One of the biggest challenges with staying connected on the water is finding an appropriate cellular data plan. Before you embark on buying a new router, cabling, or anything else, start here – finding a plan can be challenging, and no amount of hardware will fix that.

What is a cellular data plan?

A cellular data plan is different from a typical phone plan – they can be called a hotspot plan or data-only plan as well. These plans are created to provide a connection to the internet and do not generally have the other features and functions associated with your normal phone plan, like voice calls, voicemail, tethering, etc.

They are typically used in a hotspot device or a purpose-built mobile router (not a home router) that is on board your boat which creates a local WiFi network. You can use that WiFi network and have access to the internet through the data plan.