 |
|
|
WI-FI INTERNET ACCESS WHILE CRUISING
|
|
August 16, 2004. I'm fairly well informed on a number of fields, but when it comes to the fast-paced world of electronics and their applications, I'm a bit of a disappointment. Thus, when Waggoner reader Bob Miller suggested that he send in a couple articles to help with my lack of knowledge, I said, yes please. Here they are: a shorter, nuts-and-bolts approach, and a longer, more involved approach. --Bob Hale
High-Speed Internet Access While Cruising
Robert J. Miller, M/V Loon Song, Anacortes, WA
We boaters in the Pacific Northwest are able to get broadband Internet access from our boats while berthed in many of the larger marinas in Seattle, the San Juan Islands, Vancouver and Victoria, BC, and locations farther up the British Columbia coast. During a three-week trip into the Broughtons above Vancouver Island in July 2004, my wife and I found satellite-based Internet access in several of the small marina resorts not served by land-based phone lines.
What is WiFi?
WiFi is simply broadband Ethernet access to the Internet. It is delivered over a radio link using low-powered transmitters called Access Points (AP). While most consumer-level WiFi units have a nominal range of 300 feet in the outdoors, the industrial-strength APs installed by the commercial services can cover ranges of up to 1,000 feet from the transmitter.
What New Hardware Do You Need?
On the boat, you need a computer and a WiFi access unit. For laptops, there are three types of WiFi units: built-in; PC Card; and USB connection. The add-on units usually cost between $70 and $120.
For boating use, it is best to buy high-powered PC Card versions with 200 milliwatts of transmit power and with ability to connect an external antenna. This is because most of the low cost cards are designed for use in the home within 50-100 feet of a WiFi Access Point. The antennas of the APs in marinas are much further away and the additional power and external antennas provide more “punch.”
The USB WiFi access units are nice, in that they come with a better antenna and a long cable that allows you to place the unit outside of the boat for better reception. They work well with older laptops and for desktop computers on the boat.
What Software Do You Need?
WiFi support is built into Windows XP. If you have an older version of Windows, you will have to install the device driver that comes with the access unit. The installation of the device driver and configuration of the access unit is generally not difficult. I use several different pieces of Linksys networking equipment (www.linksys.com). Their installation wizards are very good and the documentation is clearly written.
The support software to manage the connection provided by Windows XP works well, but is bare bones. There are several good utility programs which manage multiple WiFi services and the various logon IDs and passwords. The one I favor at the moment is provided by Boingo, a large WiFi Service Provider (or WISP). The free software doesn’t tie you to Boingo’s service, and you can download it from www.boingo.com/download.html.
What WISP Do You Need?
While there are some public or free WiFi networks, the ones most commonly found in marinas, chain-style coffee shops, and book stores are commercial enterprises. They all offer Internet access by the hour ($3-5), by the day ($7-10) or by the month ($30-70) tied to a credit card charge. Signing up for a service is normally done on-line after connecting to the WiFi signal. You simply open up your internet browser and your default home page is temporarily pointed to a sign-on page for the WISP. You select a payment plan; enter a credit card number; pick a username and password; and then you are linked to the Internet.
There are many commercial WISPs popping up in the Pacific Northwest, but the one with the largest coverage in marinas is BroadbandXpress (www.bbxpress.net). Other widely available services in our area include: T-Mobile (www.t-mobile.com/hotspot), with coverage in Starbucks, Borders Books, and Kinko’s Copy Centers; Boingo (www.boingo.com) with outlets in some hotels; and Wayport (www.wayport.net) with good coverage in airports and many hotels.
Conclusion
Now, with the proliferation of WiFi services, boaters in the Pacific Northwest can get fast and reliable Internet connections while tied up in many of our marinas. This means that you can leave the office and still get those important e-mail messages. It also means that you can send the latest digital photos to your non-boating friends saying, “Don’t you wish you were here?” v
Tips on Internet Surfing While Boating
Robert J. Miller, M/V Loon Song, Anacortes, WA
You are ready to go boating or traveling, but are compulsively tied to the Internet and the services it offers. What do you do? Here are some tips from a long time “wired” traveler (road warrior?). I am a speed freak and don’t like to live with traditional dial-up services, so I have searched for affordable services and equipment that provide broadband access (speeds above 256 kbps).
