MARINE WIFI OVERVIEW

What you need to know to use WiFi in the Marine Market

HOTSPOT:

A hotspot is a small coverage area that provides internet access with a range of approx 300 feet. You may have a wifi router in your house with a broadband connection or use wireless internet access at a coffee shop. For these applications, built in wireless devices or retail wireless equipment will connect and provide a good signal and link quality. Beyond the coverage area of 300 feet, you will exceed the design guidelines of the equipment which results in loss of connection and degradation of speed.

 HOTZONE:

A Hotzone is a large coverage area providing internet access up to 3 miles from a distribution point. BroadbandXpress creates these Hotzones in our marina markets by installing a distribution antenna usually from a structure closest to the docks.  In these large coverage areas, there are competing signals and interference. To bypass these interfering signals and access our wireless service, your computer needs BroadbandXpress high power wireless equipment.

PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT:

By increasing the power of the wireless hardware and increasing the gain of the hardware with a special antenna, your system will achieve superior wireless performance. BroadbandXpress is the world leader in providing more powerful hardware ensuring consistent performance within a marine Hotzone environment. The power of the BBX hardware is up to 500 mW versus 30mW for typical retail wireless equipment. This ensures optimal internet performance in our Hotzones. Pairing the BBX wireless hardware with our special 5 or 8 dBi antennas, customers can maximize the reception area of our equipment from 4,000 feet to a 3 mile range. In addition, the BBX Smartscan utility locks onto our signal to improve performance. Lastly, all BBX equipment is MarineWiFi.org certified and is compatible with the major North American Marine networks of IDockUSA (www.idockusa.com) and Beacon Wireless (www.beaconwifi.com) providing a seamless equipment solution.