Wifi antenna. Worth it?

J

JVM225

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For those who have, or tried to get, workable wifi on the boat:
My dock is 2 blocks off of the bay on the Lindenhurst side of the Venice. I primarily boat between the Jones Inlet and Babylon and when we drop the hook for the day it's usually in Zacks Bay or Hemlock Cove. I'm not a Cablevision subscriber, nor would I consider being one.
Is it worth investing in a wifi antenna for the boat? Are there truly accessible networks in that area of the south shore?
If I were to get one it would probably be the Rogue Wave, but don't want to go through the hassle of buying and installing it to just become frustrated because it doesn't get me a whole lot of choices for reliable wifi in that area.
 
I have been using mine for several years works great very happy!
Well worth the money.
 
If you intend to hitchhike on free wifi that people leave open, I am thinking you are in for a disappointment. If the marinas you frequent have wifi and you are tired of walking up to the office to use it then it could be a good thing. If you are subscribed to a wifi provider that has many locations you can take advantage of, it would probably be a good thing.
We used a booster relentlessly and would not go boating on weekend or long trips again without one.

One of the best benefits is being able to attach all of your devices to the booster. This way you only have to search for wifi with the booster.
 
Dan makes a good point! I subscribe to Optimum which provides tons of hot spots everywhere. I really have trouble finding service with my Rouge this said without this option it isn't going to help a lot. Most people have learned to secure their service in fact most WiFi Routers Come secured this days requiring the owners to choose a password during setup so the days of open routers is gone!
 
Thanks for the replies. Looks like I may be better off waiting for more municipalities to get free wifi up and running. It would be nice if the state and towns made it available on their beaches. Hopefully soon.
 
Rogue user. Hemlock is a dead spot . most anchorages will be as well. The rogue works great but it needs a signal to grab. Watch hill its a ghost town for wifi. Biggest hotspot provider is Cablevision. With out them ur pretty much wasting ur money. Even with cablevision, on the water its pretty hard to get a signal. Its more for being at a marina with service. Not so say there wont be exceptions .

Rob
 
There is always a smart phone with a built in hotspot. Just watch your data usage.
 
I agree with Rob, I have the Rogue, it works fine when you have a signal nearby. They claim it picks them up from 7 miles away. My experience has been that it is more like less than 1/2 mile.

According to Cablevision, there are hotspots all over the area where we boat. Unless I am VERY close to one, it doesn't pick it up.
 
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