Marine Offshore Platform Wireless Signal Booster Installer

Cell service at sea or offshore can be spotty at best. Having the right offshore signal booster can solve these connectivity issues and keep you connected on the water. For those who need dependable service on an oil rig or a cruise ship, offshore cell phones are big business. Even though the oil exploration industry is experiencing a slight downturn, there is still plenty of demand for cell service at sea. Offshore signal booster technology continues to get more efficient, more economical, and safer. It can improve 3G and 4G LTE coverage on large vessels and platforms. We have taken a close look at offshore signal boosting technology and its practical applications to help you make a smart decision for your exact needs.

What is an offshore signal booster?

Essentially, a cell phone booster improves existing cellular reception with an antenna and amplifier so that oil workers or cruise ship tourists can access a fast 3G and 4G LTE network. Today's offshore signal boosters improve wireless reception for all cell service providers in United States and Canada, including Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, Rogers and Telus. Previous models could only amplify 3G cell signals, and this was useful for oil workers who needed to make business or personal calls. However, the latest 3G + 4G boosters can facilitate high-quality streaming video and other data-intensive tasks. They have weather resistant exterior antenna to withstand rough weather and moist air to prevent rusting.

How does an offshore signal booster work?

Signal boosting systems are designed to work in two directions. They send and receive signals from cell phone towers located miles away on land. Offshore signal boosters are necessary because cell phone companies haven’t figured out how to erect cell towers at sea, but they may develop the technology eventually. First, an offshore signal booster has an exterior antenna, which captures the weak cell signal from land. The nearest tower can be dozens of miles away, but the exterior antenna sends the faint signal through an amplifier, which boosts it to a usable level.

Finally, the amplifier sends the boosted signal to an interior antenna, which broadcasts it throughout the offshore location. This process allows you to use smartphones and tablets as if you were residing in a city because the signal booster amplifies the signal in both directions. For example, when you upload a photo to a social media platform, the file is sent from the device to the interior antenna, through the amplifier, and out the exterior antenna. The boosted signal is broadcasted all the way back to the cell tower on land, completing the task.

Types of places signal boosters can benefit.

An offshore drilling rig, also commonly known as an offshore platform or oil platform, is an enormous structure that facilitates direct drilling into rock formations that lie underneath the seabed for the purposes of extracting, exploring, storing, and processing natural gas and petroleum. Some offshore drilling rigs include sufficient facilities to house a full set of staff at any one time. Signal boosters can help keep them wirelessly connected to workers, supervisors, and family members on shore, on the land.

While oil platforms can effectively be used in exploration and extraction activities in inland seas, inshore waters, and lakes, they are most commonly used on the continental shelf. Some platforms float while others rely on an artificial island, and others still are affixed to the floor of the ocean. By using umbilical connections and flowlines, oil platforms can connect to remote subsea solutions which can be made up of one or multiple subsea wells, or one or multiple manifolds that serve as a centre for subsea wells.

Offshore drilling worldwide is no stranger to controversy, and the ongoing drilling activities of the United States offshore drilling is no exception. Debate continues to rage on many fronts, including concerns related to materials used as part of the drilling operation, hydrocarbons produced as a result of offshore drilling, and other environmental concerns. Nevertheless, the lives of workers that work in that industry is paramount and wireless connectivity is one way to help promote safety and reduce loss of lives at times of emergencies when things go wrong due to technological glitches or human errors.

Offshore drilling operations can take place on a number of different facility types, including MODU (deepwater mobile offshore drilling units), drill-ships, and semi-submersibles which can operate in deep waters of up to 9800 feet, floating platforms and bottom founded facilities which combine production and drilling, and swamp barges and jackup barges, which are examples of bottom founded drilling rigs. When utilized in water depths greater than 4900 feet, dynamic positioning is used to maintain the position of drill-ships and semi-submersibles. Seabed anchoring is used to stabilize mobile units in shallower waters.

Are offshore cell phones dependable?

As long as the nearest coastline cell tower is less than 50 miles away, you should be able to boost the signal and enjoy consistent cell service. Once you travel outside of that 50-mile radius, the quality will immediately start to dip. If you're taking a ship into the open ocean, you probably won't be able to make calls or share messages using your normal phone service until you get closer to land.

Today's 4G boosters like the Fusion2Go provide full coverage for 4G LTE and 3G networks, whether you're on a rig, boat, or custom yacht. They are compatible with all cell carriers, so you don't have to switch to a particular phone plan.

Dropped calls and slow data speeds are still common when traveling the waterways in North America. Fortunately, this is a scenario where marine signal boosters thrive. If you want to minimize dropped calls and access consistent high-speed data, a marine signal booster will resolve all these issues.

