5 Things to Consider When Installing Marina Wifi
Installing wifi at a marina isn’t as easy as setting up a router at your house and adding a few access points.
Unlike indoor spaces, marinas face unique challenges. Water interference, boat obstruction, salt exposure, heavy device usage, open-air coverage, just to name a few.
It isn’t simple. Therefore, if you’re considering installing wifi at your marina, remember these five tips:
- Environmental Challenges and Hardware Durability
We and you know that the marina environment presents some challenges due to water, wind, and salty air.
Unlike land-based networks, which are usually sheltered, indoors, etc., a marina’s wifi system must be able to handle these harsh elements.
Because of this, you must be very careful about the wifi hardware you purchase. It should be able to handle exposure to moisture, salt, wind, and temperature shifts without degrading.
- High User Load and Network Capacity
When it comes to marina wifi, hundreds of devices may need to connect to it at once, especially during peak seasons.
Out of these hundreds of devices, guests will be streaming, working, and using multiple other smart devices simultaneously, meaning you need a high-capacity network that can handle the device load and ensure a quality of service at the same time.
This means that you need to plan your network for scale and efficiency in addition to choosing the right number of access points. Not only this, but placing them in strategic areas to ensure you create full marina-wide coverage.
- Coverage Consistency and User Experience
Guests expect seamless and fast internet across docks and any common areas.
Therefore, it’s recommended that you get a proper site survey and network design before installation. This will ensure that you get proper coverage in your marina.
Alongside this, there are a lot of obstructions in marinas. These will need to be considered in the design of the network to ensure, even when obstructed, guests can still access the wifi from their boats.
Using something like 2.4GHz (better range) and 5GHz (better speeds) bands helps ensure connectivity across devices and locations without interruptions.
- Security, Monitoring, and Future-Proofing
When installing marina wifi, security should be top of mind. This isn’t only for your guests, either; it’s also important for any devices like security cameras, used to operate the marina.
Because of this, you must use encrypted networks, separate guest and admin access, and invest in managing wifi platforms (preferably ones with built-in monitoring and diagnostics or an external tech team)
- Professional Installation and Ongoing Support
Marina wifi is complex. There aren’t any off-the-shelf networks that you can install. And honestly, you shouldn’t consider a DIY setup as well.
Therefore, you should be working with an experienced professional—someone who can ensure proper design, installation, and support for your marina’s wifi.
By making this investment, you ensure your network is purposely built for your marina and its needs, allowing for better speeds, coverage, and stability.
Contact Marina Wifi Professionals Today
If you want to upgrade or install Marina wifi, consider contacting Beacon Wifi, your go-to marina wifi specialists. We’ll happily provide a free consultation and assessment to help you determine the best hardware, software, and system design for your needs.