Ocean Navigator Communications Newsletter #18

Other People's Bandwidths: Can I Steal That Which I Cannot See?

Disclaimer for those eagerly awaiting the outcome of my cell-phone dilemma: The saga continues. This being a boat-show week, I haven't had time to look into a replacement for my aging phone; however, I did stumble on a fortuitous situation. Read on to find out more, and stay tuned for the next newsletter, when we'll revisit the cell-phone saga.

I think I've found a solution to my wireless data problem -- at least for the next few days. I'm on the road this week, down in Newport exhibiting at the Newport boat show (booth C23 -- right near the Ocean Navigator guys). Here in the hotel, I'd like to be able to check email each night. While I've got my choice of two dial-up accounts to use, that just seems so old-fashioned, and I'd really like to hook up without wires. So my solution, for tonight anyway, is to take advantage of the fact that some kind soul nearby has set up a wireless 802.11b network and hasn't bothered to secure it.

So, shortly after turning on my computer, I got a little notice that popped up advising me that a wireless network connection was available and asking if I wanted to connect to it. First I try to ask permission, but being alone in the room and not knowing where my benevolent signal originated, I'm at a loss of who to ask. I do the logical thing. As it turns out, none of the cast of Friends seems to have any objections. So I click on the connection and, sure enough, I'm piped through to the Internet.

Looking out the window across the parking lot, I spy a car dealership. I'm guessing that would be a good place for a benevolent wireless network to be set up. The whole notion of roaming on someone else's network is one that's been getting a lot of press lately (at least in the magazines I read), and some ambitious folks are even marking buildings with chalk symbols to notify mobile users of these "open" wireless networks. There is, of course, a large number of closed networks in airport lounges, office buildings and yes, even in Starbucks. For a fee, you can connect to these as well.

Before I digress too far from my marine mandate, let me offer up the idea that this concept is not new to the marine world. Being filled with people who roam and people who don't like stringing wires across docks, there's a natural fit for setting up wireless networks at marinas. While some can take advantage of a sloppy open network if lucky enough to be on a dock near the marina office, a more common situation is to be at a marina that's hooked up to one of several (competing) private networks. For a fee, you can enjoy the privilege of hooking up to any one of a number of wireless networks set up by the company. This is the marine equivalent of Starbucks' wireless setup.

My colleague, Tim Hasson, checks in with a wildly exciting and interesting tidbit from the south. Jacksonville, Fla., has set up a wireless Internet zone (WIZ) that's completely free to visitors in the downtown landing area -- and even on the river! So anyone who happens to be in the area, on a boat or otherwise, and has a suitably equipped laptop, can have free access to the Internet. I don't know about the rest of the world, but this would certainly encourage me to visit Jacksonville and maybe even stay for a little longer. Their stated goal in the project is not necessarily to bring more boaters to town, but to show the country that Jacksonville is "on the leading edge of technology deployment."

I must confess, I don't think I've ever used Jacksonville and technology in the same sentence before, but maybe now I'll think twice about it. In the meantime, I'll be heading back to Portland with an idea to run by city hall. If we give you all free wireless access, you'll come and visit our harbor right? Who knows, maybe we can show the world that Portland, Maine, is on the leading edge of technology. Or maybe not.

But for tonight, I'm stuck wrestling with the moral dilemma of "stealing" from my unknown neighbor. I'm trying to justify it by claiming that the bandwidth I'm borrowing is currently unused and won't cost my neighbor any extra money. It's not right, but at least it doesn't hurt anybody.

Of course, the signal strength up here is pretty poor -- varying between one bar and no signal. So I'll have to live with a sporadic connection. Somebody tell my editor that if the newsletter arrives late, it's because I was waiting for a better signal.

Til next time ?

-- Dan Piltch
dpiltch@MarineComputer.com