Today every yacht uses multiple, mixed internet connection methods, allowing the combination of satellite, cellular, Wi-Fi or marina shore-line service if available. This enables every possible choice of the most commercially appropriate and fastest Internet access for the location of the yacht. The decision about which internet connection is used and in which order, is based on pre-set priorities controlled automatically by an intelligent network management system (that also allows manual selection). Considering that yachts spend a lot of their time in port or in coastal waters, when owners and guests are on board, cellular data networks offer a more cost-effective alternative to VSAT, when the yacht is in range of shore-based signals.
A typical cellular connectivity solution is provided by a 4G router, routed via low-loss coax cables to two high performance omni-directional multiband marine grade antennas (MIMO LTE). The use of two antennas allows the router to distinguish two independent streams of data over the same frequency allocated by the cell tower, hence delivering higher speeds for data transfer. The high-gain antennas ensure that you have a good connection in offshore locations, even on the fringe of the cellular coverage area.