Houseboats require a unique solution to get connected – and fiber was the perfect choice for a plug-and-play deployment with high bandwidth and minimal disruptions
Brent Adcock
Published: October 24, 2024
High-speed internet access is an essential part of how we live and work in today’s digital age, and the mission to expand internet infrastructure to rural and hard-to-reach areas to connect the unconnected is more important than ever.
This can mean homes and businesses, but also harder to connect locations like campgrounds, farms, or, in this case, a marina. Bringing quality connectivity to a marina comes with several challenges, and we at DTC needed a solution that would grow with the facility, without the need for constant upgrades and maintenance. We also needed a company who knew how to bring creativity and flexibility. When I approached Corning about deploying fiber, I needed a unique solution – and they were up to the task.
The challenge
For many residents, these houseboats serve as second homes, which means they need to be equipped with internet access to allow people to work, stream and stay connected.
Marinas have a lot of moving parts – the docks literally move – and we were looking for a connectivity solution residents could “plug into” the way they do with water lines or shore power cables. The solution needed to be easy to deploy and repair in this unique environment, and I wanted to be sure it wouldn’t need to be replaced within a few years. On top of that, houseboat owners come to the marina for peace and quiet, so I wanted to minimize disruptions on site.
When the Corning team met with me in June of last year, we put our heads together to come up with a solution that checked all the boxes. Before long, we headed to the docks for deployment.
Bringing fiber to the houseboat
Before switching to fiber, DTC used DSL to connect the marina’s boats, which was problematic to maintain in this environment. Wireless was another option, but I knew we’d have to upgrade it frequently, and it doesn’t have the bandwidth to handle a whole pier of boats or capacity for future expansion.
For me, a huge part of the appeal of fiber was the idea that it could be “one and done.” With fiber, there’s no need to keep returning to the site for major upgrades down the line.
To prepare for the project, the team came out to the marina with a spreadsheet to chart where everything would go. After plotting all the boats, they decided we could utilize the same area where power cables went to install the fiber.
Fiber to houseboat is a unique application, but it still uses standard products. For this project, we used just four Corning products, including the Evolv® Terminal with Pushlok® Technology, a ruggedized single fiber outdoor drop with Pushlok Technology, a ruggedized multifiber outdoor drop with Pushlok technology, and the 1-fiber Pushlok adapter. Every product involved in this design was already stocked, so there were minimal production lead times and no need for Corning to design anything net new to deploy the solution, which helped keep costs down. Using only four different products also helped us minimize the time required for dock staging and on-site work. These products were compact and lightweight, in comparison to traditional solutions that typically arrive on large wooden reels requiring heavy equipment for deployment. This made the deployment more efficient as the materials we used were compact enough to fit into a standard dock cart.
We used a ‘preconn’ fiber solution rather than full splice, a first for DTC. Preconnectorized solutions are far easier and faster to deploy than other solutions. Splicing requires technical capabilities and professional tools, but preconn fiber is a plug-and-play solution that allowed our technicians to deploy it ourselves without specialized labor. And when boat owners leave, they can simply unplug the fiber optic drop, like they would with Shore power cables and waterlines.
Smooth sailing
We had the first houseboat connected within a few days. And with so few materials, there was no need for multiple trips. Essentially, it was no different from bringing groceries onto the boat. Within a few weeks, well over 20 boats were connected.
With fiber installed, the sky is the limit. A marina could take fiber into the main building, wireless cameras can be used for security, and marina owners can support restaurants, admin buildings, and security within the marina.
On the tails of successful deployment, we’ve already designed a fiber solution for a second marina, and we’re exploring ways to adapt this concept to continue connecting the unconnected, no matter the environment.
