I've been dicking around trying to improve the internet signal on our boat... and its been a frustration to say the least. It culminated in my Ipad being launched across the boat in frustration while I was trying to watch the Rugby on Amazon prime the other week.
The frustration is we can get a decent (by boat standards) download speed of around 10 MB/s - perfectly acceptable for streaming and other internetty stuff but its inconsistent meaning buffering or worse dropping the stream altogether.
I have put up an outdoor omnidirectional aerial and have a TPlink 4g modem. The latter being recently replace by their latest cat6 300mb/s (Ha!) model. I have done a ton of reading the forums about cell towers, channels and carrier aggregation something the latest model of TPlinks (M600) is supposed to support.
However when swapped over it actually was slower than my older M200 (150mb/s - double ha!)
The frustration is putting up the external aerial does not seem to achieve a great deal more that having my Iphone in the window at the front of the boat.
So the TPlink M600 has gone back to Amazon and the TPlink M200 is back in service - well service at home undergoing tests in the window (22mb/s here which is as fast as our home broadband)
Ultimately if we can't get a reliable signal on the boat we have a few choices;
1. Read a book
2. Move moorings
3. Sell the boat
I've never felt so disconnected from the boat and canals. Maybe it's because I know what work is needed in 2021 (if we get a 2021), Hull survey, blacking and boat safety. All really are needed if we do sell the boat so not wasted apart from the time effort and money that will be involved.
I could just take it to Norbury and get them to do the blacking and get the hull surveyed while there but in my experience blacking is best done by yourself to get the best job and if that is the case I need to find a dry dock that is in commuting distance to the house. I liked the bonded warehouse but it was too distant from the cottage meaning I was left aboard in not the best place.
Truth be told I'm fed up with this year and the Chinese virus that is doing its job on the world. I have work to do on the boat that should be an enjoyable challenge, but I just see it as another 'job' that needs doing before we can cruise. When you add the jobs needing doing - general maintenance stuff plus fitting the back stove then the BSC Blacking and survey - not a lot of cruising will be done next year and what will be done will carry an overload of cost and work....
Not the most positive of blogs but it needs to be recorded - I know others are venting - Country House Gent on YouTube has a view, not one I agree with but there is a real sense of anger in him.
O well at least we have a Christmas to not look forward to - shouldn't wish my life away but it's hard not to want to flush 2020 down the toilet and wipe our hands on the remains of winter in 2021 before, if we are still here, spring 2021 and the vaccine arrive.
..... as to the internet, might try a different 4g router from Amazon, they can take a bit of order and return abuse, I spend enough with them.
Watch this space ........
5 comments:
Hi Nev
We have no broadband at the scout hut nor at any of our pedalcar venues (kart tracks).
I now use a Huawei B593 4G router linked up to a good 4G antenna. That works well for us but i can't give you any stats as we aren't allowed to go to the hut at present.
Watch out as for proper 4G you do need a router with two antenna ports and a remote antenna with dual cables since the setup is MIMO. That could be why your new setup didn't give you full speed.
Its also possible that where you tried it hasn't got the extra 4G features the M600 needs on that cell site or the cells site is poor/overloaded
We always blacked Rock n Roll at Stone - good facilities and not too far from you. Geoff on Seyella has always done theirs there too.
I get exactly where you are coming from.
Normally the work is part of the pleasure of owning a boat (if your brain works the way I think both of ours do), but this year we have to get a BSS before license renewal, and we have (trivial, but time consuming work to do before that - like putting new covers on the battery terminals, which means taking all the wires off), and the fact of all that is sitting at the back of my mind all the time making me unhappy and constantly slightly worried about just how to fit it in with family and work and around all the restrictions.
It's very much a nice problem to have, compared to what a lot of people are facing up to, but somehow that doesn't help.
Nev just think of what it would be like when the boat is sold and you're sitting at home (on a working internet) viewing your favourite vlogging journeys.
The internet stability is a luxury that we take for granted at home but on the boat the 10% of the time it's not available Amazon is losing my hard-earned.
FL is booked into Stafford Boat Club in July for DIY blacking (for the third time) a friendly place reasonably priced and you get a full week to do an unrushed job. If we are around and you need a hand with the brushes.... I'll send Sue along.
Happy new year to you all, lets hope for a better 2021
Norwyn
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