but doing this underway would be impossible.
Some bunch a years ago, back in the bad ol days, some of these 'for profit' connections I would have hacked em and cracked em. Now as Rich said, a cellular ipad is now my mobile toy. For what it's worth, I use ATT. It is probably not one iota better than Verizon, but being the world leader in telecommunications for a hundred years, I DO know it is better than these Mom and Pop pay as you go crack phones. But ATT being in the profit business probably do not like swamps any better than others, not a lot of money to be made from swamp buggers..
Some bunch a years ago, back in the bad ol days, some of these 'for profit' connections I would have hacked em and cracked em. Now as Rich said, a cellular ipad is now my mobile toy. For what it's worth, I use ATT. It is probably not one iota better than Verizon, but being the world leader in telecommunications for a hundred years, I DO know it is better than these Mom and Pop pay as you go crack phones. But ATT being in the profit business probably do not like swamps any better than others, not a lot of money to be made from swamp buggers..
I guess password protection comes as a need for improved security in this time and age not necessarily because of monetary considerations. Free WIFI had been a source of goodwill and advertisement but the abusers have once again spoiled it for the rest of us.
pw protection comes with the routers these days. Sorry, kids, the "old days" are over.
www.activecaptain.com has recently begun a series of newsletters on internet access. Check it out.
Do a search on wifi on this board and you'll find lots of these discussions.
www.activecaptain.com has recently begun a series of newsletters on internet access. Check it out.
Do a search on wifi on this board and you'll find lots of these discussions.
Jesse, a few years ago one of our cruising mates had a mifi, he was three slips away and it worked great for us. This was on a cruise, not at our marina. Unfortunately, he left his mifi charger at home, so we only got to use it for a short time one afternoon before it died. I did email and forums, my son did his streaming skateboarding nonsense, and our firendly sharing skipper did his thing. Worked great.
Good question: what I don't know anything about is new phone tech. Heck, my own cell phone is so old it's a rotary dial model!
My son got a new 4G Samsung and it's pretty cool, but we haven't gotten into hot spot things on the boat yet. I'm sure someone else has. I also know you're now a regular on CF, and I recall some discussions over there, probably under Electronics. I'll be following this, too.
Greta question, thanks.
Good question: what I don't know anything about is new phone tech. Heck, my own cell phone is so old it's a rotary dial model!
My son got a new 4G Samsung and it's pretty cool, but we haven't gotten into hot spot things on the boat yet. I'm sure someone else has. I also know you're now a regular on CF, and I recall some discussions over there, probably under Electronics. I'll be following this, too.
Greta question, thanks.
I note same as Chris. My Bullet is not being used any more. I have found that the internet cafe places and local waterfront tap rooms will give you the password if you go there.. and the Bullet can be used out on the lake around there..
My wife gave me a Verizon Jet Pack (mifi?) a couple of years ago and I found that to be a wonderful thing. We have good 4G LTE coverage so it is fast enough. This year, we upgraded to iPhone5s which can data share and be a hotspot. It eliminated the additional line for the Jet Pack. Up until our "family" consolidation, I had been on ATT for 25 years. I never had a problem with service and several times got coverage when no one else's phone was working. Att did not have an equivalent package with the iPhone, so we shifted over to wife's plan .. I find it tedious to type on the cell phone, so I use the hot spot on board with a lap top. Works for me.. Down here, the GIWW is extremely well covered because of the large amount of commercial traffic.. I do recall being in places on the ICW in Georgia where there simply wa no coverage.. It turned out not to be the end of the world to wait a couple of days for e-mail.
My wife gave me a Verizon Jet Pack (mifi?) a couple of years ago and I found that to be a wonderful thing. We have good 4G LTE coverage so it is fast enough. This year, we upgraded to iPhone5s which can data share and be a hotspot. It eliminated the additional line for the Jet Pack. Up until our "family" consolidation, I had been on ATT for 25 years. I never had a problem with service and several times got coverage when no one else's phone was working. Att did not have an equivalent package with the iPhone, so we shifted over to wife's plan .. I find it tedious to type on the cell phone, so I use the hot spot on board with a lap top. Works for me.. Down here, the GIWW is extremely well covered because of the large amount of commercial traffic.. I do recall being in places on the ICW in Georgia where there simply wa no coverage.. It turned out not to be the end of the world to wait a couple of days for e-mail.
Thank you all for good tips...I may try Verizon Mi-Fi with a $30-$50 a month limited data plan or Tmobile because they have unlimited data.
Anyone know how Tmobile coverage is going down the Icw ?
Anyone know how Tmobile coverage is going down the Icw ?
Very 'spotty' along the AICW in other than Florida; pretty much 'nil' coverage in the swamps of NC unless youre close to mid-sized towns.
We have a Bullet and find it is required in many marinas and all mooring fields to access the wifi we are paying for. It is a pain having to sit outside the office to use the internet, particularly if you are on a mooring ball like in Dinner Key a 15 minute dinghy ride. With the Bullet we can watch Netflix in the evening if we want, Skype, or check the weather.
Bob
Bob
The MiFi (or other Cellular data Hot Spot devices (MiFi is trademarked by Novatel)) is a limited use device - it works only as a mobile hot spot.
Any decent smartphone has a built in mobile hot spot option; however, some Cellcos charge extra for this kind of use.
If you have a smartphone with a decent data plan, you probably won't need (or want) a dedicated mobile hot spot; the phone would work as well in that function and will be a normal cell phone any other time.
I would even suggest that it is much more economical to use a single phone with data access and distribute that Internet connection to various devices on-board than trying to have an dedicated Internet connection (i.e. cellular data plan) for each of the devices (these include laptops, tablets, eBook readers etc.).
Cellular data can be had nowadays at very reasonable price (unless you are roaming), so there is no need to try hacking into other peoples Wi-Fi networks.
Any decent smartphone has a built in mobile hot spot option; however, some Cellcos charge extra for this kind of use.
If you have a smartphone with a decent data plan, you probably won't need (or want) a dedicated mobile hot spot; the phone would work as well in that function and will be a normal cell phone any other time.
I would even suggest that it is much more economical to use a single phone with data access and distribute that Internet connection to various devices on-board than trying to have an dedicated Internet connection (i.e. cellular data plan) for each of the devices (these include laptops, tablets, eBook readers etc.).
Cellular data can be had nowadays at very reasonable price (unless you are roaming), so there is no need to try hacking into other peoples Wi-Fi networks.
Been surfing the ICW for 3 years now.
As has been said, some marinas wifi is weak and a booster up the mast will help. Miami Beach had free city wide that worked quite well.
We also have a 3g booster which helps in those swamps of N Carolina.
Recently upgraded to a Samsung S4 4G Verizon phone and it is what we now use most of the time. Most of the coast, Verizon is the best coverage. Up here in Maine, Verizon isnt very good but we're finding open hotspots.
So if you are in serious need of internet, have multiple options.
As has been said, some marinas wifi is weak and a booster up the mast will help. Miami Beach had free city wide that worked quite well.
We also have a 3g booster which helps in those swamps of N Carolina.
Recently upgraded to a Samsung S4 4G Verizon phone and it is what we now use most of the time. Most of the coast, Verizon is the best coverage. Up here in Maine, Verizon isnt very good but we're finding open hotspots.
So if you are in serious need of internet, have multiple options.