Part 7 – Internet for a boat
This is part 7 of “Internet for a boat.” In case you missed it and want to follow along in order, be sure to check out part 6 here or start at the beginning.
Everything is internet enabled, now don’t use it!
I’m of course exaggerating with that headline, but there is some truth in that depending on the source of internet, it may be more or less important to allow access. Control over use is the actual goal and achieving that does require a sound initial setup along with flexible rules and occasional monitoring. The system we built out in the previous guides is intended to operate as smoothly and efficiently as possible. With that design also comes some inherent constraints if we are interested in preserving data use – since every device connected to the network will (by default) behave as though the network is connected to the internet at all times with no regard to data usage. This would make sense for the most common scenarios where these devices are used – on a network with hardline (cable, fiber etc.) directly to an ISP. In this common US home / business scenario data consumption is not a concern. Often times more expensive formats of internet access will be the backbone of our system and it would be prudent to conserve data that we aren’t choosing to consume. To achieve this, I will lay out some of the most common data consumers and how to save data as much as possible.
Saving data
- Turn off automatic system updates – While I’m sure this will give a scary warning when turning off automatic system updates, this can be an immense data saver. With safe usage practices and manually updating a system when possible, there is actually very little relative risk.
- Turn off automatic application updates – This is another big data saver. App updates are frequent and often times only contain very minor enhancements. Additionally, updates are often not tracked effectively, which means certain app updates occur redundantly. That combined with how apps are updated – a whole copy of the new application must be downloaded to replace the existing old app -means this process can be extremely data intensive.
- Disable background app refresh – This feature allows apps to refresh their content and communicate with their servers in the background without using the app. Disabling this option will not disable the app, but instead will only allow it to function when you choose to use it. Enable for specific apps if needed.
- Reduce data that automatically syncs to the cloud – Most big providers (I’m looking at you iCloud) are moving to automatically backup virtually everything you do on your device to the cloud. While that does mean you will have a backup in case of emergency, it also means that most every action you take will be backed up to the cloud (every 4mb photo you take will automatically use 4mb of data to be backed up).
- Enable data saver – Certain devices have this features which combines some of the actions previously mentioned with other methods to reduce data usage. This is usually only effective if the device will do it regardless of the type of connection it has (it can’t behave differently when on WiFi vs cellular data as all data will appear as WiFi data to devices connected to our set-up network.
- Turn off automatic content recognition (ACR) – ACR, attempts to identify every show you play on your smart TV—including those you get via cable, over-the-air broadcasts, streaming services, and even DVDs and Blu-ray discs. The data is transmitted to the TV maker, one of its business partners, or both. This can consume a lot of data, has been hotly debated and is just a bit creepy.
- Turn off interest based advertising – Many smart TVs collect data and use it to show you personalized ads. This is an obvious data waster that can go every time in my opinion.
- Disable any voice recognition services – Any device that uses voice commands (Alexa needs to stop listening) should have these services disabled as they all require the messages to be sent back over the internet for processing and response.
- Firewall rules – Sometimes you just can’t figure out exactly what is using data or you would like a way to ensure nothing can use the internet. As a last step, firewall rules can be put in place to block traffic to the internet incoming or outgoing from any source.
Firewalls, monitoring and flexibility
While the topic can get much more detailed, I think it is important to delve a little deeper into what a firewall is in simple terms and how it can be even more useful. At its core, a firewall is a network device that monitors incoming and outgoing network traffic and permits or blocks data based on a set of rules. The most common use cases employ firewalls for security purposes in order to attempt to deny malicious network usage. While that is important, the network on a boat is less likely to be the target of nefarious activity. Firewall rules can be a great last line of defense against devices, applications or services being able to access data on the internet when all else fails. If you are following this guide and have a router similar to the one recommended, you can log into the router administration section to setup and control a firewall for the vessel’s network as well as use the monitoring tools available.
Monitoring is critical as a first step in determining usage, especially in troubleshooting rogue consumers. If possible, it is easiest to ensure no devices are connected to the network. As a device is added, attempt to use the internet with something like an internet speed test (I prefer fast.com as a simple browser test). Watch the real time usage charts and note the IP or MAC address of the device consuming the expected spike in data. If using a recommended router, change the device label name to whatever the device is and record it for use later (If you are testing your laptop, rename it as such). Continue this process as new devices are added to the network. Allow some time to pass with normal network usage for all of the connected devices. After sufficient time, examine the monitoring logs for longer periods of time during regular usage. If only technical details like a device IP address or MAC address are listed, compare those back to the recorded friendly names for each device. Do you notice any spikes or heavy unexpected usage? If so, first try to see if it is possible to use tips and tricks like those listed above to ascertain what might be causing the unexpected consumption. If these remedies don’t stop the problem, consider using the router administration tools to create a firewall rule. A simple but powerful example is to create a firewall rule that blocks all inbound and outbound traffic for an IP or MAC address. This rule can be enabled to stop any access for the specified device to the internet and disabled to allow resumption of access.
