Internet Connected Vessel

D

dialtone

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 3, 2014
Messages
154
Fluid Motion Model
C-24 C
Non-Fluid Motion Model
CW30 Sedan
I took the plunge and mounted a Verizon Mifi Jetpack in the kitchen. By changing the settings on the Jetpack the device no longer sleeps and runs continuously to offer our vessel 24/7 Internet.

Here are some items I'm doing and would be interested in your ideas.

- Nest Protect : (fire/co detect & alert). This is actually working very well and provides pathway lightning at night (upon motion so you can actually not have light when you sleep). Haven't cooked a meal yet - that might get interesting.

- Dropcam : still researching to make sure I can setup so that it does not stream data unless motion/sound is detected. Goal is to avoid unnecessary bandwidth usage. I may just turn off cloud recording to achieve this.

- AppleTV : not that I should be streaming movies and nearing my bandwidth cap but sometimes it is hard to resist watching a new movie release on your tug. Anybody know a easy way for me to duplicate the video signal on both TVs? AppleTV is HDMI out.

That's what I'm doing so far.
 
I am interested in wi-fi for my boat. Has anyone looked into solutions that don't depend on something like mifi??
 
I installed the Rouge Wave WIFI booster that comes with a wireless router. I usually have no problem picking up marina WIFI where others do at times. When anchored out near homes there is always someone nearby that does not have their WIFI secured, but that is getting more and more rare. When no WIFI is available we have our phones set up for a hotspot, but we do not do any video streaming, youtube etc, which are data hogs. this has worked out well for the past three years.
The good part about the wireless router is that it is only one point to link in and then all the phones and computers link to the router. We even have a printer on board and we networked that. So we have no wires running anywhere.
 
I just simply turn on the WIFI hotspot on my S3 smartphone and I can get WIFI 28 miles offshore at Catalina Island. I never put a dent in my data plan while checking email, weather etc..I wouldn't recommend streaming movies tho...
 
Your cell signal to create that hotspot may be coming from Catalina Island.
 
dialtone":34syrrml said:
Update: I'm ditching anything that can't do 12v. Check out my new Roku
Click to expand...

What does that Roku gadget do?
 
The Roku allows you to stream TV, Movies, Radio, and many other things. Here is a pic to give you an idea of what stations/apps can be used and what the remote looks like: http://www.ringscoops.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/roku.jpg.

I chose the ROKU because :

1) It's small. 1 piece of double sided sticky tape to the back of the TV, done.

2) It doesn't take a lot of power. About 2 watts and only when the TV is on. Safe for on-hook usage and won't drain the battery when you turn off the TV.

3) The remote actually works. A lot of cheap remotes use Infrared (aka light) but these use Radio Frequency and work no matter where you happen to be pointing it.

If you like the cables I used, here are the amazon links:

HDMI saver : http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004C4XR00?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s01

Mini USB Power Cable: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PEHSJ98?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage

Finally - It's no secret these majestic TV's aren't exactly high quality. Their sound is horrible, the picture is ok, and the plastic is so cheap that a good yank in the wrong direction will instantly break something inside the TV/circuit board. But.... They run off 12 volts and include a powered USB port so we can plug in toys like the Roku and that in my book is good enough.

PS : For any of you Android users, Google makes something called the Chromecast. It's just like the ROKU but plays nicely with your Android phone or Chrome web browser on PC/MAC. Think: Streaming pics of your voyage to friends, playing video right from your phone, etc. all very easy.

PPS : The funny part is I have more fun putting this stuff together than actually using it.
 
We use a Verizon Jet Pack. We did not mount ours. We use it while trailering in the truck to research Trip Advisor ratings on restaurants fuel prices etc. Sometimes we use it hotel rooms if we need to do something securely. Most times we use free internet where ever we can find it. Marina's, Tim Horton's if in Canada, some towns have it. If the connection is weak or we want to do something moderately secure we use the Jetpack. We have a 10 gig plan that covers both our phones and the Jetpack which I believe costs about 80 dollars a month. It works almost anywhere. We will use DVD's for movies(Red box). We don't stream anything. We are going to Canada for a month and that always seems to create some challenges for phone service and internet with out breaking the bank.
D.D.
 
For those who are looking for a 12 volt TV, Robyn and I purchased an Insignia 19" LED HDTV for a spare bedroom at our house. When it arrived, I found it to be a 12 volt TV with a transformer built into the power cord. That TV is now permanently installed with a swing-down mount on the SLO Ranger, just above the entrance to the V-berth. I plug it into a 12 volt outlet I installed on the port side dashboard. It has good quality sound and picture. I suppose I could add a jumper to wire the TV into the stereo system, but I haven't found that to be necessary.
We use a Winegard antenna to pick up the local channels, which has worked well. The antenna stores flat and hangs from the monkey fur via velcro hook tape when in use, thus no permanent wiring or installation. Based upon Dialtone's recommendation, I've ordered a ROKU to provide more variety.
 
Scuffy":1zildtbd said:
We use a Verizon Jet Pack. We did not mount ours. We use it while trailering in the truck to research Trip Advisor ratings on restaurants fuel prices etc. Sometimes we use it hotel rooms if we need to do something securely. Most times we use free internet where ever we can find it. Marina's, Tim Horton's if in Canada, some towns have it. If the connection is weak or we want to do something moderately secure we use the Jetpack. We have a 10 gig plan that covers both our phones and the Jetpack which I believe costs about 80 dollars a month. It works almost anywhere. We will use DVD's for movies(Red box). We don't stream anything. We are going to Canada for a month and that always seems to create some challenges for phone service and internet with out breaking the bank.
D.D.
Click to expand...

Hi Dave,

When in Canada, we use a pay as you go phone we purchased there. For less than $50, we got a phone and enough minutes to keep in touch with family. Doesn't help with the internet situation, but between libraries and cafes, and the occasional "buy a night of it at a marina", you can make it work.

Another option is SKYPE, to make outgoing calls when you have an internet connection. Calls to the US are about 2¢ per minute.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
We use netflix on our iPhone and use an hdmi adaptor to go directly into the TV on the boat. We are grandfathered on our data plan on our iPhones so no worries. We have a 20gig data plan our our MiFi but you can burn through quickly if not careful.
 
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