High Speed Internet on Oasis

[Cotswold Eagle]

Thanks for the info - you'd think RCI could get their facts straight, but no-one seems to be able to give me a sensible answer! Can I ask, was your husband just using a normal email account and internet access or was he using some type of remote access? The reason I ask is that my partner needs to work, but he accesses his work computer remotely, so needs good upload speeds as well as download, and a good ping rate. Would be really useful to know if anyone has tried doing this.

 

Thanks!

 

I have tried and failed with a VPN, but not on any of the ships with the recently upgraded kit. I sense your frustration, but the real answer is that there are too many variables - so if someone comes back and reports they were successful, you may well not on another day. The only certainty is the latency due to the satellite hop, that's more or less fixed by the laws of physics (and is in the region of 500ms, IIRC, until O3b comes on line).

[ahecht]

500ms is the ideal for a traditional satellite connection, but in practice the lowest you'll see is more like 700ms. With O3b you'll still have latency of 130ms-238ms (depending on which press release you read).

[MisterMom]

When touring the engine control room on the Oasis last week, the Engineer mentioned a "major announcement" about the availability of internet service and the launch of satellites due to come out sometime in the fall. I guess the cat's already out of the bag!

[scoob2010]

When touring the engine control room on the Oasis last week, the Engineer mentioned a "major announcement" about the availability of internet service and the launch of satellites due to come out sometime in the fall. I guess the cat's already out of the bag!

 

It's getting closer and closer.

We're booked for next Sprint break so hopefully the satellites will be operational by then:)

[ahecht]

A quick O3b update:

 

Two of the four already launched satellites are having minor power problems, so they have postponed the launch of the second four satellites until they can resolve the issue. Due to the schedule of other launches, this means that the earliest the second set could launch would be early 2014.

 

http://www.spacenews.com/article/satellite-telecom/37166o3b-forfeited-september-launch-out-of-abundance-of-caution-ceo-says

 

http://www.spacenews.com/article/satellite-telecom/37121o3b-delays-launch-to-2014-for-additional-spacecraft-testing

[ahecht]

A quick O3b update:

 

Two of the four already launched satellites are having minor power problems, so they have postponed the launch of the second four satellites until they can resolve the issue. Due to the schedule of other launches, this means that the earliest the second set could launch would be early 2014.

 

http://www.spacenews.com/article/satellite-telecom/37166o3b-forfeited-september-launch-out-of-abundance-of-caution-ceo-says

 

http://www.spacenews.com/article/satellite-telecom/37121o3b-delays-launch-to-2014-for-additional-spacecraft-testing

 

Another update:

 

The power issue has been traced to a problem with the digital timing units on the satellites (the European Gaia science satellite uses the same timing units and has also been delayed). They are currently validating a proposed repair, and assuming it passes the design review the satellites could be ready for a March 2014 launch.

 

http://www.spacenews.com/article/satellite-telecom/37953delayed-o3b-satellites-should-be-ready-for-march-launch

[Cotswold Eagle]

Another update:

 

The power issue has been traced to a problem with the digital timing units on the satellites (the European Gaia science satellite uses the same timing units and has also been delayed). They are currently validating a proposed repair, and assuming it passes the design review the satellites could be ready for a March 2014 launch.

 

http://www.spacenews.com/article/satellite-telecom/37953delayed-o3b-satellites-should-be-ready-for-march-launch

 

Thanks. Nothing on their own website about this! Looks like Arianespace are going to have a busy launch schedule early next year.

[GMoney]

I was on Oasis last week. I did not use internet often, but when I did, it was on my iPhone via wifi. The only place I didn't get a signal was in the spa, and I thought the response time for basic internet usage (email, FB, boarding passes) was much better than anything had previously experienced at sea.

[ready set cruise]

What type of internet packages did they offer last week? Will be on the Oasis Dec 14th. Thanks!

[wrp96]

What type of internet packages did they offer last week? Will be on the Oasis Dec 14th. Thanks!

 

 

Regular prices were $.65 per minute. They offered different size packages up to something that brought the price down to $.40 per minute (I think it was something like 500 minutes for $200).

