Starlink internet

[paulga]

The marina wifi is unstable. It constantly slows down too much throwing the internet back to pre 2000. I purchased a TMobile 5g hotspot (and a plan) that arrives next week. If that does not work out either I'm considering starlink.

I should be able to mount the dish on the rooftop alongside those antenna poles. Then I need to route the cable into the main cabin. I saw there is a hole just above the window. It has light on the end of tunnel , but I couldn't find any opening from inside of the cabin. Any idea how to pull the cable into the cabin?

There are stereo boxes in the sundeck that are wired from the cabin, but I haven't figured out where the wires channel through

 

[DBG8492]

Not sure about yours, but my Sundeck has a cabinet aft - under the sundeck canopy above the aft main cabin window. The inside of the cabinet connects to the two lockers under the port side flybridge seats to form one large storage area. There are several holes in the bottoms of those that serve as drains - they lead to the outside through the trim on the bottom of the outside wall, and there are channels in the cabinet floor that are supposed to direct water to these drains.

Mine (both channels and holes) were clogged with 40 years of dirt causing water to pool and drain into the cabin in areas where you couldn't immediately tell it was happening...

Most of the wiring added by the two previous owners of this boat - including the solar panel and speaker wire - was routed through a hole drilled in the inside of the flybridge allowing it to drop into the rear port corner of the salon where the wiring was first run behind the valences at the tops of the windows and then along the back side of the forward-most rafter to the main wiring channel on the bulkhead right next to the helm. It looks like woodwork, but there are visible screws where you can remove the cover to access the inside.

The hole inside the flybridge was not covered by a clamshell or anything - just some electrical tape and globs of 4200. I don't want to talk about what this did to the wood in that corner of the salon...

When I finally get to the point of mounting my Starlink dish permanently, I will find a way to get it into the flybridge and through the main channel with actual fittings to prevent water intrusion. But for now, it's run through a different hole someone drilled into the main cabin at the bottom of the wall under the aft "permanent" window. This opening is under the sundeck cover and at least there, it's somewhat protected from water ingress, and somewhere along the line, someone added one of those covers that is supposed to direct water around it. I also bought an 18x24-foot tarp and lashed it over the entire flybridge to stop any water intrusion while we were working on fixing everything.

If you're going to run it even temporarily, think carefully about how and where. And if that hole you've spotted is a drain, you don't want to run your cable through it as very bad things are definitely possible.

 

[Bmarler]

That hole looks like a flybridge drain to me. I would never pull a cable through there.
You should use a cable gland like this one: https://www.westmarine.com/seaview-...a7WnJZwzK_hMkVWrIzOblgRXt190pgawaAnwxEALw_wcB

 

[Bradenvlp]

May be simpler to wire a 110 outlet onto your bridge if you have a cabinet and leave the router up there. Cutting and splicing the starlink cable is more complicated (for me at least). Mine lives in a cabinet in my flybridge. Plenty of all boat coverage.

 

[Crossroads]

"May be simpler to wire a 110 outlet onto your bridge if you have a cabinet and leave the router up there"

This is what we do, except that instead of using AC, I use an inexpensive 300W PSW inverter from Amazon wired into the Flybridge Electronics circuitry. Thus I can cycle the power conveniently from the 12V panel adjacent to the lower helm. Over the winter I'll change that to a spare breaker independent of the electronics circuitry.

It works surprisingly well from the FB cabinet. Friends on their boat 100+/- yards away streamed content from our router with no noticeable effect on our use.

Even though the FB cabinet is "weatherproof" I mounted the router and inverter, and excess antenna cable in a snap lock storage container. Also made it easier to move the whole apparatus with us on our current road trip in our van.

 

[paulga]

"May be simpler to wire a 110 outlet onto your bridge if you have a cabinet and leave the router up there"

This is what we do, except that instead of using AC, I use an inexpensive 300W PSW inverter from Amazon wired into the Flybridge Electronics circuitry. Thus I can cycle the power conveniently from the 12V panel adjacent to the lower helm. Over the winter I'll change that to a spare breaker independent of the electronics circuitry.

