does skype voip work on NCL EPic with you own computer ?

[rckymtair]

I am wondering if Skype works on Epic using your own computer (laptop) I have read some posts that say it work and some that say it is blocked ??? If it is blocked is their a way around their block ?

[sdmike]

I didn't try skype, but I can tell you that the internet speed is so slow that you may want to consider other communication options. Skype needs some bandwitdh, and ship internet is more like two soup cans with a string. :)

[Anginette]

Answers have not changed since your thread from last week.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1343484

[mypleasure]

I am wondering if Skype works on Epic using your own computer (laptop) I have read some posts that say it work and some that say it is blocked ??? If it is blocked is their a way around their block ?

 

 

I have no idea if skype is blocked but the internet access is by very expensive satellite connection which is why they charge so much to use it and it is slower than a sloth on valium. Would be totally unusable for Skype, usable for email, barely usable for any web surfing.

 

Connections are very slow and depending where you are on the ship drop out frequently.

[rckymtair]

anginette, I know I placed this post last week but I am looking for someone whom has either tried to use skype or someone who has used skype not someone whom just tells me that the internet connection is slow !

So please if anyone out their has either used or tried to use skype please respond !

Thanks

[skt4cruise]

anginette, I know I placed this post last week but I am looking for someone whom has either tried to use skype or someone who has used skype not someone whom just tells me that the internet connection is slow !

So please if anyone out their has either used or tried to use skype please respond !

Thanks

 

I was recently on Celebrity and sorry it did not work, hope you get better help than mine :)

[Anginette]

anginette, I know I placed this post last week but I am looking for someone whom has either tried to use skype or someone who has used skype not someone whom just tells me that the internet connection is slow !

So please if anyone out their has either used or tried to use skype please respond !

Thanks

 

That's what we're trying to tell you. Whether blocked or unblocked, Skype requires a certain connection speed in order to function and you are not going to be able to get it.

[erdoran]

I tried to use Skype over 3G on the ship, which was completely impossible, and in port, which intermittently worked for checking voicemail but not much else. My tried and true communication means for cruising is email and email to text. I do use 3G with my Verizon int'l data plan for free, and not ship wifi, but from what I've seen of the speeds for the wifi, I'll predict it is too slow to work for skype, and it's unnecessary to block it because of slow speeds. JMO.

[garycarla]

To use these services, you need an internet connection. It will cost $.40 to $.75 per minute while at sea. And you are sharing the pipe with others and therefore will have a slow connection. Usable, but slow.

 

Regular phone calls are $2.49 a minute while at sea.

 

Of somebody is getting unlimited data while at sea using 3G - well, I don't buy it. Somebody has to pay for that bandwith, somewhere.

[erdoran]

To use these services, you need an internet connection. It will cost $.40 to $.75 per minute while at sea. And you are sharing the pipe with others and therefore will have a slow connection. Usable, but slow.

 

Regular phone calls are $2.49 a minute while at sea.

 

Of somebody is getting unlimited data while at sea using 3G - well, I don't buy it. Somebody has to pay for that bandwith, somewhere.

 

I am paying - I upgrade my Verizon smartphone data plan from $30/mo to $64.95/mo, so that's a $34.95 incremental difference (plus tax) pro-rated for the length of my cruise. But....I only have a smartphone to use it on, without a full-featured web browser, and it is excruciatingly slow. There are also lots of times I can't get anything, either because it is too slow because of overloading or because the 3G signal is (presumably) lowest priority so is crowded out by wifi connections.

 

But the no additional charge thing - three cruises on major cruiselines since I learned about this - and not one penny in surprise charges!

[DeltaOne]

There are also lots of times I can't get anything, either because it is too slow because of overloading or because the 3G signal is (presumably) lowest priority so is crowded out by wifi connections.

 

I'm not sure what you mean by "crowded out" but both a 3G and WiFi signal will be faster when fewer users are connected, slower when more are connected. There's no interaction between the two on your smartphone, one doesn't affect the other.

 

Many think the 3G signal indicator on their phone is telling them the strength of the signal, but it's not. It evaluates several factors before showing you how many "bars" there are. Specifically, it evaluates the signal strength and how busy the tower is (how many users) before drawing 2, 3 or 4 "bars" on the cell phone screen.

[erdoran]

I'm not sure what you mean by "crowded out" but both a 3G and WiFi signal will be faster when fewer users are connected, slower when more are connected. There's no interaction between the two on your smartphone, one doesn't affect the other.

 

Many think the 3G signal indicator on their phone is telling them the strength of the signal, but it's not. It evaluates several factors before showing you how many "bars" there are. Specifically, it evaluates the signal strength and how busy the tower is (how many users) before drawing 2, 3 or 4 "bars" on the cell phone screen.

 

No, my assumption is it is bandwidth allocation by NCL's network monitoring software.