Meanwhile, signal boosters like the 4G Fusion2Go will also ensure that your mobile device's battery life is extended significantly. When there're dozens or hundreds of people trying to text and use apps at sea, you need a boosted signal to handle all the bandwidth. Furthermore, many of these marine cell phone boosters are designed for an easy plug-and-play installation.

Why does cell service weaken at sea?

We send and receive signals via the nearest cell phone tower, so we need to be fairly close to the tower to enjoy consistent reception. As we head toward open waters, the nearest tower fades into the distance, and our cell service fades along with it. Luckily, a 50 dB five-band booster can amplify your vessel's mobile devices up to 50 dBm, which is a serious boost. Once you leave the 50-mile radius, however, the booster's exterior antenna won't be able to pick up any signal from the nearest tower, so it won’t have anything to amplify.

Why do oil workers need cell service at sea?

Cell phones on oil rigs can save lives during a hectic job, so it is critical that cell service stays strong and reliable. Oil platforms are typically located in the deep sea, and the workers need to have an open line of communication with engineers and supply boats. With an industrial power cell signal booster that requires professional installation, you can cover an oil drilling area as large as 80,000 square feet, without experiencing dead zones. However, please note that industrial marine signal booster professional installation is required.

Typically, an oil rigger team will use cranes to rig and lift spool pipes for oil production. These workers need to be able to consult with top-level engineers on short notice - especially when things don't go as planned during the construction process. Without a strong cell signal, these workers would be left to fend for themselves, creating a potentially dangerous situation on the oil rig.

Meanwhile, offshore drilling ships and oil tankers require 24/7 attention from maintenance teams. When it is time for mechanical or electronic repairs, the onshore team contacts the maintenance team using the boosted cell service. The maintenance team can be deployed in specialist ships at a moment's notice, with heavy crane systems that can handle the repairs. Likewise, process engineers will often need to climb up a gas dehydration vessel to inspect the conditions. During this process, they need to be able to call the support team below, or quickly contact the engineers onshore.

A strong cell network is crucial for off-shore oil and gas production. Any miscommunication can result in environmental damage, life or death situations on the rig, and other costly blunders. A weak or choppy signal can make it difficult to hear the other party, which can cause unintended mistakes as well. With an off-shore phone booster, you can minimize these potentially hazardous scenarios and enjoy clear communication.

Why do cruise ships need cell service at sea?

Taking a cruise ship can be a delightful and luxurious experience. You feel pampered with the delicious food, the beautiful rooms, and various other amenities. Today's passengers crave cell service and wireless internet when they take a cruise because they want to share the experience with their friends and family back home. With the advent of live video features like Facebook Live and IGTV, you can even broadcast footage in real time. This is why it is so important for the cruise ship to have an adequate signal booster, so that the onshore cell reception can be amplified and broadcasted throughout the ship.

Can I boost my cell signal on a personal marine vessel?

Finally, offshore signal boosting technology can also be used on small marine vehicles like a yacht or speedboat. We're still in an age where cellular carriers haven't figure out how to push signals farther offshore using floating towers, but signal boosters can remedy this problem with ease.

Expanded Solution Options Available.

Wireless communications are well-suited for the oil and gas industry, especially given the often remote locations of production facilities, both on and offshore. In the past, satellites provided producers with high-latency, low-band width communications sufficient for transmitting telemetry data. But they fell short for system automation controls that required much less latency or for fixed and mobile multi-services like voice and video that require much more bandwidth. Fortunately, today's three terrestrial wireless technologies – WiMAX, WiFi/WLAN and 3G/4G/LTE cellular can meet those requirements with high levels of security. We use these technologies and show how the oil and gas industry can best deploy them to help reduce labor costs, while offering much greater operating visibility, control and efficiency – all of which can contribute to greater profitability.

How We Can Help.

Whether you're working on an oil rig, traveling on a coastal cruise ship, or taking a weekend excursion on a fishing boat, our offshore signal boosters for marine vehicles provide the connectivity you desire. Offshore cell phones can prevent emergencies from spiraling out of control, and we have full faith in the quality of these systems. Our experts want to help you find the perfect signal booster for your needs. If you require coverage in a single small marine vessel, try our risk-free retail-ready out-of-the-box marine cell phone signal booster today, which you can install yourself. Larger commercial and industrial grade kits covering up to 80,000 sq. ft. per signal amplifier unit require professional installation by our certified installers. Please submit your details for a marine cell phone booster installation quote, today.