# Ship borne internet - how it work? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 23, 2013, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ship-borne-internet-how-it-work/648089 "2013-01-23T10:36:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Simple\_Linctus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Simple\_Linctus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simple_Linctus)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ship-borne-internet-how-it-work/648089/1 "2013-01-23T10:36:51Z")
I’m currently, at a guess, about twenty or thirty miles from the nearest land, sitting around in the main lounge of a ferry on my laptop, which is connected to a wifi network. That much I know. More to the point, how is the internet connection from the ship to the shore working? The wifi is either super cheap or free so I doubt it’s a satellite connection, but the range seems too much for 3g type stuff doesn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ship-borne-internet-how-it-work/648089/2 "2013-01-23T11:33:37Z")
I think it has to be satellite. What else could it be? ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ship-borne-internet-how-it-work/648089/3 "2013-01-23T12:15:51Z")
Twenty miles to shore could be a microwave link. ---
**Author:** ![d1a1s1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@d1a1s1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/d1a1s1)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ship-borne-internet-how-it-work/648089/4 "2013-01-23T12:22:08Z")
Has to be satellite. 20-30 miles should be well over the horizon. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ship-borne-internet-how-it-work/648089/5 "2013-01-23T12:27:20Z")
Unless it’s a big ship + a tall receiver. Connecting to the Iridium satellites is probably more realistic. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ship-borne-internet-how-it-work/648089/6 "2013-01-23T12:30:05Z")
It work by burning you dog. ---
**Author:** ![Francis\_Vaughan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/francis_vaughan/32/3093_2.png) [@Francis\_Vaughan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francis_Vaughan)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ship-borne-internet-how-it-work/648089/7 "2013-01-23T12:31:56Z")
It would be difficult to maintain a link over microwave from a ship - each end would need to track the other, and whereas ship based systems regularly track satellites, a land based system to track the ship would be unusual, especially a line of them down a coast, with each one only able to serve a single ship at a time. Conventional satellite based internet would be fine if the ship was in the footprint of the satellite - and a ferry would likely never stray far from land so this is likely OK. A common satellite tracking mount on the ship would be used for the dish. Straying further from shore and there are satellite internet systems specifically designed for ships. BGAN is one. You get about ADSL speeds, but the data costs are pretty eye-watering. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ship-borne-internet-how-it-work/648089/8 "2013-01-23T12:33:15Z")
I suppose in theory it could be done with sea platforms, stationary repeater ships, tethered balloons, or drones, but I don’t think anything like that has been deployed, at least not for day to day civilian use. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ship-borne-internet-how-it-work/648089/9 "2013-01-23T15:21:38Z")
The big ships use Cellular at Sea. [WMS](http://www.wmsatsea.com/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ship-borne-internet-how-it-work/648089/10 "2013-01-23T15:56:56Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > The big ships use Cellular at Sea. [http://www.wmsatsea.com/index.html](http://www.wmsatsea.com/index.html) Which they achieve by using satellites. [http://www.wmsatsea.com/technology.html](http://www.wmsatsea.com/technology.html) > [@](#): > > Wireless Maritime Solution > > WMS uses state of the art technology to provide the world’s largest suite of at-sea wireless communication services for passengers and crew. By partnering with AT&T Mobility and MTN Satellite Communications, we provide the absolute best-in-class service to our customers. AT&T is the leading GSM carrier in United States with international roaming in over 200 countries worldwide. MTN provides its renowned “Always On–Always Available” global VSAT services through its MTN Satellite Services division to ensure connectivity virtually anywhere in the world. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ship-borne-internet-how-it-work/648089/11 "2013-01-23T16:37:20Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > Which they achieve by using satellites. > [http://www.wmsatsea.com/technology.html](http://www.wmsatsea.com/technology.html) It works pretty well too. I was able to Facetime with my daughter when we were in the Gulf of Mexico. I would have thought that the satellite delay would have messed it up but I didn’t notice any difference. ---
**Author:** ![busterpickle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@busterpickle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/busterpickle)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2013, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ship-borne-internet-how-it-work/648089/12 "2013-01-24T21:15:36Z")
For a commercial application, it will be satellite. Either MTNSat (as referenced) or Inmarsat. The bandwidth has increased dramatically over the past 10 years or so, in part, due to the war in the gulf. If it was a ferry, as they are typically smaller and have less top-side space available, it would probably be Inmarsat as they have much smaller radomes. MTNSat seems to be a service provider for Ku-band terminals with rollover to Inmarsat once you go outside the Ku-band coverage area. Imarsat can go up to 492/492 and Ku-band can be much higher. Do you know which ferry it was? Maybe I can find an image of it online and look for the type of radome. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2013, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ship-borne-internet-how-it-work/648089/13 "2013-01-24T21:20:03Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > It work by burning you dog. I laughed. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ship-borne-internet-how-it-work/648089/14 "2013-01-25T01:43:21Z")
Try not to sit around on your laptop, it might affect transmission.