Router/Wifi extender

[Peewee14]

Anyone tell me how to post pictures using the app? Thought you could put them straight on

 

 

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[Peewee14]

It’s 1.7 down and 1.8 up with 339 ping

 

That’s with 4 devices connected.

 

Sounds slow in figures but it’s actually working well in the cabin

 

I am using a tiny little router. It’s not much bigger than a matchbox ! It’s a TP-LINK TL-WR802N - Wireless router

 

 

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[Peewee14]

I have actually bought a 2 device package but this just lets the kids use it in the room. The main benefit is you don’t have to keep logging on and logging off just connect to the router and it works easy

 

 

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[Peewee14]

Just done another and got 2mb down same up and 298 ping.

 

It’s 5pm on a sea day so everyone in board and no regular phone signal

 

 

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[AlanF65]

Anyone tell me how to post pictures using the app? Thought you could put them straight on

 

 

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Try the Cruise critic app, ifs fast and has two methods of posting pictures including right from phone as you, see other message from phone

 

 

 

 

try this, https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=56995108&postcount=1544

 

otherwise the last 5-6 pages of this thread https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1714741&page=78

[Biker19]

Just done another and got 2mb down same up and 298 ping.

I guess I should have clarified - can you test both with and without the router (test it on the second device perhaps) - trying to figure out what is the overhead hit to performance (for example you should be getting closer to 200ms ping instead of the 300 you listed - perhaps same with speed, closer to 5 Mbps) ? I know it was terrible using a Win 10 laptop to share the signal.

[Peewee14]

Biker. I am out and about now so connected directly. 3.8 down. 2.0 up. Ping 250

 

 

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[Biker19]

Biker. I am out and about now so connected directly. 3.8 down. 2.0 up. Ping 250

Assuming the numbers via the router are the same as previous readings, then about a 20%+ performance hit using a router. Probably the bigger hit depends on number of overall users on the system on the ship.

[Peewee14]

I did reply to this but seems to have gone ? 3mb down connected direct. Same upload ping about 250.

 

 

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[Peewee14]

Guessing it also depends on what are devices are using. At the time of the test 4 connected but not really doing anything or streaming

 

 

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[Rogueperson]

Guessing it also depends on what are devices are using. At the time of the test 4 connected but not really doing anything or streaming

 

 

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Maybe do a test with other devices doing something and seeing if it degrades?

[Peewee14]

ran 2 tests

 

Test 1 - 2 devices connected to travel router, one running test and one streaming video from amazon

 

test 2 - 1 device connected to router streaming and second device connected direct to royal wifi, 

 

As you can see there is a big difference in the results, so the speed is indeed split 

 

[rbell]

I used my WD my passport wireless pro last month on Allure and Mariner and it worked great.

[Biker19]

5 hours ago, Peewee14 said:

As you can see there is a big difference in the results, so the speed is indeed split 

 

 

 I've never seen a ping of 159ms before, the lowest I've seen reported is in the high 180s.👍

[twangster]

I have cruised extensively with a travel router but my use case is different.  I generally cruise solo and often in interior cabins.  As luck sometimes works out, I sometimes have a cabin between two access points such that if I stand by the door of my cabin I have useable signal while in bed the wifi signal can be so weak it's unusable.   

A travel router can be placed to acquire enough signal to be useable and it broadcasts it's own SSID which covers the cabin and provides good coverage even in bed.  The antenna on a travel router is often larger than those in a phone.  So my use case isn't to steal or violate the terms and conditions, it's to overcome poor wifi coverage due to metal walls and doors.  

I have tried two different routers.  The first is based on HooToo code and the second is a current TP-Link product.  The HooToo version I have does not allow for MAC cloning.  The TP-Link does.  There are two ship that I know of that MAC filter travel routers - Liberty and Radiance.  On these two ships my TP-Link works when I clone a typical PC or laptop MAC address.  The HooToo based router does not work on these two ships.  So far on other ships I've sailed MAC filtering does not appear to be in use.

Anytime I have cruised with friends and family we have each properly acquired a Voom plan, either by Sky Class benefits or by purchasing a multi-device plan.

In my experience, each Surf and Stream plan is rate limited to 4Mb down and 2Mb up.  There are exceptions, however since the Speedcast contract was signed those are proving harder to find.