[ahecht]

New update on O3b: the launch of the second four satellites is now scheduled for June, which means that the service wouldn't be online until July at the earliest.

 

http://www.spacenews.com/article/satellite-telecom/39802news-from-satellite-2014-o3b-sets-sail-with-new-service-amid

 

WASHINGTON — Startup satellite broadband provider O3b Networks on March 10 said it was going live with its first customer, Telecom Cook Islands, on March 12 and had completed testing with luxury-cruise operator Royal Caribbean in preparation for that company’s use of O3b satellites on a huge luxury liner, the Oasis of the Seas.

 

O3b Chief Executive Steve Collar dismissed industry rumors about the health of the company’s first four satellites, which are in orbit, saying O3b is moving forward with its commercial offer and expects no slowdown related to the four satellites.

 

The satellites have a technical defect which forced a delay in the launch of the second four-satellite batch, now scheduled to occur in June aboard a Europeanized Soyuz rocket.

[LTyler]

Internet was super fast on Oasis got off 3 weeks ago

[ahecht]

Finally, another update:

 

http://www.spacenews.com/article/launch-report/41213soyuz-rocket-launches-second-batch-of-o3b-satellites-from-french-guiana

 

The second batch of satellites were successfully launched last week, and are expected to be operational after a three-week-long period of orbit adjustments and testing.

[MisterMom]

Finally, another update:

 

http://www.spacenews.com/article/launch-report/41213soyuz-rocket-launches-second-batch-of-o3b-satellites-from-french-guiana

 

The second batch of satellites were successfully launched last week, and are expected to be operational after a three-week-long period of orbit adjustments and testing.

 

Thanks for sharing.

[Yorkvillain]

I can't live or work without the internet but when I go on a cruise, I completely disconnect. Cell phones, laptops, tablets - all locked away for a week. Time to relax and enjoy. DD is travelling with us in the fall and she wanted to know about connectivity for her cell phone so she can stay in touch. I told her not to. Put it away and enjoy a few days of relaxation without the hassles we all see everyday. Anyway, the internet of the ships is deathly S-L-O-W anyway, why bother.

 

Yes well some people have loved ones that they like to check in on.

 

And I love when people use the word "hassles" when this topic comes up.

[NorbertsNiece]

Internet was super fast on Oasis got off 3 weeks ago

 

Hi, was this everywhere including your room or in the traditional hotspots?

[Clarea]

Hi, was this everywhere including your room or in the traditional hotspots?

I don't know for sure Linda, but I'd guess it was the same everywhere. I say that because Oasis was designed with pervasive wireless.

[NorbertsNiece]

I don't know for sure Linda, but I'd guess it was the same everywhere. I say that because Oasis was designed with pervasive wireless.

 

Hmmm.... Legend has pervasive but to get any real connection I had to go to the D lounge or the online place. Hopefully with it being designed thus I'll have success in my room down in the depths of deck 2 during my first leg of the B2B (unless I can score a move after final.....)!

 

Linda

[reallyme]

I was on the March 9th sailing and they tested the new internet service on Day 7 of our cruise. They gave free access from 2-4pm. After this time the speeds went back to normal, back down to almost 1MB down and no longer free.

I never saw so many people with their iPhones/iPads/laptop etc. out. The computer centers were packed with people online and signing up for accounts. I was very impressed with the speeds especially with all the people online at the same time. Attached is a speed test I ran.

 

 

Got to love that 24 1/2 second ping time :)

[3dog]

Got to love that 24 1/2 second ping time :)

 

That's 2.454 seconds, but in fairness, it has to hit a satellite, bounce back to a receiver and then get to it's destination. And there is no cheating physics.

[dopescally]

Does anyone know if it's possible to buy the internet package for one device and then tether a different device to that device - so you'd basically have two devices connected through the one device's connection?

[Clarea]

Does anyone know if it's possible to buy the internet package for one device and then tether a different device to that device - so you'd basically have two devices connected through the one device's connection?

Sure, if you have a device that has both WiFi and Bluetooth, you can connect the WiFi to the ship's system, and use the Bluetooth to connect other compatible devices.