Cable and Internet Access on your Houseboat..

Cable and Internet Access on your Houseboat..

by George Huber
(Ohio, United States)

Get Cable TV, Emails, and Internet Access on a Houseboat

Can You Get Cable And Internet Access on your Houseboat, just like a regular home? This way you don't have to leave your houseboat to get access to Cable Television and the Internet.

Reply - Answer
George, that's a good question since many people today are connected to the office via the internet, and that also enjoy full TV access.

You will find that in many marinas across North America have cable installed on the docks, for an additional fee. If they don't have cable connections on the slips, they generally have wireless internet access for their members.

Possibly some of our other readers can share and post comments on their specific situations.

Hope this all helps, and this article on Internet Access on Houseboats can explain it in more details.

IAN - from www.all-about-houseboats.com

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Cable and Internet Access on your Houseboat..

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Cable and Internet on Houseboats
by: Anonymous

I am a real estate agent and I need access to the internet all the time. I have tried pirating from my neighbors....but it's not reliable. So, instead, I have turned to my cell phone provider, T-Mobile. There are two ways to get internet coverage from your cell phone provider.

1. Your phone can act as a wireless modem via the bluetooth connection providing you have a phone with bluetooth capabilities. If your computer doesn't have bluetooth installed, you will need to buy a blue tooth adapter at the computer store. It's not expensive, I paid $20.00 for my adapter. This method is the least preferred because the speed is similar to an old 54k modem and new websites are. But it works in a pinch.

2. You can purchase an "air card" from any cell phone company. You don't need an existing account with them, but you get a discount if your cell phone service is with the same provider. Depending on your location and the capabilities of the cell phone company, the speeds can be much faster.

If you are near a large metro area, chances are you can obtain speeds large enough to download and watch a television program without interruption. In my case though, the speed still wasn't satisfactory for many of the places I went. However, for general run of the mill surfing, it is much faster than the blue tooth method.

There are two types of air cards. (These are adapters that slide into the side of your laptop computer) You must know which kind of card your computer takes. Go to the cell phone store and let them help you. Before you go though, be sure to spend some time online and determine which carrier provides the faster speed in the areas you normally will be traveling.

In our case, it is Verizon. I can generally get 1 megabyte per second (1mbps) compared to the blue tooth at 54 kilobytes per second (kpbs) but in no way does it compare to my Comcast at home that is at 100mbps.

In years gone past, I would have been happy with the slower speed, but new websites take so much more "power" and umphf....and my patience has worn thin.

The Verizon without phone service is $80.00 plus tax a month and an air card can cost as much as $150.00. Look for deals....but beware, you will sign a long term agreement just like a cell phone. With the bluetooth and T-Mobile, there is no long term agreement. Just month to month.

And now that I have a bluetooth capable phone with GPRS. I am also connecting directly from my phone to the computer with a USB cable. I am getting much faster speeds. On a good day I am approaching the 1mbps. This method takes my cell phone offline while in use. But mostly I get 1/2 of that speed now.... However, my investment is $20.00 and no long term agreements.

Also....note that both methods provide unlimited internet access that doesn't charge against your phone minutes.

Best of luck in your search.
Kathy

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Submitted by: Anonymous

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I am a real estate agent and I need access to the internet all the time. I have tried pirating from my neighbors....but it's not reliable. So, instead, I have turned to my cell phone provider, T-Mobile. There are two ways to get internet coverage from your cell phone provider. 1. Your phone can act as a wireless modem via the bluetooth connection providing you have a phone with bluetooth capabilities. If your computer doesn't have bluetooth installed, you will need to buy a blue tooth adapter at the computer store. It's not expensive, I paid $20.00 for my adapter. This method is the least preferred because the speed is similar to an old 54k modem and new websites are. But it works in a pinch. 2. You can purchase an "air card" from any cell phone company. You don't need an existing account with them, but you get a discount if your cell phone service is with the same provider. Depending on your location and the capabilities of the cell phone company, the speeds can be much faster. If you are near a large metro area, chances are you can obtain speeds large enough to download and watch a television program without interruption. In my case though, the speed still wasn't satisfactory for many of the places I went. However, for general run of the mill surfing, it is much faster than the blue tooth method. There are two types of air cards. (These are adapters that slide into the side of your laptop computer) You must know which kind of card your computer takes. Go to the cell phone store and let them help you. Before you go though, be sure to spend some time online and determine which carrier provides the faster speed in the areas you normally will be traveling. In our case, it is Verizon. I can generally get 1 megabyte per second (1mbps) compared to the blue tooth at 54 kilobytes per second (kpbs) but in no way does it compare to my Comcast at home that is at 100mbps. In years gone past, I would have been happy with the slower speed, but new websites take so much more "power" and umphf....and my patience has worn thin. The Verizon without phone service is $80.00 plus tax a month and an air card can cost as much as $150.00. Look for deals....but beware, you will sign a long term agreement just like a cell phone. With the bluetooth and T-Mobile, there is no long term agreement. Just month to month. And now that I have a bluetooth capable phone with GPRS. I am also connecting directly from my phone to the computer with a USB cable. I am getting much faster speeds. On a good day I am approaching the 1mbps. This method takes my cell phone offline while in use. But mostly I get 1/2 of that speed now.... However, my investment is $20.00 and no long term agreements. Also....note that both methods provide unlimited internet access that doesn't charge against your phone minutes. Best of luck in your search. Kathy