On Serenade I found my Surf and Stream plan was throttled down to Surf speeds by mid cruise.  The Voom specialist on board tried raising my plan to 8Mb down, then 20Mb down but to no effect.  She said I was in the top 10 of users but not in the top 5.  I had consumed around 4GB by that point. 

She was prepared to blame my phone when I had her login into my account using her phone and it was rate limited to Surf speeds.  Her phone on her account was getting nearly 4Mb down.  At a loss to explain it, she refunded my plan cost and said she would sent an inquiry to Speedcast  (this was a month after the Speedcast renewal was put in place).  

I've sailed 15 ships in 2017 and 2018.  I've had Voom on all of them.  While not conclusive, I have generally found Surf and Stream to provide a maximum of just under 4Mb down and 2Mb up.  Surf yields 0.5Mb down and 0.25 Mb up.  This is per plan regardless of O3b or geostationary.  

[Biker19]

8 hours ago, twangster said:

I've sailed 15 ships in 2017 and 2018.  I've had Voom on all of them.  While not conclusive, I have generally found Surf and Stream to provide a maximum of just under 4Mb down and 2Mb up.  Surf yields 0.5Mb down and 0.25 Mb up.  This is per plan regardless of O3b or geostationary.  

Except general usability is much better on O3B equipped ships, regardless of VOOM tier. Here's a comparison table for major cruise lines:

 

^ From https://www.cruisehive.com/the-best-cruise-line-wi-fi-has-been-uncovered/27202

[twangster]

1 minute ago, Biker19 said:

Except general usability is much better on O3B equipped ships, regardless of VOOM tier. Here's a comparison table for major cruise lines:

Seems like a fair comparison although I've tried internet on 12 Carnival ships. Not sure I agree about 'medium' on their fleet.  Disappointed that after advertising O3b on Horizon they are actually using the old geosync satellites on her.   The only good thing about Carnival is their inexpensive social plan.  If you want to use the internet for more, that's when I think Carnival is poor value for the money spent on the next tiers of their internet plans. 

Agree about O3b ships.  When you sail one after sailing non-O3b it's immediately evident.

[willde]

On 10/7/2018 at 9:16 AM, sharpasice said:

If Royal catches on to this they will probably say that if you purchase wifi, you must purchase for everyone in the room. UGH!

 

That is the requirement for our June 9 cruise on Oasis from Barcelona.  😒

Edited April 24, 2019 by willde

[Clarea]

5 hours ago, willde said:

 

That is the requirement for our June 9 cruise on Oasis from Barcelona.  😒

 

First time I've heard this.

[mattb31]

5 hours ago, willde said:

 

That is the requirement for our June 9 cruise on Oasis from Barcelona.  😒

Weird, our upcoming cruise on Symphony still allows us just one person in the room to purchase it. Still shows the packages as well.

[Biker19]

6 hours ago, willde said:

 

That is the requirement for our June 9 cruise on Oasis from Barcelona.  😒

You sure that's just for VOOM alone? Maybe you bought it with a drink package?

[CRUISEFAN0001]

6 hours ago, willde said:

 

That is the requirement for our June 9 cruise on Oasis from Barcelona.  😒

We've never heard of that before, and certainly didn't experience it on our upcoming cruise planner WIFI signups.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

Following the information (and doing some side research as well) regarding travel router devices.

 

Since we sign up for onboard WIFI anyway, any interest we have centers solely on signal strength stability and boost in cabin locations. We don't condone nor would we leverage any device for "expanding" the user count access - that's just plain wrong from our vantage point. 

 

We may have been a bit spoiled in the past on ships with the 03b sat internet onboard...so with our next cruise being on Navigator...we'll continue to follow the information in this thread regarding the value/benefits of a travel WIFI-bridge-type device towards reliable/stable/good WIFI.

[Biker19]

Just now, CRUISEFAN0001 said:

We may have been a bit spoiled in the past on ships with the 03b sat internet onboard...so with our next cruise being on Navigator...we'll continue to follow the information in this thread regarding the value/benefits of a travel WIFI-bridge-type device towards reliable/stable/good WIFI.

I believe during the dry dock they may have upgraded some parts of the WiFi infrastructure so that signal access may have improved - speed and latency OTOH has not changed.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

Just now, Biker19 said:

I believe during the dry dock they may have upgraded some parts of the WiFi infrastructure so that signal access may have improved - speed and latency OTOH has not changed.

Good to know. Thanks.