Reliable Internet for Oil Rigs and Offshore Platforms with Speedify

Speedify Deployment Options for Oil Rigs

An offshore platform has satellite, sometimes a microwave link, and a crew that needs both to work at once. Losing the primary link is not an inconvenience when the alternative is no contact with shore.

Speedify is software that bonds satellite, cellular and any other available connection into one link, so a dropout on the primary does not take the platform offline.

Find out the ways to deploy Speedify on a platform – router-wide coverage, per-device for crew, and the dedicated or self-hosted server options.

Option 1: Speedify for Routers: Platform-Wide Coverage for Offshore Platforms

Speedify for Routers is the most practical option for most oil rigs. Speedify runs directly on a compatible router: an OpenWrt router, a GL.iNet device, or a Miri X510. Speedify combines Starlink / satellites, Wi-Fi, Ethernet and 4G/5G cellular internet connections at the same time. Every device connected to the platform’s local network benefits from Speedify’s channel bonding automatically, without requiring any software to be installed on individual crew devices.

This means laptops, tablets, IP phones, remote monitoring terminals, and any other networked device on the platform all go through Speedify’s bonded internet connection from the moment they connect to the local network.

Speedify for Routers requires a Speedify Router License, one license per router. For platforms with multiple network zones, you can purchase as many router licenses as needed.

Supported router hardware: OpenWrt-compatible routers on x86_64 or aarch64 (ARM) architectures, GL.iNet devices, and the Miri X510. Learn more >>

Option 2: Speedify Teams: Per-Device for Crew

Speedify Teams lets crew members run Speedify on their own devices: Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android. Every team member gets the full Speedify channel bonding experience on their individual device, and the network administrator manages all users from a centralized Teams Dashboard.

Speedify Teams includes:

• Centralized user management via web console — add or remove users as crew rotations change
• Unlimited Speedify data for all team members
• Analytics dashboard with per-user usage stats and internet connection performance data
• RESTful API for automated user management and integration with existing IT systems
• MDM support on iOS (AirWatch, SimpleMDM) for managed device deployments
• Up to 5 devices per user (iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux)
• 100% uptime SLA — 1 day of free service credited for each hour of downtime

There is no minimum number of users required to start a Speedify Teams account. The account scales as your crew does.

Add-On Option 1: Speedify Dedicated Speed Server: Managed Private Server Infrastructure for Your Oil Rig

A Speedify Dedicated Speed Server is a private server hosted and maintained by Speedify that only your team can access. This is the right choice when your operation requires a static IP address for whitelisting in operational software or remote monitoring systems, or when you need more predictable throughput than a shared server provides.

Key specs:

• Up to 1 Gbps throughput
• 3 TB of bandwidth per month (more available on request)
• Static IPv4 address: for IP whitelisting and consistent endpoint identity
• Port forwarding support
• Guaranteed SLA: 1 day of free service per hour of downtime
• Available in multiple global locations — choose the server location closest to your platform’s area of operation

Speedify Dedicated Speed Servers are available as an add-on to any Speedify plan.

Add-On Option 2: Speedify Self-Hosted Server: Full Infrastructure Control on Your Offshore Platform

A Speedify Self-Hosted Server lets your organization run Speedify’s server software on infrastructure you fully control: a cloud provider like AWS or Azure, or your own physical hardware.

This option is the right fit for organizations that:

• Have a strict requirement to keep all network traffic on infrastructure they own and manage
• Need the server placed in a geographic location not covered by Speedify’s managed server network
• Have an internal IT team capable of managing Docker-based server software and handling updates

The Speedify Self-Hosted Server runs in Docker containers on Linux. Speedify provides the server software and the license. Your team handles setup, maintenance, and ongoing management.

The Enterprise Self-Hosted Server license supports up to 1,000 simultaneous sessions, enough for large platform deployments or multi-platform rollouts.

Requirements Before You Deploy Speedify on Your Oil Rig

Internet connections:

• At least two internet connections from different providers or connection types (for example: Starlink satellite + 4G/5G cellular from a maritime cellular service or Starlink satellite + Leo satellite)
• Active SIM cards or satellite subscriptions with signal coverage at your platform’s location

For Speedify for Routers:

• A compatible router running OpenWrt (x86_64 or aarch64 architecture), a GL.iNet device, or a Miri X510
• A Speedify Router License (one per router)
• A stable power source for the router hardware

For Speedify Teams:

• A Speedify Teams account
• Devices running Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, or Android for each crew member

For a Dedicated Speed Server:

• A Speedify Teams account (Dedicated Speed Servers are an add-on)

For a Self-Hosted Server:

• A server running Linux with Docker installed (cloud or physical hardware)
• A Speedify Self-Hosted Server Enterprise license — contact Speedify to purchase
• IT staff capable of managing Docker-based infrastructure

How to Get Speedify Running on Your Offshore Platform for Faster Internet Uploads and Downloads

Step 1: Choose your Speedify deployment option

For platform-wide coverage: start with Speedify for Routers.

