1. What you need to know

2.  Each TDI vessel is equipped with satellite communications that supplies a LOW BANDWIDTH internet connection. Even though the Vendors say it is “High Bandwidth”, the rules have changed with technology. Not a Typical Home Network

3.  Marine Bandwidth is much faster than it has ever been. Giving speeds of up to 2 to 4 MBits/second.  However, land based access has outpaced its growth, with speeds of 50 to 200 Mbits/second. Not a Typical Home Network

4.  Access speeds to and from the internet on the vessel is 50 to 200 times slower than your usual land based connection.  You must adjust your expectations accordingly. Not a Typical Home Network

5.  Access speeds to and from the internet on the vessel is 50 to 200 times slower than your usual land based connection.  You must adjust your expectations accordingly, and your devices accordingly. Not a Typical Home Network

6.  Internet service is primarily provided for business use.  Daily reports  Vessel / Office communications  Supplies requests  Communications with Port Engineer  For the Client to communicate with home office regarding a project Primarily for Business Needs

7.  However, we understand how isolated life at sea, can be.  Limited Personal use is allowed, as long as:  It doesn’t interfere with the business needs.  It doesn’t violate our service agreements with our vendors. Primarily for Business Needs

8.  Acceptable personal use would be  Online banking  Paying bills  Checking/ sending personal email  Checking Facebook messages, personal email, or otherwise communicating with friends and family, and reading news feeds. Limited Personal Use

9.  Downloading or streaming data from YouTube, Pandora, Facetime, Skype, voice chats with video, online gaming, Netflix or any similar source will  slow response times to a crawl and  potentially trigger a vendor’s automatic “throttle” switch for all internet access, making it too slow to be useful. Absolutely NOT allowed

10.  Since bandwidth is limited, it must be constantly monitored and adjusted to maximize efficiency and ensure systems are working properly.  We also monitor to determine that these rules are complied with. Usage Is Monitored

11.  Secure sites such as your banking sites are still secure.  We can’t see your information.  We simply count bytes used, by which machines, and number of sites visited. Usage Is Monitored

12.  From this we can determine what type of internet activity is occurring for a given machine.  For example: Virus infected computers may try to access up to 10,000 sites in an hour. Usually using up considerable bandwidth.  This can slow response times for everyone to a crawl. Usage Is Monitored

13.  We may not be able to know why large amounts of bandwidth are consumed.  However, devices that are detected streaming data or “hogging the bandwidth” may be blocked or throttled at any time. Usage Is Monitored

14.  The ship’s network is not like a “Home” network. It is a complex configuration of multiple devices constantly working together.  Thus far, 95% of our internet failures have been due to someone trying to “fix” something on their own. DO NOT Modify the Network

15.  A change as simple cleaning up wires (I.e. rewiring), adding or moving a device from one location to another can easily cause system failures.  If you have a need for a change in the network, contact the IT department. That’s why we are here. We can help you accomplish your goals without breaking the system. DO NOT Modify the Network

16.  We want you to use the internet. We just don’t want you to knowingly or unknowingly prevent everyone from using the internet.  If you are having trouble accessing the internet, downloading or sending project documents, contact the IT department to get them resolved. If You Need Help

17.  Keep your devices clean of viruses frequently with an up to date anti-virus program.  Disable automatic usage (updates and backups – they use LOTS of data without your knowledge). You can restart these when you get back to shore. So, Some Simple Rules

18.  Don’t visit websites with High Bandwidth Content (videos on the side bar, video ads, etc.)  For news go to low bandwidth sites like. Mobile.reuters.com.  Turn your devices off or disconnect when you are not using them. Don’t know how? Call us and we can help. So, Some Simple Rules

19. TDI-Brooks IT Department IT@tdi-bi.com Phone: 979-693-3446 (main office # and ask for IT) Thanks!