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Wireless Internet and Satellite access on my Houseboat
by: roger

George, I'm writing this from my houseboat while miles away from civilization with Sprint Wireless Broadband. Other wireless carriers also provide service. Most will show you a map where it will work.

As for satellite access, I've got winegard in motion satellite system that works my directv subscription only problem I have is if I anchor too close to shore with tall trees blocking the southern view it won't work.

Hope this helps, Roger from somewhere, fl.

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Cable and Internet Access on your Houseboat..
by: Brandi

I have done much searching for a system like this for our family camping trips. My hubby works all over the world and so I use the net constantly to stay in touch with him. When the kids and I go camping we usually stay gone for a week at a time and that makes it hard to talk to him.

I did a yahoo search for portable satellite systems and found sveral that are made for rv-ing. They would also work well for houseboats, I suppose. They are supposed to allow you 24/7 access to internet and use of your dish or direct tv system.

Here is one that offers just internet service, but as another person said, u could view your programs online. http://www.maxwellsatellite.com/

I believe this one is also good for satellite phone service. http://www.vsat-systems.com/portable-satellite-internet/index.html

This one is a bit more compact. http://www.groundcontrol.com/prod_ig2500_001.htm

This one is compact and covers tv and internet. http://www.rangersatellite.com/

Here are a few more links you can try.
http://www.talcoelectronics.com

http://mrtmag.com/news/intheworks/directtv-portable-satellite-011107/

http://www.signalmountain.com/?gclid=CJ-86oLbjJQCFQi1IgodBCmFWA

http://www.kvh.com/tracvision_kvh/

http://www.motosat.com/products/

If you search "portable satellite systems" or "mobile satellite tv", you will find all these links and a ton more. I just get creative and think of every way anyone would possibly word a search for what I need and start typing. Sometimes I'm here for hours, but I usually find out what I need to know.

*NOTE* Keep in mind these systems are mostly very high priced and often expensive to use, so be sure you know exactly what you are buying. The sales people often try to smooth over the nitty gritty and get you to purchase before you know what the service itself will cost.

Just be a smart consumer and look around for the best deal and verify all options and you should be a happy boater before long! You might also check with Dish Network and Direct TV, as I believe they have now come out with a portable product.

Good luck and I hope I helped you find what you were looking for.

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Submitted by: Brandi

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I have done much searching for a system like this for our family camping trips. My hubby works all over the world and so I use the net constantly to stay in touch with him. When the kids and I go camping we usually stay gone for a week at a time and that makes it hard to talk to him. I did a yahoo search for portable satellite systems and found sveral that are made for rv-ing. They would also work well for houseboats, I suppose. They are supposed to allow you 24/7 access to internet and use of your dish or direct tv system. Here is one that offers just internet service, but as another person said, u could view your programs online. http://www.maxwellsatellite.com/ I believe this one is also good for satellite phone service. http://www.vsat-systems.com/portable-satellite-internet/index.html This one is a bit more compact. http://www.groundcontrol.com/prod_ig2500_001.htm This one is compact and covers tv and internet. http://www.rangersatellite.com/ Here are a few more links you can try. http://www.talcoelectronics.com http://mrtmag.com/news/intheworks/directtv-portable-satellite-011107/ http://www.signalmountain.com/?gclid=CJ-86oLbjJQCFQi1IgodBCmFWA http://www.kvh.com/tracvision_kvh/ http://www.motosat.com/products/ If you search "portable satellite systems" or "mobile satellite tv", you will find all these links and a ton more. I just get creative and think of every way anyone would possibly word a search for what I need and start typing. Sometimes I'm here for hours, but I usually find out what I need to know. *NOTE* Keep in mind these systems are mostly very high priced and often expensive to use, so be sure you know exactly what you are buying. The sales people often try to smooth over the nitty gritty and get you to purchase before you know what the service itself will cost. Just be a smart consumer and look around for the best deal and verify all options and you should be a happy boater before long! You might also check with Dish Network and Direct TV, as I believe they have now come out with a portable product. Good luck and I hope I helped you find what you were looking for.

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