Tangent: By doing this process on Sea Monster I noticed that something on our Samsung Smart TV was using inordinate amounts of data. After time spent searching possibilities and disabling everything that made sense, I was still unable to find what was causing the TV to access the internet and consume data at such a rate. Exasperated, I finally turned to the firewall rules on the network to put an end to the GB of phantom data used by our TV. When it’s ok for the TV to have unfettered internet access (or we want to watch Netflix), I simply disable this rule.
With great power comes great responsibility
Now that you’ve taken full control of the network, connected devices, systems, applications and services and tailored them specifically, there are a few key areas of responsibility that should be addressed.
Storage
As it might have become clear through these posts, I prefer to live in as digital a world as possible. To me this reduces clutter, waste and inefficiency. I also prefer to manage my own storage of the digitized material that is important to me. I know certain cloud features, especially automatic backups have their benefits, but for me they come at too great a cost. Companies are happy to give you a taste of storage in the hopes they can sell you more services, learn more about you and at the very least market that data. These services don’t share data well with each other, therefore as you end up using each service, data is duplicated and scattered. For example photos can easily be scattered across Facebook, Instagram, iCloud, Google, Microsoft, Box etc. Often this is done unbeknownst to the non-technical user. Sometimes it is okay to allow certain data to be backed up by a cloud provider. For example I personally have a bit of an Apple ecosystem with a Mac, iPad and iPhone (though I have a windows computer too). I don’t mind things like contacts being synced to iCloud. It consumes very little data, is relatively easy to sync across systems / providers and comes in handy when I get a new phone and want to transfer basic information. To me this is the other end of the spectrum from something like personal documents or decades of photos and videos.
Backup and cold storage
I’ve recommended a NAS as the centralized storage mechanism for all the important digital assets I want to have control over. If you plan to truly be the steward of your own data, something akin to this is an absolute must as the redundancy it provides standard means that risk for data loss is minimized. The most important step in minimizing data loss is actually backing it up! It sounds ridiculous, but if you are going to host your own cloud on your network, you should make sure you back up to it often! In practice this means connecting devices to the network often, backing up whatever you have chosen to maintain and ensuring there is only one true copy of that data so synchronization is not an issue. For example, every so often I connect my iPhone to my Mac and backup my photos. When I finish this process, all the photos are removed from my phone. If I want to access them I need to look at the central repository (the NAS) to find the golden copy. As a final layer of protection, a cold storage backup snapshot that can be used in a disaster recovery scenario is ideal. What I recommend is to buy a separate external hard drive. Occasionally, the entire storage mechanism should be copied over to the external hard drive. If you are following this guide and use something similar to the Synology NAS I have, this function is simplified with a separate USB port and button for automated copy / backup from the NAS. With this copy complete, you can unplug the external hard drive (that’s the cold part) and store it in a separate secure location from wherever your primary active storage is located.
Keeping things updated
Another important area that must be maintained are updates to systems AND applications. If you followed the data saving advice about disabling automatic updates this is even more important. The purpose of disabling automatic updates is not to never update, but rather to be in control of when updates are occurring. When conserving data is a priority, the when is usually not something that can be scheduled. However, when cheap, reliable and ideally fast sources of internet are available, it’s time to update!
Intended for a boat, applicable for so much more
At the conclusion of this guide, I feel it is important to point out that the architecture described here is well suited for a variety of applications. It’s viable to use the exact system detailed in this guide for a variety of situations and with a few tweaks to different components, it is also the right approach for most other non-commercial scenarios.
Coastal cruising, extended RV living or van life
The mobile nature of this configuration make the approach outlined in this guide perfect for these scenarios. Staying connected while potentially a great distance from traditional forms of internet access is key. Achieving this while consuming as little low power and data use as possible make it even more appropriate.
No broadband, no problem
Millions of people live in areas where traditional broadband internet access is not available. In these situations, power consumption and the need for the solution to be mobile may not be a constraint. Therefore, the router does not need need to be mobile. In addition, since the system will not be moving, it’s beneficial to determine which sources of internet are going to be worthwhile. If cellular data is the primary source of access and WiFi even with a booster cannot be reached, the WiFi booster can be removed from the equation. This may result in even fewer requirements for the router.
Residential Reality
Finally, for most residential situations where relatively cheap and efficient broadband internet are available and there are no mobile requirements, the system simplifies further. Alternate sources of internet access can be removed along with the boosters and related hardware. The router no longer needs to be mobile and can likely be replaced with a simpler less expensive choice. The principles of a unified network, connected devices, applications and services and an optimized system with intentional controls should still be applied.
That’s all for now in this series! If you have questions or comments please feel free to leave them at the bottom of the relevant post or reach out via the “contact us” form on this site. If this information was helpful to you, I also love hearing that I was able to help. Fair winds and reliable internet!
