I've mostly given up on marina wifi unless I am at a transient marina that offers wifi and I will usually try it and it usually works well. Other than that, I use a hotspot on my cell phone and it works perfectly as long as there is a cell signal. Most carriers offer unlimited data these days so that is no longer a concern. Suggest trying that before boosters, antennas, etc.
Most carriers do not provide unlimited plans for tethering, tablets, or hotspots. They provide what they call unlimited plans for phones, but even those stop working in a usable fashion after a certain amount of data.
I use cellphone tethering a lot. Even with unlimited data plans, they limit throughout beyond a certain usage. T-Mobile would first clamp me down so tethering was useless. When I then switched to using video via my phone and other stuff via my laptop, I'd get clamped down later in the cycle-- but then couldn't even check email on my phone, and that was true 24x7, not just prime time.
Just switched to ATT, we'll see how it does...so far the clamp down seems more reasonable and tied to likely network usage levels.
Exactly - all of the providers will slow you down or limit you if you are in a populated area with a lot of people on the towers, or after you exceed whatever plan limits you have. Tethering to a phone usually has limits anywhere from 5GB up to 20GB depending on the plan and details.
Read the fine print: “unlimited data” does not mean unlimited fast data. All the major carriers will throttle your account after you exceed their arbitrary limits. If you are using your SIM card to feed a mobile hotspot the limit is even lower, 15gb IIRC. The data is still unlimited, but the speed is too slow for much more than texting and email.
Yes, they slow you down to 3G speeds which is extremely slow, but still usable for basic stuff.
When I work with customers, we first start with defining HOW you will use the internet: lots of streaming? just one person? only for email? constantly on?
Then we start with WHERE: offshore? coastal cruising? at the dock?
Once you build that profile, it's pretty easy to determine the priority and the best system and setup. For those who are bandwidth crazy, a dedicated mobile LTE router is best with multiple plans/SIMs from different carriers. This can get expensive, but it is also highly reliable.
For those with less needs, a hotspot or tethering combined with a booster is an option. Sometimes a cheaper mobile router with a decent single outdoor antenna is a good intermediate step that allows for a bit more permanent setup that you can also access remotely while away.
For WiFi at marinas, I don't generally use their network in most cases. They're over subscribed, poorly maintained, and have lots of issues that others have talked about. I have a Comcast/Xfinity connection at home, and as a result, I can login to the "xfinitywifi" open networks that you see everywhere, which are generated by their routers out and about in people's homes. Tons of people have those on their boats at marinas, and they work extremely well as a way to get online. You do have to login with your Comcast credentials, but I only have to do that once a month or so. Far more reliable than the marina WiFi.