For per-device crew installs: start with Speedify Teams.

For private server infrastructure: add a Dedicated Speed Server to a Teams account, or contact Speedify about a Self-Hosted Server license.

Step 2: Set up your Speedify account

Go to speedify.com/for-teams to create a Speedify for Teams account, or go to speedify.com/features/routers to purchase a Speedify Router License.

Step 3: Install Speedify and connect your internet connections

For router deployments: install Speedify on your OpenWrt, GL.iNet, or Miri router using the Speedify install script. Sign in using your Speedify account credentials and activate your Router License. Then configure all available internet connections (Starlink satellite, 4G/5G cellular, wired broadband) as WAN interfaces in your router and add them in the Speedify router interface.

For Teams deployments: invite crew members from the Teams Dashboard. Each team member installs the Speedify app on their device and signs in.

Step 4: Set connection priorities

In Speedify, assign your primary internet connections (Starlink, 4G/5G cellular) to “Always” priority. Assign any backup internet connections to “Backup” priority. Speedify uses the priority settings to decide how to weigh and fail over between internet connections.

Step 5: Choose your Speedify bonding mode

For most offshore platforms, Speedify’s Redundant Mode is the right choice. Speedify sends each data packet over multiple internet connections simultaneously — protecting real-time VoIP calls, video conferencing, and operational data transfers even when one or more internet connections are heavily degraded.

For platforms where maximum upload and download speeds are the priority, use Speed Mode to distribute all traffic across bonded internet connections for up to 95% of their combined throughput.

Step 6: Manage users from the Teams Dashboard

Use the Speedify Teams Dashboard to add or remove users as crew rotations change, monitor internet connection performance across the platform, and view usage analytics, all from a single web console.

Speedify Is Used on Millions of Devices Worldwide

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Internet Connectivity Challenges for an Oil Rig / Offshore Platform

Oil rigs and offshore platforms can’t afford to lose internet connectivity at any time. If that happens, then:

• VoIP calls drop. 
• Remote monitoring systems go offline. 
• Crew communications fail. 

When the only internet connection you have is a satellite dish pointed at the sky, any outage becomes an operational problem which ends up costing a lot more money than making sure you have a solid internet connectivity solution for your oil rig.

Benefits of Using Speedify to Power Your Internet Connectivity for an Offshore Platform

Speedify is already running on offshore oil rigs and marine platforms. Speedify uses channel bonding technology to combine multiple internet connections at the same time: Starlink and other satellite internet, 4G/5G cellular, Wi-Fi, Ethernet. This results in faster internet upload and download speeds and a more reliable and secure internet connection. 

If any single internet connection slows down or drops out, Speedify automatically moves all traffic to the remaining active internet connections. Crew devices and operational systems on oil rigs stay online without any manual intervention.

Here’s what using Speedify to use any combination of Wi-Fi, Starlink, 4G/5G cellular, Ethernet and other types of internet connections means in practice for your oil rig platform:

• No single point of failure. Speedify combines all available internet connections simultaneously. Losing one internet connection doesn’t interrupt anyone’s work.
• Faster upload and download speeds. Speedify uses up to 95% of the combined throughput of all bonded internet connections, not just the fastest single internet connection.
• Built-in VPN encryption. All internet traffic passing through Speedify is encrypted, protecting operational data and crew communications.
• Redundant Mode for critical operations. Speedify sends each internet data packet over all available internet connections at the same time. The first data packet to arrive is used; the rest are discarded. Even heavily degraded internet connections won’t interrupt real-time communications.
• Centralized management. Network administrators manage all users, monitor internet connection performance, and view usage analytics from a single web console from anywhere.

The Right Internet Connection Mix for an Offshore Platform

In our experience so far with deploying Speedify on oil rigs, the most reliable offshore setup bonds Starlink (or VSAT) satellite internet with 4G/5G cellular internet connections from one or more maritime carriers. Also, two Starlink satellite internet connections give you more bandwidth, but both still rely on the same satellite network infrastructure. If Starlink or the satellite system has a widespread outage, both internet connections go down at the same time.

Combining Starlink satellite internet with a 4G/5G cellular internet connection from a different provider gives Speedify two genuinely independent internet connections to bond – diversifying your internet connections is the best way to ensure maximum reliability and performance.

Every offshore deployment is different. The Speedify team works with organizations that need custom engineering support, help selecting the right server infrastructure, or assistance scaling across multiple platforms.