Before Leaving Home
Make sure that you laptop software is up-to-date and that your virus protection is working.
- Run Windows Update (
http://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/en/default.asp) and at a minimum download all of the Critical Updates and Driver Updates. People who complain about “flakey” computers or software are generally running programs that haven’t been updated for some time. For sure, install the security updates offered by Microsoft.
- If you are a heavy user of Microsoft Office applications, run Office Update (http://office.microsoft.com/OfficeUpdate/default.aspx). Again, running out-of-date or non-updated software is a sure formula for troubles.
- How current is your virus checking and firewall software? We all know about e-mail viruses and other diseases that get transmitted over the Internet. Not having the latest version of a virus checking and firewall tool is as dumb as leaving the dock without checking your fuel level. Today, you need more than the traditional e-mail virus checker and should have a software “firewall.” Several good packages are available from Norton, McAffee, and other sources. Make sure that the safety tools are enabled to automatically download and install the frequent updates.
- Tune up your computer. Clear out unused programs and old files and check the integrity of your software. I have had years of good service from Symantec’s Norton SystemWorks. I run the tuning tools weekly while at home.
- Got manuals? I strongly recommend that you bring along manuals and the distribution disks of new software you plan to use on your voyage. Even though this may be a bit nerdish, you may need to reconfigure your application or (horrors!) may have to read the manual.
What to Bring
Once on the road, you may have trouble finding the “bits and pieces” a road-warrior requires while on his (most often a male characteristic) quest for connectivity.
- Ethernet cables Bring a 10-15 foot Ethernet cable for hooking up to a hub or router. This has saved me many times after getting permission to hook to someone’s network (often in a business center in a hotel). Also make sure that you have an in-line connector (8 wires, not 4 or 6) to connect two Ethernet cables together.
- Power strip and adapters Not enough plugs? Carry a small power strip and plug into electricity. Remember that the battery on your laptop may only last an hour or so. You can be sure that you will need 15 minutes more connection time than your battery provides. Not only that, most laptops run faster when connected to an AC source. When my wife and I travel to international destinations I carry a small European power strip with the round two-prong connector, and a bunch of plug adapters from European to US, as well as a couple of British plugs for members of the old British Empire.
- Phone cable and connectors You many need to use dial-up, so always carry a 25-foot phone cord and an in-line connector and some international phone adaptors. Many countries don’t use the RJ-11 connector we use in North America. Radio Shack has all the stuff.
- Small router/WiFi Access Point This may be a bit extreme for some, but more and more business travelers are packing the small routers offered by Linksys, D-Link, or NetGear. Since many business hotels have wired Ethernet access in their rooms, hooking a router/WiFi AP to the connection allows your traveling mate to go on-line at the same time, or you can lie in bed or sit out on the veranda with your laptop using the WiFi connection. Apple has just released a new personal WiFi router that fits into a shirt pocket.
Finding Broadband Access
Now that you have all the gear ready and have arrived at your destination, how do you get on-line? In urban areas, WiFi wireless access is often available for free in public libraries, independent book stores, and coffee shops. Just power up your laptop and run your WiFi software to find a signal. Remember, most non-commercial services have a range of only a couple hundred feet. Some of the tools, like Boingo’s finder (www.boingo.com) have built-in directories of service locations.
- Free WiFi Found in public libraries, independent coffee shops and book stores, some hotel lobbies (most charge a usage fee), some downtown areas, some small marinas.
- Non-secured private WiFi Access Points Individuals often set up unsecured WiFi networks in their homes or businesses. Occasionally this done for the “public good,” but most often the owner simply fails to set up security tools. If your WiFi signal finder shows a signal that doesn’t have a lock symbol, you may be able to connect to the AP and get access to the Internet. Many people feel that this is a theft of service, while others say anyone stupid enough to leave an AP unsecured deserves having others hijack his signal. The moral decision is yours.
