VIDEOS: AxcessPoint Training from Iridium 2012 Conference

Satellite communication technology continues to evolve and today Global Marine Networks offered detailed training at the Iridium Partner's Conference 2012 on AxcessPoint Mail & Web. GMN developed AxcessPoint Mail & Web for Iridium.

Click button below for access to the videos to view now or later.

These three videos deliver detailed instructional information about satellite email, satellite web, marine weather and more:

• Video 1 - AxcessPoint Introduction and Registration: advantages, requirements and demo of registration process (9 minutes)

• Video 2 - Installation and Satellite email and web demos: iOS compatibility, demos of download and installation, how to create and send email, web browsing, important app control areas (17 minutes)

• Video 3 - Marine Weather and GPS demos:  put it all together to download GRIBs, forecasts, GPS location and more on your iPod, iPad or iPhone at sea (18 minutes)

You will learn:

• How to use your iPod Touch, iPad, or iPhone with the Iridium AxcessPoint Mail & Web Apple iOS app for satellite phone email and web browsing
  

• How to use your Iridium satellite phone, an optional Iridium AxcessPoint WiFi hotspot and Marine Weather apps.

This is a complete reliable solution to receive, display and manage email, web and weather on open seas or any remote location with your iPod, iPad and other iOS devices. 

Click button above for access to the videos to view now or later.

 

 

 

CNET – Satellite tech, app connect your iPhone anywhere in the world

HF radio and pactor modems vs Satellite Phones for email at sea

Time and again, we hear from boaters who ask about using HF radio with pactor modems to access email service. “But it’s ‘free’” they say. Well, it’s not. We have a lot to say about this subject and would like to take a few minutes to fill you in on the latest in the HF radio versus satellite phone discussion that has now been ongoing for the last 15 years.

First let me talk about HF radio vs. satelite phones.? There is a nice recording here of a podcast on the subject

http://www.globalmarinenet.com/downloads/audio/

You will also find a discussion on using your iPad for satellite communication as well as using a discussion between different satellite broadband systems.

Satellite Phone advantages over Pactor Modems

Cost

It is much less expensive to purchase a satellite phone plus several years of airtime than it is to purchase a new Marine Single Side Band Radio.

Satellite phones commonly cost:

Iridium 9555 with global coverage

- $1195 hardware

- $659 - 500 prepaid airtime minutes valid one year

 

IsatPhone Pro with mostly global coverage

- $595 hardware

- $750 - 1000 airtime minutes valid 2 years.

 

Speed

Iridium data rates are at 2400 baud nominal, although if you purchase an AxcessPoint Wifi device or an wXa-200 router you can get over 3000?baud... Check this out.

http://blog.francis-fustier.fr/en/navigation-sur-ipad-la-solution-integrale/

IsatPhone Pro speeds are about 60% of Iridium for download (2000 baud) and bout 45% for upload (1600 baud).

Both of these phones are faster than Pactor III modems on a typical connection.? Typical pactor connections are between 1-5 Kbytes per minute.? Iridium is 15 (20) kbps).

 

Other advantages

1. There is no contention so you can do your email anytime you want.

1. Satellite phones are more flexible than HF.

1. Satellite phones are portable

1. Satellite phones can get all of your email and much larger selection of weather

1. There are no time constraints on usage or time of day for usage.

1. Satellite phones can be used to dial 911 or 505 (sos) in case of an emergency from your lifeboat.

1. Satellite phones can make and receive voice calls to regular land based phones

1. Satellite phones get free incoming SMS.. i.e. "call home" there is an emergency.

1. Satellite phones can browse the Internet in a pinch (its slow... but hey it works if you must have it).

1. Satellite phone email service compresses data so that most email sessions take only a few minutes. Our XGate satellite phone email accelerates service by 15-20 times.

For all these reasons it would be silly to go off shore without a satellite phone.

