Broadband in Maine

[btrayfors]

Anyone have any recent experience with wireless broadband along the NE Coast and, especially, the Maine coast? Any advice on preferred carriers (Verizon or ATT/Cingular or T-Mobile), and on equipment likely to give the best performance would be much appreciated.

This is for me, and for a friend. Both of us are about to cruise to Maine, and both of us are reaching the end of our contracts for cellular service, me with Cingular, he with Verizon. We're wondering what to do, both for cellular and broadband.

I also have a Globalstar satphone which is quickly becomming nearly worthless. It's rare these days to be able to catch a working satellite long enough for a call or two, and Globalstar's technical problems are about to put them out of business it appears.

So....any sage advice would be much appreciated.

Bill

[camaraderie]

Bill...I know you want more recent feedback but 3 years ago we cruised the New England Coast up to Acadia and had good service from Verizon all the way. We were connecting at low speed back then so I can't comment on broadband availability but coverage was good for phone calls and low speed data.

[sailingdog]

Bill-

Cellular service will be relatively spotty away from the larger metro areas, regardless of which carrier you are using. I would look for a Bluetooth-equipped phone and get a Bluetooth adapter for your computer. I used that setup for about seven months, when I was in the process of selling my house, and still needed a solid internet connection for doing work remotely.

You can view the coverage maps for AT&T/Cingular here and Verizon here. T-Mobile's coverage map is here. Of the three, I would go with AT&T/Cingular, as I believe you'll have a much better selection of phones with BlueTooth capability, especially since Verizon has a bad history of crippling the firmware on many of their BlueTooth equipped phones.

If you have any specific questions, let me know. I used to research mobile internet connectivity for a large news organization to help keep the journalists connected in remote areas.

If you want the highest speed coverage, you'd probably need to get a separate card for your laptop, especially if you're on Verizon... but this would involve having two separate bills, one for the data connection and one for a voice phone.

[camaraderie]

SD...please explain what Bluetooth has to do with reception or broadband capability that Bill asked about. I may be out of date but last I heard...Bluetooth was simply a very SHORT range wireless protocol for connecting devices like mice & headsets and has nothing to do with broadband or celllphones other than how to connect a wireless headset to one.

[bestfriend]

I think he is just referring to getting the info from the phone to the computer. Sorry to interject, I'm bored.

[ebs001]

I have a Verizon wireless card with National and Broadband service. SD is using old cellphone technologie. According to the coverage areas Verizon has the best coverage for Maine. It is limited though and most of the time you will be on National Access which gives you speeds similar to high speed light.

[sailingdog]

Cam-

Generally, there are two ways you can connect a computer to the internet over a cellular network. The first is via a dedicated card, like a Sprint AirCard. This is effectively a phone dedicated to the computer and can not be used for voice calls.

The other way is to connect through a cellular phone handset. The easiest way to do this is via a BlueTooth connection between the computer and the cell phone. It eliminates wires and allows you to place the cell phone where you will get best reception on the boat, and keep the computer where it should be.

You are correct that BlueTooth is essentially a short range protocol, with a max range of about 10 meters.... it is.... but it can be used to create a "broadband" connection between a cell phone and a computer wirelessly.

Originally Posted by camaraderie

SD...please explain what Bluetooth has to do with reception or broadband capability that Bill asked about. I may be out of date but last I heard...Bluetooth was simply a very SHORT range wireless protocol for connecting devices like mice & headsets and has nothing to do with broadband or celllphones other than how to connect a wireless headset to one.

[sailingdog]

Originally Posted by ebs001

I have a Verizon wireless card with National and Broadband service. SD is using old cellphone technologie. According to the coverage areas Verizon has the best coverage for Maine. It is limited though and most of the time you will be on National Access which gives you speeds similar to high speed light.

While the Verizon cards are going to give you more speed, a cell phone is far more versatile, and I am guessing that Bill isn't looking for paying two phone bills just to connect his computer.

National Access, according to Verizon is only a maximum of 60-80 kbps, which is basically a bit more than what a dialup modem would give you—not exactly broadband access IMHO. Their Broadband Access is 600-800 kbps, which is comparable to a slow DSL line.

Also, much of the broadband-quality infrastructure hasn't been rolled out in relatively low-population density areas, like coastal Maine. Most of the towers in those areas are probably yet to be upgraded. If you check AT&T/Cingular's map, all of Maine is still 2.5G or 2G, rather than 3G. Verizon Wireless has some coverage in southern Maine, but mid-to-northern Maine's coast is still mostly 2.5G, rather than the "broadband" 3G network.

Anything less than 20 Mbps is a slow connection IMHO, since that is what I have here at the house. Amazing to see how far it has come. I still have an original Andersen-Jacobsen 110 baud acoustic coupler modem kicking around the basement.

[btrayfors]

Guys, thanks so much for the fast and informative posts.

The coverage maps were particularly illuminating. If they're up-to-date (and I realize that the infrastructure is changing quickly), it appears that in mid-coastal Maine where we'll be spending most of our time -- Penobscot Bay area -- Verizon seems to have the clear advantage over ATT.

Dog, I was thinking of broadband access...something faster than cellular protocols...and, therefore, a plug-in card of some sort with an external antenna if possible. I believe that both Verizon and ATT have data plans which cost about $60 per month IF you have your cellular service with them. That's why I noted that my existing cellular contract is up, and I'm free to switch providers if indicated. This is just about what my existing satphone costs, and if the broadband works out I'm prepared to drop the satphone since service is so lousy.

I do have HF Pactor email connections anywhere, but it doesn't allow web surfing, quick access to weather maps, etc.

That said, my remaining questions are these:

1. Am I correct in thinking that Verizon has the edge over ATT for much of coastal Maine -- both data and voice?

2. Any recommendations for a data card w/external antenna capability?

3. Any experience or recommendations for a specific external antenna?

Thanks, again.

Bill

[JeffreySiegel]

I live on the coast of Maine and just completed an extensive test of cellular voice and data access all along the coast from Florida to Maine.

Cutting to the chase...Verizon voice will work in Maine. Verizon data service stops at Brunswick, just east of Portland.

GSM service (AT&T/Cingular) seems to be a little better especially as you move further Downeast. GSM/Edge service is available along most of the Maine coast. I live on the Penobscot Bay and have both voice and data service on my boat. GSM/Edge service seems to be pretty good all along the US east coast. There were only 20 miles of outage that I experienced (Alligator-Pungo Canal). I found that I was able to even get fairly good service as far as 22 nm offshore (Florida, North Carolina, Massachusetts) but I have onboard cellular amps. I was also starting to see pockets of 3G service whenever I was near a more metropolitan area. With Edge, I can connect to the internet at 100-300 kb. With 3G I was getting 500-1,000 kb.

Power & Motoryacht's July issue has an article about onboard connectivity and documents some of my findings (I had to buy 5 copies of the magazine for my mother...). The online version is at: Boat Cellular Data Services - Power & Motoryacht - Connected Cruising