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Wifi internet |
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is a link to an article discussing various types of wif antenna with links
to their equipment for sale.
If you want something more powerful than that (essential in Simpson Bay when the big boys are in) Budget marine offers the following:
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Wifi internet coverage is new and a huge boon to cruisers as it brings broad-band high-speed internet access right into your boat, and makes surfing the web on board really practical. Various companies are supplying this service, and it is generally only available where yachts congregate, which means in or somewhere near a marina. So, to be able to get onboard email over the whole area we cover, you would need to combine wifi with either satellite or GRSM. It is easy enough for a wifi company to set up a shore station powerful enough to cover an area like Simpson Bay Lagoon, but internet is a two way process so this is not a big help if you are using a weak system like a laptop with a regular wifi card. To take full advantage of Caribbean wifi you will need a more powerful on board system, available through many of the marine electronics shops. These can vary from something simple, like a computer card, but one that has a significantly larger and more powerful aerial, to a more complex mast-mounted aerial, with an amplifier included in the system. It needs to operate on the IEEE 802.11 b and/or g standard, and have an output power of at least 100mw. There are also directional systems which can work when the boat is lying in a steady direction. These systems are not usually expensive, This is not to say a laptop with a regular wifi system is useless, but being close to the supplier's transmitter (hot spot) becomes very important. Some suppliers have multiple hot spots to extend the range, in which case you may get fair reception when you are in or very close to a marina. The position of your computer is important and you can often significantly improve a weak signal by moving from down below to up into the cockpit or on deck. The regular wifi laptop is also excellent for taking ashore to a wifi internet cafe. Using wifi is simple. Normally you just click on the wireless connection icon on your laptop and follow the directions. Occasionally you may need to go ashore to pay. Receiving emails and surfing the web is easy, and outgoing mail through webmail outfits like hotmail is no problem. If you are using Outlook Express with an STMP address for your outgoing mail, this will be seamless with some operators, but with others you may have to add a new address into your system. Recently a company based in the Signal Locker, Antigua: Hot hot hot spot has set up stations in many islands, including Antigua, Guadeloupe, The Saintes, Bequia, Union Island and Grenada.
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