Featured product

This newsletter features a new product developed for boaters and cruisers to get you marine Wifi internet connection onboard your boat and afloat while as much as 5 miles offshore. 5 mile marine wifi reception sounds great. You can be anchored offshore a bit and still have internet connection. Communicate via Skype, get the latest weather downloads, work! etc.

Many cruisers are using cell phone cards to get online. This is a good thing for many but marine wifi access can be free and may include faster surfing. Most internet connections via wifi however are limited to Marinas.

Its been a while since we did our   Staying Connected newsletter which looks at wifi and cellular  and since then we have been looking for new products in the wifi field and this one looks to be a step up from other products on the market.

This product developed by Joe Boyle who before he took off cruising had his own Computer Company. Now he is able to use his expertise and contacts in the Computer world to build a marine wifi booster product that cruisers and boaters can use offshore or anchored in a cove.

The picture show the main components of the marine wi-fi kit, except for the antenna. The 5 mile wifi card (grey box), installation disc, extra signal cable, antenna  and antenna cable 25ft. The marine wifi antenna not show is 1meter long. You can see the antenna in the image below where its mounted on a mast. Retail $399

Cruisers and live-aboard are relying more and more on marine WIFI signals for weather, communication and information.

For those who want, or need, to be connected to the internet, the proliferation of WIFI is a beautiful thing, says Scott Brunner of 5milewifi. A solid marine WIFI connection is as good as sitting in your house in front of your home computer. Download weather gribs, check your email, make a Skype call to family, update your sailing blog, cruise the internet forums for answers and recommendations and research the latest gadgets.

5milewifi is a simple but powerful booster solution that allows cruisers to connect to wifi from their boats without lugging the ships laptop to an internet cafe. By using a built-in 1000mW bi-directional amplifier with an internal wifi card and a 9dbi omni antenna, 5milewifi lets you connect miles away from the hotspot. For example, if you were in a harbor and found 2 or 3 wifi signals with low signal strength, 5milewifi would likely find you 10 or 20 signals with the power for a reliable connection.

Why 5milewifi?

1) The most powerful bi-directional solution -1000mW or 1 full watt

2) Simple 10 minute installation no wiring  plug it into 2 USB ports

3) Powerful 9dbi Omni Antenna and 25 feet of low loss cable

4) Rugged and compact military grade aluminum construction

5) Designed and tuned to capture and hold distant hotspots

6) No complicated software uses Windows (XP, Vista, 98) wifi software

Your mileage WILL vary. Does 5milewifi guarantee a 5 mile range for your connection? Of course not, given that no two wifi locations are the same. What we offer is PURE POWER. When connected you will stay connected more reliably and at higher speeds.

$399 includes everything you need to get connected. www.5milewifi.com

First I did not follow the instructions and disable the internal wifi so my first test was invalid.

Second I tried to put Wifi Card (grey box) directly into USB port, a Connection was not made. The Wifi card is not designed to go direct into the USB port as it may not get fully in and it also would make for a stiff connection that could get damaged .Once I used the extra signal cable, the connection was found.


Third was the marine wifi antenna mount. My first effort was to hoist the antenna up on a halyard. The problem was the antenna wildly swinging around in the chop.

I would recommend permanently mounting the antenna high up (the package came with several mounting options).

If you have a sail boat and hoist it up the mast I would use 2 sail slides and use the mast track to control the antenna. The picture left shows this setup which worked well.

Also you could use the backstay and use wire ties at the top and bottom of the antenna with additional ties to neatly hold the cable in place.

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SETUP

lets see the correct setup procedure for this marine wifi system. The image shows my connections.

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Useful Additions

Skype Wifi Phone

 useful addition

Skype is a VOIP means to which cruisers can communicate without racking up huge phone bills. Typically you use your computer to connect to the internet and use headphones to talk with another Skype user and the best part is its free.