 

Handheld satellite phones vs. satellite broadband devices

The major advantages of broadband devices over portables are price of airtime and speed. It takes 68 minutes to transfer one MB over Iridium handheld phones. At $1.29 per minute this means that 1 MB of data cost $87.? Note that 1Mbyte is a ton of data in the narrow band satellite business.? Your typical grib file is 10Kbytes. So you can download 100 GRIB files for the cost of 1 Mbyte.

Compare this $90 per MB price to the 3 broadband satellite services out there.

• BGAN ~ $5 MB

• FBB ~ $10 MB (and as low as $0.30/minute for large commitments)

• Iridium OpenPort ~ $12 MB.

So... satellite broadband is 10 times cheaper for data than a handheld satellite phone.

If you use a broadband satellite device the same way you would use an Isatphone Pro or an Iridium handset your monthly airtime bill would be astonishingly low.

Plus, satellite broadband devices are fast enough to browse the Internet. So if you must browse then you have plenty of bandwidth to do so, you will simply want to use compression based software to reduce your airtime bill. Here’s why:

The?www.cnn.com homepage is about 1 MB. This means that on an uncompressed link this page may cost you $10. If you use compression (our Xweb compresses on average 2-5x) then that page cost $2. That is a considerable savings.

One of the disadvantages of Broadband devices (as mentioned before) is that they are ethernet based. This means that if you connect your computer to an open connection you might end up with a surprisingly large bill. This is because processes running on your computer such as anti-virus programs, windows updates, adobe flash updates, etc. will detect the open Internet connection and try to use it.

So when using a satellite broadband device you MUST use a firewall that blocs all unwanted traffic.? This works fine if you use a service that provides you with compression but its difficult when using regular Internet tools.

One device that you might want to look at is the wxa-200

http://www.globalmarinenet.com/catalog/acceleration-appliance-c-1_125.html

This device is designed to prevent airtime shock for satellite broadband users. When you hook it up to a broadband device only compressed email and web traffic will go over it. It blocks everything else. Only your email and the compressed web pages you want to browse will be downloaded over the link.? All windows updates, antivirus, etc. will be blocked from accessing the Internet.

3. Free satellite phone e-mail.

Iridium is now providing free satellite phone email service under the Iridium AxcessPoint Mail & Web name to any subscriber using a 9555 or 9575 with the Purchase of an Iridium Wifi AxcessPoint appliance.

http://www.globalmarinenet.com/catalog/iridium-axcesspoint-wifi-device-p-845.html

The Iridium AxceePoint Wi-Fi Hotspot $179 device has additional advantages...

1. Wi-Fi connectivity to your phone - it allows any computer to connect to the phone via wifi. This eliminates the PROBLEMATIC USB interface to the computer.

1. There are no drivers, modems, or Windows DUNs to install.? Simply connect via wifi to your device and voila... you are off doing email and weather.

1. It has a built in firewall which removes all traffic over the slow link except compression based web browsing and email.? So... it works like the wXa-202 device mentioned above for Broadband devices but much less expensive and only for Iridium.

Every iridium user should consider acquiring an Iridium AxcessPoint.

4. Apple Mobile devices.

You can now use your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch with your satellite phone.? If using a 9555/9575 you will need an AxcessPoint wifi device since the only way to interface to these phones is via wifi.

If using any other phone (including an IsatPhone Pro) then a wXa-200 is required.

Once again... all this information is summarized in the audio recordings listed here.

http://www.globalmarinenet.com/downloads/audio/

 

XGate satellite phone email for Apple iOS - iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch

XGate satellite phone email and web browsing service is now available as an iOS App for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch users. Best of all, it's free to XGate subscribers. Simply download XGate in the iTunes App store .

Those of you who have followed the Iridium AxcessPoint launch will have an idea how this works. Others may ask: How can I get my satellite phone data service to work with my iPad, you ask? The iPad will only work with either cellular or Wi-Fi data. You need a way to turn your satellite phone data feed into a Wi-Fi signal. That's why we created the RedPort wXa-202 satellite firewall. Simply plug in your USB (like you'd find on an Iridium 9555 or Extreme or IsatPhone Pro) or Ethernet cable (like you'd find on an Inmarsat BGAN or FleetBroadband device) and start XGate on your iOS device.

