Wave of the Future
AIGEAN NETWORKS MIGHT JUST CHANGE THE WAY YOU CONNECT TO THE INTERNET FROM YOUR BOAT.
eee urrrrr, chchchch, beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-boop. If you were one of the lucky ones, that was the sound you heard as your onboard computer strained to dial up to the Web, probably while your beeper buzzed violently at your hip. The life of the working yachtsman certainly has changed significantly (read: thankfully) in just the past two decades.
Connectivity comes in many forms today: Satellite technology, while still relatively expensive, has come down in cost to the point where it’s a viable solution for most serious cruisers, and cellular data now delivers Web access to a wide range of coastal cruisers. But perhaps the biggest advancement in online solutions is coming from a source you know and a company you probably don’t: Wi-Fi from Aigean Networks.
EAs marinas across the country move toward offering not just 2.4-gigahertz but much faster 5-gigahertz Wi-Fi, the AN7000 from Aigean Networks allows you to seamlessly connect to 2.4- and 5-gigahertz as easily as you would with a laptop in your home.
“A good example here in Florida is if you were to stay at the Bahia Mar in Ft. Lauderdale, the Wi-Fi network was put in by OnSpot, and it’s both 2.4 and 5 gigahertz. Five gigahertz is not only faster, but since it’s not used as much by microwave ovens and other devices, it tends to have a lot less noise, which helps your speed and connectivity,” explains Richard McLaughlin, cofounder of Aigean Networks and an expert in the field of marine Wi-Fi. “That means that if I’m staying there, my newish, two-year-old laptop won’t connect to it unless I have a system like the 7000.”