wireless on ship?

[Terpnut]

Do any of you techies know if having the wireless connection will make it run faster? It was soooo slow that last time we cruised.

All other things being equal, the internet connection speed or overall experience will NOT change. WiFi wireless networking has nothing directly to do with Internet access. Assuming RCCL still uses, and does not upgrade the speed of, their satellite internet connection, then the download and other speeds will not change. The only thing that is changing is the means with which your computer is interconnecting with RCCL's internet connection, i.e. WiFi wireless instead of dial-up using a telephone cable.

[jules71]

All other things being equal, the internet connection speed or overall experience will NOT change. WiFi wireless networking has nothing directly to do with Internet access. Assuming RCCL still uses, and does not upgrade the speed of, their satellite internet connection, then the download and other speeds will not change. The only thing that is changing is the means with which your computer is interconnecting with RCCL's internet connection, i.e. WiFi wireless instead of dial-up using a telephone cable.

 

Oh, that's too bad. But thanks for enlightening me.

[PelicanBill]

Great explanation from Terpnut on speed of networking vs. wireless.

 

I can answer the issue of "Microsoft Operating System" required. What this means is that Royal Caribbean has decided that they will train their people only for Windows, and offer support only for Windows. It is very costly to train people to support Apple and several variants of Linux, or to offer wireless cards for these.

 

But, as pointed out, Wireless is simply one of 3 standards - and they chose IEEE 802.11b. So if you have a working 802.11b setup at home or work, chances are very good that all you need to do is ask for the SSID (network name) and let your drivers find the signal... and it will work. By the way, if you have a wireless 802.11b or an 802.11g card, both will work... "g" is backward compatible with "b".

 

One more note on performance... it is unfortunate that they are using 802.11b as this is 11Mb/s, shared among whoever is using it. Let's say the satellite link is 1Mb/s. If there are 20 wireless users, they are getting less than .5Mb/s and then wireless is the performance limiter.

 

If they would implement the 802.11g standard, with dual mode b/g radios, then the speed is 54Mb/s, making it much more likely that there will be no limitation from wireless, and, it will of course work if you have either a b or g wireless card.

 

Update your patching, antivirus, and for goodness sake run a personal firewall! Your next door neigbor on the network may be infected!

[kenandlaura06]

All other things being equal, the internet connection speed or overall experience will NOT change. WiFi wireless networking has nothing directly to do with Internet access. Assuming RCCL still uses, and does not upgrade the speed of, their satellite internet connection, then the download and other speeds will not change. The only thing that is changing is the means with which your computer is interconnecting with RCCL's internet connection, i.e. WiFi wireless instead of dial-up using a telephone cable.

 

Thanks for the explanation!

[beckers]

I think the cost is too much!! to sit on my slow wireless laptop on a cruise ship.

I think I will leave it at home where I can enjoy my fast DSL service and enjoy all the things on the cruise ship. Unless I get the shakes.....withdrawel symptoms from not surfing all my favorite websites like cruisecritic.:eek:

[Terpnut]

I think the cost is too much!! to sit on my slow wireless laptop on a cruise ship.

I think I will leave it at home where I can enjoy my fast DSL service and enjoy all the things on the cruise ship. Unless I get the shakes.....withdrawel symptoms from not surfing all my favorite websites like cruisecritic.:eek:

I was actually hoping that the WiFi access would be free! :rolleyes: And with just a little luck, my cabin will be near the access point and I can do it from my room. BTW, does anyone know where this "Internet cafe" or hotspot will be located on a Radiance-class ship?

[Terpnut]

Any recent cruisers (especially those who cruised on a Radiance-class ship) try the new hotspot(s)? If so, where are they located, how well did they work and how much did it cost (if anything)?

[Tony O]

I doubt RCCL's wireless network will really be Windows-only--this is probably just some writer's misunderstanding. My guess is that RCCL will implement standard 802.11a/b-compatible hot spots.

 

We were on the Voyager in July and they had several wireless hotspots around the ship. The connection was fast. It did have the 802.11X/X /X compatability. We purchased the bundled minutes which worked out to be about I believe 39 cents a minute. I like the idea that I was able to go different hotspots around the ship enjoy the scenery and use my laptop.

[NormanW]

The 11Mbps and 54Mbps of 802.11B and 802.11G respectively refer to the symbol rate not the actual throughput of the device. In practice under ideal conditions one will see a maximum sustained throughput of 4.5 Mbps for B and roughly 18-22 Mbps for G. G varies widely by chipset used and signal strength to the access point radio. This is also a shared topology so (as previously mentioned) the speeds suffer with the amount of users actually connecting and downloading. You may hear of faster wireless devices reaching 108Mbps. These are really G radios that support active bonding of channels to double throughput and can reach 40Mbps in use. The downfall is compatibility and they cause a lot of interference.