- Commercial WiFi services Most often found in large chain coffee shops and bookstores (Starbucks, Borders Books), business service establishments (Kinkos, Mailbox Inc., UPS Stores), and hotels. Hourly and daily fees apply and are charged to a credit card. These public-for-fee sites require you to run your internet browser in order to sign-up for service. You will be presented with a sign-on page for the WISP asking for a credit card (or your existing logon name). Then the service will connect you to the internet and you can “surf the web." Frequent users should subscribe to the monthly service plan. Marinas in the Pacific Northwest are well served by BroadbandXpress (www.bbxpress.net).
- Wired Ethernet Like your broadband Ethernet access at home, you connect your laptop’s Ethernet port to a network hub or router of an existing network. This is common in wired hotels or business centers of hotels, or at office services establishments. Generally your laptop is configured for automatic TCP addresses and plugging into the network gets you a private IP address on the network if the network is configured to provide gateway and DHCP services. If not, you need to delve into the mysteries of TCP networks -- not something for the timid. Hotels that offer free or pay services are normally set up for automatic connections. I have poked into the wiring mess of some hotel business centers to find an open Ethernet port and have gotten on-line that way, or by unplugging the computer provided for public use. You really should ask for permission if you do this, however.
What to Expect
Poking into public or quasi-public Ethernet networks does require some knowledge of TCP networks. As a good primer I can recommend Heather Brown’s book, Home Networking with Microsoft Windows XP Step by Step, published by Microsoft Press. The book is packed with screen shots of how to set up TCP networking on the various Microsoft operating systems. Some thoughts come to mind on what to expect when trying to connect to a strange network:
- Didn’t get a TCP/IP address? The network probably isn’t set up to provide DHCP services. Unless you know how the network is specifically configured, you are pretty much out of luck.
- Got an IP address but can’t get out to the Internet? The router function may not be working or the external connection (DSL, cable TV, or satellite service) may not be running. This is generally an out-of-luck situation, unless you can find the network owner and say, “Your router is not enabled.”
- Slow access If you are on a satellite link from DirecWay (common in the remote islands of upper B.C.), the upload speed is only 40-50 kbps (dial-up speed) and the network is easily saturated.
- Sent e-mail gets rejected Because of spam, many e-mail services that use POP3/SMTP mail systems (not MSN or Yahoo or AOL) reject mail sent by machines that are not on recognized IP networks. My Earthlink service accepts SMTP mail only from certain networks and I often am forced to use MSN’s Hotmail service when roaming. Technically this issue is called “relay,” and you can find more information on how to roam to other networks on your e-mail provider’s support pages. Earthlink has an “authenticated server” that generally bypasses the problem. The solution is to have an Internet e-mail account on Hotmail or Yahoo.
- Can’t find the e-mail server If you have been using cable TV broadband access at home you may have configured your POP3 and SMTP mail servers with server names of “mail” or “pop3” or “smtp”. These are not fully qualified network names and you should configure your e-mail program to have POP3 and SMTP mail address of something like “mail.comcast.net.” Check with your e-mail service provider before leaving home.
Road Warrior Etiquette
We don’t want to mess up the ground for those who follow us, so bear in mind some of the finer points of network etiquette.
- Hacking a private network is not nice. Ask first.
- Disconnecting equipment from network hubs and routers can cause problems. Be sure you know what you are doing. Reconnect everything back to the original state when you leave.
- Ask permission before reconfiguring a router or gateway. You must reconfigure it back to the original state, if necessary, so write down all of the original network settings.
- Be polite to others and don’t hog the network.
- If you can improve service on the network or clean up some of the wiring, do so after obtaining the owner’s permission. I have often found that a network owner had the network installed some time ago by a roaming technician and doesn’t really know what has been done. By talking with the owner and explaining some of the network aspects, you are giving a benefit to the owner and are upholding the Road Warrior Rule of “Do No Harm, Network-wise.”
v
|
|
|
|
|