• The wXa-202 will create a Wi-Fi hotspot your iPad can see and use to access your satellite phone.

• XGate will control your satellite phone through the wXa-202 to dial and hang up.

• The wXa-202 will act as a firewall, eliminating unwanted data requests from your computer, including Windows and virus updates, Skype background transfers, etc.

There are a couple of other advantages as well:

XGate will work over your cellular or Wi-Fi connection as well - that means you can save a lot of money on your data rates if you're internationally roaming, or if you're bumping up against your cellular data plan limit.

XGate stores your email on your iOS device, unlike Apple Mail which requires data access for anything more than your most current mail.

Solo Atlantic Crossing and XGate Satellite Phone Email Aid Kenya

It's always really nice to hear from individuals and organizations that we sponsor. Here is one from Katie Spotz who did a solo unsupported row across the atlantic. Throughout the trip, Katie used XGate satellite phone email service to stay in touch with friends, family and support teams. Katie has a great cause, check out her blog: http://www.rowforwater.com

"Hi Luis,

Hope you and your family are enjoying the holidays.

It's been an incredible past year and I wanted to take a moment to thank you for your support. I am currently visiting water projects in Kenya that were funded as a result of the solo row across the Atlantic Ocean last year that was sponsored by GMN.

Attached is a little thank you from Kenya. Meet Kevin and John. Two of the many children than now have clean water to drink because of you.


Thanks for you support. It means more than you know."

Katie

VIDEO: Iridium AxcessPoint Overview

Iridium just posted a new video for the Iridium AxcessPoint. The AxcessPoint is a Wi-Fi hotspot that lets you use your Iridium data feed with your PC, Mac or iOS device (iPad, iPod Touch, iPhone) using the Iridium AxcessPoint Mail & Web Application.

GMN RedPort Global WebXaccelerator Line covered in Digital Ship

Digital Ship, a leading marine electronics publications with particular emphasis on data communications, covered the launch of RedPort Global, a complete satellite network managment suite for maritime and offshore satellite broadband networks.  While RedPort is a new brand from Global Marine Networks, the core technology has been developed over the past year.  The routers offer complete maritime voice and data services including routers, firewalls, voip and web acceleration. With several hundred systems already in the field, and orders for over 700 systems, RedPort is already keeping thousands of mariners in touch for ship operations, crew morale and prepaid passenger VoIP calling.

See the article on Digital Ship here: http://www.thedigitalship.com/conferences/2006/displaynews.asp?NewsID=1951

Satcom management from GMN
(Dec 9 2011)

Global Marine Networks (GMN) has launched RedPort Global, a satellite network management system for maritime and offshore satellite broadband users and distributors.

The company says that RedPort Global includes services that can save up to 80 per cent of satellite airtime using data compression, caching and control, as well as prepaid VoIP, e-mail and internet, least cost routing, firewall filtering and remote control.

"GMN has long been a leader in satellite data services," said Dr Luis Soltero, president and CTO of GMN.

"Now, with the launch of RedPort Global, we are offering satellite broadband users important new data services while building on the foundation of our popular webXaccelerator satellite routers and XGate satellite data products."

Concurrent with this new launch GMN is also launching two new webXaccelerator (wXa) satellite routers, which can work in tandem with RedPort Global services.

The original webXaccelerator satellite router was launched in October 2010, and GMN says it has received orders for over 700 units so far.

Iridium AxcessPoint spotted at the South Pole

"Iridium AxcessPoint at the South Pole 2011"[/caption]

Okay, no penguins, but we love this picture from one of the first Iridium AxcessPoint Wi-Fi devices to hit the field. In this case, it's the South Pole. Check out the South Pole 2011 blog for details of the trip. A knowledge of Norwegian or Google Translate helps. Until then, enjoy.