 

Of course the speed of Inmarsat is limiting your gateway (internet) speed. Latency is approaching one second and always will. Higher bandwidth is around the corner for commons use - now it is reserved for medicinal purposes and priority communications, etc.

 

As far as operating systems they specify Windows due to its popularity and they support it. Bring in a notebook running Fedora and ask for support (like you *need* help if you're running that! LOL) and I'm sure the responses will be funny.

 

Finally, for those folks bringing their own system please make sure you're clean! (no trojans, malware, etc.) That is all we need is to have a zombie creating a "force ten" broadcast storm over port 25!

 

Cheers,

 

Norman

[Terpnut]

We were on the Voyager in July and they had several wireless hotspots around the ship. The connection was fast. It did have the 802.11X/X /X compatability. We purchased the bundled minutes which worked out to be about I believe 39 cents a minute. I like the idea that I was able to go different hotspots around the ship enjoy the scenery and use my laptop.

Great! Now if only somebody from a Radiance-class boat (especially Serenade) can please confirm the same! Thanks!

[pcur]

Me, too!! Me, too! Brilliance or Radiance.

 

Thanks!

[Terpnut]

No other computer users who used RCCL's wireless networking?

[Terpnut]

Anybody?

[Terpnut]

No computer users here?

[Terpnut]

No other computer users have tried the new wireless networking? I guess RCCL must not be making much money on this new investment! :)

[later]

I spend to much time on the computer/electronic equipment now. I prefer to be unplugged totally on a cruise. I wish they would not add cell phone or internet connection capability. When it didn't exist on board your employer could not contact you unless it was a major problem. Now we are connected 24/7 and can have no real down time.

 

The best part of a cruise to me is the down time away from the real world.

 

But life goes on.

[Terpnut]

I spend to much time on the computer/electronic equipment now. I prefer to be unplugged totally on a cruise. I wish they would not add cell phone or internet connection capability. When it didn't exist on board your employer could not contact you unless it was a major problem. Now we are connected 24/7 and can have no real down time.

 

The best part of a cruise to me is the down time away from the real world.

 

But life goes on.

While I agree that many people are too connected and need more down-time, it is only because of computers and networking technology that I can even take take this vacation! I AM the evil employer you refer to and I HAVE to approve my payroll and do certain management functions that today's internet/web-based and networking technologies ALLOW me to do WHILE I am on vacation! In my case, 95% downtime is far better than no downtime and it's ONLY possible due to modern technology.

 

Now, back to my original question: Has anyone on a Radiance-class ship used RCCL's new wireless networking, and if so, how much was it and where exactly were the access points? Thanks!

[pcur]

While I agree that many people are too connected and need more down-time, it is only because of computers and networking technology that I can even take take this vacation! I AM the evil employer you refer to and I HAVE to approve my payroll and do certain management functions that today's internet/web-based and networking technologies ALLOW me to do WHILE I am on vacation! In my case, 95% downtime is far better than no downtime and it's ONLY possible due to modern technology.

 

Now, back to my original question: Has anyone on a Radiance-class ship used RCCL's new wireless networking, and if so, how much was it and where exactly were the access points? Thanks!

 

And, I am sure your employees are VERY grateful you take the time to approve the payroll while on vacation!! :D

 

I just sent an email to RCI asking where the wireless hotspots are on the Radiance of the Seas (our next cruise after this October), so I'll post their reply. It should apply to the Brilliance and all the Radiance class ships.

 

More later...,. :D

[Terpnut]

And, I am sure your employees are VERY grateful you take the time to approve the payroll while on vacation!! :D

 

I just sent an email to RCI asking where the wireless hotspots are on the Radiance of the Seas (our next cruise after this October), so I'll post their reply. It should apply to the Brilliance and all the Radiance class ships.

 

More later...,. :D

I thought of that too, but thought I'd get more direct responses faster here. Guess I was wrong! :rolleyes: Anyhow, I hope I find out more information soon as we're leaving for Vancouver on Tuesday! Thanks!

[pcur]

Nope.....we'll get better responses here, hopefully. I received a reply and RCI said, basically: "it depends on the ship; they will tell you once you're on board."

 

I read another thread about this, but I think it was not referring to the Radiance class. I'm going to keep checking.

