# Wi-fi hot spots coming to RCN ships



## jollyjacktar (11 Jan 2018)

In order to both attract younger folks into becoming sailors and improve the quality of life for those who already are, Wi-Fi hotspots will soon be fitted out on ship.



> New
> Navy dropping 'draconian' policy on warship Wi-Fi, admiral says
> 
> Finding work-life balance for sailors forces navy to revise decades-old policies
> ...


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## Halifax Tar (11 Jan 2018)

This is a most excellent move and announcement.  Well done to RCN leadership!


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## jollyjacktar (11 Jan 2018)

For those of us inland on IR, I am curious if the 180 day will apply to us as well.  Would be nice to see a HLTA every 180 days instead of once a year like Santa Claus.  I plan to send this question up the flag pole and see what happens.


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## captloadie (11 Jan 2018)

jollyjacktar said:
			
		

> For those of us inland on IR, I am curious if the 180 day will apply to us as well.  Would be nice to see a HLTA every 180 days instead of once a year like Santa Claus.  I plan to send this question up the flag pole and see what happens.


IR is a personal decision. Operational deployments are not. Why would we give them equal benefits?


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## Furniture (12 Jan 2018)

I have been told about the plan to do the 180 day thing for a few years now, and can personally attest that up until August there was no real enforcement of it. I sailed for an 8 1/2 month trip, finished my post deployment leave and a week later was back at sea for BSSRT and RAS WUPS with a new crew on my old ship. Anything they can do to make life at sea a bit better for the people that actually sail is a major bonus.


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## jollyjacktar (12 Jan 2018)

captloadie said:
			
		

> IR is a personal decision. Operational deployments are not. Why would we give them equal benefits?



A full posting is not always a possibility for some and IR becomes the only logical avenue to pursue.  Just as Operational Deployments are not always forced, I have two under my belt that I volunteered for.  It's not a black and white world.  Besides, there are monetary and leave benefits for being on deployment to compensate the member for their participation.  Both situations have family back at home who would benefit with an improved QOL with having them back if possible after 180 days for however long that might be.  Why wouldn't you want to see both families benefit?


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## Halifax Tar (12 Jan 2018)

WeatherdoG said:
			
		

> I have been told about the plan to do the 180 day thing for a few years now, and can personally attest that up until August there was no real enforcement of it. I sailed for an 8 1/2 month trip, finished my post deployment leave and a week later was back at sea for BSSRT and RAS WUPS with a new crew on my old ship. Anything they can do to make life at sea a bit better for the people that actually sail is a major bonus.



My first thought is that command teams should stay in place for at least a year post deployment.  Too often they switch out upon arrival at home port and the new command team wants to go, go, go with no sympathy for what was completed prior to their arrival. 

My two Naval deployments had the commands switch our the day after we got home.  I will reserve my opinions on the actions of the incoming command teams for the C&POs mess over a drink.


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## The Bread Guy (8 May 2019)

Bumped with a new reference from a recent conference in the U.S. ...


> The next generation of Canadian sailors has grown up with phones in their hands, and they're not likely to give up their connectivity for life on the high seas.
> 
> When working with industry partners designing the technology needed on future Royal Canadian Navy ships, leaders are putting internet connection high on the list, Rear Adm. Casper Donovan, director of the navy's general future ship capabilities, said Tuesday.
> 
> ...


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## NavyHopeful (9 May 2019)

My biggest issue with this entire story is the fact that people are being misled WRT the access to the WIFI onboard.  This system is not much different than when we used to get a bunch of WIFI hotspots and set them up in the hangar while alongside in a foreign port.  The only difference now is that instead of 4 or 5 SIM cards, we are getting one, and instead of splitting the bandwidth across 5 devices, we are now clogging 250 or so users into one network path with 4 access points across the ship.

Picture this:  5 funnels with individual streams being filtered to 50 people each (what we used to have) and one funnel (same size as any of the original 5) providing one stream to 250 people (what we have now).

The other misconception about the WIFI system is that we only have access to it when we have a valid SIM card for the country we are in (not too hard when we are in Canada, but Europe can be intricate), AND when we get within range of shore.  That's right, our WIFI system onboard is only available while we are alongside in port.  I read this article, and nowhere did I see it mentioned.  Granted, I may have overlooked it, but I have talked to family members who have read this article, and wonder why I can't FaceTime them while we are at sea, because "we have WIFI now."

I am grateful that we are starting to catch up with the rest of the world WRT technology, but it would be nice for it to be reported ACCURATELY.  It makes it intrinsically difficult to explain to family members that what they've been told is not the complete truth when they only have two avenues of information; us and the media.

Just my  :2c:

Rev


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## Lumber (9 May 2019)

NavyHopeful said:
			
		

> That's right, our WIFI system onboard is only available while we are alongside in port.  I read this article, and nowhere did I see it mentioned.  Granted, I may have overlooked it, but I have talked to family members who have read this article, and wonder why I can't FaceTime them while we are at sea, because "we have WIFI now."



This.


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