It works surprisingly well from the FB cabinet. Friends on their boat 100+/- yards away streamed content from our router with no noticeable effect on our use.

Even though the FB cabinet is "weatherproof" I mounted the router and inverter, and excess antenna cable in a snap lock storage container. Also made it easier to move the whole apparatus with us on our current road trip in our van.

I was considering to drill a hole near the salon door, then channel an ethernet cable through a cable seal in Bmarler's link. the cable links from a range extender that I mounted on top of the bridge, and is routed to an apple time capsule in the salon.

I might just place the time capsule in the FB. Are you using something like this ABS weather proof box to place the router?

 

[Crossroads]

I used a cheap Amazon plastic bin

https://www.amazon.com/IRIS-Weather...5c2-8ea3-5f0d1bed37b7&pd_rd_i=B008VBOCAY&th=1

I wasnt concerned about ultimate water proof since I drilled two holes in the side for the antenna and power cables. My flybridge locker is not airtight, but little if any water gets in. So far so good.

 

[paulga]

I used a cheap Amazon plastic bin

https://www.amazon.com/IRIS-Weather...5c2-8ea3-5f0d1bed37b7&pd_rd_i=B008VBOCAY&th=1

I wasnt concerned about ultimate water proof since I drilled two holes in the side for the antenna and power cables. My flybridge locker is not airtight, but little if any water gets in. So far so good.

Abs or plastic is ok for wifi transmission, but fiberglass, which is present throughout the boat (cabin walls, salon roof), is said to effectively weaken wifi signal. Is it a concern in real practice?

 

[Crossroads]

Router signal thru the cabin roof into the salon was more than adequate for our needs. Concurrently, friends about 100 yards away used our signal to stream video with no adverse impact to our usage.

Dishy searches for and aligns to the satellites only when first powered up. When the boat swings at anchor that optimal alignment may suffer, as will the signal. Our download speeds varied from a low of 10 mbps to 200 mbps, probably averaging 50-75 mbps. For general surfing, wifi calling, weather reports etc, even the low speeds were adequate. This was in BC coastal waters, your area may be different.

Side note: a couple of weeks ago I was in SW New Mexico, in an remote area not within a Starlink coverage hexagon. Connectivity ranged from zero to 5mbps. You might want to check Starlinks coverage map to confirm your area is served.

 

[paulga]

I have found a range extender already stabilizes the marina wifi, so I will not buy starlink. The speed is cut due to using a range extender, but stable to support working from slip.
Alternative internet options are FiOS (wire to dock), earthlink internet. Both are more economy than starlink for me as I wouldn't ride far from the dock often.

Router signal thru the cabin roof into the salon was more than adequate for our needs. Concurrently, friends about 100 yards away used our signal to stream video with no adverse impact to our usage.

Dishy searches for and aligns to the satellites only when first powered up. When the boat swings at anchor that optimal alignment may suffer, as will the signal. Our download speeds varied from a low of 10 mbps to 200 mbps, probably averaging 50-75 mbps. For general surfing, wifi calling, weather reports etc, even the low speeds were adequate. This was in BC coastal waters, your area may be different.

Side note: a couple of weeks ago I was in SW New Mexico, in an remote area not within a Starlink coverage hexagon. Connectivity ranged from zero to 5mbps. You might want to check Starlinks coverage map to confirm your area is served.

 

[Takoradi]

"May be simpler to wire a 110 outlet onto your bridge if you have a cabinet and leave the router up there"

This is what we do, except that instead of using AC, I use an inexpensive 300W PSW inverter from Amazon wired into the Flybridge Electronics circuitry. Thus I can cycle the power conveniently from the 12V panel adjacent to the lower helmn.

EXACTLY what I'm considering. The system doesnt even draw an amp so thats a LOT easier than routing AC to the fb. Is your inverter pure sine wave or modified and does it even make a difference?

Thanks,

Brad

 

[Darlin]

Go with Starlink. I use it in Baja Mexico with good results. A rod holder makes an excellent antenna mount.