I test and evaluate lots of different ways to stay connected while on the water. These articles cover antennas, routers, and plans that you can use to get internet access from your boat.
There have been a lot of new cellular antennas that have come out in the last few months from Peplink. I've been testing some of them for a while, and have some interesting findings.
The Netgear Nighthawk 5G is an expensive upgrade to the Nighthawk line with moderate 5G support and some other interesting features.
Verizon has added new data only plans to their lineup for both pre-paid and post-paid customers. This is great news for those folks needing VZW coverage.
Working remotely from the boat requires a good system with multiple connections and cellular plans, redundancy, and good WiFi.
Various devices from Victron and Tycon that can help power sensitive electronics and power over ethernet (PoE) devices.
Below are some of the current systems / hardware / plans I recommend. These are constantly changing, so check back often.
Many folks are asking about whether Starlink is a viable alternative for internet connectivity on the boat. I'll cover what I know and link to some other useful bits of info.
One of the biggest challenges with staying connected on the water is finding an appropriate cellular data plan. Before you embark on buying a new router, cabling, or anything else, start here - finding a plan can be challenging, and no amount of hardware will fix that.
Accessing your boat remotely is a common desire. Most people can access their home remotely, so it seems like it should be just as easy for your boat. But there are some limitations with the types of connectivity that most boaters have that make it a bit more challenging.
The Teltonika RUTX11 is a single category 6 LTE router with a ton of features, extra services and connectivity, and all for an inexpensive price.
T-Mobile is offering a decent hotspot / router plan again for $50/month that includes 100GB of data, roaming, and more!
The Poynting OMNI-496 is an excellent dual band WiFi antenna built for the marine world.
