Current WIFI quality on Marina

[clojacks]

I’ve searched through older topics, but as with most lines, the quality of Internet is changing frequently and rapidly. I’m curious if anyone has any info on recent Marina internet quality?

[Snaefell3]

Understand that until and unless a ship is using Starlink, with its polar-orbit satellites, the ship's latitude makes more difference than which ship.

 

The at-home-speed satellites are in Medium Earth Orbit over the Equator and go below the southern horizon before you get to as far north as Seattle or Southampton.

[SophieM]

10 minutes ago, Snaefell3 said:

Understand that until and unless a ship is using Starlink, with its polar-orbit satellites, the ship's latitude makes more difference than which ship.

 

The at-home-speed satellites are in Medium Earth Orbit over the Equator and go below the southern horizon before you get to as far north as Seattle or Southampton.

We certainly found that latitude issue to be the case on our recent Reykjavik to London cruise on the Marina. 

[clojacks]

1 hour ago, Snaefell3 said:

Understand that until and unless a ship is using Starlink, with its polar-orbit satellites, the ship's latitude makes more difference than which ship.

 

The at-home-speed satellites are in Medium Earth Orbit over the Equator and go below the southern horizon before you get to as far north as Seattle or Southampton.

So, the Amazon cruise we are considering might end being a WIFI bonus? 😉

[shepherd really]

1 hour ago, Snaefell3 said:

Understand that until and unless a ship is using Starlink, with its polar-orbit satellites, the ship's latitude makes more difference than which ship.

 

The at-home-speed satellites are in Medium Earth Orbit over the Equator and go below the southern horizon before you get to as far north as Seattle or Southampton.

So, the MEO are better than the GEO but not as good as the LEO?   

 

If you want to livestream something like an opera. do you need to have multiple MEO satellites for good service or will a solo MEO be ok? 

[EJL2023]

14 minutes ago, shepherd really said:

So, the MEO are better than the GEO but not as good as the LEO?   

 

If you want to livestream something like an opera. do you need to have multiple MEO satellites for good service or will a solo MEO be ok? 

🤔

[Snaefell3]

10 minutes ago, shepherd really said:

So, the MEO are better than the GEO but not as good as the LEO?   

 

If you want to livestream something like an opera. do you need to have multiple MEO satellites for good service or will a solo MEO be ok? 

OK.  Time, I guess, to go down into the "weeds".

 

GEO satellites orbit much higher than MEOs, far enough up that they can't do the trick that MEOs do:  fly 10 steerable, directional antennae and sell the same bandwidth to 10 ships (that aren't too close to each other).  That brings their cost down to where the ship's budget buys enough bandwidth to share at-home bandwidth among the pax.  Actually, a ship *could* buy enough bandwidth from a GEO satellite to "do opera" but would go broke doing it.

 

The current GEO and MEO satellites are in equatorial orbit and can't be seen over the "bulge" of a spherical planet if you are too far from the equator.  GEO satellites are much higher and can be used much farther from the equator.

 

The current LEO satellites are in polar orbit, so one or another of them are always available, even at the poles.  I don't have a handle on Starlink's costs, and while they're selling bandwidth cheap now, it might be a loss-leader that won't continue.

 

 

 

 

[Snaefell3]

Oh!  When in port (especially Skagway), IT-savvy ships buy their internet connectivity from shoreside cellphone companies, etc., instead of satellites.

[ORV]

1 hour ago, shepherd really said:

So, the MEO are better than the GEO but not as good as the LEO?   

 

If you want to livestream something like an opera. do you need to have multiple MEO satellites for good service or will a solo MEO be ok? 

Whooossh

[YourWorldWithBill]

7 hours ago, clojacks said:

I’ve searched through older topics, but as with most lines, the quality of Internet is changing frequently and rapidly. I’m curious if anyone has any info on recent Marina internet quality?

It's been an interesting read 🙄, but just to add another note: Oceania ships are all gradually going to Starlink. It may take a while. Vista has it, and Riviera is supposed to get it this year.

[CurlerRob]

6 hours ago, Snaefell3 said:

The current LEO satellites are in polar orbit, so one or another of them are always available, even at the poles.  I don't have a handle on Starlink's costs, and while they're selling bandwidth cheap now, it might be a loss-leader that won't continue.

 

Your description is useful, thanks.

 

For those who want to keep track, this site shows excellent graphics of where the various satellites are. Of note, Starlink does now have some polar coverage, although it's easy to see that it's not yet anywhere near as dense as lower latitudes - but it's greatly improved from only 6 months ago, when the polar latitudes had nothing. 🍺🥌

 

https://satellitemap.space/?constellation=starlink

[Snaefell3]

10 minutes ago, CurlerRob said:

Of note, Starlink does now have some polar coverage, although it's easy to see that it's not yet anywhere near as dense as lower latitudes -

Nor, methinks, is the density of potential customers  😉

[Snaefell3]

7 hours ago, clojacks said:

So, the Amazon cruise we are considering might end being a WIFI bonus? 😉

For the cost of satellite bandwidth, yes, but there are a bunch of other factors, including just how much bandwidth your ship *chooses* to buy.

 

What gets missed is that just about any satellite has enough bandwidth available for even Icon of the Seas, but GEO satellites have cost-driven pricing that would mean $100+/day to give just one passenger "broadband" internet-at-sea.

[aoconnel]

My TA just told me that Marina majorly upgraded their Internet just a couple of weeks ago

[Bobbyjimbob]

Trieste to Rome in October Internet spotty at best, even in port. Often totally off line for hours. The so called improvement must be to the pay-as-you-go option. The Simply More included is quite simply LESS. They are changing the advertised “free included Internet” to read “free Sporadic Internet”……or they should haha.

[Snaefell3]

1 hour ago, Bobbyjimbob said:

Trieste to Rome in October Internet spotty at best, even in port. Often totally off line for hours. The so called improvement must be to the pay-as-you-go option. The Simply More included is quite simply LESS. They are changing the advertised “free included Internet” to read “free Sporadic Internet”……or they should haha.

Until a ship transitions to polar-orbit satellite relay (Starlink), it's a matter of "Latitude, Latitude, Latitude!" and the Med is too far north to get broadband-quality relay from satellites in equatorial orbits.

 

BTW, O's internet upgrade only unlocks "streaming" so you can watch video -- provided your ship's satellite relay isn't already overloaded.