Iridium AxcessPoint proves its worth in Atlantic Crossing

Armed with an iPad, Iridium phone, and an Iridium AxcessPoint hotspot, Francis Fustier and his compatriots had all of the weather and navigation data they needed for a successful Atlantic crossing during the ARC Rally 2011.

"With Weather4D PRO and Iridium AxcessPoint, associated with an Iridium satellite phone, we now have a complete solution, reliable and low cost, to receive, display and manage GRIB files in open seas with iPad. iNavX Navionics cartography and we also provide a complete navigation solution, supporting the exchange of files with Weather4D PRO: GRIB, routes, tracks, that allows simultaneous display in both applications.

These solutions, fully complementary and mutually consistent, were tested on more 2800 NM in the autumn during a crossing from Canaria to the Caribbean, on board a Catana 47  Rafale , enrolled in the ARC rally 2011. More, Olivier Bouyssou has improved  over water  his app Weather4D Pro, correcting, adding and optimizing daily development onboard."

For more of the story, including the impressive throughput numbers they were receiving over Iridium, visit their blog post: http://blog.francis-fustier.fr/en/navigation-sur-ipad-la-solution-integrale/

Inmarsat names GMN Most Successful Solution Developer of 2011

Award given in recognition of XGate satellite email for IsatPhone Pro data service and RedPort wXa network management services for Fleet Broadband and BGAN.



MARYVILLE, TN NOVEMBER 30, 2011 – Global Marine Networks (GMN), the leaders in advancing satellite data speed and services, was named Most Successful Solution Developer of 2011 by Inmarsat in recognition of its satellite data hardware and service solutions for Inmarsat. In 2011, GMN has launched both XGate satellite email for Inmarsat IsatPhone Pro service, and RedPort Global vessel network manager services for Inmarsat Fleet Broadband and BGAN.



XGate is a software application that keeps families and work groups in touch over satellite phone data services through email and web acceleration, one-touch blogging, and GPS vessel tracking, all optimized for use with narrowband satellite phone data service. GMN worked closely with Inmarsat to make XGate satellite email and web service available for the IsatPhone Pro concurrent with the launch of IsatPhone Pro data service. GMN XGate established the independent Inmarsat speed benchmark for IsatPhone Pro data service.

 

RedPort Global is a complete suite of satellite network management solutions. The RedPort wXa routers are Inmarsat-certified for use with Inmarsat VLA accounts for Fleet Broadband service. With RedPort Global, Fleet Broadband and other IP-based data users can save up to 80% on their satellite airtime usage while generating new revenue streams through a host of features including:

• Prepaid VoIP voice service giving up to 25 minutes of talk time from each megabyte of data

• Prepaid email and Internet services for crew morale, passenger sales, or ship’s operations

• Data compression, caching and control

• Least-cost routing, failover and load-balancing

• Firewall filtering by MAC or TCP/IP address and/or port number provide advanced controls as well as Skype and Adobe Flash blocking

• On-board management – Access and control a ship’s IT network as if on the ship.

• Weather and Oceanographic data

• GPS tracking

• Credit-card processing

 

As an independent solutions provider, GMN works directly with Inmarsat Service Providers (SPs) and Distribution Providers (DPs) to help them offer their customers best-in-class voice and data services.

 

About Global Marine Networks, LLC

Global Marine Networks (GMN), the leaders in advancing satellite data speeds and services, helps Fixed and Mobile Satellite Services providers and their customers by offering the industry’s fastest, most reliable and easy-to-use email, web, and other hardware and software services to maritime, oil and gas, first responder and business continuity users. The company’s products include XGate high-speed satellite email, WeatherNet weather and oceanographic data software, and vessel tracking systems. Ship to shore network management solutions are sold by GMN under the RedPort Global brand name at www.redportglobal.com and as white-label solutions for the world’s premier satellite data service providers.

 

GMN has numerous awards and certifications for technical innovation and holds pending patents on its products. For more information on how GMN is Making Airtime Count™ - whether ship to shore, or in remote or emergency communications environments visit www.globalmarinenet.com.

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