[NormanW]

I AM the evil employer you refer to and I HAVE to approve my payroll and do certain management functions that today's internet/web-based and networking technologies >snip<

 

YIKE!

 

I really do hope you're tunneling as anyone listening can easily sniff packets and get your creds right from beneath your feet. At the very least I would hope your apps are SSL'd.

 

It's AMAZING what I see coming through WLAN's everywhere - people using their computers in public hotspots like they do at home.

 

Cheers,

 

Norman

 

p.s. Since you're leaving might as well grab a copy of Netstumbler (or Kismet if you're a nix person) and plot out the ship's nodes. A full scan report is to be expected within a day of return from your cruise! <VBG>

[Terpnut]

All my web apps are SSL-encrypted. As for wireless-related vulnerabilities, how many hackers can one expect on a CRUISE SHIP? Will anybody else even be using the network? Heck, I've been posting for days and can't even get a single response from a recent Radiance-class cruiser who has used the onboard WiFi! :D

[TexasDH]

Thanks for the topic, and particularly those of you who have answered what I was pondering this afternoon! :)

 

For those of you who mentioned "tunneling" and hacking... any advice for programs to protect yourself on public wireless? (We are networked at home, but with a very weak signal -- obviously -- with the poor reception throughout!)

[Terpnut]

Thanks for the topic, and particularly those of you who have answered what I was pondering this afternoon! :)

 

For those of you who mentioned "tunneling" and hacking... any advice for programs to protect yourself on public wireless? (We are networked at home, but with a very weak signal -- obviously -- with the poor reception throughout!)

1. Keep your Windows (or whatever OS you are using) regularly and religiously updated with the latest critical updates and patches!

2. Always use encryption by using either a VPN or SSL-encrypted web applications. For browser-based applications, SSL is working when you see the little lock symbol in the corner of your browser.

3. When setting up your home wireless network, setup and USE the available WEP or WPA encryption! Unfortunately, public hot spots (like the ship's), will most likely be open networks so think twice before submitting sensitive information like SSNs, passwords, etc. over these networks.

4. Never associate with any access point in ad hoc mode.

 

* Disclaimer: While I know a thing or two about IT matters, I am not a network engineer, and the above written off the top of my head in less than 90 seconds, and I did not have time to refer to my wireless network "best practices" guide to write it. :)

[PelicanBill]

1. Keep your Windows (or whatever OS you are using) regularly and religiously updated with the latest critical updates and patches!

2. Always use encryption by using either a VPN or SSL-encrypted web applications. For browser-based applications, SSL is working when you see the little lock symbol in the corner of your browser.

3. When setting up your home wireless network, setup and USE the available WEP or WPA encryption! Unfortunately, public hot spots (like the ship's), will most likely be open networks so think twice before submitting sensitive information like SSNs, passwords, etc. over these networks.

4. Never associate with any access point in ad hoc mode.

 

* Disclaimer: While I know a thing or two about IT matters, I am not a network engineer, and the above written off the top of my head in less than 90 seconds, and I did not have time to refer to my wireless network "best practices" guide to write it. :)

 

I am a network engineer and wireless is one of my specialties... Terp gave a great start... mostly for doing wireless at home... I will add

5. Disable "broadcast SSID"

6. Use a good antivirus program and keep it up to date daily

7. Use a firewall and be suspicious if any new programs suddenly want to talk out to the Internet

8. Scan your PC for adware and spyware with the free programs Lavasoft Ad-Aware and Spybot Search & Destroy or buy a good one that updates itself or get the Microsoft beta which they promise will be free to licensed Windows users

9. Don't install or run peer to peer file/music/etc sharing

10. Don't install or run remote control programs

11. Don't turn on file & print sharing from your computer unless you know what you are doing and password protect everything

12. Back up your important files

13. Back up your important files

14. Back up your important files

15. Did I mention back up your important files?

 

"Always use VPN or SSL" - if accessing a workplace you probably are required to do this. Don't give personal data unless you trust the web site AND the SSL lock is showing. Otherwise, you will be browsing web sites as usual, and there is really no risk to browse to web sites you trust, such as cruisecritic!

 

Get a copy of this month's Consumer Reports for comprehensive PC security product ratings.

 

For Public Wireless hotspots:

 

1. From above, keep your patches up to date, and AV up to date

2. Run a Firewall - VERY IMPORTANT

3. Browse only trusted web sites

4. Give personal data only to sites you trust AND with the SSL lock lit up

5. If you did turn on file & print sharing, DISABLE it while on public hotspots

 

 

It is estimated 90% of home PCs have an unwanted adware or spyware program.